


The Harvester

by CZ-VT (The_Harvester)



Series: The Harvester [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Frightening Imagery, G/T, Gen, Giant/Tiny, Homeworld (Steven Universe), Inspired by Steven Universe, Multi, Non-Graphic Violence, Ongoing Plot, Other, Safe For Work, Spin Off, The Harvester, alcohol use, sfw, updates weekly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-04 21:47:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 91
Words: 824,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5349707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Harvester/pseuds/CZ-VT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow Hematite, a new Harvester Gem, and the Diamond Authority as they try to learn how to work together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Test

**Author's Note:**

> An SU Spinoff series written by CZ [CorrieZodori] and VT [VT-Scribbles]. "The Harvester" is a multi-series, multi-chapter, weekly-updating series inspired by the world of Steven Universe that is set entirely from Homeworld's point of view!  
> Follow the Diamond Authority: White Diamond, Yellow Diamond, and Blue Diamond as they try to figure out how to work alongside White Diamond's newest creation, 'Hematite' gems. They're a set of 15 skilled harvesters with unique traits, one of them being the ability to drastically change size. But, these gems are unpredictable and strange, and their biology hides a dark secret. What will become of White Diamond taking on one of these gems as her personal bodyguard? Only time will tell...  
> The creators of this work of fiction claim no affiliation with Cartoon Network, Rebecca Sugar, the Crewniverse, or Steven Universe as a copyrighted franchise. World building and character depictions are based heavily on headcanon, Steven Universe canon as of November 2015, and original ideas.  
> [Contains intense scenes of non-graphic violence, mild swearing, and some frightening imagery. Contains no sexual tones/no smut whatsoever. Does not star any characters from Steven Universe exactly as they are in canon, except Rose Quartz. [Depicted as Pink Diamond]]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Diamond Authority tests a new batch of skilled hunting gems to see if they have what it takes to do their jobs properly. One of the gems performs a bit differently from the rest.

     The injector drills had been programmed to a halt, an eerie quietness spread throughout the stale air of the kindergarten. Word had been spread that there was a very important meeting today, and the workers had gathered what gems they could near the warp pad. There were smaller gems; some Peridots, some others, and a few much, much larger gems lined up behind the workers. Between 80-160 feet tall, to be exact. They all stood in a perfect line in a professional stance. Each of them had a dark gray gem somewhere on their front, and each wore an identical visor similar to the Peridots over their eyes. The workers in front of the larger gems fidgeted with their gadgets, killing time until the others arrived for the meeting.  
-  
      Not long now, right? They had to show up soon, these.. Diamonds.  
A small rock cracked underfoot as Hematite shifted nervously in place, changing his weight from side to side ever so slightly. The smaller green gems, Peridots, if he wasn't mistaken, said the gems that were coming soon were their leaders. They were coming to look them over. Something about Harvester Qualifications, whatever that meant...

     Well, whatever those 'qualifications' were, Hematite hoped they didn't have anything to do with height.

     Because he was the shortest of the group.

     Despite the fact that all the Hematites currently stood at half their potential heights, all the others still towered over the smallest service gem by at least a head, while the largest of the group stood at twice his size. Sure, the ivory-haired gem still towered above the Peridots and the other workers in the kindergarten, but he couldn't help but wonder why he'd come out the smallest. He'd tried to make his form at least somewhat similar to the Hematites that were already around when he'd emerged from the rock wall.

     All the giant gems wore similar 'uniforms' which bore varying shades of gray, black, white, and maroon or purple hues. Most of them had either gray, white-ish, or pinkish skin. Their suits were form fitting and sleek, giving the group a very unified look. Every gem wore an identical see-through visor that covered the top half of their faces, obscuring what color eyes they had. In all honesty, the most distinguishing feature between the different gems was their hairstyle. Some had long, sleek hair, others had messy, swept-forward short styles. The largest gem had a messy mop of off-white locks, while a few others had black, and even dark pink hair.  
     The shortest of the group had sleek ivory hair that stopped at about his waist. It spiked up toward the top into a small tuft, seemingly defying gravity. Gleaming subtly in the morning light, the smallest Hematite's gemstone laid in the center of his neck. His suit was similar to the others, with purple-maroon hues on the top and grey tones on his lower half. His sleeves bore a gray color instead of maroon at the mid-point of his forearm, and ended halfway down his hand, in a sort of fingerless glove style. His 'pants' were also a dark gray. The service gem wore knee-length, very pronounced boots, which had white tips over the toes. Altogether he wasn't entirely professional looking, but he wasn't as 'messy' as some of the other Hematites.

  
     Hematite swallowed and shifted his weight again.Though he was supposed to keep his eyes forward toward the 'warp', as the Peridots had called it, Hematite found himself glancing around curiously. There really wasn't much to see around here. Walls, holes, rocks, worker gems. _Was there anything beyond the high cliff sides?_  
Quietly, Hematite's visor made a single 'chirp' sound in response to him staring quite intently at a hole in the wall. It was slightly bigger than the other ones around it. The visor's activation sound startled the huge gem slightly and made him stand a bit straighter. Now his view was slightly obscured by a small, white box with some sort of text. Hematite willed the box to go away, but had no such luck. Nervously, he looked sidelong at the other, arguably taller Hematites, that stood beside him. Were their visors being weird?  
     The gem's eyes landed on the largest and meanest looking of the bunch of them. A small note appeared next to the box on Hematite's screen, and his visor gave another chirp before shutting back off. Hematite wasn't sure what just happened, but he was glad it was over, as the moment he stood straight again, the blue warp pad began to glow.  
–  
     With the flash of light, three tall figures stood on the warp pad. The worker gems all stopped what they were doing immediately, regaining their stances in a straight line. They placed their hands over their chests, standing on point. The figures stood far taller than any of the gems that worked within the kindergarten, but nowhere near as tall as the other Hematites that stood behind them. The tallest was a white gem, a prim and proper form. The second tallest was a yellow gem, professional and with a presence that demanded respect. The shortest of the three was a blue gem, standing with a grin. She looked far less menacing than the other two.  
     One of the Peridots stepped forward slowly and bowed.  
     "My diamonds, it is a pleasure to have you here. We have gathered the Hematites up for you. You may look to them at your leisure. We hope you find what we have to offer here acceptable." She spoke, lifting her gaze towards the three. The tallest diamond spoke first.  
     "Thank you, you may all head back to your stations, but I would like you and these Hematites to stay."  
The Peridot nodded, and the rest of the workers dismissed themselves.  
–  
     The hair on the back of Hematite's neck stood up when the three gems arrived, and he couldn't help but let his neutral expression falter. He looked at the three of them in turn with a quick glance, remembering what his visor had done not moments ago. He felt the Hematite to his left shift slightly, her fingers behind her back rubbing together idly. Was she nervous? The curious gem spared a glance at the much taller Hematite's face. He noticed that she was watching the Peridot, who was talking to the three Diamonds about something, very intently. It was hard to tell what her expression was, as it was obscured by rather messy, dark black hair.  
     Hematite forced his eyes forward again, trying his best to keep an expressionless face. He very nearly started staring at the Diamonds again when they dismissed the Kindergarten workers, but he kept his stance, and focused on a spot on the wall opposite of him.  
     The one thought that kept going through his mind that he couldn't ignore, however, was why these gems were so much smaller than he and the other Hematites. Were all gems that small? Hematite pushed aside the thought for now, trying not to get distracted.  
–  
     The diamonds walked off the warp pad in an unsettling unison, their steps matching perfectly with one another. The Peridot stood aside, moving out of their path. She looked very nervously up at the yellow one in particular as she passed by. The taller gems stopped, each moving a little further apart from each other. The Blue one had placed her hands on her hips, and the Yellow one had crossed her arms. They looked idly around, but the tallest gem placed her fingertip to her lip inquisitively. Her monochromatic eyes narrowed, scanning the line of the larger gems standing before her. None of them dared to move, aside from the occasional shift in weight. No one had spoken a word.  
–  
     The larger gem to Hematite's left was now standing perfectly still, aside from a mild breeze that brushed some of her hair from her face. Her fidgeting had stopped, and her breathing was so subtle that Hematite could have sworn she had frozen in place. He tried to mimic her perfect stance, but as soon as the Diamonds moved closer, he felt his expression twitch.  
What were these Diamonds here for? They didn't move like any of the other gems he'd seen around... They almost seemed like one singular entity instead of three individuals. Though the yellow and white ones definitely unnerved him more than the third, blue one. As the three of them looked over the line of Hematites, he suddenly wondered if his slight lack of height would be pointed out. Swallowing nervously, he rubbed his thumb and index finger together behind his back. He certainly hoped it wouldn't.  
–  
     The Blue Diamond kept to a specific direction. She only really looked over at the Hematites to the left. The yellow one started pacing back and forth, without a word. She glanced occasionally to the right, but was more focused on the others toward the center. Her gaze soon moved towards the middle... and rested upon the ebony haired Hematite that stood next to the shortest. She stopped then, her arms still crossed. It seemed as though she were sizing up the Hematite with just her look, piercing canary eyes searching up and down the giant gem's form. Her brows furrowed, followed by a quiet 'hmm', too quiet for any of them to hear. She looked away.  
–  
     Well, if his nerves weren't fried before, they certainly were getting there. The nervous giant glanced at the three observing gems and silently hoped none of them would say anything to him. He'd already been teased by the Hematite to his left along with a bunch of the others. He would have hated to suffer the same from these incredibly high ranked officials. The shorter gem glanced at the ebony-haired Hematite, who seemed to be getting looked over by the yellow diamond. Or was he imagining things?  
–  
     The White one, however, seemed to look evenly through them all, as if she was processing one thousand thoughts at once. Everything seemed fine, until she looked over the smallest of the Hematites. She froze and looked up at him. Her gaze met his, fierce and determined. She didn't look at any of the others like she did this one.

-

     The white one made eye contact with him. If Hematite had a heart, it would have stopped. He felt his breathing hitch and catch in his throat, a chill running up his spine, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. _Had she looked at anyone else like that? Was she **disappointed**?_

-

     She stared for a moment, transfixed. But it only lasted a few seconds, before she closed her eyes and placed her palm on her hip.

     "Thank you, Peridot. This batch will be adequate. Have them sent to the Pink District within the next 7 rotations." She spoke, opening her eyes once more, this time fixed on the small, green technician. The Peridot nervously saluted the tallest gem.

     "Y-yes ma'am, as you request!" The diamonds all nodded, and followed after the white one. They all promptly stepped onto the warp pad and teleported away without another word.  
–  
     Within a few moments, she looked away, and Hematite could breathe again. An odd feeling settled into the pit of his stomach, and he couldn't help but stare as the three Diamonds walked back to the warp pad and vanished. He took a long look at the Hematite to his side, and was surprised to see her cold expression had shifted to something of faint panic before she shook it off and cleared her throat.  
Hematite glanced down at the Peridot below, and quietly muttered 'Pink District?' under his breath.  
–  
     Within 7 rotations, just as the diamond had declared, the Hematites were taken from their stations and lined up in another clean row, this time in an entirely new area. None of them had seen any area different from their Kindergarten home, so this was a new exciting thing to them. However, the area that they were lead to by a small handful of the workers left a lot to be desired. Rubble and decay littered the vast expanse where they stood, wildlife overgrowing marble stone pillars which crumbled away with age. They all stood near the city wall, which bore a humongous door and what looked to be a gem-made railing built into the gigantic wall, which stood roughly 10 stories high. To the left of the door, there was another warp pad, but it looked as though it had been poorly taken care of. Still, as they had appeared to have used it themselves, it still functioned.

-

     Finally, a change of scenery! There was something oddly comforting about the Kindergarten and the little green gems that darted to and fro, doing their various tasks, but there was something incredibly exciting about finally seeing something beyond those huge walls of rock. Hematite was unable to keep himself from poking at some overgrown plants and some rubble with his foot when no-one was looking, and even when the Hematites were lined up again, facing the familiar sight of a warp pad, he couldn't stop himself from looking around. Nothing much had changed about the line of Hematites, except now they all bore a white diamond insignia on their uniforms, in one way or another.  
     To his slight displeasure, he had been placed next to the ebony-haired Hematite, who had fully taken to picking on him when no-one was supervising them. She'd nicknamed herself '''Mago''' after one of the lessons the Peridots gave them. It was a play on some acronym the green technicians had shown the Hematites during their lessons. Mago's expression was slightly more expectant than the previous time the Hematites had awaited the Diamonds' arrival, and Hematite wondered if she was looking to impress the yellow diamond. After all, she'd gotten a rather... scathing look last time she'd been glanced over.

-

     After what seemed like hours of standing around, the warp pad gleamed brightly and there, once more, stood the three ominous figures that the Hematites had witnessed before. Except, this time, they all held small, rectangular devices in their hands, branded with a diamond insignia.

-

     Hematite straightened up when he noticed the warp pad gleam to life, and the sight of the three Diamonds once again made the hair on his neck stand up. There was something about them that intimidated him, even at their small size. Curiously, the giant found himself focused on the little rectangles the three of them were holding.

-

     White Diamond stepped forward.

     "Greetings, Hematites. We have yet to properly meet, allow us to introduce ourselves to you. My name is White Diamond."  
     The yellow gem stepped forward, her hands behind her back.

     "I am Yellow Diamond."  
     The blue one soon followed.

     "And I am Blue Diamond!"  
     The white one spoke again, placing her palm to her chest.  
     "We are the leaders of this world. Together we rule this planet, and all of gem-kind. You are a very special type of gem. You are Hematites, but you are not only Hematites- you are Harvesters. You work under our rule and specialize in a very specific line of work. Heavy lifting, deconstruction, recon, crowd control, battle, and gem retrieval." She stopped briefly, closing her eyes. "However... Not all of you will be cut out for your occupations. What you are about to participate in is a test to see who is the most capable of handling their jobs. This is not a "one winner take all" type of test. If you pass, you win. If you fail... You will be sent to do work accordingly, adjusted to your skills."

     Yellow Diamond walked up behind the White Diamond, looking onto the crowd. She spoke up.  
     "You are all under the specific rule of White Diamond, here. But you all follow under our rule in general. You are Hematites of the White District. You will do your jobs and follow our rules, or we _will_ take action. If you are unfamiliar with our standards, do not worry. You will all, regardless of performance, be given a lesson after this test."  
–  
     As they spoke, he hung on every word, wanting to be sure he didn't miss anything. Taking note of what White Diamond had said, he found himself distracted by that word, 'Harvesters'. Gem retrieval, recon, destruction.. That last one he could understand, they were rather big, but what would they be destroying? From what he'd seen, everything was pretty wrecked as it was.  
     He then focused on Yellow Diamond, and gave the slightest of nods in response. Alright, so they were under White Diamond's rule? _Great, the scariest of the three._ Hematite kept his thoughts to himself and listened to her last comment. There was already a lot to process, tests, winning, losing? Jobs? And then a lesson afterward?  
      _You'd think they would have introduced all this to us slowly..._  

     Hematite couldn't help but wonder how the others next to him felt about all this. If they had any feelings on what the Diamonds said, they weren't showing any signs of it.  
–  
     The Diamonds stood straighter, their speeches picking up pace.  
     The Blue one stepped forward. Her smile had curved into an incredibly unsettling grin. Her eyes narrowed, looking up to the Hematites.

     "Now about the reason you are all here. We're gonna cut to the chase, because we all have pretty important things to attend to. You're all going to be hunting a handful of smaller gems. Here's the rules." She placed her palm to her forehead, where her azure gem was located. It glowed for a moment, and from it, she pulled a massive mace. She slammed it on the ground, the sound resonated throughout the vast, cold air. Everyone fell silent, and anyone not standing in proper unison was quickly straightened up.  
     She placed her palms over the massive weapon, standing in a proper position. The other Diamonds, unlike the rest of the gems, were completely unphased.  
     "Your goal is simple. Locate, hunt, and retrieve the gems we set loose into the pink district. There are 15 of you, and only 10 other gems. You are all instructed to use whatever means necessary to capture and relocate one of the gems to us within the span of 6 hours. Any gem caught leaving the pink district will face severe punishment. You may use whatever method you choose to get the job done, but just make sure you get it done and do it by any means necessary. We want progress, we want promise, we want to see what you are all capable of. Show us everything you've got." Her words were loud, strong, and most importantly, they demanded respect. "You will bring your captured gem back to the entrance of the pink district upon retrieval. After that, your task will be complete, and you may stand aside until the remaining gems are captured."  
     The other diamonds, standing perfectly once more adjacent to the Blue gem, drew their own weapons as well. The yellow one drew a long sword, gracefully swiping it to the ground and placing her own palms on it just as Blue did to hers. White drew out a pole arm, spinning it before thrusting the metallic spear into the soft dirt beside her. She lifted her chin and stared hard at the line of Hematites.

     "One last, very important rule. You are not to harm the gem itself in any way. Do not crack them, do not shatter them. You may poof them if necessary, but if any actual harm befalls the gemstone itself, you will be severely punished."  
     On this note, ten gems stepped forward from behind them, all with glowing white bracers on their arms. They looked noticeably nervous, some more-so than others. Some were very small, and some were taller, more well built. The middle diamond lifted her chin and gave the line of giant gems a bold stare.

     "The gems you see here are who you will be capturing. Capture no more than one, but do your best to capture them." The Yellow diamond held her sword to the sky valiantly, a fiercer look in her eyes. "The Gems behind us will be given a five minute head start. Their goal is to evade you, to avoid capture by any means necessary. Remember that you all have 6 hours to retrieve a gem. Once this five minutes is up, you Hematites will be let loose to hunt down these gems!  
Remember the rules, and do not disappoint us!"

     With that, a massive, sudden bolt of bright lightning shot out from the diamond's sword and into the sky. The ten gems behind them made a run for it, all splitting up in different directions, some bumping into one another in a blind panic to get moving.

     The game had begun.  
–  
     Though he was slightly taken aback by Blue Diamond's sudden change in demeanor, Hematite did his best to listen to her every word as he had with the other two, and gave one or two quick, subtle nods. As the Diamonds revealed their weapons, and the smaller gems behind them were revealed, Hematite could feel his breathing hitch. Capture a gem. Bring it back. Simple. At least, Hematite hoped it'd be simple. A few rotations prior, the Peridots had held a mass lesson on how to work the visors that all the Hematites had, and while he wasn't exactly 'bad' at controlling his, Hematite found it difficult to focus long enough to make it work properly. He and the other gems had been instructed that during their 'test', they would need to put on their visors and put them to good use. He now understood why. Glancing to his side, he saw that the ebony haired Hematite's hand was twitching, and she was shifting her weight from leg to leg.  
     The moment the gems were sent out into the field for their head start, the line of Hematites, in near perfect unison, lifted their hands to their visors, swiping their fingers over the surface to activate them. A chorus of "Activate" echoed down the line of giant gems, their visors glowing to life and glazing over, now hiding their eyes. A few of them had to swipe again to get it right, but Hematite sighed in relief that his decided to cooperate on the first try. The gem HUD blipped online with a few chirps and a soft whirring sound, and Hematite was surprised to see more words on it than he had before. There were notes on each of the Diamonds, a few little radars which he could only assume were the 'gem signatures' the Peridots had mentioned. The other Hematites muttered to themselves, also getting used to this new addition to the visor tech, which now Hematite assumed had only recently been activated if they were all seeing it for the first time. As he looked around, Hematite was surprised to see the ebony haired gem to his left was staring right at him with a cocky sort of smile on her face. Though, with the lack of visual on her eyes, he couldn't exactly tell what her expression was. Her smile cracked, and in a tone low enough not to be heard by the Diamonds, she muttered, "Have fun getting around in this place, pebble."  
     Hematite felt himself bristling, and nearly made a snide remark in response, but thought better of it when he saw that the Diamonds were watching the line of gems intently. Instead, for a moment, a faint target flickered on his screen, unseeable to his own eyes. Thankfully for him, Mago had already looked away, and was impatiently waiting for the five minutes to be over. Disgruntled, the shorter Hematite drew his attention from the gem next to him, and looked around him intently. He'd seen where a few of the smaller gems ran, but the real question was where would they _hide_. Setting his jaw, Hematite stood, tense, waiting for the time to be up.  
–  
     Time ticked by ever so slowly, the Hematites all seemed to be on edge, ready to go. After a few minutes, Yellow flicked her sword again and pointed it in the general direction of the Hematites.

     "Alright, Harvesters! Your task begins now! Do not disappoint us! Now GO!" She shouted, and they were let loose to do their jobs. Blue and white both dissipated their weapons, standing bare now. Yellow soon followed.  
–  
     Before he could so much as move, Hematite's hair was swept into his face by the sheer speed that the ebony haired Hematite moved with. She dove behind a nearby pile of rubble, tossed over a pillar, and was already hot on the trail of a gem that decided to try and be slick by pretending to go further than they had. Before disappearing around a corner, she gave Hematite a dangerous look that warned him not to follow her. Around him, the other gems were already bolting off, in search of their targets. Hematite was left in the dust, and looked toward the three Diamonds standing near the warp panel. He swallowed, taking a look around before meekly asking,  
     "You said any non-harmful methods, right?" He paused, and looked up at the wall before quickly adding "O-oh, and are the boundaries of the district clear?"  
–  
     The diamonds froze, staring in disbelief up at the Hematite. Blue looked curious and quickly looked behind her at the wall. Yellow looked fierce, almost offended... disgusted even. But she said nothing, and glanced away. This was all White's. He was her gem, and every decision made here would be lead by her today. White stood, cocking an eyebrow. She looked up at the much taller gem, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes....but her face was more one of deep thought than anger or frustration.

     "Yes, the boundaries to the Pink district are clear. You will find that the main Homeworld city is separated in four sections, which you will be informed of later. There are huge walls surrounding this area, you cannot miss them. As for your hunting methods... yes. Any. Just get the job done." Her voice became more strict at the end, though she kept her patience. "Now, get out there, you are wasting precious time, Hematite." She spoke firmly, turning her head a little but never averting her gaze.  
–  
     As soon as she had answered his question, he was off, in the direction he noticed none of the other harvesters had gone. He had an idea, but he wasn't exactly confident about it working out... But he had six hours, that was plenty of time. He hoped.  
Getting around the fallen buildings and debris, not to mention the grossly overgrown brambles and other plant-life was difficult, to say the least. Now and again, Hematite heard the scuffles of what he thought were footsteps, but then were revealed to be either a small gem creature or a frustrated Hematite making their way through the rubble. Any time Hematite found another of his kind, he stopped to watch for a moment.  
     Eventually, he caught one of them on the trail of a gem. His first instinct was to try and take the catch from the other huge gem, but once he saw how agitated they were, he thought better of it. He was considerably smaller than her, and unless his memory was terrible, he didn't remember any rules against the Hematites fighting each other.  
     So, instead of trying to sabotage the other hunter, he settled down to watch. They were rooting around in some overgrown plants, getting scratches on themselves every few times they thrust their hands into the brambles. His curiosity spiked, however, when the Hematite grabbed a large pillar and began pressing it down on the clump of brambles, crushing the thick wooden vines. within moments, a small red gem scurried out from the bush, and right into the clawed hands of their pursuer. The hunter grabbed up the small gem, which Hematite could only guess must have been a ruby. Their grip was so rough that a puff of pinkish smoke poofed from their clenched fist. Hematite's eyes widened slightly, and he ducked down behind the building he was using for cover. Well, there went one... and the one the ebony haired Hematite had made two.. Only eight more left, if nobody else had gotten lucky.  
     Eventually, Hematite moved on, deeper into the city, around the center.  
      _If any of them try to cut across the city... they'll have to come around here, right?_  
     The huge gem, on his way over, encountered three more Hematites and watched their methods. One had cornered their catch, another chased it down with _staggering_ speed, and another had tossed obstacles in the way of their target. The most recent one, Hematite thought, was very foolish. She could have easily missed and damaged the gem she was chasing more than she did. All three of the hunters Hematite had seen ended up poofing their catches, either by being too rough as the first two had done, by accident, or even out of malice, in the case of the _third_ hunter he watched. He wondered if any gems would be left to catch before the end of the third hour.  
–  
_Hunted. Cowering... run. The small Agate's mind raced. Run... Run. Get away, hide, survive._ They used the terrain to their advantage. Having been to the Pink district once or twice, they knew a little bit of the area. They knew what the best hiding spots were...but they knew better than to stick around in one spot for too long. They scurried into the underbrush, past a few broken pillars and ran into a rather large, abandoned, and crumbling building. Maybe they wouldn't be found here...at least, that's what they had hoped. Unfortunately, in their hurry to run, they failed to realize they likely weren't very quiet going into the foliage on their way in.

     On the other side of things, the diamonds had taken turns running about the fields, following the actions of the Hematites. On their rectangular pads, they'd press into the screen a few times, as if they were writing something down. Then, they'd continue on, following their methods and movements. White in particular was on the field, somewhere out of sight, in the same area as the shortest hematite. She had watched some of the others, but this one intrigued her. Something about them piqued her interest. She wrote many notes on this one, quietly out of his vision. This Hematite did not act like the others. They were much more observant. They didn't seem to be the fastest, or the boldest, but they seemed to stop and think a lot more than the others. Would this be their downfall? Or could there be more to this one? She continued to watch and take notes. She could not make any judgment one way or the other as of yet.  
–  
     Not ten minutes after he'd arrived at the center of the city, Hematite had taken to moving things around. To anyone watching, it would seem he was looking for a gem rather lazily, as he wasn't checking things thoroughly, but was instead was picking up pieces of wall, pillar, chunks of dense foliage, and placing them in odd positions when he was done 'searching' under them. He'd continued this for a good twenty minutes, until he finally stopped and wiped his face. Moving things around after such a long trek into the district was taxing him, and he idly wondered how the other Hematites hadn't seemed to slow. Pushing that thought away, he looked around at his work.      At this point, a pile of rubble laid around a large, open clearing in the buildings. To someone giving it a passing glance, the area looked terrible for hiding places, but clear of any obstacles, should they be running from someone. But, in every alley, in every path that a gem could run, Hematite had carefully placed barriers. The clearing was a well-disguised deathtrap.  
     In all honesty, Hematite was grasping at straws. Of all the Hematites he'd seen up to this point, no-one was using traps. They were all resorting to completely direct methods of hunting, but with the luck he was having, he didn't know if that would work for him. He had a plan that probably would have made the other Hematites laugh at him, but it was just crazy enough to... _This could work, right?_   He just needed a victim...  
And that's when he heard the rustling. Just behind him, a few streets down, Hematite picked up on erratic rustling of some overgrown grass that had stopped growing at the edge of a decrepit building. As silently as he could, Hematite crept over to the grass, just in time to see the rustling die down. Something had just run into the building.  
     Trying to even his breathing, Hematite took a deep breath and crouched low to the ground, out of sight. His visor dimmed involuntarily in his attempt to keep hidden, and the giant took to peering into the windows and multiple large holes in the wall. There was a gem in there, somewhere... If he could just get some sort of read on them, his visor could do the rest. At least, that's how he thought it worked.  
     Slowly, the giant gem placed a piece of wall in front of the hole the gem had scurried into the building through, and continued to block off any exits he could find until there was one hole in the wall that lead to the '''clearing''' he'd just fashioned.  
     An idea nagged at the back of Hematite's mind, but he bit his tongue and kept looking through the building's visible rooms. If push came to shove, he'd try what he'd thought of whilst arranging the rubble earlier.  
–  
     A good 10 minutes had passed, and the anxious gem lurking around inside the building knew they couldn't stay there much longer... so they bailed. Except, what was this? Everywhere they looked, the holes were sealed. Their heart sank. They began to panic, until they realized there was one opening. They quickly scurried to it, ducking under the small entrance and making their way through the path. It unsettled them, the walls were crooked and little light managed to creep in from the night sky above. But they couldn't stay in the building, so there was only one way to go. Their hands trembled as they walked in a hurry, looking frantically around, scanning the walls that seemed to twist and turn them in different directions. They had no idea where they were going, or where they would end up. But at least it was forward.  
–  
     There they were. Hematite's visor hummed to life when he spotted Agate moving through the building, checking all the old exits, but he didn't move. Not yet. The target flickered around as the small gem in the ruins looked for an escape, and Hematite felt a small smirk cross his face when they snuck out the hole he'd left available. Right where he needed them.  
     Slowly, so as not to alert them, the huge gem moved through the ruins, never losing sight of their target. The pale moonlight didn't give him away just yet, but it would in the clearing. But by then, it would be too late.  
     Hematite settled on a rise near the trap he'd laid, and watched as Agate reached the huge, seemingly escapable clearing, and waited for them to make a move. Any moment now.  
–  
     The Agate's heart would have been racing if they had one, but they surely felt an ominous chill rise in their frame. Their pace quickened slightly, turning through the ever winding path. They were sure they'd find the exit soon, how big was this place? Then, they saw it, a larger opening, to which they bolted through. The small gem scurried around, looking for a way out of the large round clearing. A blocked off alley, an obstructed street, an impassable tangle of brambles; every turn lead Agate to some form of blockage. Their pace skidded to a halt, eyes widening in horror as they had realized they were now in a dead end. The stars flickered above them, the moon illuminating the huge space. A small gasp escaped Agate, their vision darting from side to side, scanning abruptly for _any_ chance of escape...but the only way to go was back. And if they went back, the only way to go was forward. They were completely trapped.

     "No, this can't be right..." they chuckled quietly to themselves, before turning to go back through the path. Their eyes caught sight of something move atop the path they just came through. With a mighty shudder, they stopped...and looked up.  
–  
     Silhouetted against the pale moonlight, crouched in waiting, his visor locked onto its target, Hematite was poised to pounce. His stance was something rather akin to a stalking feline's, and all his senses were strained onto the tiny gem in the clearing. Here went everything.  
He didn't move. It was obvious he was tensed, and ready to leap down from the rubble he was perched on, but he wasn't making any show he was going to move. Instead, he lifted his head just slightly, and in an even tone, he spoke down to the small gem. The lessons the Peridots had given played in his mind.  
     “Gem located: Agate. Status: No gem faults detected. Mission Objective: Relocate.” Raising his chin, the Hematite narrowed his eyes. "There is no-where to run." A pause. "If you come quietly, I promise your capture will be far less violent than the others."  
     As if to show he meant business, Hematite pushed down on the rubble below his hands, and the path the Agate had taken before was quickly blocked off by crushed rock. They were trapped.  
–  
     The Agate shook in horror, their jaw hanging open as if they were going to speak...but nothing came out, except small, terrified whimpers. They backed up slowly, holding their hands in front of themselves, unable to look away from the figure that towered above them. They backed up into a piece of rubble, gasping at it. They looked back, then around, then back at the figure.  
     He was right.  
     They were trapped, cornered, with nowhere to run.  
     The voice sent shivers down their spine, making the hair on the back of their neck stand on end. They swallowed nervously, and took a deep breath.  
     "A... Ah, Are you... are you sure? What are you gonna do?" They managed to squeak out, holding their palm over their chest, where their gem was located. They never took their eyes off of them.  
–  
     As the tiny gem backed themselves into the wall Hematite had put up, the huge gem felt something odd in his chest. Almost on instinct, he slowly lowered himself closer to the ground, his eyes never leaving Agate. He'd caught his prey. There was no-where for them to go, and if he so wished, he could snatch them up at any moment. An odd feeling of... satisfaction was urging Hematite to go back on his word and leap at his target.  
     But something in the way the tiny thing put their hand over over their gem made him stop. They were terrified, and rightly so. But he was given orders not to damage whatever gem he caught, so why were they so nervous. Why were they so intent on protecting their gemstone?  
     "I will not poof you. If you come over here and let me capture you, I will bring you back in one piece." He went silent.  
The visor whirred quietly.  
–  
     The gem cowered as the large figured hunkered down. But, to their surprise, they didn't lunge at them. Their free hand grasped at the rubble to which they were backed up into, and they nervously bit their tongue. Their eyes clenched shut, and for a few moments, they waited... Waited to see what would happen. Waited for the inevitable. Waited for the pain. Waited for the terror.

     But nothing came.  
     What seemed like an eternity later, their eyes shot open suddenly, tears welling in them.... staring right at the visor. But.  
     They stopped shaking.  
     They felt an odd, unexplained calm rush over them. What was this? Why did this happen?  
     If the larger creature had wanted to harm them, they probably would have by now....easily.

     The Agate stepped forward, starting to tremble a little more, but took a deep breath.  
     "I... I'll go peacefully... Just please don't hurt me."  
–  
     He couldn't believe it. It actually worked. After all the violence he'd seen, his weird plan had actually succeeded.  
     Slowly, Hematite started to move down the rise which he was perched on. Rocks , plant life, pieces of fallen buildings, all cracked and were forfeit under the weight of the huge gem. He finally touched down in the clearing, about fifty feet from the terrified Agate. Crouched, knees bent, he beckoned the tiny gem closer with one 'clawed' finger, making no other move to go after them. The target on the hunter's visor still gleamed, focused intently on the gem before it.  
–  
     The Agate closed their eyes again, cowering as the huge gem crumbled down towards them. More waiting, but again nothing happened. They peeked through their arms which they had used to cover their face, and noticed they were now on the ground completely, and still not pursuing them. They knew if they ran, there would be trouble... and probably had little chance to escape. They knew that the building beyond the pathway was shut off, and there was nowhere to run here. _Might as well get it over with._  
     Their legs felt like lead as they urged themselves forward, trying to keep their vision focused on the finger instead of the gleaming lens that displayed above them. Every instinct they had told them to run. To get away. And yet, they kept their focus... they knew better. They shuddered, now a few feet from the clawed finger of the giant, holding out their hand shakily.  
     What was their next move? They froze in place, too terrified to think of what would happen if they made any sudden movements. Their legs went from lead to jelly in an instant, collapsing onto the ground and shaking, quickly covering their head with their arms again, stifling a squeak of terror as their instincts kicked in.  
–  
     As the gem drew closer, Hematite resisted every urge that rushed through him to snatch them up. Things were going smoothly, don't ruin it now... Soon, the Agate was mere feet away, and Hematite stopped motioning for them to come closer. Instead, his hand turned over, and he slowly reached for the terrified thing, only hesitating slightly when they collapsed to their knees, shaking.  
     Carefully, he wrapped his fingers around the trembling gem's form and picked them up off the ground, their entire body now held in a loose fist. He'd seen how the other harvesters handled their catches. All of them he'd seen ended up poofed, as the other Hematites seemed to not know their own strength. But he was careful. He did not squeeze Agate, he didn't pinch them between his fingers, and he made no move to hold them tighter than he was.  
     "Mission completed."  
     The target blipped from his screen.  
–  
     The Agate gasped shallowly, but did not move an inch. They were, much to their surprise, gentle. Far more than they had expected. They still shook, but looked up in the darkness of the giant's palm, flecks of light streaming through where their fingers parted slightly. Not enough to escape, not that the Agate would dare try to at this point. So far he had kept his word, and they remained unharmed. They weren't dumb enough to try to risk throwing that chance away, so they stayed perfectly still, awaiting their fate.  
     On the other side of this, a tall figure stood in the shadows, far out of sight from the other two... but in a way that they could survey the entire ordeal. Piercing white eyes gleamed through the dark air, shifting from one figure to the other. The figure quietly mumbled something to themselves. They reached down to the rectangular pad that they held and wrote something on it.  
     "Strategic - Successful."  
     White Diamond couldn't help but give a small grin. A brow raised sharply as she watched the Hematite make their leave with the gem in hand, and to her knowledge, unharmed. She turned, jumping up over the wall, making her way back to base.

     Meanwhile. the blue and yellow diamond stood at the warp pad along with a few other of the Hematites that had completed their mission. They idly chatted, waiting for the rest to return. Yellow looked as though she were muttering something a little irritably, but the Blue one shrugged often. They talked under their breath, whispering to one another.  
     "Where did she go? She's been gone a long time."  
     "It's only been an hour, Blue. Give her time."  
     "Aw come on, there are 9 Hematites back already... I'm ready for the results."  
     "Ugh, will you please be patient?"  
     Their conversation was interrupted when the larger white gem quickly trotted up to them, holding the pad to her side.

     "The final gem has been captured. Release the signal for everyone to return."

     With that, the Yellow diamond nodded, drawing her sword from her gem once more, and placing it up to the air, which then struck a massive bolt of lightning just as it had before. A resounding clash of thunder ripped through the pink district. No one could miss it.  
–  
     It didn't take long for him to get back, about an hour or so. He knew the way much better this time, but did have to move a tad slower with his catch in tow. He didn't want to risk tripping and hurting the Agate, or worse. He was quiet the whole way back, and had removed his visor for the time being. He didn't need it right now. The gem in his hand hadn't made so much as a peep, but he could feel them shaking just slightly. It quelled over time, and Hematite figured they had finally relaxed enough to believe he really wasn't going to hurt them.  
     Soon, he stepped into the clearing near the wall where the other Hematites were gathered by the warp pad. He wasn't surprised to see the ebony haired one there, but was surprised to see that the largest of the group looked visibly... nervous? The other gems seemed fine, but he was glancing around anxiously. Regardless, he ignored the arguably bitter scowls he received from a few of the Hematites that looked down on him for his size, and made his way directly to the three Diamonds. He knelt and carefully placed Agate near the warp pad, and was surprised to note that he didn't see any of the other small gems waiting there. Had they all been poofed?  
     Mago gave a distasteful snort at seeing the Agate, and silently wished Hematite hadn't caught anything.  
–  
     The diamonds stood together, the blue and yellow both went wide eyed for a moment. The yellow one whispered something to the blue one, eyes narrowing and looking at the Agate, then back to the blue diamond. White stood perfectly still, scanning the line of Hematites.  
     "Excellent work. You all have managed to bring back a gem. You 10 are the successors of tonight's game. I shall see to it that you are all rewarded accordingly. However, until the other Hematites arrive, I cannot continue my speech. So please wait patiently for the others to arrive. Thank you." She stated loudly, turning to the other diamonds. They all spoke to one another, but quiet enough to where no one else could hear. There was a guard nearby, a warrior gem, that held all of the gems that the harvesters had collected... and stood guard over the one that came back un-poofed, which cowered behind them, eyes widened, staring up at the Hematite that had caught them.  
–  
     Glad to finally be in the clear, Hematite's shoulders relaxed, and he walked over to join the other gems that stood against the wall. He made sure not to stand by the ones that were giving him dirty looks, and instead stood by two that seemed to at least be ignoring him. Hands clasping behind him, he listened to White Diamonds' mini-speech, and then looked out at the district when she was done. Now they just had to wait, huh? Well that was certainly a pleasing break from the last three hours or so. Hematite couldn't be sure how long it'd been.  
Soon, the remaining Hematites gathered, and they all stood in their line, awaiting what was next.  
–  
     At the moment the final Hematite had returned, the diamonds walked over in unison once more, standing side by side in a perfect line.  
Yellow diamond stepped forward first, however, much to their surprise.

     "To all of the Hematites who participated in this event, well done. Regardless if you had caught a gem or not, we will see to it that you are given jobs accordingly. All of you have performed up to expectations." She closed her eyes. The Hematites seemed to all gather a small grin, one or two even nodding in both thanks and approval.  
And then Yellow diamond's eyes opened abruptly, a stern, cold, merciless look plastered across her face. She turned to the largest Hematite and glared at them right in the eyes. "Except one."  
–  
     Much to Hematite's surprise, Yellow Diamond was the first to speak, though he had expected White Diamond to take the first step forward. As she doled out a congratulations, he couldn't help himself from smiling a little bit. There was a sense of satisfaction, admittedly mixed with apprehension, that he was the only one to bring back an unpoofed target. He spared the Agate, who was standing behind the warrior gem a little ways off, a quick glance.  
     His attention was quickly brought back to Yellow Diamond when her tone changed, and his blood ran cold. For a split moment, while he wasn't watching her, he thought she was looking at him. His shoulders lowered slightly, however, when he saw that Yellow Diamond was not looking at him, but the large, extremely anxious looking Hematite.  
      _What did you **do**..._  
–  
     Yellow diamond took her sword and pointed it to the larger hematite, right at their gem. Then, she held out her free hand, clutched into a fist. Her fingers uncurled, revealing 7 glimmering shards of the same color.  
     "This gem has been shattered due to your careless action." She said, loud and coldly. "I am Yellow Diamond. The gem of truth... Honor... courage..." She narrowed her eyes, still fixated on the large Hematite. Her very form could have shaken them with ease, despite being significantly smaller than them. "...and Justice."

     At her last word, hundreds of warrior gems peered over the wall that towered above them, holding cross bow-like weapons with arrows that appeared to be mini-gem destabilizers. Their sudden appearance caused many of the Hematites to gasp quietly, shifting their weight and staring up at them. Every single one of the warriors all had their weapons pointed towards the large hematite.

     "You were given explicit instruction not to harm the gem in any way...and you have brought this one back _dead_ ." She said coldly, her voice like venomous daggers sticking into the Hematite's nonexistent heart. "Now you must pay the price."  
–  
     The largest of the Hematites was tense, and stared helplessly at the furious Diamond in front of him. He could do nothing but clench his fists, flinching at her words. But honestly... did he truly regret it? _No. **It was fun while it lasted. That puny gem had it coming.  
**_

     At the sight of the guards, the shortest Hematite felt his breath catch in his throat, and his eyes opened wide. His body went rigid, and he suddenly felt very, very small. Sparing the larger Hematite a pitiful look, he couldn't help but close his eyes, turning his face away slightly. This wasn't going to be pretty... he didn't want to watch.  
–  
     Yellow diamond flicked her sword to the side, followed by a yellow trail of glowing, hot sparks.

     "FIRE."

     In perfect unison, the hundreds of warrior gems shot out the destabilizing arrows, all piercing into the larger Hematite's body. A bright, fizzling flash glowed around them, then...

 _CRACK_.

     A loud snapping sound followed, fizzling and buzzing sounds fading in and out. Yellow, circuit-grid patterns spider-webbed out from the destabilizers, quickly growing. The other Hematites gasped in horror, moving away from the bigger Hematite. Suddenly, there was a loud _poff_ as a massive cloud of gray smoke enveloped everyone that stood near the larger hematite. There was a soft clink, and when the smoke cleared, the Hematite's gem lay in the grass, gleaming and formless. Yellow diamond stepped forward, her eyes fixated on the gem.  
     She lifted her foot and placed it over the gem. Then, she ominously lifted her head, facing the rest of the Hematites. With narrowed eyes, she shifted her weight.... then...

**Snap.**

     An eerie silence fell upon every one of them. Without averting her gaze from the rest, she lifted her boot, revealing the Hematite's gem; broken into pieces, lifeless on the ground below.

     No one said a word.  
–  
     Hematite couldn't stop himself from looking over at the loud poof, and waved the smoke away from his face. He stared down at Yellow Diamond, and the lone gem that laid in the grass. The moment that followed seemed to stretch forever.  
      **Snap**  
     A heavy shudder crept up Hematite's form, and he stared in disguised horror at the pieces of the once giant gem's gemstone. He swallowed nervously, and attempted to meet YD's, albeit general gaze, evenly.  
If he wasn't scared of her before, he certainly was now.  
–  
     Yellow diamond took her sword and placed it firmly in the ground in front of her, resting her palms upon the gem on it's hilt. Her words were loud, piercing, and carried well.  
     "Do you all see now? If you do not follow our orders, if you do not heed our word, if you do not mind the rules, you all can and will be brought to your knees. Just because you all have an advantage in size over us does not mean that you can overpower us. If you believe otherwise, we will be more than willing to correct you. Not only this, if you need any more reminders as to why we are the leaders here, we will be glad to show you. " She placed her sword back into her gem, reached down to pick up the pieces of the shattered Hematite, and fell back into line with the other two diamonds that stood behind her.  
     White diamond stepped forward at last.

     "This being said. Follow our rules, mind our policies, and you will be just fine." She said calmly, but firmly. She took a deep breath, taking a look up at the Hematites. "Do we make ourselves clear?"  
–  
     In response to White Diamond's words, Hematite gave a shaken nod, and attempted to resume standing at attention, as the other gems around him had begun to do.      Soon, they all stood in a neat, albeit unnerved, line. The ebony haired Hematite fidgeted behind her back, clearly bothered by the events that transpired. This could happen to any of them.  
     But that was it, he just had to follow the rules, and he'd be fine, like they said, right? Swallowing again, the giant gem watched the Diamonds before him, and silently wondered what came next...  
–  
     The white Diamond's hands clasped together, a warm grin spread over her face, night and day from what she had seemed before. It was an eerie calm.  
     "Now that that is taken care of, and we are at an understanding. The remainder of you Hematites shall be issued your jobs. The five Hematites that did not catch a gem, please stand back. The 9 of you who did, please step forward."  
–  
     Reluctantly, the Hematites that had not passed the test all took a few steps back, leaving the remaining gems to take one step forward. With a smirk on her face, the ebony-haired Hematite lifted her chin just slightly, clearly proud she was among the 9 to pass the test. Not to mention, the first.  
     The shortest of the group was not as proud, however. He had no idea if what he had chosen to do was right, or if there would be repercussions. The Diamonds had said 'any' means, but did they still expect him to poof his catch? Was that an unspoken expectation? Would he be seen as weak, or worse, unable to poof a gem, even at his size?  
     A thousand thoughts whirled through the gem's mind, but he remained as stoic and professional as he could, watching White Diamond intently.  
–  
     White Diamond crossed her arms and took a look up at the Hematites before her.  
     "The Hematites standing within this line have all performed to expectations tonight. You will all be given more opportunities and better ranking jobs."  
She stopped, tapping a single finger on her arm, scanning the larger gems. "All except one."  
–  
     There it was. Each of those three words sent a cold shiver down Hematite's spine, and he forced himself to look away, toward the wall behind the Diamonds. Maybe if he didn't make eye contact, he could keep his composure. To the discerning eye, however, he was not masking his rising anxiety well.  
–  
     "One of you.... has _exceeded_ all expectations," she spoke, the grin widening a little. She closed her eyes and continued. The diamonds behind her crossed their arms as well and looked up to the crowd. "One of you has performed different than all the rest. One of you thought intelligently. One of you used the terrain to their advantage, used their wits...used strategy. This chosen gem will be given a special opportunity to work directly under me, White Diamond, as my bodyguard, among other higher ranked jobs. This gem will be given a new life under special protection and order under the direct Diamond Authority, if they so choose." Her eyes scanned the line of Hematites before finally resting on the _shortest_ one.  
     The diamonds held their breath behind the White Diamond, as if they too were waiting in anticipation for the choice.  
–  
     The shorter gem's eyes widened considerably, and, despite trying to keep his face neutral, he felt a dark gray, almost purple tint rising to his cheeks. Exceeded? But he hadn't even poofed his target, he was ineffective as a hunter! A bodyguard, too? He was the smallest out of the gems standing to his sides!  
     The gems who, understandably, were either shooting him dirty looks or muttering to themselves. If he wasn't mistaken, Hematite heard one of them flat-out growl at him. This was a group of edgy hunters, and he was just given what he assumed to be a huge opportunity...  
     Hematite drew his eyes back to the three expectant Diamonds, and after a long, flabbergasted moment, he managed to swallow and nod.  
     "I accept, White Diamond."  
–  
     White diamond smiled, looking intently up at the smaller hematite. The two diamonds behind him stared on in almost disbelief. The blue one's face morphed over to one of curiosity, drifting into a steady grin. The yellow one, however, had a face of appalment and distrust.  
White Diamond looked over to the agate, still cowering behind the warrior gem.  
     "You were the only Hematite to bring back a completely unharmed gem." She looked back up to the rest. "You have shown me that you have much potential, Hematite. Do not disappoint me."

     Yellow diamond stepped forward and placed a palm on White's arm.  
     "Are you sure about this, White? Just look at them, they're...much smaller than the rest..." She whispered, unable to look away from the hematite as she spoke.  
     White raised a brow, her smile fading.  
     "It does not matter how big or small they are, you of all gems should know this." Taken aback, Yellow frowned and muttered something under her breath, but said no more. "Blue, please take the remainder of the Hematites to the briefing hall and report to the Central Station Tower as soon as you are done. Yellow, you will follow me." She turned and looked up at the smallest, chosen Hematite.

     "You will follow as well. We have much to talk about."  
–  
     He was dumbfounded. This gem, this powerful leader, saw his mercy as 'potential'? Though he couldn't catch what Yellow Diamond said to White, Hematite could tell it wasn't a word of approval. Standing a little straighter, he tried to look professional. If he was chosen for this special position... he'd do his best to prove he was worth it!  
     As Blue took the other Hematites aside, the shorter gem was left alone with the remaining two Diamonds, and shifted his weight from side to side until White Diamond ordered him to follow. He nodded and did as he was told, trailing after the two with measured steps, so as not to overtake their pace.  
–  
     A few hours passed by, and the Diamonds had met up on the rooftop of the Central tower that laid between the Diamond Towers. Blue had showed up far after everyone else, rushing to the three gems standing idly.  
     "Haha, sorry I'm late! Whats up?" She said, running her fingers through her fluffy hair. She looked up at the Hematite that stood tall and proud before them, beside the building so that they were almost head level with them. She gave him a smile, but was unsure if he'd notice. She too had a curious hope in this one. White turned to the other diamonds, holding the rectangular pad in hand. She began reciting what notes she gathered on this particular Hematite. The two Diamonds stood, listening to her words. Yellow looked more bored than anything, but remained professionally stood.  
–  
     Though the gem kept a professional air about them, Hematite couldn't help but think about how this gem was following his every move when he put his plan into action, and yet he hadn't seen her a single time. He'd thought that he heard footsteps once or twice, but figured it was wildlife or a retreating target gem. To think that White Diamond was there, watching, completely unknown to him...  
     As she listed the notes she'd taken, Hematite couldn't keep a subtle tint of purple from his cheeks, but thankfully it was quick to fade, and he remained in his professional stance, keeping his head high. Right. He'd earned this. He took a risk at the expense of possibly failing the test, did something no-one else did, and it paid off. So why was there still a sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach?  
–  
     White turned to the hematite, there was no smile on her face, but she looked calm and collected.  
     "And now, Hematite, I am going to ask you to shift down. We would like to speak to you closer, a little easier. Do you know how to do this?" She asked, holding her hand out high. The other diamonds backed up a little bit, Yellow's eyes fixated on the Hematite's, and Blue watched white intently, but with a semi-nervous smile, from what could be seen.  
–  
     What was this about 'shifting'? Hematite could have sworn he heard the Peridots mention it once, but they hadn't gone into detail. At least, he didn't think they had, he was a bit distracted during that part of their speech. If he remembered right, the ebony haired hematite had been tugging on his hair to pester him.  
     As White Diamond held out her hand, Hematite blinked in surprised confusion, and after a moment of nervous hesitation, lifted his own hand and gently placed it on hers. He was acutely aware of Yellow Diamond's gaze, and noticed that Blue Diamond looked... well, a tad unsure of what was going on. To be honest, he didn't look very confident himself. Regardless, he tried his hardest to remember the bits of the lecture he'd caught... Something about visualization, picturing where your feet needed to be, and then using the same energy as when gems shape shifted. So, this was the same, but he just needed to be smaller?  
     Taking a deep breath, Hematite nodded.  
     "I think I know how." He glanced at the place on the roof in front of White Diamond, and focused intently on imagining himself in that spot. It took a few moments, but his gem began to glow, and his form gleamed brightly as he shifted down in size, his hand never leaving White Diamond's. At a certain point, Hematite naturally lost control over whatever size he was aiming for, and defaulted to about the height of a Pearl, his form still gleaming with light. A moment later, he was left standing in front of White Diamond, his small hand holding onto the tips of her fingers. Momentarily shaking off the odd feeling he'd just experienced, the smaller gem looked up at the three Diamonds towering in front of him.  
      ** _Oh._**  
–  
     The three gems stood a good foot or two taller than the Hematite. White, with the Hematite's hand still in hers, let her hand away from them for the moment and nodded in approval.  
     "Thank you, Hematite. Now we may properly speak." She said poshly. Yellow Diamond stood tall, taking a deep inhale and narrowing her eyes at the smaller gem. Blue, however, placed her hands on her hips and kept smiling. White cocked a brow ever so slightly. "Are you alright? How do you feel?" she asked, looking back down on the Hematite. They all seemed to inadvertently size him up.  
–  
     Needless to say, he was... Well. Hematite had grown used to the other gems of his kind standing one or two, even three heads taller than him, so that was nothing new, but to see these gems at that size, when only moments ago he towered over them, well. It was intimidating to say the very least. At least at his taller size, he'd felt some level of security. But now? There was no security, he felt absolutely tiny next to these powerful gems.  
     Letting his hand fall to his side, he stared in unmasked awe at the three of them for a long moment before he gathered his thoughts and swallowed. Well, might as well try and make them smile.  
     "How am I feeling?" he echoed. Pretending to think it over, he glanced up and to the side, pursing his lips for a moment before smiling awkwardly at them. "Well, _shorter_ , for one."  
–  
     In an instant, Blue started to snicker behind them, but turned quickly away to hide her face. Yellow's eyes widened, and she let out a groan of exasperation, looking back at Blue. White simply raised a brow, but couldn't help but smirk.  
     "Not to worry. You will soon get used to your many sizes. We will teach you all that you need to know about what you can do, your job here, the rules, and any questions you may ask....provided we have an answer for you." She said simply. Blue, who was still stifling chuckles behind the white gem, turned back to him at last.  
     "Heeey and don't look so stressed out! A lot of gems get spooked by our presence. That's normal. As long as ya don't do anything against code, you'll be golden." She said cooly. Yellow rolled her eyes and grumbled, but looked out to the horizon away from everyone else.  
     White looked down at the Hematite with another grin.  
     "Anything you'd like to know before we begin?"  
–  
     At the sight of White and Blue Diamond's response, Hematite couldn't help but smile in spite of himself, his shoulders raising slightly in an attempt to not snicker at Blue's reaction in particular. But when he glanced at Yellow, his shoulders and smile dropped, and he cleared his throat, resuming the professional stance he'd held when he was big moments ago. He squared his feet and listened to White Diamond, nodding silently.  
     When Blue spoke up, he gave a small, thankful smile at her reassurance, and nodded in reply. Though he didn't look at her, Hematite silently wondered if Yellow Diamond would say anything. However, that idea was dashed when she looked away. Honestly, he was disappointed.  
     The small gem looked up at White again and seemed to mull her question over. This time he gave a curt nod.  
     "Hm. Just one thing. What do you want me to do first?"  
–  
     White smiled and held her arm out once more, taking the Hematite's hand.

     "I like your eagerness, Hematite. Come, you have much to learn first." She said, starting to walk to the door that stood on the roof. She gave a wave of her other hand to the other Diamonds, dismissing them promptly. Yellow said not a word, but Blue raised her hand up.  
     "Good luck, newbie!"  
     They all had no idea what kind of adventure they were in for...what sort of events were going to unfold. They could never have predicted the outcome of one single choice. In an instant, their lives would be changed forever. The dawn of a new day had risen.


	2. In Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite learns something new about his abilities and is given an errand by White Diamond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This chapter has been 'censored' from its original version. The scene therein will be addressed, but in a later chapter of this arc.]

Thus, Hematite started working under White Diamond's direct authority. The other gems of his kind were set to work on Homeworld, though a few of them were sent to different planets to assist some high ranking officials stationed there. Not having passed the Harvester test, five of the Hematites were set to more recon and destruction-based jobs. Occasionally, if other Hematites were unavailable, they were given the leftover jobs, but those were few and far in between. They would have a chance again to earn their full Harvester rank one day in the future. One day, they would have another chance to prove their potential to White Diamond.

White Diamond, arguably the most mysterious of the Homeworld leaders. She was always poised, level-headed, had an answer to almost anything. Well, that's the impression Hematite got from her. The white-haired diamond was rather hard to read on a day to day basis, and the service gem found it hard to tell what she was thinking most of the time. It didn't frustrate him, persay, but he did wish he could get a more solid impression of her. All he knew is she kept him busy and on his toes most of the time, and that, despite her very imposing presence, White Diamond was a good leader. Her district was well kept, peaceful, and had the highest concentration of aristocratic gems. From the archives White Diamond had Hematite read, he could tell that her district wasn't as advanced as the Yellow District, but other than that, there didn't seem to be too stark of a difference. Then again, he had yet to set foot in the Yellow District. Hematite was curious what it looked like, outside of his archives and holograms.

Yellow Diamond was rather intimidating, but there was something about her that Hematite couldn't help but be curious about. She was well-presented, professional, and it seemed she was always making progress in some way. The more Hematite saw from her, despite her cold attitude toward him, the more interested he became in his yellow superior. Despite his personal caution of her, because of the 'display' she put on in front of the Hematites at the end of that test, Hematite couldn't help but respect her. She was powerful, poised, progressive. Any time Hematite saw her, she was working hard on something. He could appreciate that! And in fact, it only pushed him to work harder on his own missions. He'd show her that no matter how small he was, he could do his best at any task.

Months went by. Hematite had finally settled into his role under White Diamond, and was able to perform most of his jobs rather well! Certainly, he wasn't as fast or powerful as some of the other Harvesters, but he got the missions done quick enough. Even in a few short months, he'd already been given over fifteen or so missions, and had completed each one to the best of his ability. A few harvesting missions, some recon, a destruction job or two in the Pink District, and extensive amounts of reading up on Homeworld, common gem types, and anything else he could get his hands on in his spare time; that was his life for the past few months. Hematite still had yet to leave Homeworld, but he was okay with that. He still had yet to learn everything about his home planet, he wasn't ready to go anywhere else just yet! Because of his new and incomplete knowledge of Homeworld and its rules, Hematite had slipped up here and there, but White never seemed to scold him too much. They were silly little mistakes. Saluting incorrectly, bumping into a gem that he wasn't supposed to, or speaking out of turn during meetings, none of these were worthy of any real 'punishment'. As the weeks went by, Hematite found himself far more comfortable in his knowledge of Homeworld rules and ethics. And in all honesty, he also felt more comfortable with his powers as well. It had taken a while to figure them out, but he felt he had a pretty good handle on them now.

Well, he **thought** he did.

 

 _This was bad. This was really really bad, wasn't it? He was going to be decommissioned for sure, there was no way White Diamond was going to have any of this. Why had this even happened?!_ All Hematite could think about was how White Diamond would react to his most recent... 'development'. Would she laugh? Would she be angry and tell him that his job was done for? Would she stare at him and quirk an eyebrow and not say anything and make it impossible to know what she thought of it?  
_Probably the latter._  
At only a few inches tall, the ivory-haired service gem made his way into his superior's office. Over his head, he carried a silvery bubble that held a small yellow gem. It was a common Topaz. The small silvery-pink bubble gleamed in the light that filtered in from the window as the gem scurried over to White Diamond's desk. He wondered for a moment if she'd even seen him come in. After waiting a moment, he cleared his throat as loudly as he could, standing a few feet in front of her desk.  
"Hematite reporting, White Diamond!"  
–  
White Diamond, for a moment, didn't move, and from Hematite's smaller perspective, all he could see was a desk. Soon, her head peered over the edge, brows raised, a smile on her lips.  
"Oh good, I see you've gotten the Topaz. Well done, Hematite." She said simply, sitting back down in her chair, disappearing out of his point of view. "Topaz warriors can be such a handful, even the common ones. I see they must have gotten a little rowdy with you. Is your gem undamaged?" She asked from afar. She seemed oddly unfazed by his little predicament.  
–  
The tiny gem on the floor blinked up in confusion, and was silent for a long moment before finally hoisting the Topaz a bit higher so he could peer from under it more effectively. He arched a brow in confusion when White disappeared back behind her desk.  
"Y-yes, at least, I believe so. But I seem to be... unable to shift back to normal. And I nearly passed out after becoming like this." He bit his lip and looked around for a moment."It's not cracked, but I didn't shrink down on purpose... so." He looked back up at his leader's desk, his foot scuffing the ground idly.  
–  
"Relax, Hematite. This is actually normal with your kind." She said, stepping out from behind the desk, to the left. "When you expend too much energy, you shrink down to a very small size. It's temporary, so do not worry too much." She said idly, moving over to the shelf next to her. She rummaged through the books for a moment, grabbing one of the metallic pads that sat on the shelf. She turned to the small gem and knelt down, slowly handing him the pad and taking the gem from his hands. "However...you still have work to do, I'm afraid. I need you to take that to Yellow Diamond's office right away. It's a bit of a long walk, especially at your size...so you'd better get going." She said promptly.  
–  
Surprisingly, Hematite found himself able to keep his cool, even with White Diamond towering over him. He'd managed to adjust on his way back to being so small, but the sight of a gem actually approaching him at such a height was... daunting. As she knelt down, Hematite let go of the bubble and took the metal notepad from her. Honestly, although he wanted to ask if he could get an escort, he knew it was best not to ask White for help with a job he could do by himself. Even if it would take a little longer...  
"R-right, well." He forced a cheerful smile. "Here's hoping it wears off soon! Doing errands like this isn't time efficient!"  
With that, he hoisted the pad above his head and rushed out the door, his little footsteps fading down the hall. Great, Yellow Diamond's office... Hematite sighed. Well, maybe this wouldn't be so bad! She could have further answers for him about when he'd change back. Then again, she probably wouldn't tell him anything that White Diamond couldn't.  
His footsteps quickened, and he ran toward the other tower as fast as he could. This was going to be a long walk.  
–

-  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU AUTHORIZED THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SHIP WITHOUT ANY SPECIALIZED PILOTS?" Yellow gripped the edge of her desk tightly, baring her teeth at the Peridot standing in front of her. The green gem stammered, knees shaking. The tall, yellow gem stood up and slammed her hands on her desk, glaring wide eyed at the terrified Peridot standing in front of her.  
"YOU CAN'T HAVE A SHIP WITHOUT A PILOT YOU IDIOT... GO. GET SOME SPECIALISTS OR SOMETHING!!" She hissed, pointing at the door. The Peridot nodded quickly and got out as fast as she could. She was lucky she wasn't harmed at all. Rushing through the door, she hardly noticed she was passing by a much smaller gem on the bridge. She just wanted to get away.  
Yellow sat down in her chair, pinching her brow and grumbling something to herself. She was seething.  
–  
Looking up, the tiny service gem smiled at the approaching green gem.  
"Oh, good eve-... ning." Hematite trailed off as the panicked Peridot raced by, and the tiny gem couldn't help but think that couldn't be good. Regardless, he had a job to do! And he didn't just spend two hours running here to turn tail now.  
Quietly, Hematite made his way into the rather irritated gem's office, unable to see her face past the metal pad he was holding up. Something in the pit of his stomach told him to put the pad down and leave, and that it wasn't a wise choice to stay, but he cleared his throat and called up, "H-hematite reporting, Yellow Diamond! I brought something from White!"  
–  
There was no response... for a few moments. Suddenly, much like white had done before, a face peered over the desk. Her eyes were widened, but her brows were furrowed as though she was angry. She was frowning, and didn't look the slightest bit pleased.  
His fears were right.  
However, if that alone didn't rack his nerves, she soon disappeared back over the desk and came out to the right, now standing ominously above him. She looked as though she were both surprised and pissed off at the same time...not a very good combination. The Hematite found themselves cast in her shadow, her tall figure looming ominously over him. She didn't say a word, but leaned down, grabbing the metallic pad and lifting it quickly and carelessly. She looked at it, then back at the Hematite, before narrowing her eyes and placing it on her desk.  
–  
Her sudden appearance over the edge of the desk had already startled him, but when the huge, rather angry looking Diamond walked up to him, he found that he couldn't hold onto his composure like he had with White Diamond.  
"I-I uh. Had a rough mission. Here's your-" he was cut off mid-sentence as the huge gem practically yanked the pad from his hands, lifting him off the ground slightly before he let go, landing unsteadily back on the floor. Regaining his stance, he saluted politely, and tried to make eye contact.  
"If that is all, I should be getting back to White Diamond's office."  
–  
She shot him a quick glare, placing a foot quickly next to him, cutting off his direct route to the doorway.  
-  
_Ooooh that couldn't be good, could it?_  
Hematite looked up in surprise at his superior when she blocked off his path, and felt a weak tremor pass through his body. He wasn't sure if it was from her footfall or his nerves...  
-  
"Not so fast, now." She said darkly, with a low tone. Yellow suddenly knealt down, now much closer to the miniscule service gem. Raising her hand, she quickly lowered it over Hematite's tiny frame, cupping it firmly over him and the floor, pinning him in place. Like a cat with their paw on a mouse's tail, she scanned over him with piercing yellow eyes. "I'm sure White can wait a little while. Besides, its such a long walk back you know." She smirked, which in itself was rather unsettling. "Especially at your puny size..."  
–  
Before he could protest, her hand was upon him, and he let out a surprised 'oof' as he was pinned to the floor. He looked up at her, barely able to meet her intense stare. He managed a slightly nervous grin.  
"U-uh, yeah, it is. Were you considering giving me a lift back? I'd appreciate it, if you're... not.. too busy." He trailed off, the knot in his stomach making itself known, even worse than before.  
–  
She scowled, tightening her grip on his body and curling her fingers around him. She started to lift him, clawed fingers trapping him within her merciless grasp. She lifted him swiftly up to eye level, uncomfortably close to her face. She stared over him like a hawk.  
"Excuse you?" She growled lowly, slightly tightening her already firm grip. He certainly wasn't going anywhere now. "Of course I am busy... how _dare_ you ask me that, I'm not your _escort_." She bared her teeth, eyes narrowing at him.  
–  
Hematite quietly gasped as he suddenly found himself face to face with the huge gem, and he couldn't help but tremble under her gaze. He winced as her grip tightened, and for a moment, he was afraid she'd poof him then and there.  
"I-I didn't mean anything by it! I apologize, of course you're too busy." He was looking away from her face, trying to stay as calm as he possibly could. That didn't stop him from glancing at her bared teeth, another shiver shaking his tiny form.  
–  
Yellow turned the tiny gem in her palm a little bit, examining him.  
"I don't fully believe you understand the position you hold here, Hematite," she said coldly, raising a brow. "You're so used to being big, you forget how small you really are." She grinned, teeth gleaming. "Perhaps you question your position... perhaps you even think you are remotely stronger than us. But we'll be waiting, Hematite... waiting for you to slip up if you ever even _think_ of turning on us. Don't get too cocky. Don't forget where you stand... or else."  
–  
The tiny gem quietly protested as he was turned over in Yellow Diamond's hand, and he had to blow his hair out of his eyes a few times so he could see his superior's face. He didn't want her to be out of sight for too long.  
He listened to her words, and a look of disbelief and fear plastered itself across his face. He shook his head.  
"I-I would never! I'm here to serve you, White Diamond, and Blue Diamond! I would never question my position!" He was full-on shaking at this point, the smallest of whimpers escaping him. Small, scared, powerless... _is this what his mission targets felt like...?_  
"I'm sorry, I won't forget, I swear it!"  
–  
"No."  
Her eyes narrowed in an ominous calm.

"You _won't."_  
\----

_..._

_\----_  
After a quick warning not to share what had happened with anyone, and a brusque sending-off, Hematite was back in the great sky bridge, the door to Yellow's office closing behind him. The sun had set, and the bridge back to White's office stretched ahead, empty, silent.

His visor was back to normal at this point, and his steps were measured and even. Until about halfway down the bridge, that is. The lone gem suddenly slowed, until he was standing in a pale shaft of moonlight. A breeze blew through the stone walls, chilling the gem's damp form. He finally looked at himself. His hair was plastered to his suit and neck, his bangs stuck to his visor. Even now, away from Yellow Diamond, a vague sense of terror still lingered in his stomach.  
Until it jumped into his throat, and a sharp mix of a cry and a gasp escaped him. Hematite covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking once again. Looking up, the tiny gem spotted a large crack in one of the 'pillars' separating the outside world from the bridge, and he rushed over to it, slumping back against the cold stone. His visor was quickly removed and placed on the ground. Trembling, Hematite drew his knees to his chest, crossing his arms over them. He stared ahead, tears in the corners of his eyes.

He just had a **_talk_ ** with Yellow Diamond. That's all. She discussed some business with him, and taught him a new rule he didn't know.

_It wasn't a lie.  
_

He'd messed up and spoken out of turn, so he deserved it, right? But... he hadn't meant anything by it.

Nobody had to know about this. Nobody _could_ know about this. He couldn't tell White that Yellow... that she-  
The tiniest whimper echoed hollowly through the bridge before fading into the night.

_He wished he'd never said 'I accept'._


	3. The Blue District

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite is shown around the Blue District.

Several weeks passed since Hematite's rather _unpleasant_ encounter with Yellow Diamond... he wasn't quite sure he was ready for this yet.

Standing outside of the third Diamond's office, the gem swallowed and scuffed the ground with his foot. White gave him orders to spend the day with Blue Diamond. For what reason, he couldn't possibly figure out, and after running some errands first, he now stood in front of her door.  
Admittedly, Hematite was nervous, anxious even. White had proven herself, over the past couple of weeks, to still be incredibly unreadable in most situations, and yet there was a sense of caution that he always had around her. He respected his leader, and didn't plan on getting on her bad side any time soon. He'd had tea with her once... so that was nice.  
Yellow Diamond, was, _well_... He _feared_ her, more than anything else. Certainly, she was powerful, organized, well-respected, and had the most advanced district of them all, but Hematite would be lying if he said he didn't question her methods of keeping gems 'in line'. There was still a level of respect he had for the intimidating leader, but it was overshadowed by his fear of angering her and ensuing her wrath. It was clear she thought little of him, as she constantly let him know with dirty looks and verbal jabs when no-one was watching. He'd tried his best to stay on her good side ever since that one evening weeks ago. Despite that, though, his yellow superior hadn't let up with her onslaught of fear-mongering and insults. To Hematite's relief, she never did anything like she had that one night, but he wasn't sure she wouldn't do it again if she could. Perhaps she figured that method of scaring him would only work once. She was keeping him firmly under her thumb, and soon enough, Hematite couldn't go about his daily business without feeling like she had her eyes on him. She was hardly ever _around_ , but he could feel her presence.

But _this_ gem? Blue Diamond? He'd seen her maybe a handful of times, and had never spoken to her _directly_. Hell, Hematite had never even been to her _office_. This would be the first time he hadn't seen her in passing since that day White Diamond chose him from the other Hematites. He had no idea what she would be like, aside from the fact that she seemed to have a sense of humor... Unless of course she'd been laughing at _him_ instead of his joke. That was entirely possible.  
For his sake, he just hoped she wasn't as scary as Yellow.  
Steeling himself, Hematite cleared his throat and knocked on the door, walking in soon after and giving the gem inside a polite salute.  
"Blue Diamond, White Diamond has ordered that I spend the rest of the day with you."  
–  
The door hissed open, revealing a rather messy office. Papers and writing utensils were scattered ungracefully among the desks, shelves, and floor. On one of the walls, there was a row of beat up and shredded cloth dummies, and target boards with chips and holes in them. Behind the primary desk, there sat the blue gem, legs crossed and propped up over the desk. She laid back in her seat, arms behind her head in a relaxed state.  
"White, eh? Meheheh..." she chuckled a little darkly, leaning back in her seat. Her eyes were shut, and she was grinning ear to ear. "Come on in, kid! Don't worry, I won't bite!" she said, opening her eyes and snickering. Waving her hand, she beckoned the Hematite further into the room. "I know why you're here, White's already spoken to me... For the rest of today, you're gonna do what I say."  
–  
Hematite glanced around the room, and the anxiety in his stomach began to boil. _Oh, stars, she was even **worse** , wasn't she?_ The messy state of things was off-putting, to say the least, compared to the neat offices of White and Yellow that he was used to. Taking a few hesitant steps further into the room, the short gem tried to keep his composure, and stood straight as he stopped in front of Blue Diamond's desk.  
"Y-yes ma'am. Whatever you say."  
–  
Blue promptly took her legs off of her desk and leaned forward, looking up and down the smaller gem. She grinned ear to ear, then, without warning, began chuckling even harder than she had before. After a few moments, she stopped, slamming her palm loudly onto the desk. With a spark in her eyes, she leaned over to the Hematite, now on her feet.  
"Alright Rookie, don't look so uptight! Stars, Sparky and Priss got ya _so_ wound up! You need to learn how to relaaaax!" she said in a loud, rowdy voice.  
-  
Admittedly, she'd caught him off-guard, and that was saying something, considering his guard been up almost _constantly_ as of late. Hematite couldn't help but lean back slightly when Blue closed some of the distance between their faces, and he blinked in unmasked surprise at the two nicknames.  
"Sparky and... wh- what?" He shook his head to clear the shock. "I-I, uhm. I'm not here to relax, I'm here to do what White Diamond told me to."  
-  
She stood up and swung around the desk, placing an arm around Hematite's shoulders. She had an almost sleazy look to her...she definitely seemed much different from the other two Diamonds. _Was she really a leader? Why did she act this way? Was she serious, or just testing him?_  
–  
Hematite tensed up almost immediately as Blue Diamond came around her desk and put an arm around his shoulders, and he quickly added,  
"B-but if that's what you want, then by all means, I'm completely relaxed!" He gave the taller gem the most awkward, uncomfortable smile and chuckle he possibly could have. Yes, _clearly_ he was calm and collected.  
–  
Blue gave Hematite a pat on the shoulder and smiled.  
"Well, White ordered you to spend the day with me! And she told ME... to show ya arounnnnd! Introduce myself properly! I mean, of course, you know I'm Blue Diamond and all...but ya don't know _Blue!"_ She chuckled, releasing her grip from the confused gem. "Since you're working so close to us, I figured it would be a good idea to really show ya around, get to know me too. I mean, I can't stand around and watch Yellow and White hog you up all the time! I wanna hang out with ya too! Sooooo I pulled some strings and... persuuuaaaaded White to let me borrow ya for the day!" she said, cracking her knuckles and promptly placing her hands on her hips. "Whadda ya say, Rookie?"  
–  
Hematite was admittedly... confused. He couldn't tell if this gem was serious or not, and what her actual personality was like... One moment, like back in the kindergarten, she was terrifying, the next she was being all chummy? It unsettled him, to say the least; but he put on a brave face for her and nodded curtly.  
"Whatever you say, Blue Diamond. I'm eager to see the rest of the city."  
And that stuff about getting to know her better? Last he checked, the diamonds made an effort not to show their true thoughts around other worker gems, so why was she so eager to be this open? Was she testing him with all this?  
Determined to show her he was up for whatever she had in mind, Hematite put on the most serious face he could muster and stood straight, though he didn't salute this time.  
"Whenever you're ready to go, ma'am."  
–  
Blue took Hematite's hand and started immediately for the door before he could even finish his last sentence  
"Just call me Blue, Kiddo!" she said eagerly. The door hissed open, revealing the main Sky bridge leading from her tower, and a circular hall that lead to an elevator down to the city grounds. From the brief time she had been exposed to Hematite, she didn't act like the standard diamond. She didn't even seem to follow the normal _rules_. The diamonds didn't really ever make physical contact with the common gem... and the common gem wasn't _ever_ supposed to touch a Diamond under most circumstances. Why did she act the way she did? For the moment, it seemed as though she was more unpredictable than White!  
–  
Needless to say, Hematite was already incredibly nervous with Blue putting her arm around his shoulders, but for her to take his hand, well that was another matter entirely! He knew worker gems were never supposed to make physical contact with a Diamond unless their leaders' lives depended on it, so why was this Diamond so casual about it? On the other hand, Hematite didn't argue. So far, this beat the experience he had with Yellow Diamond.  
Trailing, or rather being drug, behind Blue Diamond, the shorter gem looked around as they headed for the elevator.  
"Where will we be going first, Blue Di-... Blue?"  
–  
The Diamond drug the Hematite into the elevator, rapidly pressing a button as soon as they stepped in. The door whirred shut, the weight under them shifting.  
"Oh, I've got a few ideas! Say kiddo, ya ever been to a bar before?" she asked, giving him a wink.  
–  
At the diamond's question, Hematite blinked in surprise and shook his head.  
"I can't say that I have, Blue. I've barely been outside the towers when I'm not on a mission. I think I heard it mentioned once, by a worker gem, but.."  
-  
A melodic ding rang through the small room before the door hissed open again.  
"I've been around the block quite a few times in my day, I know all the best places to go! Oh, there's also the great aquarium. Did you know there's 2748 different types of aquatic gem creatures?" she hummed out. She took his hand once more and started out the elevator, making her way down the hall. It led to the main exit to the tower.

-

The gem trailed off as Blue continued, and he gave a little nod.  
" _That_ I did know. There was actually a new species discovered recent-LY" his last word came out more as a grunt as Blue exited the elevator with him in tow, and he went quiet as he observed the area around him.

-

Humming a soft note to herself, the diamond rounded the building and made her way towards the outer wall that surrounded the center of the capital where the four diamond towers resided. The two gems soon stepped through a small tunnel guarded by a carbonite gate that was currently down. They were let out down a pathway which looked to be lined with ornate marble stone statues. Some of them were old warriors, while the two closest to the wall entrance were of Blue herself. Two huge warrior gems stood with axes near an archway that seemed to lead outside of the tower square. They saluted Blue and parted in opposite directions in perfect unison, revealing the opening.  
–  
By reflex, Hematite's visor chirped to life and began taking notes. He couldn't remember if he'd been this direction before, but he wanted to note things just in case. When he came close to the warrior gems, he looked away politely and deactivated his visor.  
-  
Blue gave them a snap of her finger as they moved aside, probably a sort of thank you? It wasn't certain. The archway was tall and thin, and lead out into what looked to be a street. It was bustling with lively gems, all chatting and walking to and from different places. Buildings of different styles and heights laid out densely beyond the walls surrounding the diamond towers, stretching out as far as the eye could see. They had arrived in the outer city.  
–  
As the gems moved aside, he nodded a thanks and followed behind Blue, looking around at the local gems as they walked to and fro, busying themselves with their own lives and jobs. Hematite looked up at Blue, who was considerably taller than him, even as the shortest of the three Diamonds, and tilted his head to the side ever so slightly.  
"Blue, I do have a question. Why didn't White Diamond take me to see the city? I mean, I am her bodyguard and a White District gem."  
–  
Blue let go of Hematite's hand and motioned her arms in front of her as she took a deep breath. She moved her hands out in front of her as if beholding the massive street before her for the first time.  
"Haaaaa! I love this place!" She whizzed around to face the shorter gem with a hand on her hip and threw out her arm as if she were showcasing the entire city. "Because, rookie, this is the Blue District! Tuhuh, and plus, White wanted to use today for you to get to know _me_ a little better, too! If White has a city to show you, she'll be showing you the White District. Same with Sparky and her Yellow District!" she stated with a hint of sass. Turning back to the busy streets, Blue grinned and huffed softly through her nose. The gems walking among them didn't stop to look at Blue, who was now just standing around. It was as if it were completely normal for her to be there in the first place! Shouldn't they be curious? Shouldn't they think something was up if a Diamond was walking around the city?  
"Come on, I wanna show ya my favorite place."  
–  
Hematite was indeed confused by the lack of interest the other gems were showing in their leader, why wasn't there more of a reaction? Was this a normal thing for Blue Diamond to do, just walk around the city like a regular citizen? Yellow and White certainly didn't seem to do such a thing.  
The shorter gem nodded at her reply, as it made sense. If this was just to show him around the Blue district, it was obvious Blue should be the one to do it. As far as the Yellow district went, he didn't look forward to that 'outing'. Though perhaps Yellow Diamond would act differently in public. That is, he thought to himself, if she even would do such a thing. Doubtful.  
Hematite nodded to the diamond and followed after her. His visor chirped online again as the gem studied what he could. Gems, businesses, technology, it was all a little odd to see things up close and personal rather than in his archives he was given to study.  
–  
After about 8 or so minutes of brisk walking, Blue stopped abruptly in front of what looked to be a large shop. Rather, it was a bar. A neon sign hung above the fairly sized doorway, written in gem text. It read "Morganite's Club". Blue rubbed her hands together, smiling ear to ear, then yanked open the door. There was upbeat electronic music resounding through the air, and many conflicting smells lingered throughout the establishment. The tone of the business held a dark tone to it, with slowly fluctuating, multiple-colored lights. Gems walked to and fro, filling the place with lively chat. There appeared to be a dance hall in the right half of the bar, though it was blocked off by half-windowed walls. An Amethyst guard stood watch at the doorway leading to that half of the business, watching the patrons carefully behind a standard quartz-soldier helmet. The main part of the club appeared to be a far more relaxed, lounge-type area with a large, colorful bar and many small tables scattered about here and there. There was a cubby and table area to the left for gems to store their belongings, should they wish to, and off on the far side of the bar laid small, half-blocked off 'rooms' for gems to chat and relax in. All and all, it was colorful, full of new sights and smells, and very, very busy.  
–  
Well this was certainly going to get weird quickly, wasn't it? The city was far more lively and... diverse than Hematite was led to believe. All he'd really been exposed to were the towers, with their Pearls and Peridots here and there, along with a few other worker gems, and the few citizens and rebels he'd run into on missions. Being in such a loud, busy place was... Unsettling.  
–  
"Hey heeeey, Blue!" a particularly flamboyant voice called from over the counter nearby. Blue rushed in, hopping down on a bar stool "How's my favorite Diamond?" it called again, though the owner of the voice was nowhere in sight. Blue, despite being unable to see the source of the mysterious voice, placed an arm on the counter and smiled. She looked back at Hematite, motioning for him to come have a seat.  
"Doin' great, Morgan! I'm showin' a newbie the ropes, thought I'd give em the tour of one of my faaaavorite bars in the whole capital city!" she chuckled.  
-  
Hematite's half-gloved hands found their way to a section of his long white hair, and he nervously tugged on it, slowly following after Blue, trying not to bump into anyone. And when he did, he quickly apologized and got out of their way.  
He stopped next to Blue and attempted to peer over the counter, quickly discovering that he was just short enough to not be able to see anything. Of course.  
–  
Blue chuckled and hopped out of her seat briefly, grabbing the Hematite by his waist and hoisting him up onto the seat. After Blue returned to her seat, the faceless voice finally came out from behind a shelf just out of view. A very tall, warrior sized gem with a svelte figure spun into the more open area behind the counter. They had a very feminine look to them, with gorgeous dull-pink hair. They gave the two a wide grin, holding a plate skillfully with one hand with three drinks rested upon it.  
"My my that's so very kind of you Blue! Your favorite? Realllyyyy?" A purplish blush appeared over his cheeks, and he chuckled charmingly. "You flatter me! So who's your accomplice?" He asked, setting two of the drinks down onto the counter in front of the gems.  
–  
Fiddling with his lock of hair, Hematite silently looked from one gem to the other, utterly shocked at how casual they were being. If he ever talked to Yellow or White like that, he'd be decommissioned so fast his head would spin. Well, more than it was at the sight of a Diamond conversing so flippantly with a warrior gem.  
-  
"This here is Hematite, a new worker gem in the White District! Though, they're also White's bodyguard... and a lot of other things, so we'll be seeing him a lot more in the future!" She introduced, swirling her hand in a circular motion. She looked down at the drinks, eyes sparkling with joy. "Oh wow, you already had my favorite ready!" She exclaimed, picking up her glass with a cheeky smile.  
"I heard from a little gem that you might be on your way, so I thought I'd take a chance, haha~!" He chortled, taking one of the glasses on the other side of the bar and wiping it with a cloth. "These are on the house! You and your friend here make yourselves at home!" he continued politely.  
–  
Upon Blue's introduction, Hematite felt his cheeks darken, and he politely nodded. He wasn't sure if that last part was true about him being seen around more often, as he didn't plan on coming to this sort of place on his own. The gem swung his feet idly, tapping the pole that held the chair up beneath him. His feet didn't touch the ground, so he needed something to do with them. Hematite looked around the bar, still a bit dizzy from all the lights, sounds, and smells. How could someone work here?  
Curiously, he peeked at the drink Blue was holding, and tugged on his hair slightly.  
"What's that?"  
–  
"Oh, this is a special alcoholic drink that I like to get while I'm here! You should try yours! I will warn ya though, it's got a bit of a weird taste haha... Aaaaand if ya drink too much of it, it'll do weeeeeird stuff to your head!" She realized that description was probably very off-putting, and smiled a little awkwardly. "W-well, I mean, not that that's a bad thing, really!! Go on, give it a shot, tell me what ya think!" She said, pointing towards the glass. "Of course ya don't have to if ya really don't waaaant tooo..." She trailed off, rolling her eyes and looking at the Morganite, who snickered quietly.  
–  
Scrunching his nose up, Hematite glanced at the drink in front of him and eyed it suspiciously.  
"Why would you drink something like that..." he muttered, not quite loud enough to be heard. Best not to question the Diamond out loud. Reaching over the counter, Hematite pulled over the glass and sniffed the contents, making a rather amusing expression afterwards. He puffed his cheeks out and shook his head, the hair he was fiddling with falling back behind his shoulders. He didn't want to try this cringe-inducing substance, but Blue Diamond insisted, and she and Morganite were clearly amused by the idea of him not trying it, so he steeled himself and took a sip.  
**Regret.**  
The small gem barely repressed a gag and shook his head, forcing himself to swallow the sip he managed. He shuddered, turning to Blue with a look that was a mix of 'why do you drink this' and 'why did **_I_ ** just drink this'.  
–  
The Morganite gave a flustered smile, followed by another deep blush. Blue chuckled rather loudly, for what seemed like a whole minute as the service gem continued to try and clear his palette.  
"Hooooo Hematite, you're hilarious! It's alright though, that stuff's not for everyone." She said, still shaking off the laugh. She took the glass away from the smaller gem and gave it back to Morganite, who didn't look the least bit offended thankfully. "Between you and me, I really just like to come here for socialization. Buuuut since you're here, I'm not so chatty with the others. Don't wanna be rude!" the Diamond said with a quirk. She gave Morganite a wave, and hopped out of the seat. "This place is probably more or less an ... acquired taste for a gem like you! Not to worry though, I think I have an idea of another place to take ya, hehe." She offered a hand to the smaller gem.  
–  
Hematite gave an apologetic smile to Morganite, and was glad that he didn't look offended. He looked to Blue and nodded before hopping down from the chair and hesitantly taking her hand. He followed Blue out, still trying to get the odd taste out of his mouth. As they left the bar, Hematite looked up at Blue Diamond and cleared his throat.  
"So, where are we going now?"  
–  
"We're goin' to another one of my favorite places! After I show you a few places, that is." She chuckled, "Don't worry though, ya won't have to drink anything weird there." She made her way down the streets, and on occasion she'd give a wave to a passing gem. Everyone seemed fairly happy in this district. Were the other districts this lively? The walk to wherever Blue was going took significantly longer than the walk to the bar before. Blue would occasionally look up at the sky while she walked, and gave Hematite a basic rundown of the places they passed by. The two of them took a while to get through this section of the district, both of them losing track of the time. It was getting later in the evening when the Diamond finally headed away from the main city, toward the center of the district.  
–  
Hematite was taking note of anything he could, the symbols and gem-speak flitting around on his visor screen. Everyone seemed rather content here, and the more Hematite saw, the more he wondered if he'd just gotten off on the wrong foot with Yellow Diamond. Surely, if people in her district were like this as well, she couldn't be that bad, right? But, that was going off of the assumption that all the districts were as chipper as Blue's.  
-  
Finally, after about another 30 minutes of walking, they stopped in front of a massive wall with a huge gated entrance, and two smaller ones to the sides. It looked much like a city wall, but lower. What was this odd place? Blue walked in the archway, waving at the guards that stood once more, and into what looked to be a large dirt-floored clearing. All around them, the room opened up, revealing a completely massive arena surrounded with bleacher-like seat rows. There were a few groups of gems scattered here and there.  
"This is the great Coliseum! Many gems go here to roughhouse and participate in battle events!" She exclaimed. "I like to come here and spar with some of the warrior gems on my time off! You ever had a good spar, kid?"  
–  
As they neared the arena, Hematite found himself looking straight up at the huge walls of the outside, and couldn't mask his awe at what the inside looked like. This place was the size of a small battlefield, it'd even be big to him at his full size!  
“N-no, I can't say I have.”  
–  
Not long after she finished her introduction, there was a sudden fit of yelling from their left side, rapidly getting closer. Without much more warning, a group of 4 small red gems all dog piled on Blue. Falling to the ground with a startled yell, Blue quickly busted into a crazed laughter. The 4 red gems clung onto her form, all giggling and grinning deviously.  
"RUBY SWARRRRM!"  
–  
The small gem's mouth hung open in wonder, but he was snapped out of his stupor by the sudden shouting to the left. Leaping back out of the way, Hematite was barely able to dodge the onslaught of Rubies that knocked Blue over. His first instinct was to crouch into a battle stance to knock the Rubies off, but a moment later he realized Blue was laughing instead of sounding distressed, and he stood down, blinking confusedly at her and the small red gems.  
"What on _Homeworld_...?"  
–  
The rubies laughed and crawled all over their blue leader.  
"Come on ya lil' rascals, I've got important business to attend to!" She said, laughing. The rubies all groaned in disappointment, un-attaching themselves from her. Blue stood up, brushing the dirt from her pants. She shot a look of amusement to Hematite, and looked back at the rubies. "These are Rubies. You may or may not have encountered a few already?" She snapped her fingers, and the rubies all started laughing again, and this time jumped onto the Hematite! They clung to his arms and legs, hugging them and growling playfully. "They like to tussle, but don't get too into it! They're like little fireballs, literally! Hehehe!" Blue teased, watching the rubies climb all over her accomplice.  
–  
The small gem had nodded in confirmation that he had indeed seen Rubies before, but that wasn't why he was confused.  
"Yes, but why are they doi-AH!" Hematite attempted to make a run for it, but didn't make it two steps before the Rubies had latched onto his limbs, weighing him in place. He feebly flailed his arms, grunting and trying to shake the Rubies off. If he wanted, he could have shifted and knocked them off easily, but he'd been told not to do so while off the job unless something dire happened.  
"Bluuue! Get' em off!"  
–  
After quite a few moments of chuckling, Blue waved her hands and clapped them together.  
"Alright alright you guys, hop off. We're here to spar, not goof around," she said. The rubies seemed satisfied, nonetheless, and let go of Hematite immediately. They started off in another direction, but not before one of them waved goodbye to them both.  
"Always be prepared for the Ruby swarm!"  
Blue snickered, gesturing for Hematite to follow her.  
–  
As soon as the Rubies climbed off of him, Hematite dusted himself off and adjusted his hair, making sure it was properly back in place. He followed after Blue, looking around the bleachers of the arena. There were a few gems here and there, but they seemed to be 'hanging out' more than anything else. Hematite was dumbfounded by the thought of how many gems could fit in those stands...  
-  
They moved some distance further in the ring, away from the others, before Blue spun on her heel to face Hematite...with an ominous fire in her eyes. This was a certainly an abrupt contrast of how she had been 5 minutes prior...  
–  
Taking his eyes away from the empty seats, Hematite looked back at Blue and was startled by the fiery look in her eyes.  
"B-Blue Diamond?" He smiled nervously. _Uh-oh, what had he done?_  
–  
Blue placed her hand to her gem and, after a short second, it illuminated brightly. From it, she pulled out her huge battle Mace, slamming it into the dirt in front of her, placing her palms on its hilt.  
"Alright kid!! I wanna teach you a few tricks and see what you're all about on the battlefield!! Show me what you got! Go on now, don't be shy! If you're gonna be White's bodyguard and hang around the Diamonds, you gotta know how to fight! I've been curious since the moment I first saw you! I wanna see your spirit, Rookie! I want to see what you can do!" Her eyes narrowed, but her smile never left. Her booming voice came back altogether, just like when Hematite had heard her speak back in the Pink district.  
"You know how to summon your weapon, right?!"  
\--  
Admittedly, the sudden appearance of Blue's weapon shook Hematite, and he reflexively brought his hands up to his head, guarding it. But after a moment, he opened his eyes and stared at the gem's weapon, his form shaking violently. As she began speaking, he forced himself to stand up straight again, his trembling quelling for the moment.  
"F-fight? Uhm, I-I don't..."  
Him. Fight a Diamond? Was she _cracked_?  
Hematite fidgeted with his hair nervously, biting his lip.  
"I know how to summon it, I think, but I don't see how.. I can.." He wanted to say 'There's no way I can possibly stand my own against you, what are you going on about?', but he didn't want to end up on the business end of her mace for speaking against her.  
–  
Blue laughed proudly, swinging her mace up and propping it on her shoulder as if it was entirely weightless. The massive weapon had left a small dent in the ground where it had been slammed down before.  
"Don't worry about it! I'll go easy on ya, kid! But you better not hold anything back!!" She egged on, multiple gems from the stands gathering what was going on. A soft murmur gathered in the small crowd around them, gems in the ring moving to the edges and climbing up into the bleachers. If a Diamond duel is what was about to happen, they weren't gonna miss a show like that.  
–  
Hematite couldn't help but notice the gems that were gathering in the stands. They were going to have an audience for this? What was going on? He was going to be poofed within moments! What little combat training he _did_ have would be useless against a Diamond!  
The small gem meekly held up his hands, balled them up into fists, and swallowed nervously. The lessons he'd learned from the Peridots back at the Kindergarten rushed through his mind. If he wasn't mistaken, the Hematites shared a cache of weapons. He remembered war hammers, clubs, electric energy, which was shared among almost all of them, and a few other, smaller weapons... But he had no clue what his was yet. He knew how to summon his weapon, but had no chance to thus far.  
"A-alright, uh. Hold on, let me just."  
He looked at his fists, frowning at them. "C'mon..." Shaking out his hands, he glanced nervously at Blue. "One second, just..."  
Fidgeting with his hands, Hematite huffed and held one of his fists, cracking his knuckles rather loudly.

**Z-A-P!**

A startling spray of electricity suddenly flew from the tiny gem, most of it sinking quickly into the ground, though one or two stray bolts did hit Blue Diamond. The current was incredibly weak, as Hematite hadn't meant to unleash it, but it was still enough to tingle. A moment later, Hematite looked at his hands, sparking silvery-gray knuckledusters with large blunt prongs locked onto his fingers.  
"Oh. So that's what it is."  
–  
Blue Diamond's eyes widened, the smile on her face growing at the sight of Hematite's new found weapons. Not even the small sparks that swept against her seemed to cause so much as a flinch.  
"Not bad kiddo! Now, lets see if you can use em..." She said intently, swinging the mace into her other palm, clutching it tightly. She moved her stance into a more offensive position and smirked. This was gonna get _interesting_.  
–  
"Wait what?"  
The small gem looked toward his opponent as she readied her battle stance, and he shook his head, putting his hands in front of him.  
"W-wait wait aren't you going to teach me something first? I don't even know how to use these!" She had a mace, and he had some fancy welded rings?! How was he supposed to fight with these? Surely they wouldn't do anything against a weapon of war, much less one wielded by a Diamond!  
–  
"The best way to learn is through action! At least, that's how I do it!" She said, briefly holding a finger curiously to her lip. She returned to her intimidating state as quickly as she had left it, grasping the mace and lifting it at an angle, laughing maniacally. The small crowd behind the two gems started to cheer wildly. What an exciting turnout for them! Blue never took her eyes off the small gem, grinning ear to ear. "Take a risk, take a chance! Whether you're fighting Diamond or a Ruby, you'll have to be prepared for anything! So show me what you've GOT!!"  
And with the last note, her mace came swinging forward.  
–  
And with that, Hematite was gone. Sprinting away from Blue and her mace, the small gem tried to ignore the crowd's jeers and ran for the exit as fast as his legs could take him.  
"Blue I don't know how to fight, this isn't fair!" he called back, trying to stay respectful, but still trying to get his point across.  
"Can we at least have some hand-to-hand combat?!"  
–  
Blue advanced forward, swinging her mace back over her shoulder and chasing the smaller gem down.  
"Get back here!! Don't run away from a fight, show some courage!!" She shouted after. Before Hematite could get to the exit, the two guards that stood their ground at the gate stood in the archway, clashing their axes together and blocking off his exit.  
"Come on, Rookie! I'm not gonna crack ya or anything! Just take a shot!!"  
–  
Hematite had skidded to a halt in front of the guards, hopelessly looking up at them through his visor. He spun on his heel, watching with dread as Blue quickly approached.  
Then he froze.

**_Show some courage._ **

Her next words were drowned out. Hematite wasn't listening anymore. With that one phrase, she'd hit a raw nerve, and the small gem she was fast-approaching was intensely staring at her, not budging an inch.  
And then he suddenly moved.  
As soon as she was within range, Hematite lunged forward a few quick steps, mere inches away from Blue. With a sharp battle cry, he forced a heavy punch to the middle of her abdomen with all his strength, right in her center of gravity.  
And sent her flying thirty feet back.  
–  
The crowed gasped, becoming quickly restless. Did that just happen? What a twist! Was Blue alright? Surely she was, there was no cloud of blue smoke. Thudding against the ground, she lost grip of her mace, but she quickly regained her footing. She gasped quietly to herself, eyes widening in utter surprise. What a blow... it had completely knocked the wind right out of her! There was a moment of awkward, silent tension.  
"Ha...hahahahaha.... HAHAHAHAHAAA!!"  
She erupted into laughter, placing her hand to her head and quickly drawing out another mace, the other dissipating on the dirt some 12 or so feet away.  
"THERE YA GO, ROOKIE! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! " She cheered with a fiery tone, the crowd roaring after her words. She held the mace back, darting back towards the other gem.  
–  
_That won't work twice._  
Blue was headed for him again, and he was quickly thinking over his next move, without meaning to. All of the archives he'd read over were rapidly whirring through his mind. She'd be smart enough to protect her middle again. _She'll probably actually try to land a hit this time. Don't get hit. She's slow. Make her slower._

**_Go for her legs._ **

Hematite's eyes were wide, intensely focused. He crouched, only taking a few preemptive steps back as Blue drew closer.  
–  
Blue's mind raced, her teeth bared with anticipation for the fight. She glanced quickly as she advanced faster towards the small gem, and without warning.... Her mace hit the ground with a quick THWAK , and using the force of the hilt to jut herself into the air from the inertia, she leapt. She soared over him, spinning in the air and landing behind him, delivering a swift punch to his back, right between the shoulder blades. The sheer amount of force within that single blow would surely knock him forward a few feet.  
–  
Blue's move had caught him off guard, and he looked up in surprise as the larger gem sailed right over him. Before he could turn around, her fist met his back, and he was sent flying and then stumbling forward, roughly rolling onto the dirt after he landed. But instead of remaining on the ground, Hematite suddenly moved with the roll and landed on all fours, his back arched. He bared his sharp teeth at Blue, his hair fluffed up in anger and fear. Within another moment, he was back on his feet, his fists up and ready. This time, he kept on the move, taking quick, flighty steps backwards.  
–  
"YEEAAAHHH That's the spirit! I can see it, the blazing inferno of your soul!! The passion, the moxie, the RAW FIERCENESS!! " She cried out, creating yet another mace from her gem. She had a strange feeling of pride that welled up inside her, fueling her spirit even more. The way he moved, the way he seemed to put his fears aside at last, the way he rushed in and moved so gracefully even as he fell. She couldn't help but admire it. This was new, this was _exciting_. She advanced forward, once again holding her mace to her midsection, baring her own teeth and yelling out an unbridled war cry.  
–  
Alright so she was tricky, fine.  
_Time to get rid of that mace for a second._  
Hematite rushed backwards, trying to make sure he had the right amount of distance as Blue charged at him, giving him a fierce battle cry. His whole body shot forward once he had the right window. He looked as if he was going to go for a sweep of her legs, but instead, he suddenly latched onto the handle of her mace, letting out a splitting yell as he chucked her over his shoulder by the weapon, forcing her to release her grip with a frightening amount of strength.  
–  
With a startled grunt, she went literally head over heels, hands still attached to the bar of the mace. About a third of the way back down, she let go, spinning once more and landing on her feet. The mace slammed into the ground, and she darted back quickly, the grin never leaving her face. It was unsettling just how much she was smiling throughout this whole ordeal. The crowd began to chant, but the words were indeterminable She chuckled, bouncing for a moment in place, clenching her fists and narrowing her eyes. She didn't go right back for a 4th mace.  
"I'm lovin' it, Rookie! You got a lot of spunk, I can respect that!"  
Real respect? From a Diamond? Even if it was Blue, that was nothing to sneeze at!  
She rushed to the side quickly, maneuvering herself backwards so she could keep an eye on him. "But is that really all ya got? Come on, I know you can dig a little deeper!! "  
–  
Hematite's head was pounding, his breathing heavy, but measured. He was crouched on the ground on all fours, his body low. Every inch of him was tensed, ready to strike, but he didn't move.  
His visor flickered.  
"You want a real fight, huh?!" His voice was ragged, and had much more of an edge to it. He was full-on yelling at her. "Then COME ON! HIT ME!" he roared, his voice cracking just slightly. The knuckledusters on his hands sparked and glowed, the crackling sounds of electricity filling his ears, his hair frizzing up a bit from the static.  
–  
Blue's eyes lit up, the crowd gasping and falling silent for a moment. This was certainly interesting!

"Well damn, Rookie! You're full of surprises aren't ya!! Keep it up!!" She encouraged, drawing another mace from her gem. She went to strike, but right as she was about to swing, she pulled another tricky move and, instead of slamming down, she skidded in the dirt and flung herself in the opposite direction in an attempt to throw off his prediction, full on swinging the mace to a point where, as it reached its greatest potential, she let it go, and it was sent in a harsh spiral right towards him.  
–  
He'd hoped she would go in for a direct hit.  
But she didn't.  
Hematite skidded backwards as Blue swung the mace around, and the small gem let out a loud cry of frustration, barely dodging the mace as it went flying by him. Admittedly, it _had_ hit his arm, but he didn't feel it right now. Not at its full severity, that is. He tumbled to the ground, on all fours again, still sparking with electricity and baring his teeth as he glared at her.  
"Is that the best YOU'VE got?!"  
–  
Blue bared her teeth back, brows furrowed. So he wanted more of a challenge? Alright, she was going to go easy on him, but now it seemed as though she needed to turn up the heat. She stood for a moment, chuckling darkly, cracking her own knuckles. She reached for her gem, but this time, it took a little longer than it had before to pull out....and they all soon found out why. She manifested a mace that was twice the size of her last one, and once again swung it into her palm as if it were weightless.  
"Alright Rookie, you asked for it!" She shouted with heart, lifting the mace up ever so slightly and widening her stance. Her hands started to glow blue, the trail moving gradually up her arms.... until it enveloped her whole body, a soft blue aura shimmering from her. The ground beneath her began to crack, and everyone in the arena could swear they felt an incredible pressure increase in the air.  
Her eyes dilated, and every ounce of empathy and sanity that they seemed to carry before had all but vanished.  
–  
As Blue brought out her next weapon, the sparks around Hematite grew more intense, and his eyes widened. His 'clawed' fingers dug into the ground, sending small cracks through the dirt. As the pressure around him increased, his breathing suddenly went... _funny_.

Hematite's gem began to glow.  
As Blue raised the enormous mace higher, the crouched gem's hair fluffed out further, his eyes following the weapon as it was raised into the air.  
_Wait for it._  
–  
She watched carefully, brows still furrowed from before and clutching her mace tighter. Something about him became.... feral. Interesting. _Veeeery interesting_. She had seen many gems go into an animalistic state before when they panicked or got too riled up, but this was a whole new _level_ of beast-like. She was astounded. With a mighty laugh, she stepped forward, the ground crumbling slightly with every step. She was slower, _significantly_ slower, but then she started to swing the mace. Its massive weight shifted, driving it stronger and faster towards the small gem, its force only becoming stronger as it neared. If it managed to hit him at his current state, his body _would_ be reduced to a smoke cloud.  
–  
The mace barreled down on him.  
If it hit, he was done. Hematite's whole body began to glow. The mace was upon him, ready to crush his tiny form.  
But it didn't.  
A shock wave and a loud CLANG shuddered the entire arena with a flash of light, violently cracking the ground beneath the fighting gems. Harsh electricity crackled in the air, charging it with static. The crowd felt the hair on the back of their necks stand on end, and not just because of the charged air.

But because of what was now on the arena floor.

The dust from the shock wave began to settle, and there was Hematite, crouched on the ground in his same feline-like stance, his now huge fist tightly grasping the end of Blue's mace, holding it above him.

  
He'd shifted up within an instant, and now crouched at his full Harvester size.

  
Hematite's face was down, his breathing coming in heavy pants, each exhale sounding like a growl.  
Slowly, the giant gem looked up at his opponent, his visor glazed over, his eyes no longer visible. His teeth were bared, and though his face was half hidden, it was clear he was staring right through Blue.  
–  
Blue winced and grunted in pain, the force of the blow jutting back onto her from the abrupt stop. Letting go of the mace, she watched in awe as the thick dirt in the air cleared, her vision drifting upwards, and her jaw parted slowly as she realized what just happened. The audience was an anxious stew of silence and fear. They had no idea what was going to happen next, most were too afraid to find out. They'd never seen such a gem, not when it wasn't a fusion! Blue, however, remained astonished...now more than ever.  
–  
Without so much as a warning, Hematite slammed the large mace into the ground next to him, leaving a very clear imprint that would not go away easily. He turned to Blue, teeth bared, taking a single 'pace' forward.  
\--  
Every single one of the gems in the arena flinched as the mace made a solid contact with the ground. Blue had instinctively backed up, looking from the crater back up to the looming figure. Her eyes widened, the softer look she once bore before returning to her...but this time, it was different. Her smile had faded, a very faint anxiety rising in her chest.... but it was not a fearful kind. No, it was the anticipation of what would happen now. Of seeing Hematite in this new, enormous form....even bigger than she thought he could get. The smallest of grins came back to her, the corner of her mouth curling upwards.  
But then he advanced.  
–  
Hematite's huge, clawed fingers dug up small scores in the ground as he neared the tiny Diamond. He glowered into the crater Blue found herself in, stopping his approach. There was a long, silent moment of tension.  
With a low growl in his chest, Hematite suddenly crouched low to the ground, and within the blink of an eye, he lunged for his opponent.

And pinned her to the ground under his massive clawed hand.  
–  
Before she could even react, he was already upon her, a massive hand cutting off her escape or any other move for that matter. Grunting wildly as she found herself forced onto the ground, there was a moment of panicked silence from the crowd. Was she alright? What was this huge gem going to do? Was she in danger? The guards at the door even clutched their weapons and took a single step forward... But didn't make it far, before......

"AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!"  
–  
That's all it took to drag him back to the real world.  
Hematite blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear his head,, his breathing slowly returning to normal. A small sound of confusion escaped the huge gem, and his stance relaxed considerably. Within a moment, his visor cleared, his eyes once again visible, leaving nothing but a few sparks and a very concerned looking Hematite.  
_Oh stars, what had come over him?_  
What was she going to do? There was no way he wouldn't be punished, he was-  
The crowd started to murmur.  
Quickly, Hematite lifted his hand and scrambled back, switching to sitting on the cracked ground, his knees close to his chest.  
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-!"  
–  
Blue bolted upwards, swinging her arms up above her head, cheering. The crowd soon followed, erupting into a sea of thrilled, excited praise.  
"THAT WAS AMAZING!!!" Blue shouted, a delighted gleam in her eyes. She ran quickly up to Hematite, who despite still being massive, did not deter her in the slightest. She placed a hand on his foot, almost trembling with exhilaration.  
–  
Hematite's hair stood up on his neck as the crowd erupted into cheers, and he stared at the collected gems in disbelief. Then, Blue approached him, her face positively glowing.  
No-one had ever looked at him like that before.  
\--  
"I had no idea!!... I.... This is incredible!! I knew White had a powerhouse of a gem in the making, but I couldn't have comprehended she could make something this astounding!!!" She looked up at him, face plastered with the utmost joy. "Hematite, thank you!"  
–  
She thought he was incredible? Astounding? Sh... She was _thanking_ him? What in the world was she talking about? He'd just attacked her! And yet she was looking at him with unbridled exhilaration, not even flinching at the state he was currently in. And the crowd was cheering for him too...  
Hematite felt a lump rise in his throat. But, wasn't he unimportant, a worker, just another gem living their regular life?  
Or did he actually... matter in some small way?  
Hematite stared at Blue in shock and confusion, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.  
"A-aren't you angry?"  
–  
"What?! Of course I'm not angry!! I'm, like, the opposite of angry!!" She laughed, grabbing onto his leg and hoisting herself up his calf. She drug herself up onto his knee and waved her hand out to the crowd. "Just look at them, Rookie! They love you!!" For a moment, there was another cheer. Whistles and howls of endearment arose like a wildfire from the stands. Every single gem who was on the arena before had cleared out and made their way to the rows to watch the show that they had put on. And they loved every minute of it.  
–  
Hematite was surprised to see Blue climb up to his knee, the two of them now almost level with each other. He sniffled quietly, tears still in his eyes, and as she waved to the crowd, he looked out at them again. He slowly gazed at the collected gems, his eyes wide as he listened to Blue's words. She'd had 'fun'? The crowd loved him?  
Every mission Hematite had conducted up till now flashed through his mind. All the fear, the panic, the destruction he'd had to cause. It didn't matter if it was a demolition job or a harvesting one. The result of his size shifting was always the same. He was huge, intimidating, fearsome.  
But Blue and the crowd... They weren't afraid of him, or, at the very least, they weren't terrified of him.

 _He could be himself without bringing gems to their knees in a trembling, hopeless panic?_  
\--  
"You're a natural! And you put up one hell of a fight!! You got a lot of potential, kid!! I've fought a lot of gems in my day, but... Oh my stars, if that wasn't one of the most fun fights I've had in centuries! You're so full of mysteries, too!" She praised, placing her hands on her hips with a wide grin. "So yeah, thanks! That was a ton of fun!! Ah, I had almost forgotten what it was like to have a real challenge! We should do this again sometime, hehe!"  
–  
The giant service gem stared at his superior. He blinked slowly.  
And then he cracked the tiniest smile.  
"Ha... haha.." A choked chuckle rose in his chest until it broke into a happy, genuine laugh that rang out across the arena, bright and clear. He turned and waved back at the crowd, earning another swell of cheers and whistles. Hematite's eyes were brimming with tears, but he kept smiling.  
After waving to the crowd a few more moments, he turned to Blue, still smiling from ear to ear.  
"Y-yeah! Just, maybe we shouldn't get so intense next time!" He sniffled and gave a soft chuckle, looking at the mace-shaped crater in the ground.  
"The arena may not last long if we do."  
–  
A hearty chuckle escaped the Diamond.  
"Ahhh kid, I like you. You aren't like most other service gems. You've got a spirit, a sense of humor, you don't act like a robot. It's a relief to know that we still have gems with emotions." She teased, crossing her arms. "This is the most fun I've had in a long time! I think we're gonna get along juuuuust fine." She smiled warmly, much calmer now.  
The sun by this point was setting, warm hues washing over everyone in the arena. Night was upon them soon. She closed her eyes for a moment, and relished in her own silence, drowning out the crowd behind them completely.  
"Hey, Rookie. I got a proposition for ya. Ooooone last place I wanna take ya before I send ya back to White for the night. This is the most important part of today, alright? You hear me?"  
–  
Hematite watched Blue curiously as she went quiet, and then blinked in surprise when she mentioned this 'last place'. He shifted carefully, sitting up a bit straighter, but was careful not to knock her off his knee.  
"Oh? Sh-should I. Uh. Do you wanna walk, or?" he asked meekly, giving her a nervous smile.  
–  
She opened her eyes and gave him a wink.  
"Feel confident enough to put me on your shoulder?" She asked, feeling adventurous still. "There are some training grounds not too far from here. It's a big open clearing. I wanna show ya something."  
–  
Shoulder, huh? Well he was just gonna carry her, but that worked too. He just hoped she had the balance not to fall off!  
Carefully, Hematite reached over to Blue Diamond and scooped her up in his hands, waiting for her to adjust. He slowly stood, getting the attention of at least a few gems that were still watching what was going on. Once he was up and had his balance, he gently placed Blue on his shoulder. A Diamond hitching a ride on a deadly Harvester...

_Now that was certainly a first._

Hematite carefully made his way out of the arena. He had to duck slightly to get through the main gate at the end, but thankfully he came out the other side without incident.  
Following Blue's directions, the gem made his way over to the training grounds, and looked around when he came to a stop.  
–  
Blue held onto the Hematite's shoulder, closing her eyes and feeling the wind rush past her as he walked. It was magnificent...mesmerizing. She had never felt anything like this before. She had been in high up places before, sure, but to be so high up, moving, resting on the shoulder of a giant gem? That was _something_.

The stars had begun to flicker into view, purple shades soon taking over beyond the parted clouds. She sighed heavily in contentment.  
"Sit down, Hematite. Relax... and look up."  
–  
Hematite looked at Blue as she sighed, but then paused and did as he was told, sitting down on the ground, resting his feet in front of him. He looked up. A short exhale of disbelief escaped him, and he stared in awe at the sky, the stars and clouds reflecting on his visor. Deep shades of blue and violet faded together above the two gems, and hundreds of stars shimmered brightly between the sparse clouds. He'd never seen such a sight in the White district.  
"It's... beautiful, Blue. Do you get to see this every night?" he asked quietly, his voice almost a whisper.  
–  
Blue had taken to sitting down on Hematite's shoulder instead of standing. She smiled softly, leaning back a little against his neck and getting comfortable.  
"Unfortunately, not every night... buuuut I do get to see it a lot. So there is that." She said quietly. There was a long pause, the two of them simply enjoying the embrace of night that slowly swept over them. After a little while, Blue sighed again, leaning forward and resting her elbow on one of her knees. She continued looking out to the stars with a mystified, almost solemn look.

"You know... It's amazing how small we all really are, when you think about it..."  
–  
"Mmm." Hematite didn't smile, per say, but stared up at the stars with a calm sense of wonder. He recognized a few constellations from his archives, but didn't bother jotting down anything in his visor. He wanted to enjoy this for what it was. A breeze blew the giant gem's hair back, and he sighed softly.  
As soon as Blue sighed and shifted, he looked at her quietly. He blinked at her words and was quiet a long moment.  
He wasn't sure how he felt about that last statement.  
–  
She didn't look at him.  
"It's amazing... how small we are, but we can still make such big differences." Her smile grew slightly. She finally looked over at the Hematite's face, giving him an almost empathetic look.  
"No matter how big or small a gem is, no matter what anyone says, lives and history can be easily changed in the blink of an eye... Listen. Rookie. I'm not sure what you really think of me, but I'm sure by now you've realized I don't do things like the other diamonds. I have my own ways of doing things. I have my own methods. My own reasons... my own choices." She shifted her position slightly, now standing up on her feet, placing her palm on his cheek. She looked out to the horizon. "You aren't like other gems we've had around. From what I've seen today, there's something about you. Something unique." She paused briefly, taking her other hand and running it along one of Hematite's strands of hair that draped over his shoulder just next to her.  
"Not a lot of gems these days are like that. Sure, there are a few here and there, but, with service gems especially, well...” Blue smiled in an odd way before pausing. “Do me a favor, Kid." She looked back at him, her brows furrowed, a wide, almost sly grin on her face.  
"Diamond's order, now....... Keep your spirits up. Don't let them take your personality away." She stifled a single chuckle.  
"I admire it."  
–  
He wanted to say so many things. So many things that could likely get him into trouble if Yellow Diamond found out. About how she ridiculed him, put him down, gave him no respect. How he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he'd never make that much of a difference. There was just no way.  
Sure, maybe now he had one 'victory' under his belt, but what else?  
Well, he had Blue's respect, at least. That was something.  
If she saw something special in him, that accounted for a lot, right?

**_Right?_ **

Hematite looked down at the Diamond on his shoulder and smiled thankfully.  
"Alright. I'll try."  
–  
The Diamond nodded and gave the gem another pat on the side of his face.  
"Good. Now, you should probably be getting back to white. Honestly she's probably gonna bark at me for keepin ya for so long." she chuckled, eyeing the horizon again. "I'll need a ride to the Diamond tower, first, though." She flicked her wrist in the opposite direction.  
What? She wasn't going to walk all the way back. Well she could, but she didn't fancy it right now...besides, riding on his shoulder was much too fun to pass up another opportunity.  
–  
Walking back to the towers, right... He had to get back to work, didn't he? Though, after today, he wasn't sure going back would feel the same. But orders were orders, and he couldn't very well stay here all night without risking White Diamond's scorn.  
\--  
"Oh....and uh, one more thing, Hematite." She said, her tone becoming softer, more concerned now.  
"If you ever find that you need someone to talk to...You can come find me."  
–  
Hematite looked at her as her tone changed, and he felt something heavy in his chest.  
"... Do you promise?"  
–  
She nodded lightly, giving him a warm smile.

"I promise."


	4. Spar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Diamond displays her fighting skills.

A tall figure stood in front of her window with what looked to be a small gem in her fingers. It looked to be about noon, the light from the outside shining in through the glass panel. She turned and placed the gem in a white bubble, tapping it gently and sending it away with a single flick.

"Good job out there today, Hematite." She said calmly, looking down upon them with the faintest of smiles. "I believe that's the fastest you've ever gotten a gem back to me. I'm pretty impressed. Now, there's still the rest of the day..." She paused, moving over to her desk and grabbing one of the metal pads from a drawer. It blipped on with a single motion, and she placed it back on the desktop. Looking down at it, she began thumbing through the screen idly.

-

Rocking slightly on his feet, Hematite smiled brightly at White Diamond's praise, and he nodded his head politely.

"There was a large clearing I was able to track them in, the rest was easy," he beamed up at her, and watched as she made her way to her desk and flicked on the small tablet. He peered curiously from where he stood, though he didn't try TOO hard to pry into what was on the screen.

-

After a moment, the diamond glanced up at the service gem before her before looking back down at the device on her desk.

"Yellow wanted to have a word with you today."

She went quiet for a moment, a chill silence in the air.

"Please report to her to see what it is she wants. You may return when you are finished."

–

A shudder climbed up Hematite's spine, and his hair fluffed out subtly at White's words. Anxiety began to bubble in his stomach, and he had to cross his arms behind him to keep from grabbing some of his hair to hold.

"Yes, my Diamond. I will head over there right now." With that, he saluted and left White's office, his composure immediately dropping as the door hissed behind him.

He'd been lucky to avoid _her_ as of late. The past few months were just... do his job, fight in the arena once in a while, help White Diamond, hang out with Blue.

What did _she_ want from him all of the sudden? She hadn't said two words to him since that one night.

_Maybe she wants to show me around the Yellow District, that's all! I haven't seen it fully yet, and now would be a good time._

_Yeah, that was it._

 

A lengthy walk later, and Hematite found himself in front of Yellow Diamond's office. He cleared his throat and knocked, putting on his most professional stance and expression he could.

–

The door whirred open on its own, revealing the same ominously pristine room that Hematite had seen so few times before. Within the room, there stood Yellow Diamond and what seemed to be her fancy Pearl. The pearl had her eyes closed, stood in a professional pose with a regretful look on her face.

"I don't care what it takes, just get the job _done_. I want every single _one_ of those gems to pick up the pace. I don't have any tolerance for slacking on the job. Do I make myself clear?" A familiar dark voice hissed through the room. The Pearl nodded and turned, making her way out of the office, opening her eyes briefly to peer at Hematite with a stern look as she passed by. What was that all about?

Yellow turned her head, noticing the smaller gem that had walked in.

"Oh, wonderful. You made it. Come in." She said in a monotone voice.

–

As the Pearl walked by, Hematite was slightly taken aback by her rude stare, but tried to shrug it off as he walked into the office, keeping his cool.

_**For now.** _

Hematite stopped a few feet away from the stern-faced leader and saluted her politely, his chin high. Being in her office this time felt a little less overwhelming, with it being midday instead of night. And, well. He wasn't tiny this time... _So there was that._

"White Diamond said you wished to speak to me." His voice was even, as professional as it was when he spoke to White Diamond.

–

She turned to him finally, raising a brow.

"I'll cut right to the chase. I've heard that you've started fighting in the Coliseum, and that you're quite the crowd pleaser." She said. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, but instead of a cold look, it was more of a dreadful calm. "Is this true?" she spoke harshly.

–

_Uh oh. Well this didn't seem good._

It WAS true, Hematite had taken to fighting in the arena in various spars or small events whenever he had time off from work, and because of his rather unusual abilities, word of his fights had spread quickly through the Blue District. Each time he sparred in the arena, he had a slightly larger crowd, and he had actually started to recognize a few regulars! It was nice to have something to do when he wasn't working, but with how Yellow was acting... Was he not _supposed_ to be fighting in the arena? Was that against the rules, and Blue just didn't care? Honestly with what he'd seen from her, that wasn't entirely impossible.

"Yes ma'am, it is true." He _barely_ kept himself from stammering, and thanked his lucky stars that his voice didn't waver.

–

Her face didn't change whatsoever after his response.

"Hm."

She tapped her fingers on her arm for a moment, looking away towards the door, then back at Hematite. She placed her hand on her gem, a bright glow soon following. She drew her sword from the diamond, spinning it in a fancy way before bringing it down into the floor with a powerful chink. She looked down at the gem, sizing him up once more, narrowing her eyes.

"Then perhaps you would like a _real_ challenge, yes?..."

–

Admittedly, Hematite had flinched when the gem in front of him pulled out her weapon, but he tried not to let it show. He was fine. This was fine. He hadn't done anything wrong.

_Wait... what did she mean by a challenge._

Hematite blinked in surprise, his eyes widening slightly.

"Y-you want to spar?"

Fighting with Blue was one thing, that he knew how to do by now, but he'd never even seen how Yellow Diamond fought, what did she want to spar for?

–

"Yes, I do," she said, bringing her sword up and propping it on her shoulder, much like how Blue had done with her mace on multiple occasions. There was an unsettling grin plastered on her face now. Seeing her smile in general was ominous enough, but this?

"I commonly spar with gems. It keeps me on my feet, keeps my skills in check. You can learn a lot from sparring. It's also a good way to train yourself. You should consider it."

She spoke, her words laced with a bittersweet, biting tone.

"Unless of course... you aren't up to the challenge?" she said almost mockingly, still holding her grin, her eyes narrowing. _That was more like it._

–

Hematite fought back every urge to flinch back at her unsettling smile, but he somehow remained in place and swallowed quietly. At her last words, his brows furrowed, and a determined light sparkled in his eyes. Well, he'd improved some by fighting in the Coliseum, so yeah! _Why not?_

"I accept your challenge, Yellow diamond!" He saluted her again, the faintest of smiles on his face.

_Finally, a chance to show her what he was capable of!_

–

–

With a blinding flash, the Diamond and the Hematite stood upon the warp pad. The taller of the two stood with a proper stance, her hands behind her back. She stepped off the surface and walked through the archway. The exterior resembled the great Coliseum, except the walls were built a little lower, and the place looked more evenly shaped, with squared off corners instead of rounded ones. The floors were a smooth, marble stone tile, and the stands were barren. Lifeless. Clouds danced around the arena here and there. They were in Yellow's massive sky arena.

As Yellow walked, her steps echoed throughout the open stadium. The entire place looked to be about half the size of the great coliseum, but still absolutely massive. She turned on her heel to face the smaller gem, placing her hand to her own gemstone.

"Stand ready." She said valiantly, gem glowing. She pulled out her sword, which she flicked around in different directions before gracefully waving it down to point at him.

–

Hematite had certainly never been here before! The moment they arrived, the small gem's visor chirped to life and began taking notes, an open smile on his face. The two of them soon stopped in the middle of the arena, and Hematite stopped and looked curiously at Yellow. As she turned and brought out her sword, he blinked in surprise. So this would be a sword fight? _Oh boy._

The smaller gem stood in his usual battle stance, feet slightly apart, shoulders down. He cracked his knuckles, his weapons appearing with a much more minimal light show than the first time he summoned them. This time there were no sparks or lightning, but instead they appeared rather simply. Hematite smiled with determination at Yellow Diamond, ready to show her what he could do.

–

Yellow darted back and swung her sword in a graceful pattern again, keeping her eyes fixed on her opponent.

"Let's go!" she shouted, standing in place, in a threateningly poised stance. She made no sudden movements. Wasn't she going to strike? What was her plan? It looked as though she was going to wait for Hematite to make the first move before she did anything. Maybe she was testing him like Blue was? From the way she spoke, surely that must be it. Right?

–

Wait, he had to make the first move? What was he supposed to do against a sword? He remembered some tactics he'd seen while studying, but he hadn't touched on it since it didn't apply to his weapon.

_Should he fight her like he did Blue?_

Well, no point in standing around to find out.

With a knot of apprehension in his stomach, Hematite took a few steps back before trying to skirt around her, going in for a quick jab.

–

She kept a disconcertingly straight face and twisted around behind him, swiping her leg immediately into his in an attempt to knock him over right off the bat.

"Oh come on, really? Surely you must be joking. You have no grace." She said, bouncing up on her heel, swinging her sword around to face him again. Her eyes narrowed and she scowled. "Certainly you can do better than that."

–

Hematite was understandably surprised when Yellow Diamond knocked his feet from under him, and he unceremoniously fell on to his backside, wincing. He quickly got back to his feet and frowned in confusion. He couldn't get close when she had her weapon! His knuckledusters were made for close combat, this wasn't going to work. Clearly she was just a, well, a tad more agile than he was. This wasn't going to be like fighting Blue...

_He just hoped it didn't end the same way._

"Do you have any advice for me? I'm still rather new to close-quarters combat."

–

At any given moment when she wasn't striking, her sword was always pointing at Hematite.

"Well for one, you shouldn't stay on the ground too long when you get knocked over. You're a sitting target like that." She said swishing her sword and walking backwards.

–

"Right, sorry!" He nodded in understanding, trying to think of what weaknesses Yellow Diamond could possibly _have_. He knew next to nothing about her, except that she didn't seem to move nearly as much as Blue did.

So maybe...

-

"Get back on your feet quickly when you fall. You must think carefully. Think like your opponent. Know what their next move will be, exploit any weakness." Her eyes narrowed coldly. "And strike them down." She lunged forward, making a quick swing towards him.

-

Hematite shouted in surprise when Yellow Diamond lunged for him, and he barely dodged it, tumbling to the side, making a much more graceful recovery. But he didn't waste time. Instantly, he launched at Yellow's side, acting like he was going to go for her abdomen, but instead he faked out and put all his momentum into trying to knock her legs from under her.

–

Yellow tossed her sword up into the air and jumped up, flipping skillfully out of his way. Landing a few feet behind him, she landed perfectly on her feet, held her hand out, and caught her falling sword. It was pointed at him yet again.

"You are predictable." She said monotonously. She then clutched her sword tighter, took a deep breath, and lowered her body. She never averted her gaze, and with a ridiculous amount of speed, she quickly closed the gap between them, sword pointed out in front of her. She was going right for a direct hit.

–

Hematite was astounded by her swift dodge, and felt himself unable to recover quickly enough to gracefully dodge her direct attack. Barely missing her blade, he leaned backwards and fell on his back, instantly rolling to the side to avoid whatever attack she had planned next. A moment later he realized her sword had nicked his shoulder.

As soon as he leapt to his feet, he took rapid little skips backwards, trying to gain some distance. Okay, so she was a lot faster than he thought.

Quietly, he muttered something to himself and furrowed his brows.

_Think like your opponent._

But how could you do that if you didn't know what they were thinking?

_If only I could get that sword out of her hands for a second._

The small gem suddenly had an idea.

–

The Diamond kept her patience, spinning around to face him. Raising a brow, she quickly took more swings, thrusting her sword at him rhythmically. She took small steps forward, one hand behind her back. She kept a steady glare on her opponent, sizing him up as much as she could. He couldn't keep dodging forever. But that was her plan.

–

Well, this was gonna be risky. Hematite knew she wasn't going to take her eyes off of him, but that's what he hoped she'd do. The small gem barely dodged her attacks, taking a few nicks here and there. Once he saw the smallest of openings, he went straight for her legs.

_Please work._

–

Yellow's speed got the better of her on this one, and Hematite's hit landed. She stumbled slightly, her sword knocked out of her hand. She quickly regained her footing, hopping back up to regain her stance.

"That's more like it."

She clenched her fists, sparks resonating around them. She bared her teeth in a growl, weaponless. She could easily make another sword, but it looked like for the moment she was going to close-combat. She strode forward, quickly delivering an electrified punch to Hematite's chest, knocking him back. While he was busy with that, she turned quickly and skid across the slick floors to her sword, swiftly grabbing it up again and swirling back. The lightning fizzled around her hands and traveled down the blade, making the sword glow with spiraling electricity.

–

That wasn't what he was going to go for, but he landed a hit! The small gem beamed at getting some sort of praise from Yellow Diamond, but his smile vanished when she made a go for him with her bare fists. He'd tried to dodge her, but the attack hit its mark, and he was sent tumbling back. The electricity coursed through him, but it was unclear if it effected him, from the outside. The wind was knocked out of him, and it was hard to tell if it was purely the punch or the extra zap that did it. He stood back up as his opponent grabbed her sword, and his eyes widened.

_That's gonna hurt if it hits._

Putting his fists up again, he bit his lip, quickly trying to plan his next move. Alright, so she hadn't jumped that time. Maybe she would if he went for her legs again and made it more obvious?

Or maybe if he risked striking her blade....

–

She gave him a dark smirk, blade pointed in his direction, the lighting fizzled brighter, and she ran. She darted around his side, swiping her blade towards his feet. Smaller bolts of lightning zapped towards him, striking the ground very close to where he stood. With any luck, he'd stumble and put himself off balance, giving her an open window. As she maneuvered herself behind him, her blade gave off a soft flash. It was fully charged now. She raised it high, giving off a disturbingly wide, toothy grin.

She advanced towards him, lunging powerfully with her sword swinging downwards.

–

Glancing at the bolts that hit the ground beside him, Hematite's eyes widened, but instead of stumbling back, his knuckledusters glowed dimly, tiny sparks falling from the silver metal. As she swept behind him, he spun on his heels, still in place.

His feet were planted.

His weight shifted.

As soon as Yellow Diamond bore down on him with her sword, he took one step back with his left foot, giving himself the leverage he needed. He was wide open for the attack.

_Until he put his fists up._

The sword struck directly in the space between two of the prongs on Hematite's knuckle dusters, sending a powerful surge of energy through his arms and putting small cracks in the marble beneath him. He let out a cry of pain, instantly regretting what he'd done. The lightning from the blade coursed through him, his hair frizzing up from the static. But other than that, it didn't seem to effect him.

–

Yellow Diamond started back, yanking her sword violently away from his hands. Her eyes widened fiercely. That....that would have knocked a normal gem out of their senses. The sheer amount of lightning that surged through him should have at LEAST made him fall back... but it didn't. She growled, the noise quickly erupting into a frustrated yell. She shot forward, delivering a swift kick in the midsection, sending him flying in the other direction. She glanced briefly at the ground where the force from the Hematite's defense had cracked the marble. At the very least, that was interesting.

She held her sword up and tossed it away, fists glowing with more sparks of electricity. She stormed forward, her boots clacking on the ground. She looked absolutely _furious_. She walked unnervingly fast, but it wasn't a flat out run. She towered over the gem and clenched her fists, reaching down to grab him. She picked him up by the shirt, her eyes still wide open and fierce.

–

The shock from the force of the sword had made his arms useless, and Hematite wished he'd just dodged. His body was still fizzing with electricity when he looked up in surprise at Yellow Diamond's frustrated yelling. A sharp grunt of pain escaped him when she struck him in the stomach, and his weapons vanished as he tumbled onto the floor about fifteen feet away. Trembling, he sat up and held his stomach, shaking his head with a cough. His arms were screaming at him to stay down, but he forced himself to his feet just in time to see Yellow Diamond advancing.

_Very quickly._

His eyes wide, he was unable to move before she grabbed him by the shirt. He put his hands up out of reflex, but couldn't do much else once his feet left the ground.

–

Without a word, Yellow Diamond delivered another massive punch square into Hematite's chest, letting go as she did. The impact once again threw him back. She chuckled darkly, walking forward again and punching him again once he'd gotten back up. They were slow, rhythmic, and unrelenting. One after the other she delivered smaller, yet effective punches to her opponent. She didn't blink; she wasn't even remotely out of breath.

**"Pathetic!"**

 

She delivered one more harsh punch to Hematite's jaw, pulling back slowly after she'd landed her hit. She walked forward, the lightning fading away from her hands, but still looming over the beat up gem. "All this so called practice and you've learned nothing. You've accomplished nothing. You are so weak... The most you can do is dodge and block, and you can hardly even do that right..." she began, narrowing her eyes in a sinister manner.

–

Needless to say, Hematite was defenseless against her onslaught of punches, and by the time she delivered her final blow to his jaw, he was on his hands and knees, his shoulders trembling. He coughed weakly, holding the side of his face. His visor had flown off from the blow, and was laying, cracked, about ten feet away from him.

 _In my defense, I've only been fighting Rubies and middle class warrior gems._ He wanted to say it out loud, but he stayed silent, trying to catch his breath as she she loomed over him. His hair was hiding his face.

–

"Just look at you..." She sneered in disgust, crossing her arms. "Whatever White saw in you, I certainly don't see it. You're small. You're weak. You're **nothing**." There was a darkness that loomed overhead, clouds becoming thicker and darker. Had it been like that before? "I don't know what they've told you, but remember this, Hematite... Don't go thinking you mean anything. You are a service gem. Nothing more. You are lucky to have the job that you do now. You might be White's body guard, but if you ask me, she should have picked someone else. You can't even hold your own in a fight," she spoke spitefully. Her arms fell to her side, her demeanor turning eerily calm.

–

Hematite slowly raised his head after she spoke, every word weighing down on his shoulders. He looked up at her, his hair falling away from his face. His bright pink eyes stared up at her, not exactly sad, but certainly hurt. He swallowed hard, the action made painful by his sore jaw.

"Th-then why don't you train me? You _clearly_ know what you're doing, and no-one at the arena is going to teach me anything..."

–

She scowled at his request, looking away from him with discontent.

"You don't deserve it." She hissed, turning away from him and walking in the other direction, toward the stairs leading to the warp pad.

"You can make your own way back..." She left him there, alone and cold on the floor of the arena, without a second thought. Now, to make matters worse, the clouds above began rumbling, flickers of distant lightning illuminating the dark.

–

As she walked off, Hematite dropped his head again, shaking it slowly. When she was out of earshot, he muttered something under his breath.

"That's what I thought you'd say."

He looked up again as she left, and he didn't move until he heard the sound of the distant warp pad activating. Sitting up, he winced and held his arm, looking at his cut clothing. Slowly, he stood up and walked over to his visor, which laid on the ground. It was cracked all the way up the side, and was useless now. Looking up at the clouds, Hematite shuddered at the sight of the distant lightning.

The only good that came out of this was that he'd learned he was near invulnerable to Yellow Diamond's lightning. That was _something_ , right?

Hematite's visor poofed away in a small cloud of sparks, and the service gem sighed heavily before swiping his hand over his eyes, conjuring up a new one. He looked toward the warp pad, his chest heavy, and frankly, still throbbing in pain.

_Well. He got **one** hit in._


	5. Rivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of Hematite's matches is interrupted by an uninvited guest.

"C'mon, Blue! That's the fifth mace you've gone through!" Hematite crowed from where he perched on Blue's freshly tossed weapon, which had taken a sizeable chunk out of the dirt floor. His opponent was a good twenty feet away, and her attack had badly missed. The small gem atop the weapon grinned cheekily, his hands beginning to glow.

"How about some hand-to-hand?~" Leaping down from the mace, he charged at Blue, sparks flying from his hands as his knuckledusters appeared. He'd kept his cool through this fight, even if Blue was definitely keeping him on his toes. There was no way he was letting what happened during their first spar happen again, if he could help it.

–

Blue was covered in scuffs and scratches, but still kept an overzealous attitude.

"HAhahahaha! Alright Rookie!! This is gettin' fun!" She said, slamming her fist into the opposite palm. She made a run for him, cackling rather ridiculously, going in for a side swipe. The crowd erupted in a cheer with almost every move they made. They adored watching Blue fight in general, but the new guy had created quite a reputation for himself. They were a dynamic duo that kept the crowd on the edges of their seats.

–

Hematite did get a few licks in, but he wasn't nearly as powerful when he was keeping himself under control. The crowd kept his energy up, and he grinned at Blue as he landed a solid punch to her abdomen, skirting back after he did so.

"C'mon Blue, try and keep up!" he chuckled, his fists up, small sparks flying from his weapons.

 

_There was a distant thud outside the arena, almost unnoticeable._

–

Blue cackled even as she was hit, skidding against the dirt. She bared her teeth, giving off a crude smile. Jutting forward, she swooped under and tackled his legs directly. A dirty trick, but effective nonetheless! The crowd howled, throwing drinks in excitement through the stands. Even the guards at the doors were taking occasional peeks at the fighting gems. After all, it was a Diamond fighting a service gem. You didn't see that every day.

–

_Thud_

The smaller gem was completely knocked off his feet, and ended up flat on his front in the dirt. He sat up slowly, groaning and spitting out rubble.

"Alright, so you-"

**Thud**

Hematite stopped, looking around.

_**What was that.** _

–

The crowd's cheering died down, resounding in a soft murmur. The guards looked around, but saw nothing. Blue stood and brushed herself off, scanning the perimeter.

"Woah... Ok, so that wasn't just me that heard that then?" she said, the smile draining from her face. _That wasn't natural..._

–

Hematite shook his head and kept looking around, suddenly on-edge. What the hell was that noise? Was someone training outside the arena?

But then the sound rapidly got faster.

**They were footsteps.**

Standing with his back to Blue, the small gem gritted his teeth and looked around, his arms out to try and protect his leader. The steps were getting closer.

A shadow fell over the two gems in the arena, something huge sailing overhead. No, not something. **Someone.**

The ebony haired Hematite from the kindergarten, Mago, had leapt straight over the walls of the arena, landing slightly off-center in the Coliseum, putting two shallow divets into the dirt as she skidded to a halt. Her face, as usual, was partially obscured by her long, messy bangs. Through the dark locks, one could just barely make out a confident sneer of a smile. The giant gem's eyes were partially hidden behind her bright, reflective visor.

What the hell? What was this service gem doing here? She wasn't invited! Had she gone rogue, what was she going to do? The warrior gems at the door began to advance, but stopped when the massive intruder stood proudly and turned to her left, pointing directly at the two small gems on the field.

"Hematite! I challenge you to a one-on-one brawl!"

–

The crowd gasped, but soon went dead silent. The guards looked at each other, then back at the huge gem that entered the ring. They eased up and backed away to their original posts. Blue looked up in awe at the massive Hematite, and blinked curiously. With a blank face, Blue placed a palm on the smaller Hematite's shoulder and gave it a hardy pat.

"Well, have fun with that buddy! I'll be rootin' for ya!"

Without another word, she quickly bolted away, running for the side of the arena and climbing up into the stands. The gems in the crowd stood up and chanted, their excitement returned once they found out that they weren't in danger, but in fact, things just got even more interesting for them!

–

"Wait what."

The small gem was already dumbfounded enough that his 'rival' so to speak had shown up out of the blue, after not seeing her for months, but then Blue just left him on the battlefield! He stammered, flustered, and looked up at Mago as she slowly approached, her right fist in her left hand. She cracked her knuckles, her hands beginning to glow with plasmic energy.

"Let's make this quick, pipsqueak. Let's see how you do in a fair fight," she crooned while approaching the currently **very tiny** and **very defenseless** gem on the field.

"N-now hold on a sec, at least let me make us even!" His shouting fell on deaf ears, and his backwards steps quickly turned into a jog as he tried to distance himself. But for every ten steps he made, she took _one,_ and was closing the distance fast. The tiny gem tried to shift up, to match Mago's size, but he suddenly found himself unable to use his shifting ability with his focus so derailed by the other gem's sudden appearance. Cackling, the giant gem picked up the pace, holding her clawed hands out to her sides.

"C'moooon pipsqueaaak~ You can't tell me you're afraid to fight me, huh?~"

–

The guards tensed up, the giant gem heading straight toward them after Hematite. If she wanted, she could have easily taken down one of the thinner walls. They were ready if anything went wrong....at least, they thought they were. Blue on the other hand propped herself up on one of the ledges and chanted with the crowd that was eagerly gathered around her.

"Come on Rookie!!! Show em what ya got!!"

–

Hematite was still close enough to hear Blue's words of encouragement, but looked back at her, motioning to the still quickly approaching gem.

"ARE YOU CRACKED, I CAN'T FIGHT HER LIKE THIS!" He turned around as he finished shouting up at her, and let out a startled yelp, dodging to the side as Mago's hands slammed down mere inches away from him.

"Yeaaah, c'mon ' _rookie_ '! I'm not gonna go easy on ya like all your other opponents!"

_**Too close for comfort.** _

Within another moment, Hematite was _gone_ , bolting the other direction to try and distance himself from Mago.

 _Okay, okay, if she's gonna play dirty, then I'll have to too. Stars, why can't I shift?!_ The tiny gem's weapons vanished, leaving a few sparks, and he tried desperately to mentally reach the place he'd been in when Blue fought him the first time. This was NOT the time for his powers to go on the fritz!

If he could just dig deep enough... Maybe he could spark it to activate on its own?

–

Blue chuckled a little to herself. She believed in him, he could do it. Somehow, but he could. About this time, a massive spear-like weapon flung in and landed in the seat right next to blue. Blue looked over slowly, but didn't so much as flinch. As quickly as it arrived, another figure hopped onto the end of it skillfully, seemingly appearing from nowhere. Stood upon the end of the pole was a crouched, tall, monochromatic figure.

"Oh, whats up, White? Glad to see you could make it!"

Blue smiled as a the other gem grabbed the pole and slid down it, the weapon disappearing as she made contact with the stands.

"I thought you were going to fight Hematite today. What on Homeworld is this all about?"

"Well, ahah, funny story about that... you see this other Hematite showed up aaaaand it looks like she's got some kinda personal issues with him!" Blue said with a nervous chuckle. White shrugged and sighed, sitting down next to the other Diamond.

"He isn't dead is he?"

"Nah, still alive.... fooooor now."

"Well, that's a plus I guess...."

"You want me to call off the mat-"

"No, I want to see where this goes."

White's arms crossed, and she narrowed her eyes, intently watching the show.

–

Unaware that his superior had just arrived at the stadium, Hematite continued to run as fast as his legs would carry him, though with Mago hot in pursuit, that was just barely keeping him ahead of her. At first it seemed like he was going to make a run for the exit, making the guards tense up as Mago quickly approached them as well, but within a few hundred feet, Hematite suddenly turned back, bolting right under the larger Hematite's feet. Her momentum worked against her, and she barely caught herself as she stumbled in the direction she'd been running. Thankfully she hadn't been going any faster, or those guards would have had something to worry about.

Clenching her teeth, Mago recovered her footing and chased after the smaller gem, though now he had a bit of a lead.

"PiiiIIPSQUEAAAK, this chase is getting OLD really FAST." Her tone was sharper this time. Her hands glowed brighter before she snapped her wrists in a rhythmic fashion, sending plasmic bolts of electricity at the retreating gem. Hematite shouted in surprise at the sudden barrage. The blasts left large scorch marks on the arena floor, but thankfully he found himself able to dodge the wild attack.

–

White raised a brow, placing a finger to her chin.

"Plasma, huh? I didn't know that one possessed that sort of power. Interesting..." She reached for her gem and, with a soft glow, she brought out a metallic Diamond pad. Placing a finger on it briefly, it blipped on.

"Oh come on, White, you're really gonna take notes right now?" Blue scoffed, leaning up against the taller gem suddenly.

"Yes, why not?" the other retorted, looking casually back at her screen. "I'm learning a lot about these Hematites every day. This is a great opportunity to learn a lot _more_..."

–

"Get back here, you crystal shrimp! " Mago shouted at him, chasing him back towards where Blue and White were, though they were still halfway across the arena. Glancing up at the stands, the larger Hematite's eyes narrowed slightly, and a devious grin crossed her face. She looked back down at her retreating opponent, now locking her gaze onto him. Her eyes didn't leave him as she crowed out, "Maybe _you_ can run, pipsqueak, but the crowd sure can't!"

To anyone watching, it was a bluff. It was an _obvious_ bluff.

_But it still worked._

Whirling back on his heel, his eyes wide, Hematite glared at the giant gem quickly closing in on him.

"You wouldn't dare-!"

_**ZAP** _

The moment he'd turned around and stopped in place, Mago shot another plasma blast at the tiny gem, and it hit.

**Hard.**

Hematite let out a cry of agony, the force of the blast sending him a good fifty feet. He landed heavily, staying on the ground, his body coursing with electricity and sparks. The faintest trail of smoke rose from his small form.

Mago stood up straight, her hands returning to normal.

"You're so predictable."

Slowly, she walked toward the downed gem, a wide, cocky smile on her face.

–

Blue flinched with an "Ooohhhh-", biting at her nails as the massive bolt of plasma hit the smaller gem. White winced a little, biting her lip, and wrote something down.

"Well, that looked like it hurt... but he's still standing, relatively speaking." She muttered under her breath...but her eyes still narrowed, looking back at the sparring gems.

–

Mago looked around at the crowd, and grinned at them in a sleazy manner, earning some jeers and boos. How dare this gem come in and take down their favorite fighter?! And to play a trick like that, it wasn't uncommon, but it wasn't fair for someone so big to do!

Regardless, there were some in the crowd who were genuinely amused and excited by this turn of events. The underdog Hematite finally brought down by a newcomer! And so easily...

"Yeees, yes I know. You love a good show. So sorry that my _friend_ here couldn't please you! But don't worry!~ I'll make sure he learns his lesson." Mago slowly sauntered toward her opponent.

Hematite was just starting to move, his body twitching involuntarily. He panted in pain, a weak cough escaping him.

Mago's shadow fell over him. She knelt down, her hair falling over her shoulder.

"Looks like you're finally where you belong, runt. Small, in the dirt, defeated. I don't see how you've won so many fights."

Slowly, she reached a clawed hand down, pinching the back of his shirt and lifting him off the ground.

–

The crowd hissed and cheered in a big mashup of different emotions. Blue leaned on the wall and raised a fist up in the air.

"COME ON, ROOKIE! You can still beat her!!" She called out in an odd, encouraging frustration.

White placed a palm on Blue's arm to reassure her, probably more or less trying to calm her down.

However, both of the gem's interests were piqued as soon as the larger gem had picked up the smaller Hematite. What was she doing?...

–

Looking over at White and Blue in the stands, Mago put her free hand on her hip, cocking her pose to the side. She was loosely holding Hematite up, his form dangling limply from her hand.

"With all due respect, White Diamond. I never understood what you saw in him.~" The giant gem turned her hand, facing Hematite toward her.

"Wakey-wakey pipsqueak, it's time for our grand finale."

Hematite's gem began to glow.

Mago lifted him over her face, licking her impressively sharp teeth.

"I've always wondered what another Hematite would taste like," she crooned, too quiet for anyone but Hematite to hear.

–

The crowd waited with bated breath, quieting down with Mago's new demeanor. White's eyes widened a little at Mago's statement, her lips parting as if she were genuinely concerned... but she made no attempt to reply or speak up just yet. Blue got ominously quiet, admittedly sweating a little, a confused frown on her face. It seemed she didn't quite understand what the giant gem was up to. White, however, knew exactly where this was headed. Was he going to be alright? _Surely she wasn't serious._

–

Looking up at the crowd where White and Blue were, Hematite clenched his fists. His expression was intensely focused, and he slowly looked at Mago as she lowered him closer to her now open mouth.

The tiny gem's left fist began to glow brightly, sparks flying.

"Your fancy little rings won't do you any good now, shrimp."

 

**CRACK**

 

Not two seconds after Mago was finished taunting her would-be snack, Hematite delivered a sharp punch to her face with a fist that was now ten times its normal size. Electricity coursed up his arms, and his arm quickly returned to normal as he landed back on the arena floor. Mago was reeling, holding her cheek.

"Ffffha! You little brat! What the hell was that?!" She turned on him sharply, fury burning in her eyes. How dare he make a fool of her! She didn't ditch her job today to be humiliated by this little _runt_!

Hematite looked in surprise at his hand, and slowly turned his attention up to Mago. His face hardened, and he adjusted himself into a fighting stance.

–

Blue let out a howl of approval, throwing her arms violently in the air, so much so that even White flinched to the side a little from her sudden outburst.

"WOOOOOOOOOO!!!! SHOW EM WHO'S THE GEEEEEM!" She laughed, her hype escalating. What a twist! She loved it! The sudden change of events eased White's tension, and she smirked ever so slightly, jotting down something else on the pad.

–

Hematite caught Blue's cheers from the crowd and smirked to himself, not taking his eyes off of Mago. The giant gem had let go of her face and lunged at him with her fists alight with electricity, ready to go in for a direct hit.

The tiny gem's entire body glowed, and a moment before Mago's hit made contact, Hematite had shifted his arm again, grabbing her wrist. She shouted in surprise as the still tiny gem chucked her over his shoulder, his arm shrinking back down as soon as he let go.

Mago tumbled away, but quickly recovered and let out a furious battle cry. Her stance became more beast-like, and she lunged for him once more, managing to shoot off some plasmic bolts at him. But her attacks were too wild, and they missed badly, hitting the ground around him.

Hematite stood his ground, his body glowing once more. He was ready for her.

Mago was quickly upon him, lifting up a clenched fist to crush him.

**THUD**

The giant gem went flying, Hematite having landed a huge, heavy blow to her midsection. As she slammed into the wall, the 'smaller' gem was revealed to have shifted size right under her nose in an instant, now about a third of her size. The arm he'd hit her with was even bigger. The glow died down, and he made a run for her while she was winded, his eyes practically glowing with the exhilaration of battle. Mago let out another frustrated shout and quickly recovered, launching at her opponent.

 

Soon, the two were locked in a pattern of Mago getting a few hits in, but constantly being out-maneuvered by Hematite's rapid changes. He was in full control, and was adjusting size on a dime. It was a spectacular sight. Sparks flew, the battlefield was constantly alight with Hematite's advanced shifting ability, and as time went on, his attacks grew more precise, more rhythmic.

_He was winning._

–

The audience cheered violently, the guards even giving a few claps of their own. This was a show for everyone. White began to write faster, almost unable to keep up with the quick changing of events. _Almost_. Blue continued to cheer, her excitement raising quickly with the crowd behind her. White, however, remained calm and professional as ever.

"Rapid size shifting under stress...now that's something...." Her smile faded with a curious concern, looking back up at the brawlers. "Now, if he can keep that up without wearing himself out...."

–

"Alright you little punk, let's see how you like this!" Mago had been tossed across the arena, Hematite currently standing at half her height, panting heavily. The bigger gem flicked her hand across her face, her visor glazing over. Her teeth gritted, and a white target blipped onto the screen. She darted toward him, letting out a long, angry battle cry.

Though he was slightly shaken by no longer being able to see her eyes, Hematite only took a couple steps back, preparing himself for another attack. As she neared, he went to dodge to the side to deliver a blow to her shoulder or face, but Mago laughed and grabbed his leg, violently slamming him back to the ground.

"Nice try, but you're not getting away now! " Hematite rolled over to hop back up on his feet, but Mago was on him again in an instant, knocking him straight to the ground, her massive hand holding him down by his chest.

"Give up! You don't have what it takes to be a true Harvester!" Her face was mere inches from him, hunting visor glowing brightly.

"You don't have the _instincts_!" She laughed in his face as he struggled, watching as he shrunk down just slightly. He was worn out from the fight.

"That's right, go back to being a pipsqueak! Then we can finish this!"

He was still shrinking. Slowly, but it was happening. He was only a third of her size now, and it was getting harder to move.

–

Blue clenched her fists and punched down on the stone walls, leaving small cracks where her hands made contact.

"RRRAAAAAAGHHH COME ON, KID!! DON'T GIVE UP NOW!!" Blue shouted with a fire in her eyes.

White's attention was now solely focused on writing down notes and watching the fight.

Take notes, look up. Take notes again, look back up. Rinse and repeat... but the longer the match went on, she felt a very, very faint concern start to rise back up within her. _Was this going to get out of hand soon? ..._

–

Smaller and smaller. He'd gone too far... he'd just discovered this ability, and now he was going to lose because he didn't pace himself. Hematite's growls of frustration grew louder as Mago's hand bore down on him, until he was only about fifteen feet tall, firmly planted under the giant gem's clawed hand. But he stopped. His body was still glowing, but he stopped shrinking. Mago's grin vanished, a look of confusion crossing her face.

"What the..."

**CRACK**

In a flash, quite literally, Mago was sent flying backwards, her body riddled with lightning, Hematite's glowing, now giant form, crouched where he laid not a moment ago. But the glow didn't die down this time. He ran forward, letting out a rather feral battle cry, quickly closing in on the larger Hematite that lay winded on the ground. Within seconds, he had her held up by her shirt, his form still alight. Electricity coursed up his arm before meeting Mago rather painfully, and she struggled to get loose, crying out in pain. Her feet lifted off the ground, her form glowing with the same light that Hematite's was.

Was she getting... Smaller?

In a shocking turn of events, Hematite was suddenly upon Mago, her body pinned under his massive hand. The previously larger Hematite was only a fraction of her usual size, and Hema was at his full Harvester height, which he had yet to reach the entire fight thus far.

Mago was still coursing with electricity, and she stared up at Hematite, her visor laying in the dust beside her. She was dumbfounded.

**How in the hell...**

Breathing heavily, Hematite slowly raised his head to look up at where White and Blue were seated, his hair messily blocking part of his face. Clearly, he was shocked too.

–

The crowd exploded, more drinks flying through the air. Their champion was back! Blue jumped up and down in place, excitedly laughing and cheering with the rest of them. White looked rather intrigued, jotting more notes down. She looked up after a moment, realizing that Hematite had now looked directly at them.

 

She smirked, nodding in impressed approval. Now that was quite the turnaround.

–

At White Diamond's nod of approval, Hematite's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but beam at his superior with unmasked pride in his own victory. Glancing down, Hematite picked Mago up off the ground and stood straight, earning another swell of applause from the crowd.

"My rival here thought she could bust in here and challenge me! Well now I guess she'll see what happens when you cross _'''The Harvester!'''_ What do you say?~" The crowd was all for it, though a few looked nervous all of a sudden. Wait, they'd seen this not too long ago, but now... Well, the roles were reversed.

Putting on a rather smug smile, Hematite lifted Mago closer to his face, looking her over as she kicked and swung at him, her anger not yet spent.

Imitating the pose she had taken when he was in her position, the giant gem chuckled and shook his head.

"What was that about not having the instincts?" He murmured quietly, his smile widening ominously. Mago felt a shiver go up her spine, and for once, her face betrayed her apprehension. Brows furrowing, she quickly returned to being angry, trying fruitlessly to land a hit to Hematite's smug face.

–

Blue, oblivious to the situation, still had a hyped up spark in her eyes. The crowd's cheering drowned out the murmurs of concern that came from a few....However, it didn't take long for White to join them. Her eyes narrowed, her smile fading. _Wait.... Was he?....._ She didn't want to take the chance. She placed the diamond pad quickly down, and sat up straight. She looked as though she were about to say something, but...

–

"Change me back and let's finish this, pipsqueak!"

"You want us to finish? Hm." He chuckled again. "Alright."

Slowly, he lifted her over his face.

Hematite opened his mouth underneath Mago's feet, a smile tugging the corner of his lips.

-

White gave Hematite a cold stare, unbeknownst to him. Her face was unnervingly blank. Perhaps this was serious... she wasn't going to let this get out of hand. Blue continued to cheer with the rest, a slight twinge of curiosity in her eyes as Hematite held the other gem above his face. She wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do, and she didn't seem to figure it out, even as he lifted her over his mouth. Regardless, it was still fun to watch!

-

After a rise of both jeering and cheering, he looked coyly toward the crowd and closed his mouth again, chuckling. He waved a finger at them in a ' _Haha, got ya, didn't I?_ ' sort of gesture and dropped Mago back to his side, holding her in his fist.

"Not this time~!" he crowed theatrically, giving an exaggerated sort of bow to his audience. "Otherwise, how would I fight her again?~" Giving a good-natured, but still overly confident laugh, Hematite walked toward the back of the arena. He shrank down to his large, but not huge form and left the arena the way he usually did after a fight. The guards moved back in place once he had gone through the gates, and Hematite walked to the side of the arena, out of sight.

–

White stood abruptly, watching carefully as Hematite left the arena, the crowd cheering endlessly behind them.

"Aw, leaving so soon?!" Blue said to White, watching her get up.

"Report back to your tower, Blue. I'm going to go find Hematite." She said suddenly, her back facing the other gem. Before Blue could respond, she was off, running towards the two Hematites that left the Arena.

–

Unknown to everyone inside the arena, Hematite had quickly dropped Mago and stumbled a few steps forward, his hand firmly placed on the huge arena wall. He was holding his forehead, breath coming in short gasps.

Mago, though admittedly still a bit shaken, sat up and noticed he seemed off.

"Pipsqueak?"

Hematite's shoulders shook, and he looked back at her, his eyes dull. He'd broken into a sudden sweat.

"Don't..." Swallowing heavily, he growled and turned toward Mago, still leaning against the wall. When he spoke again, his words were almost slurred.

"Don't get any funny ideas. I still beat y-"

A flash of light later, and Hematite was stumbling where he stood, now only a few inches tall. He held his head, attempting to finish his sentence. But before he could, he passed out, collapsing on the ground.

–

White stood upon the top of the wall, looking down upon the two Hematites. Before she could take any action, however, her eyes widened. She sighed, crouching down, watching them unknowingly from above.

"Oh Hematite, why would you do this to yourself?..." She whispered quietly under her breath.

–

Mago shifted where she was sitting on the ground and peered at the now unconscious gem. A long moment of silence stretched on. Slowly, she stood up and dusted herself off, an odd look on her face. It was unclear what was going through her head. The ebony haired Hematite took a few steps forward to where her rival laid in the dirt, and stared down at him. A mild breeze blew her hair away from her face.

Pushing her bangs away from her eyes, she knelt down and reached for the tiny gem, carefully picking him up. She cupped him in her palm and looked him over before giving a snort of contempt, her brows furrowed.

But her hard expression softened into something harder to read, and she dusted off the tiny figure in her hand.

"Good fight, shrimp."

Mago looked around to make sure no-one had seen her. She pursed her lips, wondering what to do with Hematite. She figured she should return him to White Diamond instead of leaving him out here, but she couldn't go back into the arena with him like this.

–

The tension left White, realizing that Mago wasn't going to hurt Hematite. Still, she had to make sure Hematite got back to her safely....so why not take matters into her own hands.

 

SHINK.

 

Another massive polearm thrust itself in the ground from above, only a foot behind Mago...unsettlingly close to her. Jumping down from the top of the wall, landing perfectly on her feet behind the gem, she grasped her weapon and pulled it from the ground, holding it next to her. She towered over the other gem, looking down upon her with a stern, calm look.

–

Normally, Mago would barely flinch at such an action. But to be honest she was a bit... frazzled at the moment from her fight. The gem squeaked and jumped forward a foot or so before turning to meet White Diamond's calm gaze.

_Was she in trouble._

Saluting enthusiastically with her free hand, the ebony-haired Hematite stood at attention and glanced nervously to the side.

"Did you want him back?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm.

–

"At ease, Mago." White said, spinning her polearm, fizzling it out in a sparkling light. She held out her palm, with her other arm calmly behind her back. "Yes, I'll take him back to my towers."

–

The shorter gem relaxed visibly at White's command and carefully handed Hematite back to her, immediately resuming the cocky, aloof air she usually wore.

“Yeah well, you can have him. Make sure he doesn't get stepped on or whatever. You'll need that one for a fight if it ever comes up in a mission." She opened one eye to look up at her leader.

"No hard feelings about the start of that fight, right?"

–

White took the small gem, gently cupping her hands protectively around him. White looked to the other with a raised brow, and the faintest of smiles. Even though Hematite had worn himself out, he fought bravely. He faced her head on and won, albeit at the expense of his energy. There was a faint hint of pride there. Not only did she learn a lot more about the Hematites in general, but now she got to see what he was really like in the ring. She had been impressed...that was all that mattered.

 

"Don't worry about it... " She said with a chuckle soon following.

–

The ebony haired Hematite looked at the gem in White's hand a moment longer before meeting her leader's eyes again. A smug smile crossed her face, though behind it was a wave of relief.

–

White started to walk off...but she stopped, looking back.

"OH, and one more thing... Mago, just so you know... I don't believe 'crashing a fight at the arena' was part of your assigned work today."

She turned, heading out in the direction of the White district.

–

She watched her leader walk off, but then blinked when she turned to look at her.

At White's words, Mago felt the slightest shiver go up her spine.

"Right, I'll get back on that."

As White left, the defeated gem let out a deep sigh and relaxed, pursing her lips.

"I gotta learn that trick."


	6. Defective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue and Hematite have a talk over drinks|||Hematite goes on a harvesting mission with Blue.|||Hematite learns something new about himself.

* * *

 

**_-And so, years passed.-_ **

 

* * *

 

Things went on as usual. Hematite was sent on missions for weeks or months at a time, returned to the towers, took a few days off, sparred in the coliseum, had a _'spar'_ with Yellow Diamond, returned to missions... the pattern never changed. The service gem performed well on most of his jobs. In fact, the most trouble he ever had was trying to please Yellow. She didn't seem the least bit interested in treating him any better than she had since day one of his job as White Diamond's Hematite. The 'spars' continued; as did the belittling, the threats, the constant scornful looks. There was just no pleasing her. Over time... Hematite tried less and less to make her happy, and focused more on not letting her get to him.

Because as the years went by... he felt it starting to sink in. All her words, all his failed spars, all the hateful or suspicious looks. And he never did ANYTHING to earn them, at least from his point of view. Perhaps he should stop trying to share stories of his missions with her, or he should stop asking if she'd like to watch one of his fights. Every time he tried talking with Yellow Diamond about _anything_ but his immediate business with her, she'd give him annoyed or angry looks.

_You're small._

_You're weak._

_You're nothing._

He was just trying to be friendly...

But, fine. If she wasn't going to budge, then he wasn't going to keep trying so hard.

Still... he wished things were different.

\--

Morganite had just finished fixing up another batch of drinks, sliding one skillfully across the slick surface of the counter to the tall, blue gem that sat at the end. The gem grabbed the glass without so much as looking and took a sip.

"Right on cue, as per usual!" She chuckled. Morganite spun around and wiped off the counter with a grin.

"Of course, only the best for you, Blue Diamond!" He said charmingly, giving a flick of his wrist with a bow. There was a casual quiet that followed, the pink flamboyant gem picking up stray glasses and wiping them down with the cloth he kept around his belt sometimes. "So, what brings ya here tonight, Blue? Usual hangouts?" He asked, sparking up a simple conversation.

Blue gave him a warm smile, looking down at her glass and swirling its contents.

"Ah, nothing so simple today, I'm afraid.... I'm actually here to meet with someone. A friend. They wanted to talk." She responded a little quietly.

Morganite's brow raised a tad, but he smiled.

"Ah, I see! Anyone I know?"

"Well, you remember the Hematite?"

"Ah, the shy little fellow who doesn't care for drinks! Haha, yes, I remember them! I'll fetch them some water." Morganite responded promptly, quickly scampering off to the back.

Blue propped her elbow up on the table and took a swig of her drink, stifling a small laugh. She wondered when he'd show up, but didn't dwell on it for too long.

The more important question, what could he possibly want to talk about?

–

It'd been one hell of a recon and harvesting mission, one of the longest he'd ever had in his _many_ years working for White Diamond. Months had gone by since Hematite last saw Homeworld at all, and he'd only been back a few weeks. He'd gone back to his usual business after a small break from White Diamond, who was proud of his performance. He'd seen Yellow Diamond, well, a few times since returning. But he hadn't seen Blue at _all_ , except once from a passing distance.

As Hematite made his way toward Morganite's bar, he admired how nice it felt to be back in the Blue district. He really did feel the most at peace here, out of all the districts, and it was pleasant to be back.

Stopping at the familiar building, the small gem took a deep breath and opened the door, walking inside.

_He was certainly **different** looking. _

Since leaving for his mission a few months back, he'd gone through some pretty significant changes. During his rather lengthy recon job, he'd gotten into some trouble, long after the main part of his mission had been finished. A gem monster had ambushed him and gotten a hold of his long hair during a fight, and used it to toss him into the air, its jaws waiting below him.

The rest was history.

He was just lucky it'd missed his gem, and he was able to reform quickly so he could continue his mission. If he hadn't been so rattled by previous events during said job... maybe the monster wouldn't have gotten the best of him. Oh well. It was in the past. _All_ of that mission was in the past, thankfully. And now Hematite had a new form to get used to.

He now stood a few inches taller, and his outfit was a little different. The White Diamond insignia on his suit was more off-center than it was before, and his chest was a little less pronounced. His hair was now considerably short, and stood in a fluffed tuft on the top of his head, swept bangs covering his forehead. His visor was different as well. It only covered one eye instead of being a full visor, and his eyes underneath were a dark maroon color instead of light pink. All in all, he was happy with his new form. But he _did_ wonder how Blue would react.

 

Yellow Diamond sure seemed to dislike it.

–

By the time Hematite had arrived, there was already a cold glass of water sitting next to the seat that Blue was sitting in. The diamond turned around upon hearing the door open, and beamed curiously. Was that who she thought it was?

"Hematite? Is that you? .... Well, is that like, **the** Hematite?" It was certainly _**a**_ Hematite, but she was unfamiliar with the looks of this one. She spotted the gem on his neck, and smiled. It certainly _looked_ like the Hematite she knew so well. The Morganite spun around and gave him a wink, but without a word turned to attend to another gem sitting at the other end of the table.

–

Hematite was happy to see that Blue was waiting for him already, and he made his way over. He blushed slightly at her confusion and rubbed the back of his head, which was his replacement for fiddling with his hair nowadays.

"Yeah, it's me. Good old 'rookie'." He chuckled, smiling warmly and hopping up into his seat, now just able to reach it with his added height. "I know I look a lot... different. My last mission was one heck of a doozy. I went through uh... a bit of a change." Offering her a small smile, he grabbed his glass of water.

–

Blue's grin grew wider, as she turned a bit in her seat and looked over him now that he was closer.

"Heheh, well, 'Rookie'! I think 'Hema' would just suit ya better, whatcha think?" She said cheerfully, grabbing her own glass as well. "You aren't really a rookie anymore, really... It's been wild to watch you learn and grow so much! Well...figuratively and literally! Heheh!" The diamond turned back and sipped her drink once more. She placed it carefully down on the bar stand, twisting it slowly in place. The droplets of condensation from the glass careened down the sides and left a small puddle where the cup sat.

–

Hematite blinked in surprise at Blue's proposal, and even though he was sure saying something about it wouldn't change her mind, he still managed to stammer out,

"Well, I mean. If you wanna call me that, then by all means!" A slightly 'off' sounding laugh escaped him, and as Blue turned away to sip her drink, he turned to his own glass, his finger tracing along the cold droplets on the outside.

–

Her smile had softened, and, while seemingly dazzled by the ice cubes in her drink... she bore a more concerned look than moments ago.

"So, what brings ya here, Hema?"

–

Blue's change in demeanor caught him off-guard, and his smile faded.

"Oh you know, I've been gone a while. Thought we could catch up. See how stuff's been going on in the arena. See if you missed tossing me and your mace around."

–

She let out a hearty chuckle, picking the glass up and twirling it in her hand once more.

"HAaaa, yeeeeahhh... Man, the Arena fights are much less eventful and... less of a challenge when you aren't around," she said, a little mellow. Her smile completely faded, suddenly. She sat the glass down, turning her head away. Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes. Hema had never just called her up to 'talk', in his years of working for White. And to see him show up with a new form, in the mood he was in? She could tell something was up.

"There's somethin' more, isn't there?..."

–

A long silence stretched between the two. Hema sipped his water and placed it back on the counter with a soft 'clink'. He traced the rim of the glass with the tip of his finger, his eyes staring at nothing in particular.

A minute or so of heavy silence later, Hematite sat up straight and called to Morganite.

"Excuse me, Morganite? Do you have anything... well. Not as strong as Blue's usual?"

–

Blue and Morganite both bore a genuine look of surprise now, staring at Hematite in bafflement for a few moments.

"W-well certainly! One moment, please." The pink-haired gem turned quickly to grab something off of the shelf. Blue's surprise shifted into something of worry, now.

"Hah... Ah, so this is gonna be one of _those_ talks, I see?" She rotated again back in her seat, propping her back up on the bar and crossing one leg over the other. "I've had my fair share of those before. Take your time, kiddo."

–

"Thank you." He nodded politely to Morganite and looked at Blue momentarily before turning to his glass again. "Yeah. Okay."

While Morgan was fetching the drink, Hematite looked at Blue Diamond and forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood again.

"So, what do you think of the new look?"

–

She couldn't help but grin. He was trying to be optimistic... she admired that.

"I like it, Hema. Seems more... I dunno, can't find the word for it. Seems more probable. Efficient? Yeah, efficient, practical!" She chuckled. "It seems more 'you'! Ya know?"

Morganite, about this time, casually walked up to the bar and slid Hematite his drink, a lot more carefully than he would Blue.

"Enjoy!"

–

Blue's praise earned a bright, genuine smile from him, even if it was tinged with sadness.

"Thanks, Blue. I'm glad you like it."

_Even **that** differs from **her**._

His smile faded to the more tired look he had before, and he looked at Morganite, offering him a polite nod.

"Thank you."

He took the drink in his hand and sniffed at it, scrunching his nose up. Well, it certainly was better smelling than Blue's had been. Taking a sip, he cringed slightly, but the taste of this one was far more palatable.

_I **still** hate alcohol._

About fifteen minutes later, Hematite had finished his first drink, and was looking no worse for wear.

"..."

–

Morganite quickly slid over another drink, which Blue caught this time and slowly slid over to Hematite. There was a long pause. She was patient. She had all night... and she didn't mind waiting for him to talk.

"So, hah... how'd priss and sparky like the new look? Have they seen it yet, even?" She murmured, looking up at the lights on the ceiling as she took another sip of her own drink.

–

Hematite took another sip of his fresh drink and placed it down a little bit heavier than he had up till now. He had a far-off look in his eyes for a moment, but then turned to Blue and offered a weak smile.

"White is White, so she just asked how practical the new visor was, and why I made the change," he said casually, shrugging his shoulders. "I told her it was just as efficient as the old one, but allowed me to go around in public without people who know what I am freaking out, thinking I'm on the job.” His finger found its way to the edge of the glass again, and he stared at the contents of his drink.

"Yellow Diamond hasn't seen it yet."

 

_**The first of many lies.** _

–

"I see..." She couldn't think of much else to say at the time, which was strange for her. She normally had something to say about everything, but for the first time in a very long while, she was taken aback, unable to think of anything else.

The bar started to get more quiet as the night went on. Gems were up and leaving, later hours settling in even though time inside the bar seemed to stop. Strange, since normally the bar was much more lively at night. Maybe it was a good thing that business was slow this evening. Blue smirked and gave him a reassuring nod.

She tried a new approach. It was direct, but it was _something_.

 

"You came here to talk to me about something, and it wasn't about your hair... So..."

–

As time stretched on, Hematite slowly felt the effects of his drink. His head felt like it was swimming, but it didn't feel entirely unpleasant. There was a weight to his limbs that seemed to lift as time ticked away and the bar got more and more quiet. He was glad for the calm.

_It was needed right now._

Hematite tapped a clawed finger on his glass, staring at the wall and shelves in front of him. When he finally felt his drink had done its job, he sighed deeply, exhaling through his nose for a good ten seconds solid. Then he was silent. When he finally spoke, his voice was even, but held a weight to it that he'd never had around Blue before, or anyone else for that matter.

"Blue, let's say someone has an opinion of you... that you don't exactly agree with."

He looked at the swirling contents of his glass, which laid half empty at the moment. Little flecks of blue and gold color dazzled the drink within, giving Hematite something to focus on.

"Like, they say really terrible stuff about you. And you know they're wrong, but..."

–

Blue grit her teeth and looked away.

"Hah...Kid, I get that all the time. I mean, being a diamond has its perks, but I definitely have some people that hate me too... I definitely know how ya feel." She looked at him with a half hearted smile. "If you're asking how ya handle em.... heheh, I'd just say beat em up. Buuuut that's just me," she continued, only half joking. _Okay, a little less than half._

"I'm sorry, continue?"

–

Hematite wasn't as surprised by Blue's tone as he should have been, but he listened to her words regardless and slowly nodded at her advice.

"Hmm." Looking at his drink again, the emotion slowly drained from his face. Once more, he tapped a clawed finger onto his glass, much more firmly than before.

His eyes staring at the drink, a vacant look to him, Hematite took a long, shallow breath before letting it out through his nose.

He was unnaturally still. When he finally spoke, his voice was flat, nearly void of emotion.

 

"What do you do... when someone says you're _**nothing**_."

–

Blue's eyes widened as she looked up at the wall with a frown, her heart sinking... Like something struck a chord. She slowly looked over at Hematite, gripping her glass tighter.

"Who... who said that to you...?" she asked, her voice quiet, unsteady. Her eyes became fierce, brows furrowed.

–

His expression didn't change. Hematite slowly looked up from his glass to the wall, his voice the same cold tone as before. He repeated his question.

"What do you do."

–

Blue's lips parted, her teeth still bared down. Her grip gradually increased, her fingers slipping a little from the glass, but still holding on.

"I...." She stopped, grunting.

There was a bitter silence... and she let go of the glass. If she kept it there any longer, it would have shattered in her palm.

 

A hand suddenly placed itself firmly on Hematite's shoulder.

"Hema... look. I don't know who's saying these things to you but.... You gotta believe me. You aren't **nothing**. Please, listen to me.... I'm a Diamond, and I say you're... well, a whole lot of **something**. You should be proud of who you are. Don't let **anyone** tell you that you're nothing, they don't know you... They don't get to say who you are!"

–

The small gem's face finally cracked a _real_ expression when Blue put her hand on his shoulder. He looked into her face quietly, eyes wide and searching, as if seeking a solid answer to his unspoken problem.

But there was nothing he could say. Nor was there anything _she_ could say to fix what was breaking.

All she could do was try to undo the damage that was already done to him, and would continue to be done.

_And she didn't even know it was her own comrade who was delivering the blows._

Hematite swallowed and let out a long sigh, nodding.

"You're right, but. I dunno."

He sipped his drink.

"Sometimes if it's said enough you start to _believe_ it."

–

She looked down with a disheartened frown, but it quickly changed into a fiercer look. An anger... a determination.... It was something akin to an angry mother who just witnessed someone hurt her child.

"You sure ya don't want me to take care of it, kid?" she asked, giving him a bit of a dark grin. Morganite slipped in at this moment, sliding them both another drink, despite the fact that Blue hadn't even touched her previous one at this point. He said nothing, but his normal charm had all but disappeared, a much more sympathetic look on his face. But he turned quickly, not wanting to intervene.

–

Hematite gave the gem behind the counter a small, thankful glance. He put his current drink down and shook his head. Another deep breath, and Hematite was able to lift his head with some of his old spirit, a forced smile on his face. When he spoke, his voice was still sad, but there was a crack of his optimistic tone there.

"No, I can handle it. But, yeah. It's uh... It's still nice to know that _someone_ is on my side." His voice cracked with emotion toward the end of his sentence, and Hema had to disguise the sound as a cough.

"Sorry, the drink's getting to me." He looked at her fondly, clearly grateful for her words of encouragement. Silence followed, and Hematite's eyes dropped once more.

 

A moment later, the shorter gem was out of his seat, standing next to Blue, his arms wrapped tightly around her midsection.

"Thanks, Blue."

–

Morganite's eyes widened a little, but he quickly looked away. _He didn't see anything._ Blue had a similar expression... surprise. And yet, it quickly faded into one of empathy. Nobody ever dared to up and do something like that... Gems weren't supposed to make physical contact with a Diamond unless it was an emergency.... but she understood. She placed a hand comfortingly on his back, bearing a warm smile.

"Anytime, kiddo...."

–

At Blue's hand on his back, Hematite trembled slightly, worried suddenly that he'd overstepped the line. He opened his eyes and looked up at her, sniffling. A warm smile crossed his face, and he quickly let go, hopping back up on his chair with a quiet 'sorry'. Returning to his drink, he finished off his current one. Might as well.

–

She gave him a short wave as if to dismiss it completely. A silent 'don't sweat it'.

–

About half an hour of quiet chatting passed, as Hematite went on about his mission he'd just returned from. As the night went on, the service gem started to feel the effects of his drinks.

"Hey, Blue. How long does this stuff last?" He turned to her, a tipsy, slightly awkward smile on his face. "I kinda have a mission I need to go to tomorrow."

–

"It doesn't last too long, buuuut I think you should stop after this one." She said with another smile. She looked over to the Morganite and gave him a nod. He nodded back and stepped away.

"Whats the mission, if I may ask?..."

–

 _Stop after that one, got it._ He sat up, silently confirming with a nod that he wouldn't take his last drink. He looked at Blue with a shrug, noisily sighing through his nose.

"Gotta hunt some rebels down. Perform some recon. Do some harvesting." His voice lowered subtly at the last word, but he shook it off. It was just another job. _Nothing special._

–

Blue smirked and downed the rest of her drink, sliding the glass back to Morganite.

"Mind if I tag along?" she asked, looking a bit wistful. If she wanted to, really, Hematite couldn't _stop_ her from joining... but given his current mindset, she didn't want to interfere if he really didn't want her to.

–

Hematite's head raised in surprise, and he looked at Blue fully. Seemed that question snapped him out of his drunken stupor for a moment.

"O-oh, you want to..." He glanced to the side. Well, there was no harm in it right? "Sure, I wouldn't mind some company. Just... forgive me if I don't seem..." He laughed nervously. "Myself."

–

Blue's cheeky grin returned and she stood up from her seat.

"Awesome! I'd be happy to join ya, then," she said reassuringly. "Would you like me to take ya back to the white district? ... Yaaaaa look a little tipsy there, bud..." She said with an awkward chuckle, offering her hand to the Hematite.

–

Looking at the Diamond's hand, he nodded and unsteadily got down from his seat, gratefully taking the much-needed balance her hand provided.

"Thanks, aha. This stuff really dooooes mess with you, huh?" He was a bit wobbly on his feet, but managed to leave the bar with Blue. Before the two of them left entirely, Hematite blinked and turned toward the bar, raising up his free arm.

"Byyyeee Morganite!" He waved back, a drunken smile on his face. "Your hair is niiiice!" And with that, they were out the door.

* * *

* * *

 

* * *

* * *

 

At first, White was a little confused as to why Blue wanted to tag along with Hematite, but she didn't pry at it. Blue's permission was granted, and the two had made their way to the Pink district. It was particularly dark there today, a thick overcast of clouds spread above them. As they walked, Blue gave the occasional glance over to the service gem. After last night's spiel, she wanted to make sure that he was alright. Besides, she didn't really have anything better to do today anyway. Might as well come with!

–

Thunder rolled across the Pink District, shaking the ground ever so slightly. A brisk wind was blowing, though most of it was disturbed by the tall buildings that surrounded the two gems. Occasionally a breeze would break through and blow dust across the beaten and broken path.

As the two of them walked, sounds of scurrying gem monsters could be heard now and again, though they seemed skittish and unwilling to confront the travelers. They were unstable creatures, but they weren't stupid. They knew better than to tussle with a Diamond. A small, bug-like creature watched Hematite and Blue diamond hop over a small, broken partition. As they neared, it scurried away, hiding under a large pile of rubble. Luckily for it, today was not a day for hunting gem monsters.

Steps echoing through the empty city, the two made their way toward the mission objective. Other than a little small talk when he and Blue first arrived in the pink district, Hematite hadn't said a word. Within a few minutes of getting onto his assigned path, his eyepiece had chirped to life, and he'd gone quiet, the features of his HUD guiding him to his mission objective. He was still at his normal size of 5 or so feet, a small figure against the backdrop of huge city buildings. They'd been walking for hours, and the objective was close by.

For now, the only sounds he and Blue could hear were the distant thunder, their own footsteps, and the quiet, mechanical whirring and beeping of Hematite's eyepiece.

–

Blue glanced around, spotting a few of the gem monsters here and there, but thinking nothing of it. Last night's words echoed through her mind, almost haunting her. She had to stay optimistic for both of their sakes. If anything went wrong, she'd be right there with him. This would be a breeze. However, she wasn't gonna do his job for him. White would be very unhappy about that, and both of them would get in trouble. She'd stay low for now and let him do his work, but something seemed off. She decided to break the silence, with a quiet whisper.

"Are ya always this stoic when you work?" She asked with an awkward smile, giving him a nudge with her elbow.

–

Admittedly, Hematite was slightly startled by the break in the silence and the nudge, and his eyepiece chirped in response to his broken concentration. He recovered his composure and continued walking, his pace once again steady and measured. He gave her a glance out of the corner of his eye.

 

"Yes." His answer was blunt, monotone, and his attention turned back to the path ahead of him. It wasn't that Blue was distracting him, per say, but there was something in the pit of Hematite's stomach that told him this mission wasn't going to go as smoothly as he wanted. He didn't know why or how or when, but _something_ was going to go wrong. Perhaps it was nerves from having a companion for the first time, or maybe the drinks from the previous night were still messing with him... but Hematite felt that there was something foul in the air.

He just hoped he could protect Blue from whatever it was.

–

Blue winced a little at the response, but quickly shook it off. Ah, that must have been a perk for White's gems. Serious on the job, determined to get them done. _Yeah, surely that was it_. She eased up a little, crossing her arms and walking a little slower so that Hema could go on ahead. She stayed close behind, never falling too far back.

 

_Chink._

 

A small noise clicked somewhere nearby. What was that? It was just loud enough that even Blue could hear it, but she could not pinpoint the location of where it was. The air was thick and sound carried pretty well here. But it was at the expense of it sounding like it could come from anywhere. She clenched her fists and stopped walking. That wasn't any noise a gem monster would make. Where did that come from?...

–

_He'd definitely heard that._

In a mere instant, Hematite was behind Blue, his arms out in a protective stance. His body language exactly mirrored what he had done in the Arena when Mago showed up out of no-where, but this time he was dead silent. He looked around slowly, his eyepiece suddenly going quiet.

Perhaps his mission objective had come to _him_.

"Blue, if things get dicey, stay low, stay safe. This is my job to do and I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire if something goes wrong," he said under his breath, so that only she could hear him.

He'd never done a mission with a companion before. Suddenly, Blue coming along seemed like an unwise choice. Before, all he had to worry about was himself...

–

It was her turn to be stoic.

"Right."

She huffed suddenly, nodding in understanding. There was an eerie silence that followed. The gem monsters had all but disappeared, seemingly leaving just the two of them standing alone in the rubble-scattered clearing. Blue narrowed her eyes, scanning the horizon. She wasn't equipped with any gem tech that could help her pick up anything, but she figured she would look out anyway.

Someone was there.... but where were they?...

–

Glad that Blue was on the same page as him, Hematite slowly made his way behind her, watching her back. His visor's clicking suddenly picked up as he scanned the area around them before it gave a sharp beep.

He'd seen something.

A flicker of movement was all it took.

–

Blue watched intently at the rubble to see if she herself could spot anything, but to no avail. Her every instinct told her to draw her weapon, but she decided against it. Everything she stood for told her to stand ready to fight... but she didn't. She trusted Hematite.

\--

Hematite's gem began to glow, his body quickly following suit. Slowly, his form doubled in size, then tripled, until he was half his full height. He was crouching near Blue, and suddenly moved to hover over her in a protective stance, his arms down at either side of her. His body language had taken on a rather... animalistic air, much like it did the first time he fought Blue in the arena. Thankfully, he was far more 'relaxed' this time. He wasn't quite in fight or flight mode... _yet._

The giant gem didn't move, but his eyes flickered across the horizon, among the rubble and ruined buildings. He took a deep breath, his voice ringing out clear and firm.

"Reveal yourselves! Whoever you are, if you come peacefully, I will not have to resort to force."

–

She took a deep breath, suddenly looking up at the looming figure that had grew behind her. She had seen him like this before under a few circumstances, though it was rare she was this close.

 _But she_ _ **trusted**_ _Hematite_.

She lost her casual smile, but the look was replaced with one of sheer fierceness. Clenching her fists, she took a defensive stance, backing up slightly under Hema's shadow, staring intently at nothing in front of her. She'd love to see anyone try anything funny _now_.

–

Idly, Hematite noted that Blue didn't seem off-put by him, and was glad for it. That made his job a lot easier. He lifted his head slightly, calling out again.

"You have one final chance. Come out where I can see you! You're outnumbered! This doesn't have to result in violence!"

_They had about **ten** seconds to reveal themselves._

–

Nothing.

There was more silence.

Blue didn't move a single inch, but kept looking around the area, her smirk fading into a frown. Now she just looked angry, even though she wasn't.

What were they waiting for?

Wouldn't things just be simpler for them if they turned themselves in?

Or perhaps someone really wasn't there...

–

Hematite, after a few seconds, took a deep, measured breath.

"5."

He shifted in place, crouching a little closer to Blue, his eyes still on a particular chunk of wall that was sitting about 200 feet away, on the outskirt of the clearing.

"4."

His eyepiece's whirring picked up. He slowly lifted his left hand toward his face.

 **"3."** Hematite's voice lowered, and it slowly took on a dark edge.

 **"2."** The giant gem swiped his fingers over his eyes, his hunting visor sparking into existence. The previously gentle whirring turned into a combination of eerie clicks and electrical whining sounds.

There was a long pause.

_**"1."** _

Nothing.

The clicking stopped.

With a honing chirp, a bright white insignia and target blipped onto the screen of Hematite's visor.

 

**"Gem found: Axinite. Status: No gem faults detected. Mission Objective: Collect and Harvest."**

 

Hematite's voice was low, emotionless, mechanical. He recited the words as if saying them on a silent command. After another pause, he dropped his head slightly and chuckled.

"This could have been _easy_."

–

Blue admittedly felt a little bit unsettled as the larger gem counted down, placing the new visor back over his eyes. Hadn't seen _that_ in a little while. Slowly looking back down at the place where he was looking, something caught her eye finally.

Hematite's count-down ended, and he recited the words from his visor. There was a moment of silence.

 

A small device flung from behind the wall, blinking for a few seconds and then - PAFF! A cloud of smoke burst from the machine, and a small figure bolted from the location behind the wall, in the opposite direction. **They were having none of this.**

–

Hematite glanced at the small device, but didn't flinch when the smoke exploded from it, his eyes now locked on the wall.

_There you are._

Without warning, Hematite shot off, leaving Blue in the dust, quite literally, chasing after the retreating gem. They admittedly had gotten a bit of a head start, but that wouldn't matter.

_He'd seen him._

–

Blue flinched, coughing as the dirt was kicked up. She quickly recovered, amazed to see that he could move as fast as he did. She had seen him fight, she had seen him casually here and there, but even the first day she saw him, she could have sworn he was much slower than that. She immediately started to run after them, not wanting to get too far away.

_\--_

Crashing through some of the ruins, the giant gem darted around a large, decrepit sky-tower. He was hot on Axinite's trail. The fleeing gem darted between closed spaces and alleyways, but Hematite was able to make his way around each of them, until they reached a very condensed block of city buildings.

_Looks like they were going to make this fun for him._

Silently, the giant gem crouched low to the ground as he stared down the city street. A roll of thunder made the ground tremble under his hands. Slowly, Hematite stood straight and began walking down the crowded cluster of buildings.

 **Axinite** was in here somewhere.

–

Meanwhile. the Axinite ducked in and out of a few broken buildings. Surely he'd lose him that way! He was too big, he couldn't fit in these smaller areas, right? He cackled to himself, pleased that he had given him the slip...or at least, so he thought. They waded through fallen rubble and snuck over a rather large chunk of a pillar. Now they just needed to get back to their hideout. Was it this way? No, maybe it was the other way. They started to get increasingly nervous, realizing that in their desperation to slip away, they had lost their sense of direction.

_Big mistake._

–

Unaware that Blue had followed him, Hematite kept all his senses alert to the sound or sight of his target. The block around him was deathly quiet between the rolls of thunder, and all he could hear was the sound of his own feet crunching rubble and plant life as he walked.

More clouds rolled in.

As Hematite made his way down the next stretch of city, the sky began to darken, and soon, his glowing hunting visor stood out against a dark gray sky as he slowly scanned the buildings around him.

He was still only half his potential height, and the ancient city around him still made him seem tiny in comparison.

\--

In his hunt for Axinite, Hema had failed to notice that another gem was watching him. Huge, broad shouldered, intimidating.

It was a Jasper.

They wore a completely black-red suit, their hair tied back into a ponytail. They held an impressive ax in their hands that they silently turned over as they watched the huge hunter walk down the street.

_So this is what she'd heard about from the other faction._

A giant hunter gem. A 'Harvester', as they called it. Ruthless, intelligent, **huge**. Jasper had expected something big, but not _that_ big. She couldn't help but wonder if this was some new form of fusion.

Judging by the target on the gem's strange visor, they hadn't found what they were looking for just yet.

_Good._

_That gave her more time to get closer._

Keeping to the shadows, her brick-red eyes never leaving Hematite as he walked further into the city, Jasper crept ever closer. She only moved when the thunder rumbled overhead, masking her every sound. Seemed this hunter's gem was located on their neck. That was an unfortunate placement, it'd be hard to get to, and even then, she was certain that such a huge gem wouldn't be put-off by a close strike to their gemstone. She knew she couldn't bring herself to shatter them, despite them being such a danger. But she wasn't going to let that stop her from trying to destabilize them. Closer. Higher. Climb the buildings. Get a vantage point. Then _**strike**_.

\--

Hematite was closing in. He'd heard footsteps from between two buildings, and a flare of Axinite's gem signature put him back on Hematite's map.

_Not too long now._

As he neared, the giant gem crouched low to the ground, going into a full stalking stance. He looked over his shoulder at the street he'd just entered, and picked up a large piece of wall, completely blocking off the way back. Axinite wouldn't be escaping that way.

However, placing the large slab of rock had made some noise.

Noise that the fleeing gem would most certainly hear.

–

Blue kept up as much as she could. She grunted and climbed up and down fallen rubble and broken down buildings. How hard was it to lose an 80 foot tall gem? Apparently for her, _not very_. She muttered something crossly to herself in the silence of the air. Suddenly she heard something, a distant thud. The diamond grinned and made her way towards it.

On a bit of a closer route, the Axinite shuddered upon hearing the very same noise, but a lot closer. He was getting too close. He didn't like that.... Frantically, the small gem placed their palms on the walls, too dark to really see much. They found an opening...but it was small. They started to sweat more, nervously looking back. They could tell they were being followed, and the hunter was hot on their trail. They had to take a chance.

**crack.**

The Axinite had kicked in the crack, making a hole just big enough for them to crawl through....but at what cost? They bolted, wavering through the streets and not daring to look behind them. Their eyes darted upwards, looking at the direction in which the clouds moved. Okay, so now they had a bit of a better assumption. It was northeast. They turned swiftly, moving towards the direction they assumed the hideout was in. Better to take a chance than risk standing around and being found...

\--

The muffled sound of the cracking wall alerted Hematite to the fleeing gem's presence, and he crouched further down, slinking down the road. There was another street on the opposite side of the row of buildings to his right, and from the rapid footsteps he heard, Axinite was heading down it. Another roll of thunder shook the city. Hematite took the opportunity and advanced down the road he was on more swiftly, quickly approaching an intersection. There was his chance.

The thunder died down, and Hema's pace slowed as the area went silent again. He heard feet meeting pavement.

Just a little closer. The footsteps stopped for a moment, and the giant gem hesitated as he came to the corner of the intersection.

 

A long pause later, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating Hematite's form against the dark buildings. There was a shuddering crash of thunder, then silence again.

_C'mon. Make your move._

\--

The way the giant gem moved was eerily quiet, and Jasper found herself thanking her lucky stars that it wasn't HER that he was hunting. She stopped at the top of one of the smaller buildings that was in good shape and watched Hematite carefully, still in the shadows. What was he doing? Had he found what he was looking for? Jasper stared at the hunter visor, grimacing as the little target on the screen darted around. There was nothing natural about this gem. Why on Homeworld had the Diamonds designed such a... _**monster**_.

He seemed like he was going to stop for now, and Jasper took the chance to look around for her next vantage point. Just a little higher, and she could get a good hit in... She hopped down to the side of the next, taller building, starting to climb up.

\--

Hematite waited a good minute before he perked up at the sound of the light footsteps.

_There we go._

His mouth turned up in a small smirk, and Hematite crouched low, whipping around the corner to the next street, directly in the fleeing gem's path. He couldn't have been more than twenty feet away, his head low, visor glowing brightly as the target locked onto its mark.

"Gotcha."

–

Finally, Blue caught a glimpse of the ivory haired gem in the distance. Despite being huge, he had made a significant amount of distance between the two. Landing on the ground with a soft thump, she stayed back, a couple of hundred feet away behind him. He looked like he was ready to pounce...literally. She was definitely not getting in the middle of that. Seeing as the chase was probably over, Blue relaxed and placed a palm on the bit of rubble in the street, leaning back on it. She watched intently. What was his next move?...

\--

The Axinite shook in place, staring up in dread at the massive monstrosity that crouched before him. He wasn't right over him, but he could close the gap between them fast if he moved. Axinite's stance was stiff, as if they wanted to move...but couldn't. Suddenly, with a sharp yelp, they turned frantically and ran....ran as fast as they could.

Don't stop, don't look back, don't trip...

They panted heavily, jumping over and swerving through everything they could to try and get as much distance as possible.

–

Hematite didn't waste any time chasing after his target. He wanted to get this over with, and fast. He still had to track down the other leader and whoever was left in their base. Thankfully, only the _leaders_ had to be brought back unpoofed, if there were any other gems in their faction.

The giant gem launched after Axinite, and even though he stumbled over some of the ruined buildings and rubble that blocked the road, the short distance between the two of them had given him all the advantage he needed.

He pounced.

Landing semi-painfully in the remains of a half crushed building, Hematite sat up and looked in front of him. Axinite was trapped under his hand, writhing with all he could to get free. The giant gem wrapped his fingers around the rebel, lifting him up. Hematite sat up, bits of rubble and debris falling off of him.

–

The Diamond continued to watch from far behind, making sure to keep her distance. She could still see clear as day everything that was going on, but she wasn't close enough to get caught in any of the crossfire or falling rubble. She smirked and nodded quietly to herself, looking on in approval. _Nice catch, bud._

 

The Axinite screamed in both horror and frustration, furiously trying to get themselves out of Hematite's grasp. As their weight suddenly shifted, he found himself very far off the ground. The Axinite punched at Hema's hand, but it was a fruitless effort. Their eyes widened, beads of sweat dripping from their brow.

"W-WAIT! WAIT! I... I KNOW WHERE THE BASE IS! I can tell you everything, please! Just let me go!!" He yelled, a nervous grin plastered on his mug. Surely he could weasel his way out of this! After all, he had the most silvery tongue of all the gems in his gang.

–

Standing up straight, Hematite held the gem relatively close to his face. The target on his hunting visor twisted around the diamond insignia and lit up, parting away from the center. With an unsettling whirring sound, the insignia morphed into a symbol shaped exactly like Axinite's gem. The target around the now gem-shaped insignia closed back up, and the rest of the visor was suddenly alive with gem-text and different HUDs.

**"Gem Captured: Axinite. Status: Undamaged. Mission Objective: Harvest."**

Hematite had very clearly heard the tiny gem's pleas, and his rather underhanded offer, but made no show of it.

**If he was willing to talk when captured, maybe he'd _really_ get chatty when Hematite silently refused his deal.**

Instead of acknowledging the captured gem's words, Hema began reciting Axinite the same spiel he did with all gems he captured.

"Axinite, you have been found guilty of fraternizing with criminals against the will of the Diamond Authority, and you will be detained and brought to justice. Your gem will be undamaged, should you cooperate." His voice was monotone, drone-like, and cold.

This was just another job to him.

–

The Axinite gasped, squirming more violently now.

"LISTEN, LISTEN! I can tell you where the other rebels are! I'll cooperate!" His eyes widened upon the sight of the disturbingly familiar gem in the lens of the visor. He gulped nervously, his smile faded completely. "S-surely there's s-s-something we can agree on?!" Their pleas become more and more desperate, their voice cracking under the stress. It was clear that this gem was very familiar with Harvesters and their jobs. "P-please, I'm just the scout!"

–

"I think we can both agree that you're _stalling for time_ ," Hematite said coolly, arching a brow underneath his visor. "Where are the others? If you tell the truth, I'll make sure your detainment is as quick as possible." It wasn't entirely a lie, but he also wasn't about to tell this gem the whole truth.

-

Damn it, he'd already caught her scout, this was bad. He'd be coming for her next, if she didn't do something, and do something _quick_. Finishing her climb, Jasper clutched her ax tightly in both hands, staring down at Hematite from above. He was distracted. _This was her chance_. Her weapon glinted from atop the building as she took a few steps forward, preparing to land a painful blow to the giant gem's back.

–

The Axinite stopped shivering for a moment, eyes slowly drifting just past the huge gem's face...then back to him. It was just subtle enough that it didn't draw too much attention.

"Heh.... heheh.... They're closer than ya think they are..." He said, a sly, sharp toothed grin growing on his face ominously.

 

Blue couldn't hear the Axinite's words, so the conversation to her was very one sided. Looks like they got themselves in a bit of trouble, ey? Well, more so than what they were. She cocked a brow, keeping an eye on things as they started to heat up....but then something caught her eye. The smallest glint flickered on the building behind Hematite. Blue's eyes widened, and she quickly took a step forward.

 

**"HEY KID, LOOK OUT!!!"**

–

Jasper cursed under her breath as she leapt down, hearing Blue's warning. She held her ax high, ready to bring it down on Hematite's head. There was no way this gem-hunting creep was getting anywhere near the base! Not on her watch! Just as she was about to land her hit, Jasper let out a fierce battle cry, but was abruptly cut off as she was stopped mid-air, rather painfully.

Hematite had turned sharply, his free hand up, clutching Jasper tightly. Panting, Jasper looked up and grimaced at the giant gem. She tried to say something, but the wind had been completely knocked out of her from the sudden stop.

"Y-you.. Can't-" she wheezed, dropping her head slightly. Hematite arched a brow again, a small frown on his face.

 **"Gem Captured: Jasper. Status: Undamaged. Mission Objective: Collect and Harvest."** He spoke as coolly as he had with Axinite, despite being shaken by her nearly landing what could have been a nasty blow.

–

"Oh NICE **GOING** Puff!!" The Axinite snarled, flailing around feebly. "NOW WE'RE **BOTH** DEAD."

From below, Blue had gotten slightly closer, but realizing that Hematite had taken control of the situation, she breathed a sigh of relief. She thought for a moment that she'd have to spring into action. She crossed her arms and looked up at Hematite, wondering what he'd do next.

–

Puff wasn't responding to Axi's angry comments, but instead seemed focused on catching her breath. Her arms tensed, and her grip around the handle of her ax seemed to tighten.

"You..." she growled, her teeth clenched. Hematite brought her closer to his face, scanning her much the same way he had Axi, and began reciting the same lines.

"Jasper, you have been found guilty of criminal activity against the will of the Diamond Authority, you will be detained and brought-"

Jasper let out an angry cry of frustration before chucking her ax straight at Hematite's face, landing a direct hit to his visor with a loud CRACK. He let out a sharp yelp of surprise, ducking his head quickly as the weapon fell to the ground below, vanishing into sparkles as it hit the floor.

The gem in his hand looked at Axinite aggressively, fury burning in her eyes. She was struggling with all her might to get out of Hematite's hand.

"YOU CAN'T JUST TELL THIS CREEP WHERE OUR BASE IS, YOU RAT! DO YOU WANT EVERYONE THERE TO BE CAPTURED?!" Letting out another roar of frustration, she beat on the giant gem's hand, her teeth clenched in a vicious snarl. "WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU I'M GONNA WRING THAT SKINNY LITTLE NECK OF YOURS! YOU'RE LUCKY THIS GUY CAUGHT YOU FIRST OR I'D-" Puff stopped short as Hematite slowly raised his head back up. He stared coldly at the two gems in his fists. His visor was cracked down the middle, his eyes now faintly visible behind the surface. There was a barely restrained anger in his eyes, though he kept his composure.

"You will do **nothing** of the sort. You are both to be detained, and you will be brought back to the capital along with the rest of your faction."

Jasper's breathing was heavy from her ranting, and her fear. She swallowed and stared up at Hematite with wide, determined eyes, her brows furrowed.

"What will you do to the rest of them. What's your mission concerning the others?"

"The same as it is with you. Collect and Harvest."

Jasper gave Axi a look, silently asking if he knew more than her about this 'Harvesting' business. She knew giant gems caught other rebels, but that was the extent of her knowledge. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Hematite again.

" _Please_ don't hurt them. They were following orders by my command."

"I will not be forced to harm them if they do not make my job difficult. Which you happen to be doing right now. Now if you don't mind." The target on his screen lit back up, and Hematite's hunting visor glowed back to life, despite the crack.

"I have a job to do."

–

Axinite bit their lip and winced nervously at Puff's aggressive shouting, but they said not a word. Their nonexistent heart sank, noticing the Hematite's eyes now. Oh, they actually have eyes....Kinda thought they were just screens. They mused, trying not to think of the inevitable. They shot the Jasper another glance, frowning nervously. He couldn't say anything. At this point, he had just completely stopped struggling, but the fear had taken over him completely.

–

Jasper stared at Hematite in confusion before looking to Axinite again.

"Job? You've already done your job, we're detained, what are you talking about?" she asked, apprehension and genuine confusion lacing her tone. Hematite ignored her and turned his attention to Axinite, finally standing up straight as he did so. He'd been crouched over from Jasper's near attack, but now stood back at his impressive 8 stories tall.

Lowering Jasper away from his face, Hematite began lifting Axi closer, his gem starting to glow.

"It's a shame you didn't accept my offer," he said simply, starting to unclench his fist from around Axinite's form. He held him over his mouth, much like he had with Mago back in the ring, but this time he didn't smirk playfully or make a show. Instead, he parted his lips, his maw opening up underneath the rebel's feet. He began lowering him in, the tiny gem's feet soon meeting his tongue.

–

Axinite's eyes widened further, their small frame trembling. They shot Puff a quick, horrified glance as he was lifted away, making an audible whimper. Shit, SHIT.... NO. They panicked, digging their fingers into Hema's hand, desperately pushing away. He already knew exactly what was happening, and he wanted **no** part of it.

"GYAH! STOP!! PUFF, DO SOMETHING YOU IDIOT!!" He yelled abruptly, his voice wavering in desperation towards the end. A pitiful gasp escaped them as soon as their feet made contact with the surface of the gem's tongue, cowering at the death trap before him.

But he wasn't the only one with a show.

Blue stood below, squinting to see what was going on from so far above. Admittedly, she hadn't really been phased by his height when he stood up, even if it was impressive nonetheless. Her arms remained crossed, her body leaned back once more on another piece of building. _Wait, what was he doing?..._

–

They always had to resort to the yelling, didn't they? Though Hematite couldn't blame them when they did. He'd been in this position before. It wasn't fun. At least _he_ had the decency to store gems somewhere other than his stomach.

Carefully pinching the back of Axinite's shirt, Hematite fully lowered the tiny gem into his mouth, closing his lips as soon as they were fully behind his teeth. Despite it being more effective to close his teeth, he kept them parted. He didn't want to risk biting the rebel.

Jasper stared in horror, her face pale.

 _Oh my stars, what the hell is he doing?!_ After a long moment of terrified staring, she began struggling anew, determined to get free. She let out increasingly frustrated grunts, doing anything she could to loosen the giant's grip.

–

The tiny gem's feeble cries rang out from behind the Hematite's jaws.

"HELP ME!" They swung their fists aimlessly, trying their best to get free. _This is it, I'm getting shattered, I'm dead!!_ He shook violently, staring up in dismay at the massive chompers surrounding him. "NO no no no nonono-" They kept repeating, violently thrashing about.

 

Meanwhile, safe on the ground, Blue shifted and stopped squinting. It finally dawned on her what was going on. Her jaw parted a little, but no words came out. She looked...curious. Not terrified, not disgusted, not angry....curious. Not only that, it became one of awe, and....what seemed like... Somewhere in her head, she was putting pieces together.

"Oh... Ooohhhhh... OooOOOOHHHhh! Well that's smart, White...." She said quietly to herself, giving a small shrug. "Thaaaaat explains a **lot**...." She found herself staring, unable to look away from the events unfolding far above her.

–

Ignoring the Axinite's yelling and thrashing, Hematite tilted his head back, closing his eyes as the tiny gem in his mouth started to slide back. His gem glowed a tad brighter.

Jasper was in a full panic now, beating on Hematite's hand and attempting to get loose enough to access her gem and make another ax.

"Stars, spit him OUT!" she cried out, shaking her head. She was furious. This gem just said they wouldn't be harmed and now- now this!

Putting a single clawed finger to his gem, Hematite tried to disregard Puff's angry shouting. He sighed before swallowing, his gem giving a brilliant flash. One down, one to go.

Lifting Jasper up to his face, Hematite's visor target reduced to one gem, Axinite's insignia blipping out as soon as the shine from Hematite's gem faded.

"It's not as bad as you think, you'll be fine,” he said simply. Puff stared angrily at him, appalled, and continued to struggle.

"No, you're **cracked**! Let me go this instant!" A short snort of exasperation escaped Hematite, and he swallowed again to clear Axinite's taste from his mouth, lifting Puff closer to his face. He began to do the same with her as he had with the previous rebel, but she was still putting up one hell of a fight. He tried to maneuver his fingers around her in a way that'd be easier to get her into his mouth, but she was swinging wildly, making it impossible to be careful about it without losing a tooth.

"You are making this very difficult." There was the slightest edge to his voice, but he was still keeping his cool relatively well. Puff looked at him with fierce fire in her eyes and spat in his face, still swinging at him.

"Get **shattered** , you creep!"

Hematite's cold demeanor broke for a moment to something more frustrated, and he snorted, quickly shoving Jasper into his mouth. She was quite bigger than Axinite, but thankfully wasn't a full sized quartz soldier. Her feet violently kicked around outside his mouth, and she gave her best effort to force her way back out. However, Hematite quickly remedied the situation and pushed her further into his jaws, barely able to close his mouth behind her. Her yelling was muffled , though she kept fighting as well as she could in the confined space.

The giant gem grimaced slightly and tilted his head back again, swallowing with some effort. He repeated the same motion as he had previously, putting a finger to his gem as it glowed brightly. Another heavy swallow later, and his gem gave a bright flash before going back to normal. Hematite leveled his head, panting shallowly for a moment. Stars, that one didn't want to go down easily. Still, this had gone smoother than many of his other jobs.

A roll of thunder shook the ground as lightning flashed in the distance, and Hematite looked down at Blue finally, swiping his hunting visor away after a long pause.

"Sorry you had to see that."

–

Blue stood there for a long while, awkwardly looking off to the side for a moment, then back up at Hematite. She was...grinning, however.

"They didn't look very tasty..." She said, stifling a chuckle at the end of the sentence. She quickly burst out into a sudden laughter. She immediately composed herself however, a mixed look of the same curiosity and wonder she had before.

–

Needless to say, Hematite was shocked by Blue's reaction, and his mouth fell open in surprise.

"They uh.. they weren't," he stammered awkwardly. They tasted like dirt and rubble, quite honestly. not the most pleasant thing. The cost of being a rogue.

–

"...... That was actually kinda cool. I didn't really know _why_ Hematites were so big, and I never knew just how they did their jobs, I guess I just never bothered to ask... A little uncanny, some would even say gruesome..." Her eyes lit up in a fierceness suddenly, the gem was smiling ear to ear. "But effective. I like it! Hehehehe!" She cackled, rubbing her palms together. "White, you devious genius, you!" She paced to the side, walking around Hematite's foot.

\--

Hematite watched as Blue lit up, and he blinked in confusion.

 _Did White never tell her?_ He watched her pace around his foot curiously, still honestly baffled how she was so unbothered by his size.

\--

Looking over him, she gave a point to his midsection and smirked, this time a little more nervously. "So uh....are they uh....?...."

–

The giant gem's brows raised as Blue stopped and pointed at his abdomen, and he felt his cheeks darken slightly as he turned away.

"No no, they're fine. Honestly the whole.... _eeeh..._ 'thing' with the... you know." He pointed quickly to his mouth. "It's just a safer way of storing them in my gem's pocket dimension. I can just bubble them and hold them up to it, but that's gotten me in trouble a few times with unpoofed targets. I had a gem once stick their weapon straight through their bubble before I could transfer them. Nearly nicked my gemstone." He gave Blue an awkward, lopsided smile. "They're perfectly fine, they'll be given time to cool off before I bring them back to White. There's a sort of tower where I keep all the gems I have to detain in here," he explained, tapping a clawed finger to his gem to emphasize his point.

"And it's... kind of a scare tactic, in a way. But yeah, haha. I guess it is 'effective' for the most part."

–

Blue waved her hand and shrugged.

"That's neat!! I never thought about a gem's pocket dimension being used for that..." She placed her finger on her lip, looking away, deep in thought. She swiftly looked back up to him and realized something important.

"OH! But, how are you gonna find the base now?" She asked, placing a palm on his shoe. "....And pick me up this time! It's hard to keep up with ya when you're this big, ya know!!"

–

At the Diamond's question, Hematite smirked slightly and chuckled to himself.

"Well, considering that Axinite was headed that direction," he nodded his head down the road the rebel had been rushing down, "I'd wager it's that way. And since there are others, according to the Jasper, I'll be able to focus purely on their gem signatures. I know one of their group is a Ruby, so I can search specifically for that."

Hematite crouched down, opening his palm up for Blue to climb up.

"Sorry about that, haha. Had to go after that guy quickly."

–

Blue perked up, he was actually gonna let her ride again? _Rad_. She grabbed onto his finger and hopped up in his hand, carefully adjusting her balance so she wouldn't fall.

"Well then, ya better get moving, Hema!" She looked down the streets, the thunder still rolling above them. The air was much denser up here, it was wild to feel so different the higher up she was. She loved this.

–

Carefully standing back up, Hematite cupped his fingers in front of Blue to keep her from falling. Looking out toward the horizon, he nodded curtly and began walking off in the direction Axinite was headed. He just hoped that gem wasn't smart enough to lead him in the wrong direction, even when he was running from him. Doubtful, but still. Hema hoped he was going the right way, he didn't want this mission to drag on.

Keeping Blue at about chest level in his hand, Hematite went quiet again as his eyepiece came back online. He began scanning for a Ruby signature.

–

Blue scanned the horizon, peeking between Hematite's fingers. The ground rushed past them from below, it was incredibly how much distance he could get. She turned her head and looked up to his visor. It was strange to watch that thing in progress. She wondered if she could bother White into making her a visor like that. Probably not, but it was worth a shot!

–

Soon enough, Hematite's eyepiece picked something up. It was faint, but it was certainly there.

"I think I've found it."

\--

Looking up at the huge building in front of him, he frowned. How had these guys stayed hidden in a place like this??? From what he could tell from the outside, this place used to be some sort of greenhouse, or plant nursery. From the outside, the huge glass part of the building was cracked and overgrown with wild flora. It looked like a solid block of shrubbery from the outside. Hematite frowned and crouched, placing Blue on the ground.

"We're going to have to flush them out. I can't fit in there like this."

\--

"No worries, Kiddo! I got this one..." Blue grinned, cracking her knuckles with a sly grin, looking slowly over at the building. She stepped forward, looking around curiously. She spotted something.

A pool of stagnant water sat nearby, likely from a dried up river that ran through years ago. This was one thing Blue always liked about the pink district... _there was a lot of water._

Blue bent her knees and crouched low, taking a deep breath. Raising her hands slowly, the diamond clutched her fingers as if she was gripping something unseen. She closed her eyes calmly, and there was a low rumble.

Without warning, the water from the pool began to rise slowly, writhing and warping around until it morphed into a stable, almost humanoid shape. It lurched forward slowly, towering around 20 feet. The watery form walked forward, over and past Blue diamond and raised its arm-like appendage as it stopped alongside the building. With a mighty swing, it blasted its arm into a hole in the wall, the water exploding and losing all of its form upon impact with the inside of the base. The water found its way in every single nook and cranny, every window and every door that it could. The liquid seeped through the walls, flooding the interior of the building suddenly and draining back out. Walls cracked, windows shattered, and the greenhouse part of the building even seemed to flood slightly.

\--

Hematite watched in awe as Blue conjured the humanoid creature, and despite it only being a quarter of his size, it still made him step back. He didn't want to be in that thing's way.

As it struck the building and filled it with water, Hematite watched bits of the wall and glass crack under the pressure until they shattered completely.

"Ah, right, that works!" He balled his fists up in front of him in excitement, practically beaming down at his superior.

"I didn't even know you could do that!" His eyes were sparkling with awe.

–

After a few short moments, faint yelling could be heard from within the facility.

 

"Stand back, kid! They're coming!"

–

He quickly heard the faint yelling as well, and the signal on his eyepiece flickered slightly. Something _else_ was there.

"Blue... Blue! Back up!" Without waiting for a response, Hematite panicked and picked her up off the ground as quickly as he could, taking a few paces back as a large portion of the wall that had Blue was standing in front of busted open, a huge gray figure spilling out onto the pavement with the water. A small red gem tumbled out with it, coughing up liquid as she sat up.

–

Blue smiled with a cocky grin, looking back up to her friend. She was glad she came along, maybe this really was cheering him up! Her excitement was quickly quelled however, upon the sudden outburst of panic. Before she knew it, she was in Hematite's grasp, unsure of what just happened. There was flying dust and water everywhere, and to make matters worse, now there seemed to be .... something else. Something she didn't recognize. Peering over Hematite's hand, her eyes widened in surprise upon spotting something....unsettling. The dust cleared, and Blue gasped abruptly.

"PUT ME DOWN, HEMATITE!"

–

Hematite had barely gotten a glance at the lump of wet ... fur, before Blue's command made him flinch and look down at her, confusion and anxiety clear as day on his face.

"I-I'm sorry, okay!" _Oh no, he'd done it this time._ He'd crossed the line, and he was going to pay for it later. Quickly, he put her back on the ground, backing up another step. Wait, was that the Ruby?

The huge heap of gray on the ground stirred, an unnatural, warped snarl rumbling from its chest.

The Ruby on the ground looked up as the creature stirred, and she scrambled to her feet, making it a few steps away. But before she made it ten steps, the mass of fur whirled around, suddenly on its feet. It lunged for her, its face a terrifying combination of eyes and teeth. It had a large, white, diamond-shaped marking on its forehead, between its various sets of eyes. The fur along the creature's body was spiked up and ragged, hanging it wet clumps. Its body was long, lithe, and _huge_. Hissing, it shot out a prehensile tongue at the tiny gem, quickly grabbing her. She shouted in panicked terror, crying out for help, but it was cut short as the creature pulled her into its mouth and snapped its teeth shut behind her.

\--

Blue's back was turned to Hema now, and she faced with the gray beast before her. Although the service gem couldn't see it from his perspective, the diamond spotted a rounded, shining gem on the bottom of the creature's underbelly. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized what it was.

"No.... No it can't be." She said quietly, the emotion completely drained from not only her tone, but her face. Her smile vanished, her eyes widened, transfixed on the monster nearby. "I.... But the batch... it isn't fixed?..."

Before she could say or do anything else, the monstrosity lurched to the side, its unnerving face now pointed directly at the two gems. Letting out a blood curdling snarl, saliva dripped from its toothy maw, it hunkered low to the ground. Blue sprang into action.

Her emotionless expression twisted into a far more dark, determined, and beastly look. Her teeth were bared, eyes dilated, and she, too, let out a blood curdling snarl. Swiftly bringing her hand to her gem, she pulled out a mace, the weapon thudding into her palm.

"HEMATITE, GET AWAY FROM THIS THING. NOW!!!" She shouted, her voice even seeming to change, almost. Her peppy demeanor had vanished, and it was time to do her _own_ job.

–

Thankfully, the giant gem couldn't make out what Blue had said under her breath, He flinched heavily at her warning shout, but he found himself unable to move from his spot. His visor was whirring loudly, the screen unable to process what was going on.

"I-I, Blue, what is that thing?!" Her change in demeanor was unsettling, to say the least, and he still couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The creature's eyes locked onto Hematite, and its lithe body twitched in response to spotting his gem. It gave a vicious, guttural screeching sound, vaguely akin to the noise Hematite's hunting visor made. It launched over Blue, tackling Hema to the ground, snapping and clawing at his gem as he suddenly found himself having to fight it off.

–

With a mighty battle cry, Blue's mace swung directly into the monster's side, sending them flying with a sharp screech. It stumbled over itself and twisted its body until it could regather its footing. The blue gem stood mere feet from Hematite, breathing loudly...huffing heavily. Her eyes pierced daggers into the monster, face to face with death. She was fearless.  
"PISS OFF, YOU OVERGROWN VERMINE!!!" She bellowed, quickly running towards the beast with her mace drawn back. With another violent swing she brought the massive weapon down where the monster was, but it had swiftly managed to dart out of the way milliseconds before she would have made contact. It hissed in primal frustration, skidding back and crouching low. Its back arched, its razor sharp body jutting forward straight towards her. At least now itss focus had shifted to her.

 

**CLANG!!!!**

 

The monster maliciously chomped down on the bar of Blue's mace, mere inches from her face. She met its predatory gaze with a fiery glare, her own lips curled into a twisted, smiling snarl. She moved sharply back, yanking her mace vigorously to the side. With a sharp yelp of pain, Blue had successfully yanked her mace out of its mouth and even took a few fangs with it. It writhed and screeched, pawing at its face with its claws.

"TRY THAT AGAIN, YOU FILTHY BEAST!!!"

–

Somehow, Hematite had avoided getting his gem damaged by the creature's relentless attacks long enough for Blue to knock it off of him. He sat up and scrambled backwards, his hand over his gemstone. Chest rising and falling in heavy pants, he stared at the creature, unable to look away.

This thing seemed familiar.

What was so special about...

Then, as it flipped over to avoid Blue's attack, its gem glinted in the low light, catching his eye, and the 'eye' of his visor. The screen made a horrible, static-y hissing sound before a gray gem appeared on it. In bright red gem-speak, four large words blinked on the surface of the visor.

 

**G E M: H E M A T I T E.**

**S T A T U S: C O R R U P T E D.**

 

Hema's body went cold, and he stared in horror at the creature Blue continued to fight.

 

This was one of his own. He _knew_ this gem. He'd _trained_ with this gem. And now they were a snarling nightmare of fur and teeth.

 

**What the hell had happened to it.**

–

Blue's patience was wearing thin. It was time to end this. She panted, gripping the hilt of her mace tighter before it started to glow. Her eyes never left the monster's, matching its bloodthirsty gaze. The weapon started to grow, until the entire thing was twice its original size. The pressure in the air started to shift...it soon became unbearable. The monster shrieked out in a primal rage, making its way towards Blue rapidly again. Its claws extended outwards, lunging into the air and coming down right over the top of the blue gem.

She was ready for that.

She didn't have to move from her spot, placing the mace upside down and slamming the hilt into the ground. The monster yelped again sharply, landing right on top of the spiked sphere at the end. It fell heavily to the ground, scrambling to gain it's footing... but it didn't get very far, as Blue picked up her weapon and brought it down right over its neck.

The killing blow. The monster screamed in agony, eyes fading to white, and then...

 

 **POOF**! The monster exploded into a cloud of gray smoke, its gem falling lifelessly to the floor, along with... the ruby?

As quick as the monster was defeated, Blue scrambled to pick its gemstone up, looking down at it with a cold, merciless gaze.

 

**Crack.**

 

She unfurled her fingers, revealing the shattered remains of the monster's gem. With a blip, she cast a bubble over its pieces and touched it lightly, sending it away. Her weapon sparkled, and it too, disappeared. She stood there, back still turned to the others for many unsettling moments....until she turned her head sharply, looking Hematite dead in the eyes. As soon as she saw his expression, she knew that he _knew_.

 

"I'm sorry, kid..."

–

The words were still blinking on his screen as he sat, staring, horrified, at the scene that had just unfolded in front of him. He was silent, his eyes wide as saucers. His hand slowly made its way to his gem again as he stared down at her, though the rest of him didn't move an inch.

"B-......blue?"

The sound of the gem shattering in the diamond's grasp echoed in Hematite's head, nearly drowning out her apology.

But he didn't respond. His knees drew closer to his chest. It was subtle, but he'd scooted just a little further from her.

"C-couldn't you have just.... bubbled..."

–

Blue looked away, closing her eyes tightly. With a heavy sigh, she grabbed her left arm with the opposite hand.

"Kid... You don't understand..." She opened her eyes, turning back to him with a look of sympathy. "It's my job, Hematite. It was far too dangerous to just simply bubble. If it ever got out..." She stopped suddenly, baring her teeth slightly... nervously.

"There's...more to these things than you think. And, as a Diamond, I have to protect everyone... at any costs." She said simply, sternly. She took a step towards Hematite, raising her hand up slowly.

"Look, let's just go back to White, okay? I'll explain everything to her, she won't be upset that you didn't finish your job, I'll make sure of it..."

–

He understood, he really did. As a Harvester, he'd had his share of painful missions, perhaps not to the extent that Blue had, but he did know her plight to a point.

But that didn't stop the sinking feeling in his chest. And as Blue approached him, her hand raised, he felt himself getting smaller. Perhaps not physically, but he suddenly couldn't help but picture himself in the hands of one of the Diamonds, helpless, vulnerable.

 

**You're so used to being big, you forget how s m a l l you really are.**

 

That gem was his _kin_. He'd talked to them not months ago. They seemed fine.

Could that happen to _anyone_?

Looking down at Blue, Hematite trembled involuntarily. He looked away, quickly fiddling with his eyepiece, trying to turn it off. A soft sort of whimper escaped him as he looked at the flashing red words again, but to his relief, he was able to reset the gemtech, and the beeping stopped.

–

Blue's heart sank, and her hand retracted. She looked away, but noticed the Ruby suddenly.

"Hey, you. Get up." She said, a disheartened but stern tone in her voice. She walked over to the small red gem, looming over them. "At the very least, you're not going anywhere..." She said. She wanted to be angry. This was the rebel's fault...if they hadn't have had to come here, she.... _Hematite_.... she staved off the thoughts. She couldn't point fingers, not now. The corrupted monster would have been a problem regardless. Better that she took care of it now than risk it destroying innocent gems before they noticed it.

–

After he finished turning his visor off, Hematite looked over at Blue and Ruby, sighing heavily with a shudder. Right. He still had a job to do. He flicked his hand over his eyes, the hunting visor returning. Leaning over, he picked up the tiny gem and moved her close to his face without so much as looking at Blue. Hematite cleared his throat, his voice slowly shifting to the cold tone it had when he captured Axinite and Jasper.

**"Gem Captured: Ruby. Status: Undamaged. Mission Objective: Harvest."**

The Ruby slowly looked up at Hematite with a tired, completely unphased expression. She didn't seem to care she was dangling about thirty feet off the ground by her shirt. Her long, dark hair was dripping with water, though some of the water was steaming off of her body as it made contact. Slowly, she crossed her half-gloved arms.

"Look, tough guy. It's been a **really** weird day. I just almost got munched by that combo deal of teeth and screams, so whatever you've got to do, get it over with. I'm not gonna put up a fight."

 _I'll just escape later._ She thought to herself.

Hematite nodded silently at the small red gem. He admired her composure, though it may have been coming from her lack of energy. Tilting his head back, he carefully placed the Ruby into his mouth and swallowed, tapping his gem as it glowed. It returned to normal, and Hematite looked back down toward Blue.

If someone looked closely enough, they would have seen a single, freshly wet streak down the side of his cheek that had escaped the bottom of his hunting visor.

But only if they looked closely.

The giant gem swiped his hand over his eyes to poof away his hunting visor, simultaneously wiping away the wetness on his cheek in one deft movement.

"Right. We should return to White diamond."

–

Blue nodded in silence, but knew she probably wasn't gonna simply get a ride back to White's now. She could tell she struck a nerve. She wouldn't blame him if that whole ordeal destroyed what relationship they did have. Still, she couldn't have done **nothing**.

"Take it easy, kid... I'll meet you there.... I need to um... talk to White, before you arrive. I'll do my best to explain everything." she muttered solemnly. Before he had a chance to respond, Blue ran as fast as she could away in the direction of the White district.

 

This wasn't gonna be fun trying to explain to White...

* * *

* * *

 

 

* * *

* * *

 

Several hours later, Hematite finally arrived back at the Diamond towers. He was feeling far better than when Blue had left, and he was ready to give his report, and the captured rebels, to White Diamond. That is, if she wanted them right now. She'd often had Hematite hold onto them until she had proper situations set up for either crooks or gems that needed to be relocated.

Walking down the bridge, Hematite took a deep breath and let it out through his nose. Just a report, nothing more. He'd be fine. Sure it was a rather... well, unsettling mission, but he'd done his job. Mostly.

_That's all that mattered._

Knocking on White's office door, Hematite stood at attention, holding his head high. The doors hissed open, and he stepped inside.

–

The sight wasn't pretty...in fact, both the gems in the office went ominously quiet as soon as Hematite walked in. Blue stood promptly in front of White's desk, holding her hands behind her back. She looked back at Hema, her eyes widened, the faintest trace of tears at the corners. She looked swiftly back at White. The taller gem, on the other hand, was hunched over the desk, fingers gripping at its surface. She had a an unsettling, furious look in her eyes... but she took a deep breath, the sharpest of the anger leaving her gaze.

"Hematite. Good to see you back..." She huffed quietly, slowly looking back at Blue.

"You're dismissed. Hematite and I need to talk."

Blue nodded silently and turned, walking right past Hema. She didn't so much as look at him.

–

Needless to say, Hematite felt a shiver go up his spine at the sight of White so... perturbed. He'd never seen her look that angry. The shorter gem watched Blue as she hurried out. Opening his mouth, he wanted to say something, but he quickly closed it again.

Turning back to White Diamond, he nervously made his way over and saluted her respectfully.

"The mission was a success, the rebels were detained, unharmed."

–

"I'm gonna cut right to the chase, Hematite. I don't care about the mission right now. You can report that to me tomorrow when my mind is cleared." She said, serious, with a hint of stale anger. She was apparently calming down from what seemed to be an outburst, which Hematite had fortunately missed entirely. She lifted herself finally from the desk, placing her hand to her face with a heavy sigh. The Diamond turned to her window, a long silence following.

"There's something that we need to talk about, something that just took far more priority than a group of rowdy rebels." She looked down, removing her palm finally from her face. "Have a seat."

–

There it was again. Something was slowly grasping Hematite's chest, making it harder to breathe. What was going on. White never looked like this. White _didn't_ look like this. _It simply didn't happen._ The small gem suddenly felt something akin to huge clawed hands closing in on either side of him, hovering, waiting for something to happen.

Slowly, he moved to sit down. He didn't take his eyes off of White Diamond, his look one of barely restrained dread. Neatly folding his hands in his lap, he waited. His gaze never left her.

\--

A fancy pearl had walked in about this time carrying a tray. On it, there was a teapot with two small cups, branded with a diamond insignia. White took the tray and sent the Pearl away. She poured the smaller gem a glass, handing it to them. She took her own, holding it up to her face. Still hot...just how she liked it. The anger had all but faded, leaving a new look of pain in its wake. That wasn't much better... She averted her gaze from the gem sitting patiently nearby.

"Have you ever wondered, Hematite, why there are so few of your kind around...?” She spoke quietly, still staring into the contents of her glass.

–

Hematite had nodded politely to the Pearl as she left, but he didn't move to drink his tea. The cup found itself placed in his lap, and he continued to stare hard at White Diamond.

The hands began to close in.

"I-I _had_ wondered." He replied quietly. To his knowledge, there were less than twenty or so Hematites in _existence_. There were the fourteen-... well. Thirteen in his group, and then records of a few, much older Hematites. There was no information on them personally, however. The records only stated that other Hematites had been incubated. He often wondered where those gems were now.

–

"I created the Hematites to be... well... a _super gem_. An incredibly versatile, unique class. They are powerful. Huge. Excellent hunters." A faint smile found its way to her. "They are wonderful....."

She stopped, the smile fading, and she looked up.

"But there was a price for all that... A price we never expected to pay."

–

He listened to her praise of his kind, a small smile gracing his face. But that smile quickly vanished.

"... What sort of price."

–

There was a pause. She stared coldly into her glass, moving carefully to set the small cup on the table. The diamond never lifted her head to look at him.

"It... was a fatal oversight, a flaw in their gem's design," she said quietly, her eyes turning fierce. "At the expense of the usage of their energy... of how they were made; how flexible, specific, and powerful these gems are... They are highly susceptible to corruption," she said darkly, placing her palms together calmly.

"And... by highly susceptible... I mean there is a 100% corruption rate. Eventually, all Hematites will become corrupted... I... The first batch I ever made, they all became monsters so fast. They were quickly taken care of. The second batch was... better. We changed some things around, but it didn't help. They, too, became corrupted after a while... even if they lasted longer than the first batch."

Her gaze finally drifted towards hematite, a mournful dread creeping over her expression.

"And then there was the third batch... your batch. I.... thought we had fixed things. We had access to better technology, far more knowledge... We knew, or at least we thought we knew, what to avoid... I thought I had finally found the right combination, to fix everything, to ensure no more corruptions would happen... but... I...." She stopped, unable to say the last word. The Diamond shifted her weight and moved from where she stood, now pacing back to the window.

"I've failed."

–

**100% Corruption Rate.**

**1 0 0 % C o r r u p t i o n R a t e**

Hematite had stopped breathing entirely, his grip on the teacup loosening. He listened to her words numbly. He wanted to say something, to ask why she would take a risk at the expense of his kind, of him, but nothing was coming out.

He was frozen in place.

 

_So that's it._

 

Gems... Gems were practically immortal, should their gemstones never be damaged. Corruption only happened when a gemstone stayed badly cracked for too long, or a gem was poofed over and over, and kept reforming too quickly. They lived long, long lives, if they kept their cores undamaged. The Diamonds didn't have to worry about a thing in all honesty, with how stable and powerful their gems were. It'd take a _lot_ to do them any real harm.

If you were careful, you were fine.

You could live on.

But no. _He_ couldn't.

"I-isn't there a chance _that_ Hem-" he suddenly ran out of breath, unable to say the word. "Th-that gem was just a fluke? The rest of us could be fine!"

–

"No."

She said simply, harshly, coldly... but not in any intended way to hurt him. That is, it's not like she could any _further_. Her fingers entwined with themselves, tapping her index fingers against one another idly. "I'm sorry, Hematite. We thought the same of the other two batches. By our-... My data, if this batch was fixed, if the flaw had been found and eradicated, that gem shouldn't have corrupted. They'd only reformed once. If... if what is happening, is truly happening... there's no fixing this. This is... just another doomed group." She looked to the floor with a thousand mile stare, eyes wide. "....Eventually, you, too, will become corrupted. There's no telling when... How long it will be. But it is inevitable."

–

**No.**

**Just another doomed group. Inevitable.**

_**Corrupted. Inevitable. No. 100%.** _

 

 

_**You, too, will become corrupted.** _

 

 

**CRASH**

The broken remains of Hematite's teacup laid on the floor, tea spilling out in a puddle beneath his chair.

 

".... So that's it then."

 

He stared blankly ahead. There was an uncomfortably long pause.

"...What does. That mean. For me." He slowly looked at White, his face heavy with desperation. "What do I do?"

–

White turned to face him, eyeing the broken cup on the floor. Her gaze soon drifted back up to him, her eyes meeting his with regret. She wanted to say something to comfort him... she wanted to tell him things would be alright. But, it was a lie... And nothing she could say right now could change anything. He _had_ to know. She knew that he had to know... Even if it changed everything about him. It was unavoidable.

 

"... Cherish the time that you have today."

–

Hematite's face didn't change. No. He kept staring at her with silently pleading eyes.

_That's not enough._

_Give me advice._

_Tell me it won't happen._

_White, please. Tell me I'm not just another test._

_I have worth, I'm not replaceable._

_**Why didn't you tell me this sooner.** _

The faintest trace of betrayal crept up in the back of Hematite's mind.

_Yellow Diamond knew, didn't she?_

_Yellow Diamond was right._

_Yellow Diamond._

_White_

_Blue_

_You all **knew this could happen.**_

_You don't care._

_I'm just a service gem._

_A broken service gem. I'm purposeless._

_I'm just waiting to be **thrown away** with the others._

 

The emotion slowly drained from his face. He wanted to yell. Scream. Cry. He wanted to lash out. Beg.

 

_Please, fix me._

_There has to be a way._

_Nothing's unfix-able._

_White, please don't give up on me._

–

She placed a hand on his shoulder, and gave him a smile... a fake smile, but a smile.

"Promise me something, Hematite. I want you to promise me."

A pause.

"No matter what happens. You are still you. You are still Hematite. You are still _my_ Hematite. Nothing will change that. You must focus on now, not later... You still have time. Even if it is limited, you still _have time._.. I'm... very sorry. We didn't know this would happen, we hoped that we had fixed everything... I-..." She shut her eyes suddenly, and shook her head. She turned away. _Was she...?_

 

There was a heavy, shaking sigh that followed her silence.

"You may rest for the night, Hematite. You look like you need it..."

–

Hematite looked at the hand on his shoulder before slowly looking up at his leader. There was the _smallest_ spark of his usual self there.

"Right. I have time." Hematite's eyes lowered again, and he stared at nothing in particular. Slowly, he put his hand over hers, gently rubbing his thumb over his shoulder.

"It's not your fault." His voice grew quieter. "You couldn't have known."

Without looking up, Hematite dropped his hand.

"When would you like me to report tomorrow."

–

Her hand retracted slowly, placing itself in her other palm.

"You may report to me whenever you see fit. Things must continue, life must go on... There is still much to be done. I hope you understand." She said, trying to be comforting. She didn't know what else to say... there wasn't much that _could_ be said.

 

"Do your best. Alright?"

–

"I will."

Hematite stood and saluted White before heading out the door. He stopped and listened to it hiss shut behind him.

\--

It was a brisk walk to the tower warp pad. Stepping onto the shining blue surface, Hematite quickly warped away, instantly arriving in the Pink District.

Night had fallen. The stars above were almost all blocked out by the rolling clouds that lingered in the area. Though the thunder had long since moved on, as Hematite walked down the path, he felt the ground underneath his feet tremble. Every step felt like he weighed 100 times heavier. Soon, he stopped in front of a tall, overgrown tower with a large diamond insignia recently painted onto it. It was marked for destruction.

Looking at his hands, Hematite stood for a long time in the silence.

_Whatever White saw in you, I certainly don't see it._

The gem clenched his fists as they began to glow.

_You're small._

The ground trembled as Hematite began to grow bigger and bigger, slowly approaching half of his potential height. He passed it. Soon, he stood next to the tower at his full height, though he was still dwarfed by the huge building.

_You're weak._

Hematite's knuckledusters appeared in a brilliant flash of sparks. His face finally cracked into an expression of pure fury, and he reeled back, delivering a hard blow to the side of the building, ripping through it like it was nothing. The giant gem stopped, his arm half-way into the wall, his fist covered in debris. Withdrawing his hand, he stared at the hole in the wall.

_Small. Weak._

A fierce roar erupted from Hematite's chest and echoed into the cold night air. He suddenly unleashed a flurry of punches to the side of the tower, Yellow Diamond's words raced through his head, mixing with White's attempted words of encouragement. As the giant gem struck the building again and again, his shouts and grunts became less enraged, and more desperate. Tears began to stream down his face.

"You're wrong!"

The building creaked.

_I'm going to be okay!_

Another punch to the wall.

_You're nothing._

Hematite's fist weakly collided with the stone, harmlessly glancing off the surface. His head was hung, his shoulders shaking. Tears fell to the floor, soaking into the caked dirt. The gem slowly slumped against the remains of the tower, his hands gripping at the corners. A choked sob escaped him.

_Nothing._

Gripping the sides of the building, Hematite slowly fell to his knees, his forehead pressed against the cold stone wall. Another sob. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, and his breathing became uneven.

"Sh-she's wrong." His shoulders shook. The walls where Hematite was hanging on cracked in his grasp.

"I'm worse than nothing." Dropping his face further to the ground, his hands fell away from the building and gripped at his head, fingers digging into his hair.

"I'm a **mistake**."


	7. The Rebels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> White metes out punishment to some rebellious gems.

**It had been a very long night.**

After failing to tear down the building he'd attacked in anguish, Hematite retired to Morgan's bar and made unrelated small-talk with the pink-haired gem over some drinks. He'd gotten drunk.

_Very drunk._

Needless to say, he hadn't been all that surprised when he woke up hanging halfway off a low balcony of the lounge, with one of his boots laying nearby. The hangover was pretty bad the next morning, and he decided it would be best to take his time reporting to White. He spent his time wandering outside the main Homeworld city, more or less in the general area of the Hematite Kindergarten. He didn't venture inside, though. Dealing with the other of his kin was the last thing he wanted right now. His day was filled with quiet thinking, staring at the sky, idly tracking gem creatures, kicking a rock once in a while. Nothing much ever came out of his mouth, not that there was anyone around to listen in the first place. For the time being... he just wanted to be alone. Hematite wanted time to process what he'd been told, time to come to terms with it. But, as the hours passed by... he didn't feel any better. The numbness was still there. As were the questions, the anguish, the anxiety, the fear of the future. Nothing he did that afternoon made him feel any better. In all honesty... he was almost tempted not to return to the capital for a few days. He didn't want to face White yet...

However, the day passed all too quickly, and sunset was approaching. Hematite made his normal call to White Diamond that he made when he was ready to present prisoners to her, and he walked toward their usual rooftop. It was the same one White had presented him to Yellow and Blue on, years ago. Their meeting place was a large, stocky spire towards the center of the facility that laid between all four of the diamond towers. It was often used for meetings, rendezvous, and since Hematite came along, processing and meting out punishment to harvested rebels.

The tower came into sight after a slow stroll, and the giant gem adjusted his eyepiece, squinting at the rooftop. Yup, White was there already. He wasn't sure if anyone else was, though. Usually just he and White being there was enough to detain prisoners, should they start to get rowdy.

To this day, Hematite _still_ had a gem inside his pocket dimension prison that had tried to pull a fast one while White was reciting their punishment. They were sentenced to bubble imprisonment.

Approaching the tower, the giant gem was mentally 'checking' all the cells in the extra-dimensional prison to be sure the rebels were still where he left them. Yup, all three were accounted for. Good.

–

White tapped her fingers along the carbonite rail of the building. She was looking out to the rest of the city, still rattled by last night's bad news. She wanted to fix everything, but no matter what she thought of, she couldn't find a single solution. There was no telling how long this batch of Hematites would last. If one of the more recent ones had already corrupted, well, it made her nervous...to say the least. She turned her head slightly upon hearing the approaching gem's footsteps. A little late today, but she couldn't really blame him.

She turned, pacing back towards the nearest corner where Hematite approached. Giving a heavy sigh, she looked up towards him and nodded.

"Do you have them?" She asked loudly.

–

"Yes, White Diamond. Apologies for being late."

As he approached, Hematite took a deep breath and slowed his pace. Alright, just like every other time.

He stopped entirely in front of his leader, his eyes closed as he concentrated. Lifting a hand, he tapped one clawed finger on his gemstone, the surface glowing brightly. After a long, tense pause, he slowly drew his hand away, pulling out three silvery-white bubbles. They began small, but as soon as they stopped glowing, they'd expanded to three different sizes, each containing one of the rebels. Needless to say, they were very disoriented. And, by the looks of it, the Jasper was wearing a more standard suit instead of the dark full body one she'd been wearing when Hematite caught her.

Lowering his hand to the roof, Hematite deposited the three floating bubbles onto the surface before popping each one in turn with his finger. Puff landed on her back, the Ruby landed on her feet, and Axinite landed straight on his face. Hematite had to refrain from chuckling.

–

Axinite grumbled and shot the Hematite a glare. Well, at least he was out of there. He winced suddenly, turning back around and noticing that White stood before him, her hands placed neatly behind her back. She seemed mildly perturbed more than anything, rather than her normal stern demeanor. She just wanted to get this over with.

"Ruby, Jasper, and Axinite. Given that you are all just petty roughhousers, I'm going to go easy on you this time. You will perform 30 rotations of community service within your assigned Districts as punishment for your actions. You will be assigned managers that will handle your respective punishments, and you will do as they say. Your jobs will include cleaning up messes around the districts, helping with construction projects or maintenance, and taking lower-ranking jobs for the month. You should be glad Yellow Diamond hasn't gotten a hold of you all..." She rolled her eyes. "I trust that you all will behave from here on out... lest I do let her take matters into her own hands. Do I make myself clear?" She said, the strict tone returning to her voice.

Axinite, for one, nodded in nervous agreement.

–

Puff sat up and got to her feet, her gaze almost immediately finding Ruby. However, she forced herself to look away and gave White Diamond her attention as she spoke. As she finished her final sentence, she nodded and saluted her.

"Yes ma'am, White Diamond." She kept glancing at the red gem standing nearby.

Said gem was stretching as she listened to White talk, but she now stood at attention, her expression neutral and unreadable. She nodded as White finished.

"Yes, White Diamond. A just punishment. It won't happen again."

_Probably._

Hematite watched the three gems and breathed a subtle sigh of relief, his shoulders slouching slightly. _Thank the stars this went smoothly._

–

"Right then... Off with you, to your factions. Go." She spoke, motioning her hand in a waving gesture. She didn't really want to deal with them at all, but at least it was over. The Axinite nervously sighed, the anxiety completely leaving. He then glanced over slowly to the Jasper, and the anxiety returned. He turned quickly and left as fast as his tiny legs would take him. No way he was sticking around here for long.

–

The giant gem watched Axinite run off, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes a little. _There they went._ Looking down at Jasper and Ruby, Hematite cleared his throat.

Glancing back with a sharp glare, Puff bared her teeth and walked off with Ruby, the two of them matching step-for-step. They made their way down the stairs, and were soon out of sight. Hematite looked at White Diamond and gave her a small nod.

"That went well."

–

White gave a shrug, and watched the ruby and jasper walk away. With any luck, their little _persuasive lesson_ stuck with them. Good, that meant she wouldn't have to deal with them anymore. She had a whole plethora of new problems to worry about now that she learned about the Hematite's corruption last night. Wait, that's right! Hematite!

"Oh, by the way!" White turned again suddenly, quickly walking back towards the giant service gem. "Stars, I almost forgot. You are going to be going on a very important mission in a few rotations and you're going to need to prepare. You'll be going off-planet, to a place that used to be one of my colonies. There are a couple groups of conspirators there, and I need you to harvest them for me. The planet is known for being extremely hostile and advanced, so keep your wits about you. You'll be taking a small vessel to the planet, as there is no galaxy warp there. I'll fill you in on the specifics the day before your departure. However, there is a rather large set of diamond pads waiting for you at the archives that I need you to read in your own time before you go. That will be all!" She directed professionally.

The sooner Hematite got to his job, the sooner she could figure out how to break the bad news to all the other Hematites... She'd have to gather them up in the kindergarten soon and tell them, including the ones that were stationed off-planet.

_**And she wasn't looking forward to it.** _

–

The giant gem blinked and nodded in understanding as White explained his next mission.

"I'll do my best."

Turning, he walked away toward the central warp that laid between all the towers, a little distance from the tower he'd met White at. It was a good twenty minute walk away, even at his huge size. Hematite made his careful way through the different facilities, casually glancing at any service gems he happened to pass by. However, not five minutes away from the building he'd just left, Hema spotted a familiar pair of gems standing near a tall building, half hidden in the shadows. The giant gem stopped in his tracks and hid behind a tower that stood twice his size. Had he seen that right, or was he imagining things?

Carefully peering around the side of the building, Hematite watched the two gems curiously. It was the Jasper and Ruby. And what were they... doing? The Jasper seemed to be holding up the smaller red gem in her arms... were they fighting? Was he already going to have to break up these two, not five minutes after their sentence?

But the longer Hematite watched, the more he realized that they weren't struggling or yelling.

It looked as if they were... embracing.

 

"Oh stars, Rubes. I was so scared. I didn't expect that thing to be so huge, I thought we were more prepared, I'm so sorry." Puff was holding the Ruby tightly in her arms, one of her comparatively large hands stroking the smaller gem's hair. "I won't leave you behind like that again, I promise."

"It's okay, Puff. I'm okay," her voice was low and steady. Her tone didn't seem much different than when she'd spoken to Hematite directly. The Ruby looked up at the larger gem and gave her a warm, tearful smile. "I thought you were gone, when that gem showed up at the base... I thought for sure.." Her gaze dropped, and she gently ran her thumb across Jasper's gem, which laid on the lower side of her collarbone. "I didn't know what to do. I could only hope that you were okay...”

"I'm just glad you didn't put up a fight. It threatened to hurt you if you didn't go peacefully." Blinking, Puff looked away awkwardly. Well, that was putting it rather bluntly, wasn't it? "I-I mean.."

"I know what you meant. It's okay Puff." The smaller gem cupped Jasper's cheek in her hand, and she wiped away her welling tears with her thumbs. "I'm right here, and we don't have to run anymore. White was merciful. We just can't let that sort of _accident_ happen again. Yellow won't be as kind if she gets to handle our punishment the next time."

"Right..." She sighed deeply. "Right."

Ruby leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to the larger gem's cheek before settling comfortably back in her arms. Puff smiled and wrapped her arms tighter around the small red gem. Rubes leaned her head on Jasper's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her neck.

"C'mon, we should get going. We can head to the Blue district first. We both need a night to ourselves before we get started with our punishment," Rubes mumbled quietly, closing her eyes. Puff nodded and walked off toward the central warp at a rather slow, leisurely pace.

 

He'd _never_ seen that before. In his years of existence, Hematite had _never_ seen two gems being so... **close** , much less holding each other like that. He was able to catch most of what they said, and wondered idly if he should be snooping. How was he supposed to help it if he had good hearing?

But seeing those two made something ache within Hematite. Something he hadn't noticed before. Why didn't anyone around _him_ act like that? Was there something wrong with those gems? Yes, surely... They were just defective.

_Or had he simply never **noticed** that sort of thing before....?_

Left to his thoughts, Hematite frowned and shifted down a tad before he started toward the central warp pad again. The other two gems were moving at a rather slow pace, making it easy for Hema to make it to the center of the facility first, even after taking a rather round-about way to avoid the two ex-rebels. He'd beaten Puff and Rubes there by a few minutes, and didn't hesitate to shift down to his civilian size and warp to the White District.

Putting the image of the two gems aside mentally, Hematite frowned and shook his head, slowly making his way toward the grand Archives.

"Right. Mission. I only have a few days." He looked up at the darkening sky and sighed. "I do need a rest, though..."

In all honesty, Hema wanted nothing more than to curl up in his room and sleep until his mission briefing. He didn't want to go to the archives and read for hours. When White Diamond of all people said he had a 'lot' of reading to do, it was usually a multiple-day endeavor. How much information did he need for this mission? Why would she give him such an important task after finding out what he had? He was in no condition to be sent on such a huge job...

 

_Life goes on._

 

Watching the stars glimmer into view, Hematite stopped in his tracks and let out a long sigh, dropping his shoulders. No, he wasn't ready to go to the archives. He'd read later. Whatever was in those diamond pads, he could cram it in in a day or two, but not now. Right now, he needed the comfort of sleep. He needed some time to himself. His mission could be worried about later, when he was more level-headed and had recovered from the shock... and the still slightly lingering effects of his drinks from the past night.

The service gem stared up at the stars, an odd lump rising in his throat. He just wanted to sleep. Sleep and forget. Slowly, the ivory-haired gem looked back, toward the White Tower not too far off. Frowning, he turned around entirely, heading back where he'd come from.

"I'll rest first. I have time."


	8. Hello...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite sends messages to the Diamonds.

The following is a _**small**_ selection of lost reports from Hematite spanning over ten Homeworld years. Not shared here are various adventures, copious amounts of harvesting missions, and close calls. These files have been lost to the void of gem data, never to be recovered.

* * *

* * *

 

 

 

“Log date, 475, this is Hematite! My vess-”

The recording stops abruptly.

 

 

–

Silence. Long, agonizing silence.

 

 

**Click**

**Whirrrr**

…

…

… **Beep!**

 

A familiar voice began to speak.

“Log date, 501. This is Hematite. Recapping mission status and background, for the purposes of later archives, should this be found.” The words were recited in a rather robotic manner. When the voice started again, it was more expressive, if just slightly. “I am displeased to report that my mission has gone awry. I was to report to sector seven, crystal colony two. There were conspirators there that we received an anonymous tip on. I was sent there by White Diamond to Harvest the given targets.”

A pause.  
“I'm afraid I have to report that my ship was attacked. I took a smaller transport ship to the target planet, but did not reach it. I was set off course by a rebel fleet, and my power cells were damaged. I have crash landed on a dormant gem colony planet. My ship is in shambles, and I'm not sure what survived. I didn't bring much with me, aside from some plug robonoids for small repairs. My records state this place is called 'Earth'.”

Hematite sighed irritably.  
“I have a myriad of logged harvesting missions that need to be carried out on Earth, but were not to be done for several years. I will be performing them now, while I am here. I do wish I had more files on this place, as I hadn't planned on visiting here for a long while, but I will make due with what I have. I'm not sure if I could have found many in the first place, as any archives on his planet were in the highly restricted section for some unknown reason. White Diamond will send an escort to come retrieve me soon enough, should she be able to track where I am. I will continue sending reports every few rotations.”  
Hematite stopped abruptly, as something seemed to grab his attention.  
“Log date, 501, Hematite signing out.”

…. Beep!

–

“Log date, 509, this is Hematite. Recapping mission status for the purposes of later archives, should this be found.” A pause. “This planet is completely overgrown. It's both fascinating and unnerving. I have taken logs of many of this world's flora. Hopefully they can be of some use when I return. No sign of gemkind so far. I am going to return to my flora logs. Log date, 509, Hematite signing out.”

–

A voice speaks up on the recording. It sounds a tad irritated.  
“Log date, 570, this is Hematite. Still no sign of a rescue. I have taken to exploring this world. I have come across strange, gem-like creatures with no gemstones. I am unsure what they are. I checked my archives, and the closest match I could find was one obscure reference to 'humans'. I am unsure if this is the case. My archives show far different records of these creatures than their current state. I will study them further to expand my archival database. For now, I will keep out of their sights, and keep my guard up. White Diamond, if you can hear this, I repeat, my mission has been compromised, and I am stranded. Please send a recovery team. Log date, 570, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 686, this is Hematite. There's white stuff all over the ground, it's cold to the touch. I believe it's called 'snow'? I'm unsure. I remember reading some records on alien weather and precipitation. I am unsure if this is dangerous. Probably not, but I'm not about to experiment with it. It seems to turn into another form of water when touched. So it's a form of ice? Still, why is it falling from the sky? I will need to conduct more research. Log date, 686, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 700. This is Hematite. Today is the last day of Homeworld's celestial rotation. Still no sign of rescue. No contact with Homeworld. I will continue making logs until White sends someone after me. Will try sending some sort of beacon to Homeworld. I'm unsure they even know where I landed... or. That I'm _gone_.” There was a long pause. “... Log date, 700, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 034, this is Hematite. I have located and performed my first harvesting mission. Finally made contact and have confirmed the presence of gems, though they were monsters. Unable to confirm the presence of non-corrupted gems other than myself.” There was an awkward pause. Hematite cleared his throat. “W-will continue to look for what remains of gem colony. Perhaps one of them will know how I can return to Homeworld. There has to be a galaxy warp somewhere on this planet. I simply need to locate it. Log date, 034, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 134, this is Hematite. I accidentally made my first direct contact with a human. They make me highly uncomfortable. They look like some sort of gem by they have no visible gemstones. Perhaps they all cover them up? Or are they a non-gem race? White, if you can hear this, some archives on this planet would be much appreciated. Log date, 134, Hematite signing out.”

 

–

 

…

 

–

 

The voice on the recording sounded heavy, almost sad.

“Log date, 487, this is Hematite. Still no sign of rescue. I have changed my form to blend in better with the humans and avoid causing trouble. I've had to cover up my gem. And on top of that, even though I am against it... I've returned to having long hair. It fits better. I'm unsure how long I'll have to keep this up. For the time being, I will try and keep to my civilian size to keep from stirring up a commotion. My primary goals remain as such: Harvest what targets and monsters I can, locate the galaxy warp, and try to stay intact. White, please send help... Log date, 487, Hematite signing out.”  
–

“Log date, 590, this is Hematite. I've finally made contact with another gem! A Smoky Quartz. She lives among the humans in a city, and seems very knowledgeable about them. She blends in rather well, and doesn't seem to attract too much trouble. She's also informed me that humans are indeed a non-gem race and they need to be treated with care. For the time being, I will be staying with this Quartz. I revealed to her that I am a Homeworld gem, but after a brief discussion of my mission objectives, she didn't seem to mind. I am curious why she seemed nervous at first. I believe there's something about her that she's hiding, but at this point I am not going to pry. I have an ally, I don't want to mess that up.” A pause. “I will continue waiting for an escort. I hope they'll come soon, the power supply on my archives won't last more than a few... years... Log date, 590, Hematite signing out.”  
–

“Log date, 607, this is Hematite. Smoky has been showing me how to dance. An odd, fruitless venture, I'm afraid. I can't get the hang of it. It's far too erratic and displeasing to the eye. Nothing else to report. Log date, 607, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 620, this is Hematite. Smoky has introduced me to an Earth animal called a 'cat'. I am intimidated by this creature. I'm positive it wants to eat my boots, as it kept attacking them while I was walking around. Will study up on this creature's odd behavior. Log date, 620, Hematite signing out.”  
–

“Log date, 625, this is Hematite. I have been informed that cats always land on their feet. What sort of creature is this that it has such an odd ability? This needs further research... Log date, 625, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 645, this is Hematite. I have bested the feline creature. Smoky gave me something called 'catnip', and it rendered the animal practically useless. This herb smells rather nice, I can't say I blame it. Despite this, this creature still intimidates me. I will study this animal further in the days to come. Log date, 645, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Do not try to touch a feline's underbelly. No matter how inviting it may seem, don't do it. They lie. They look cute and innocent until you reach for them, and then before you know it you've got torn appearance modifiers. Cats are terrifying beasts.”

–

“Log date, 664, this is Hematite. Oddly enough, after observing a cat for a long period of time, I've come to the conclusion that they would make efficient Harvesters. Their stalking and hunting methods are very similar to that of some of the Hematites, and they are very effective at catching creatures I wouldn't think they could. Birds, for example. They use a very interesting tactic for catching this avian creature. I wish to study it, should it ever come in handy. Log date, 664, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 670, this is Hematite. Performed a harvesting mission while I was out on my own today. Thank the stars my pocket dimension's bubble prison is extensive... Nothing else to report. Log date, 670, Hematite signing out.”

–  
“Log date, 678, this is Hematite. Smoky says I've been getting a lot better at dancing.” A pause. “I don't see how this is a useful skill. In other news, some humans questioned my white hair today. You'd think they'd never seen that color before, the looks they were giving me. They said I looked like I'd be fun to draw? I'm unsure how to take this... Regardless, I'm going to try and avoid these humans in the future.” Another pause, and a sigh. “This planet is miserable. I feel like I can't talk to anyone, human traditions and habits confuse me, and to top it off, I've been getting antsy. I miss Homeworld. Please, White... if you can hear this, again. I'm on Earth. Please send a rescue team. I will continue sending out a distress signal... even if it may-... drain my archival power. Log date, 678, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 700, this is Hematite. This is my second celestial rotation on this planet. … White, have you found my signal yet? Are you there? Does... Is this even reaching you?” Hematite's voice suddenly had an edge to it. “I have to go deal with something, never mind. Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 025, this is Hematite. I may hate Homeworld alcohol, but I _despise_ Earth's equivalent. It seems to have the same effect on humans as it does gems, but it's organic instead of being made of mineral-based liquids and supplements. It smells bad, it tastes bad... The only positive is that their sweet drinks are far more potent than ones back on Homeworld. Still, the taste is far too odd for my liking. I've tried giving it a chance, but I can't see much of the appeal. And then I don't dare touch human food. I digress, you don't want to hear about this stuff. Log date, 025, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 070, this is Hematite. What kind of sick creatures are these humans?! I have just been informed of the concept of a 'doll'. They are small, inanimate imitations of humans, or human-like beings that are used purely as toys or collector's items. What kind of joke is this?! Tiny things like that are not playthings, much less should they be portrayed as such, even in effigy! I'm highly considering doing something about this. Will report back soon. Log date, 070, Hematite signing out.”

–  
“Log date, 071, this is Hematite. Smoky Quartz has informed me that I cannot outlaw dolls. Nor can I steal them all from the 'shopping centers'. I disagree with her but I also do not want to cause trouble. Fine, I'll leave these barbaric customs to the humans. But stars help me if any of them get ahold of me after I shrink down. I will bite their fingers. … Ahem. Log date, 071, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 130, this is Hematite. A corrupted gem monster attacked a small town. Smoky and I were able to stop it, and she discovered my size shifting ability. She seems rather wary of it, but also intrigued. I've assured her that I won't use it around her unless necessary. The corrupted monster was a rather large Onyx. I didn't harvest it this time, despite wanting to. I'd rather keep that part of my job secret if I can. Will continue to stay out of trouble if I can. Log date, 130. Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 156, this is Hematite. Smoky and I have parted ways. We had a disagreement after she found out about harvesting, and she now wants nothing to do with me. That's fine, I wasn't getting anywhere staying with her. She didn't know where this planet's galaxy warp was located. And if she did know, she refused to tell me. Fine, I can find it without her. I have to start moving again. White, please respond. Log date, 156. Signing out.”

–

“Log date, 340, this is Hematite. … This planet is terrible. I've.. never felt so out of place. There's no-one like me, there's so much open space, and there don't seem to be ANY other non-corrupted gems to be found. Is there anyone here that knows where the Galaxy warp is? White Diamond, please respond. Log date, 340, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 345. White, are you there? Are these messages reaching you? Will continue to send signals to Home world. Log date, 345, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 361, Hematite speaking. Blue? White? … Yellow? Are any of the Diamond Authority receiving my messages? Is anyone out there hearing this? This is Hematite, stranded on abandoned crystal colony, Earth. Please send help. Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 402, Hematite speaking. I discovered that a rather dainty white flower I found here is called a 'daisy'. I'm rather fond of it. … I'm unsure why, but this plant reminds me of your Pearl, White.” A soft chuckle. “... Anyways. That's all I really had to report. Apologies if I'm wasting your time. Log date, 402, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 452, Hematite speaking. There's just. Nothing but monsters. I thought perhaps I had found a gem on an island of some sort off a coast, but they fled after shooting me in the shoulder with an arrow, and I wasn't able to stay long. I was chased off by a rather tricky, seemingly invisible gem monster. If I'd had more energy I would have taken it on. Because of it, I only got a quick glimpse of the gem. I'm unsure if it's a monster or not, all I saw was a blueish green color. I'm not returning to that island to find out who it was. No sign of a warp pad. Log date, 452, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 540, this is Hematite. Calling all Homeworld gems on the planet Earth. If anyone is out there, please respond. White, if you're receiving this, please send help.”  
–

“Log date, 629, Hematite speaking. Sending a distress signal from Earth. Please respond. Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log, 694. Hello...? White Diamond?” There's silence on the recording for about a minute. “...” A soft sigh. “Hematite signing out.”

–

“Is anyone there? ….. Anyone?”

–

“Log date, 002. The stars were beautiful tonight. They've got nothing on the Blue district's. But they're something. I tried to find Homeworld out in the cosmos tonight. No such luck. … Hematite signing out, I suppose. … I hope you're doing well, Blue.”

–

“Log date, 039... I think. I'm not sure. Hematite speaking, regardless. I got bitten by a gem monster today. At least I think it was a gem monster. Whatever it was, it had sharp teeth. Just... thought you'd like to know that. I guess.” A long stretch of silence. “Maybe not. Log date, 039, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 143. White? Are you getting any of these? … A-are you... ignoring them?” A stretch of silence. “N-no, surely they're not getting to you. Sorry, I apologize. It's been a long week. I'm sorry.”

–

“Log 234. Did I do something wrong?”

–

“White? Is... is it because I'm going to corrupt? Is it because I'm dangerous? Is that it? Was this just your way of getting rid of me?”

–

“Log date, 389. This is Hematite. Hello? ….....” The recording stops abruptly.

–

“I know you can hear me. You have to. I can't be stuck here forever! Please!” Hematite's voice cracked with desperation. “White, please I can't be stuck here! Answer me! It's so quiet... There's no-one to talk to. There's nothing to do. I ran out of assigned to do a long time ago. Now I'm just cleaning up whatever corrupted gems I come across.” The gem on the recording trailed off, and the muffled sound of repressed, labored breathing could be heard. It sounded as if the gem was trying not to sob. A long pause. “...Fine, just. Nevermind. I apologize for being unprofessional. Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 432. Y-yellow Diamond? Can _you_ hear me? You have the most advanced gem technology of the diamonds, surely _you_ must be getting my messages! Please, please tell White where I am! Tell Blue, tell someone! I need to get back to where I... belong....” The gem on the recording goes quiet. “... You would tell them if you heard these... right?” A long pause. “... Please. Log date, 432, Hematite signing out.”

–

There are loud sounds of shuffling, as if the gem on the other end of the recording were struggling with their device.

“I know you can hear me out there! Stop ignoring my distress signals! I'm sorry if I did something wrong, please! I'm sorry! Why did you send me to that planet?!” The recording ends abruptly.

 

Another recording is logged a few hours later.  
“Did I do something wrong? Is... is this what you all wanted? W-was this the plan all along? To strand me out here... You wanted me gone.” There's an agonizingly long pause, followed by faint, uneven breaths. “B-blue? _You too?”_

–

“Help me. Get me off of this planet. I'm so alone. I-I'd take sparring with Yellow _every day_ for the rest of my short life over being stuck here another month. Please. White, Yellow, Blue. If you're hearing this, at least... let me know. I need to hear somebody's voice. _Anybody's_.”

–

“Log date, 511. You know honestly I thought I'd never utter these words but hey you probably can't hear these recordings anyways. It is official that Yellow Diamond's stomach is not the worst place I've ever been. No, that honor now belongs to a corrupted Spinel I got eaten by today. My hair is still stuck to my face with who knows what. I hate Spinels. I hate stomachs. I hate everything right now, oh my stars. I don't even remember what the log date is, dammit. Hematite signing out.- Ugh _stars_ it's on my eyepiece too?!” The recording cuts off abruptly.

–

As soon as the recording starts, all that can be heard is distant, loud, monstrous screeching and heavy panting, as if Hematite were running.

“Log date 512. This is Hematite. THE SPINEL HAD FRIENDS.” A screech sounds on the other end, and the recording cuts off.

–

“Log date, 515, this is Hematite. How many Spinels can fit in one cave?” Hematite smacks his lips. “Apparently at least 49. I have averted a crisis. Log date, 515, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 550. I've decided to explore a rather mountainous area I've stumbled across. Hopefully there aren't anymore infestations around here. I'm not sure how many more Spinels I can fit in my pocket dimension. I don't want to find out. Log date, 550, Hematite signing out.”

\--

“Log date, 567, this is Hematite. … I met another gem today. She's...”

–

–

“Hey... HEY!”  
Hematite groaned, grimacing in pain. Someone was talking far too loud for his liking, and it made his head pound. Well, more than it already was. The service gem inhaled sharply through his teeth as he fully came-to and tried to sit up from where he lay face-first on the ground. His whole body was aching.  
“EY, I didn't say you could move, buster!”  
Hematite flinched, his body tensing at the aggressive tone of the nearby stranger. He slowly turned his head, the rest of him unmoving. There, stood with a sword-like weapon pointed directly at his face, was a lithe, long-haired gem. She wore human-looking clothes and large, round glasses. Her hair was neatly braided behind her, white-golden locks tapering into small tufts at the sides of her face.

The service gem wouldn't say it out loud, but she was rather aesthetically pleasing.

The gem's brows were furrowed, and she stared at Hematite with a fierce, yet slightly afraid, gaze. She motioned the rapier in her hand closer to Hema's face.  
“Alright, what's your name, why are you here, and why are your clothes so... weird.” She sneered at him, giving him a suspicious glare. Hematite blinked slowly and glanced to the side, still not moving. He finally got a good look at the area around him. He'd journeyed to a land of high mountains and cliff sides in search of Earth's galaxy warp, but in his hurry to find any clue of escaping this planet, he'd traveled while at his full height for far too long. Eventually, his energy had been completely depleted, and he ran into a rather vicious, bird-like gem monster, to make things worse. In the end, he'd passed out. He laid face-first on a smooth marble surface, which lead up to a large temple on a floating island. Unfortunately, he hadn't made it up a single step.  
Before, he'd been too exhausted to take a good look around him, but now that he was awake and aware, he silently cursed himself for letting himself get to this point. If he'd just paced his efforts he could have made it to the temple! But now he was faced with this angry gem...  
Now that he was looking at her against the huge features around the two of them, Hematite suddenly realized something. This gem was tiny. Not just by regular standards, either. No, she couldn't have been more than a few inches tall, much like he was at the moment. Swallowing quietly, the ivory-haired gem opened his mouth, as if about to speak.

“EY. And don't lie to me either, I'll be able to tell.” The light-haired gem narrowed her eyes down at Hematite. The downed service gem quirked a brow. _How would she be able to tell...?_

“ _..._ My name is Hematite. I'm here because I... Needed to find something.” The service gem narrowed his eyes back. “And my clothes aren't weird, they're just fine.”  
The tiny gem exhaled quickly through her nose. Alright, so he wasn't lying yet. A Hematite, huh? She'd never heard of such a gem. She took a step back, but kept her weapon pointed at him. It glinted in the sunlight.

“Okay, _Hematite_. What are you looking for here? There's nothing but my temple. And I certainly hope you aren't here for _that_.” She bared her teeth at him. “I'll have you know that the last time some gems came snooping around here, I had to _take care of_ them. And you wouldn't want that.”

Though Hema could sense some hesitation in the light-haired gem's words, he could tell she was serious. Slowly, he sat up, dusting himself off as he sat on bent knee. The tiny gem before him took another half step back, raising her weapon to point at his gemstone nervously. Hema lifted his gaze to the small gem.

“I'm looking for this planet's galaxy warp. You wouldn't happen to know where it is, would you?”

“... Why do you need the galaxy warp? Where do you need to go?”  
Hematite frowned and started to stand up, earning a noise of surprise from the light-haired gem. When he straightened up, he stood about a head taller than the rapier-wielding gem. He looked at her with a cold, serious stare.  
“I need to get home.”

The glasses-wearing gem's eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat.

“What do you mean, home. Aren't you from around here?” She looked up and down his form. “Where are you from?”

The ivory-haired gem arched a brow.

“... I'm from Homeworld.”

Eyes widening, the rapier-wielding gem took a deep, steadying breath. Hematite frowned and turned around, looking at the area around him.

“I got stranded here. I've been looking for this planet's galaxy warp for over three celestial rotations now... about five, I suppose, in your time. I've honestly lost count in my days looking for the warp, so I'm unsure if those numbers are accurate.” He tapped his chin. “I thought perhaps I could find signs of it around here, but no such luck.”

The light-haired gem took a step forward, Hema's back still to her.

“So, I'd appreciate it if you could help-”

 

White.

His vision went white.

–

–

“... She's very dangerous. Using some method of destabilization, I can only assume, she rendered me unconscious. I've woken up in what I can only assume is her home. The décor is very similar to a human home, and from what I can see outside the windows, I appear to be in relatively the same area as when I woke up before. However, wherever I am, I seem to be surrounded by water.” There was a faint 'tap tap' sound. “... She also may be watching me right now. She has her weapon drawn, so I don't dare try and escape. White Diamond, if you're hearing this, please send an escort quickly.”  
“Excuse me, _WHITE DIAMOND?_ I thought you said this was a _JOURNAL_ recording!”

“Log date, 567, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 569, this is Hematite. Her name is Celestite. She also refers to herself as the Geode Beetle of Heaven. I'm unsure why she calls herself that, she looks nothing like an Earth insect. After some convincing, she's allowed me out of my binds, and we've started to try and converse civilly. At this point, I could shift up and leave, but there's something about this gem that intrigues me. She knows about Homeworld to an extent, but says she's never heard of Hematites or Harvesters. She also says that while she knows _what_ the galaxy warp is, she has no clues as to its location. A pity.” There was a pause. “She says I can't leave. 'Homeworld gems can't know about me', was her reason. I tried to tell her I wouldn't report her to anyone, but. She saw through that lie. It's my job to report gems like her. I can't help it. But, because of this, she isn't letting me out of her sights. She keeps interrogating me about Hematites and their jobs, but I've narrowly avoided most of her questions. Currently, she's outside, doing some sort of spar with herself. She reminds me of when Yellow Diamond warms up before a spar.” Hematite's voice faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “I think she's coming back, I will report when I have the chance. Log date, 569, Hematite signing out.”

–

“Log date, 680, this is Hematite. I finally have a chance to report. Celestite hasn't let me out of her sights for a while now, but she's currently playing some 'videogame' upstairs. She has a clear line of sight all around the temple, so I don't dare try to run.” Suddenly, there was a long pause, as if Hematite was thinking deeply. “... Though, honestly. I'm not sure I _would_ , given the chance. It's not so bad here. Celestite and I have actually started getting along, in a way. She's been teaching me a lot about Earth, showing me around the temple's immediate area, and she even showed me this plant called 'jademint'. It tastes wonderfully close to the peppermint back on Homeworld.” There was an unmistakable wistful tone in the service gem's voice. He paused for a moment before continuing his report. “I... still have yet to shift up around her. I don't want to risk scaring her off, or worse, getting knocked out by her again. Honestly, I'm almost certain she could take me on if I were to shift to my normal size. We've had a few run-ins with some small corrupted monsters, and I've seen her in battle. It's incredible how such a small gem can be so powerful and skilled in a fight. I asked her if perhaps we could spar sometime. She didn't seem too pleased with that idea, but she declined it as politely as she could. Oh well. It may be for the best.” A pause. “Still no signs of a rescue. It's nearing the end of my third celestial rotation on this planet. I'm starting to wonder if anyone is going to come back for me. I suppose I can stay here with Celestite for a while... Do some research when I can, to locate the galaxy warp. I will report when I can. Log date, 680, Hematite signing out.”  
–

_There is a stretch of reports similar to 680, extending over four celestial rotations. Here are some excerpts._

–

“Celestite has been kind enough to give me somewhere to rest! She has a couch on the lower floor of her temple that I can sleep on. It's not as comfortable as mine back home, but it will do. It's better than the floor.”

 

“Celestite plays a rather odd instrument called the 'bongos'. I don't see the appeal. But she seems to enjoy them!”

 

“I mentioned how I used to spar with Blue, and Celestite challenged me to a match today. It went okay, but she said I could definitely use some work on my elemental abilities. She says she can teach me some new ways to use my electricity, but it didn't go so well. However, I think I might understand what she's trying to do? I'm going to keep working on it.”

 

“So that bird came back today. Celestite says it tries to snatch her up every once in a while, but she's narrowly avoided it quite a few times. I would try to get a scan on it, but it's never still long enough for me to get a read on. She says that it seems to have some obsession with her, as it attacks her every time it spots her wandering around. In fact, it's apparently attacked her house a few times. I don't know how she's still around, honestly.”

 

“I accidentally shifted in front of Celestite. She was very off-put at first, but eventually I convinced her to come out of the temple, and that I wasn't going to hurt her. I let her know it was just part of my powers, and she seemed rather intrigued after the initial shock wore off. She kept asking me questions about how it worked and how big or small my form could get. I spared her the details and just told her 'pretty big'. I don't want to completely scare her off. She says that as long as I don't try any funny business, I can use that form whenever I want. Though, honestly... I've been just fine hanging out at my tiny form.”

  
“Celest and I sparred again today. She's a wind elemental! She has this rapier as her weapon, sure, but she also has a regular handle that she can create an air-blade with. It's quite impressive. And actually, she showed me today that if I'm nervous about having longer hair, I should put it in a braid. I've actually... taken her advice. It's still long, but she says I pull it off nicely. Did I mention that she has this sort of... 'phrase' that she says all the time. 'Start small, and build up from there.' She says it's gotten her through a lot of tough times and training... It's her life motto, in a way. She says any progress is big, no matter how 'small' it may seem.” Hematite's voice was warm, and there was a short pause.

–

–

Out in front of the Heaven Beetle temple, two tiny gems were locked in a high-paced spar, dodging, attacking, and calling out tips and tricks here and then. It was a pleasantly warm spring day, with a brisk breeze blowing through the mountains. The sky was a a lovely pale blue color; and big, thick clouds rolled lazily on the horizon. Celestite was in her alternate outfit, not currently wearing her usual green sweater that she kept over her normal clothes. Her hair was also a bit different, slicked back into a tighter braid for combat. Hematite was also wearing his hair in a braid, though he hadn't changed his outfit.

 

“Hematite, remember! Your element is an extension of yourself! You have to be in tune with it and listen to it, or it'll overpower you until it gets its way! Now try it again, I know you can get it this time! Focus your energy, extend it past yourself, reign it in, and USE it!” the small yellow gem commanded, her voice sharp and clear. Hematite looked down at his knuckledusters as he stepped back quickly from the approaching light-haired gem. _Stars, he just couldn't get this move right!_ Glaring up at his opponent with fierce determination, the service gem crouched down low, skirting to the side as she went in for a precise, but slow jab. She eyed him, quickly and gracefully moving to jab at him again. Hematite's hands began to glow with bright pink electricity, and he snapped his wrists out to his sides. The hair on the back of his neck suddenly bristled as two wildly thrashing and crackling whips of electricity extended from his knuckledusters. Celest gasped in surprise, her expression brightening.

  
“Yes, yes that's it! Now reign them in! Get a feel for them!”

  
Hematite still couldn't believe what he was looking at, but nodded and skirted further to his side as Celestite jabbed at him again. The whips extending from his hands continued to dance about wildly, completely out of control. Sweat began to form on the ivory-haired gem's forehead. He could feel the energy resonating from his hands, up into his arms, and it was getting out of control quickly. Without warning, the whips jerked around and cracked violently, suddenly splitting apart and dissipating. Hematite cursed under his breath and glared at his hands, but quickly brought his attention back up to his opponent. She looked a tad disappointed for a moment, but then suddenly grinned, seeing an opportunity to strike.

 

“Well, it's progress! It's small, but it's there!” Rushing toward the service gem, she raised up her weapon, letting out a fierce battle cry as she leapt up into the air. “HYYAAAH!”

 

Dodging to the side, Hematite rolled away from the small yellow gem, his eyes locked on her form as she slammed her wind-blade into the ground where he'd been not two seconds ago. Celest grinned and snapped her attention back to the service gem, standing up and clenching her fist at her side.

  
“Yes, fantastic! You're finally getting the hang of that dodge, Hema!” Swinging her blade around idly, the light-haired gem bit her lip, an energized glint in her eyes. When she spoke again, she sounded almost breathless. “Stars, this brings me back to when Obsidian and I would train together! Haaah, those were the good old days.” The golden gem closed her eyes contentedly, continuing to swing and stab at the air around her, almost in a sort of... dance with herself. She moved as if listening to some silent song... And slowly, the gemstone on her back began to glow.

 

Hematite watched in curious awe, a subtle shiver running up his spine. He tilted his head, gazing at Celestite as she slowly waltzed backwards, fencing with an unseen opponent. A breeze blew her hair aside, the sun casting a golden shimmer on her braid. The service gem felt something flutter in his chest, a wash of color spreading across his cheeks. For a long moment, the ivory-haired gem stayed crouched on the ground, his eyes locked on Celest as she hummed softly to herself, effortlessly running through some sword techniques.

 

_She really was something..._

 

At first, Hematite didn't even react to Celest's statement, lost in the moment. However, as she slowed her movements, the light-haired gem opened her eyes, a distant, content look in them. As she blinked, her expression shifted to one of surprise, and she stood straight, disengaging her wind blade. The gem on her back dimmed again, returning to normal.

 

“Wow, sorry about that. I uh... lost myself for a sec' there. Where were we!” she said rather abruptly, turning to Hema and clapping her hands together, hilt of her sword still in her palm. Hematite pursed his lips, the color fading from his cheeks as he stood straight.

 

“Who's this 'Obsidian'? Are they a friend of yours?” he asked curiously, walking over to the slightly smaller gem. Celestite looked up at the Hematite, brushing her hair aside from her ear.

  
“Well, she's not actually an obsidian gem, she's a unique one like me.” Smiling, the light-haired gem looked to the side. “She's the Geode Beetle of Earth. We just call her Obsidian because she lives in lava, and she has properties pretty close to an obsidian. Hah...” The faintest trace of an orange blush darkened her cheeks, and a breeze blew her braid to the side. “And... Hm.” A coy smile crossed her face. “She's not exactly a 'friend', no. It's something... a bit more complex than that,” she said warmly, a content shine in her eyes. Hematite blinked in surprise, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

 

“You mean like...” Looking to his left and right, as if trying to recall something, Hematite hummed out a curious note. After a moment, he perked up, a bright smile suddenly on his lips. “Are you two, you know, together? That's what humans call it, right?” The light-haired gem looked at Hema sharply, brows raising as her cheeks darkened further. After a moment, she chuckled shyly and put a palm to her cheek, looking away once more.

  
“Yes, we are. We used to hang out all the time, but our duties as the Heaven and Earth beetles come first. We still visit once in a while, and we're just as close as ever.”

 

Hematite felt another shiver go up his back, and his smile widened as he clenched his fists in front of his chest excitedly.

  
“That's so great! Have you two had a lot of adventures, have you fused? What is she like? You gotta tell me everything!” he chimed out, practically bouncing in place. Celestite glanced at the taller gem and snickered before full-out laughing, walking to Hema's side.

  
“Look at you, getting all excited like a ruby in a firestorm. In due time, Hema, I'll tell you all about her. Heck, maybe you and her could meet one day!” Smiling, she circled around the service gem entirely, standing in front of him once more. “I think you two could be good friends, hah. Maybe even as good as you and me!” She winked at him and put her hands on her hips, looking off into the distance for a moment. Hematite chuckled and nodded, furrowing his brows.

  
“I'd like that. If she's half as much fun to be around as you, I'm sure we'll get along just fine,” he teased. Celest scoffed with a smile and looked at the service gem with narrowed eyes.

  
“Flattery won't get you out of training, you dolt. She's _gonna_ spar with ya if you ever do get to meet her, so you better practice harder!” With that, she backed up, once again engaging her wind-blade. “Now come on, buddy, let's see if you can put all those methods to the test at _once.”_

 

Blinking, the service gem smirked and hunkered down, adjusting into his usual fighting stance.

 

“Bring it on.”

–

–

“I'm learning more about her each day. Her favorite snacks are these little fruit-pastry things. She makes them fresh with stuff around the temple.” A pause. “Did I mention she wears glasses? She doesn't REALLY need them but she says she likes how they look. I agree with her.”

 

“Celestite showed me her favorite stargazing spot. It was cloudy, so we couldn't see much, but she said she'd take me again some time. It seems like a rather nice spot...”

  
“To my surprise, I hadn't noticed that Celest almost exclusively calls me 'Hema' nowadays. It's kind of nice. Hah... I told her how you gave me that nickname, Blue. I think you'd really like Celestite. I wish you could meet her some day.”

 

“Sorry it's been... what, a celestial rotation since I last reported? Time got away from me, I suppose... How are things on Homeworld? Are you all doing well? How's progress in the district, Yellow? … Hey, Blue. Does the Coliseum crowd miss me? Hah. Maybe Mago can take my place. … White, if I don't come back, feel free to... you know. Fill my job position. If you want, that is. I won't... mind.” A long pause. “Celestite is taking me out to collect jademint today. We're going to have some tea out on the temple bridge. It's a nice day for it. I hope you're all having a good day. This is Hematite, signing out.”

 

“... Celest got poofed today. I'm watching over her gemstone. She got too overzealous in a fight, and she nearly got killed for it. I've been waiting... for over two weeks now. What if she never comes back? Can that happen? White, do you know anything about this sort of thing? Are there any records? Please... if by some small chance you're getting these messages, please at least tell me that... Y. You don't even have to send a rescue team, just please get me some data on this if you can. I'm going to keep watching her gem... This is Hematite, signing out.”

 

“She still hasn't come back. No word from Homeworld. … Do you just not care? Did you... _ever_ care?”

 

“I forgot to report that Celestite returned, didn't I? It's been a few months, apologies. She reformed a few days after my last message. … I-I'm. Sorry for being disrespectful. I was upset, I didn't mean it.” A long pause. “White... The power supply on my archives is starting to fade. I. Don't think I have much time left on it. I'm sorry. If you... ever get these. I'll be at 25.432 north, 204.2. Or, thereabouts. I should end this recording.”

  
“Log date, 005, this is Hematite. My power supply on my visors is failing. I only have a few months left. I'll... lose all the data I've collected here. Every message. Every chance I had at communication. … White, if I never see you again. Thank you for being an incredible leader, while I had the chance to know you. Blue... thank you for being there for me, and for... being _you_. It got me through some really tough times. And, Yellow. Take care. This is.. .. Hematite. Signing out.”

 

 

–

 

 

_A recording weakly starts, the audio distant and faded. “T.h..i.s.. I.s. Hem.a.. .My. t.i.m.e is.. ...u.p...... This... .w.i.l...l b.e. ….m..y... .l...a..s.t.. mess....a.g..e. A.l.l .of yo....u. .t...a.k...e ca..r..e.. It. ...w.a....s a pl...e.a...sure ser...v.i.n..g. ..y...ou.. ..Go.o.d....b.y....e....”_

 

**Click.**

 

 

“... Hema?”

Wiping his face, Hematite removed his visor and stared at it, his eyes distant and hollow. The light slowly faded from the clear gem tech piece, and it gave a weak, distorted chirp as the connection to the outer world powered down... for good. Now, all he could use it for was checking old data that he'd brought with him. All of his new data, all of his records, all of his recordings. They were gone. All he had left was what was programmed into the eyepiece itself. Maps, all the information he'd taken with him for his original mission, some very _basic_ information on Earth, not much else other than that.

  
“... So that's it.” The service gem looked up and closed his eyes, his lips drawn tight. “Sorry, Celest. I... I needed to make that call. What were you saying?” He turned to the white-golden haired gem sitting by his side, grief written all over his face. The slightly smaller gem fidgeted with her braid which laid over her shoulder, and she finally met his eyes, taking a moment to push up her glasses.

  
“It's fine, I can continue later. Are you... gonna be okay?” She bit her lip, brows furrowing in concern. Hematite felt a lump catch in his throat, but he looked out in front of him again and nodded slowly.

  
“With time, I think so. It's... not like they were sending anyone for me anyways. I just thought, formalities and all that. If they were hearing me, it'd be... polite to say goodbye.” The service gem stared up at the stars, silently looking to see if he could spot Homeworld from here. He could have sworn... that far, far in the deep blue sky, he could see it brightly twinkling. But, perhaps that was wishful thinking. Celestite followed his gaze for a moment. Slowly, she scooted closer to the ivory-haired gem. She looked over and raised a hand, placing it over his. Hematite blinked in surprise and looked at the gem beside him. Smiling sadly, she ran her thumb over his knuckles.

  
“I think they'd be proud of what you've done here. Of how much you've grown. Of all the stuff you've learned. I know I am. You're a great fighter, really good at tracking stuff down, you're not half bad at making tea. And you're a good friend.” She glanced away for a moment, brushing her hair behind her ear. “And you know. The temple's always got room for two, if you're not up for traveling any time soon.”

  
Hematite stared at her in surprise, but his expression soon softened. Glancing at Celest's hand, he placed his free palm over it, sighing.

 

“If Earth is my new home, then I wouldn't want to stay anywhere else. Besides, you make the best tea I've come across here on earth.” He smiled and chuckled, wiping his cheek on his shoulder. Celest gave a soft, sympathetic laugh and reached forward, wiping Hema's eye with her thumb.

 

“So you're only staying for my tea, huh?”

  
“Well, that and your videogames.”

  
“Hema!” Celest chuckled and gently nudged the service gem with her side, her glasses falling down her nose a bit. Hematite smiled warmly and sighed, looking up at the stars. Looking at the gem beside her, Celestite adjusted her glasses with her free hand before following his gaze. After a long moment, she slowly rested her head on his shoulder. “The stars are beautiful tonight,” she said quietly.

 

Hematite glanced to his side without turning. After a long moment, he gently rested his head on hers.

“Yeah. They really are.”

–

_Life went on._

 

As Hematite grew used to living with Celestite, he found himself thinking less and less of Homeworld, and of the diamonds. He still missed Blue sorely here and then, despite how they'd 'left off' back on Homeworld, and he often missed White's presence. Now and then, he even missed his old work schedule, and his jobs.

A couple years passed. Without his reports to keep his hopes of a rescue up, the service gem put more time into living each day as it came. He laughed more, spoke more, and some of his old spirit soon returned to him. Eventually, his old life only came up in passing conversation. He became more invested in Celestite's life; in her adventures, her stories, despite still missing White and Blue.

 

–

 

Hematite and Celest were in the temple, having a spot of tea in the late evening. Celestite was busy recounting an adventure she'd had with her earthly counterpart, the Geode Beetle of Earth.

 

“Hah, really?!” Hema chuckled and shook his head, stirring his tea that laid on a small table.

  
“Yeah, so I'm at the bottom of the ocean, with Obsid in a bubble, yelling at me, and I'm not sure what the heck this monster wants with us. I've got the artifact in my hand, but I don't know where the heck the warp pad to get back is-”

 

“... Warp pad?” The service gem raised a brow, his smile fading. Celest blinked in confusion for a moment before her eyes widened. However, she smiled awkwardly and quickly brushed off Hematite's 'question'.

  
“S-so anyways, Obsid's like, 'Celest, make sure you don't drop-”

 

“No, what was that about a warp pad. Celest, do you know where one is? E-even if it's at the bottom of the ocean?” Hematite leaned forward, his brows furrowed. Something in his expression made the glasses-wearing gem a tad nervous. He looked suspicious.

 

“... I might, yeah.” Celestite looked away, rubbing her arm. She was glancing around the room anxiously. “B-but anyways! So the monster's closing in-”

 

“Celestite! You knew where a warp pad was this _whole time_ and you never _told_ me?! Why?!”

 

“H-hema, calm down!” Celestite suddenly frowned at the gem across from her, puffing her cheeks out. She didn't like when he got like this! “It doesn't matter!”

 

“Doesn't matter?! Celest that warp pad could have lead me straight to the galaxy warp years ago!” Hematite stood up now, his hands planted firmly on the small tea table. Celestite's eyes widened in anger, and she stood up as well, meeting him face to face.

“The galaxy warp is busted up anyways, it wouldn't have mattered!”

Hema blinked in confusion before his eyes slowly widened. He took a step back from the smaller gem, brows furrowing.

 

“... You knew where it was. You told me you didn't! Celest, you lied to me?! I thought we were friends!”

The golden-haired gem's anger vanished in an instant as it fully hit her what she'd said. She stood straight and fidgeted nervously with her bangs, taking a step back. Her eyes couldn't meet Hematite's.

 

“I was just protecting myself back then! You were a Homeworld gem, I couldn't let-”

 

“THAT'S why you kept it from me?! _That's_ why you've never told me? Celestite, do you even understand how _badly_ I've missed Homeworld?!”

 

Celest winced and bit her lip, looking away.

 

“I thought you were happy here.”

 

Hematite's brows furrowed in a look of pure betrayal and anger.

“Yeah well I wasn't back then! I can't believe you, Celestite! I wouldn't have reported you if you just told me where the warp was in the first place.”

 

“Hema-”

 

“Where is it?! Give me coordinates, directions, something!”

Celestite's eyes widened, and she looked quickly at the furious gem standing near her. Her hands wrung together, and she was silent for a long moment. A breeze blew through the front door of the tiny temple. Slowly, small tears formed in the smaller gem's eyes. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, and laced with undisguised hurt.

 

“You wanna leave?”

 

“... Y-yes. Maybe.” Hematite clenched his fists, drawing his attention to the teacup on the table. His teeth gritted together, an unreadable expression crossing his face. “No, but. Dammit, Celestite! Why would you do this to me?! I just wanted to go home! And you didn't tell me just because I MIGHT report you to Homeworld!?”

 

“N-no, that's not why-”

 

“Give me the coordinates, Celest! I need to at least see if-... If they've forgotten about me. I'll come back once I've seen them again...”

 

“Hema, it's broken! You can't use it!”

 

“Nothing is unfixable!”

 

“THIS is, Hematite!”

 

 

**SLAM**

 

**CRASH!**

 

 

“!!!”

 

Celestite took a step back, her eyes wide. Hematite stood with his fist on the small tea table, his cup now shattered on the floor. His breathing was heavy, but he stood and shook his head, evening it out. He covered his face with his palm, digging his fingers into his bangs.

 

“I have to let them know I'm okay. White needs to know. Blue needs to know... _Please_ , Celest. I miss them so much.” He looked over at the anxious gem, eyes wide and brimming with tears. “If there's a chance I can see them again... see my home again. I have to take it.”

Celest looked away. Slowly, she folded her arms, cupping her elbows in her palms. There was a long stretch of silence.

 

“... Go down the island bridge. Across the river, over the large wood bridge too. Near there... You'll find a warp pad.”

“Y... You mean there was one THAT close by?!”

“... Yes.”

 

Hematite scoffed and angrily mussed his hair, looking away from the smaller gem. After a tense pause, he dropped his hand, his expression unreadable. He started walking for the door.

 

“Sorry about the teacup.”

 

Celest looked up at him as he left, her eyes wide. As soon as he was out of earshot, Hematite felt his expression fall, and he muttered crossly to himself. “I'll be back.” He silently shifted up to his 'normal' height and walked into the large temple, heading down the hall that lead to the island bridge.

–

Stepping up a few stairs, Hematite stared in disbelief at the crystalline warp pad before him. It'd been here, all this time... All these years, and he'd never seen it. He thought back to all the adventures he and Celestite had, and how now that he thought back, he could recall multiple occasions when she'd purposely skirted this area.

 

Now he knew why.

 

Clenching his fists, the service gem stepped onto the large blue surface. However, he stopped cold when he heard a distant, familiar sound. It was the screech of a particular corrupted gem, a huge bird-like monster. The same one that'd made him pass out here in the first place. The service gem growled and looked back over his shoulder toward the sound. Seemed it was getting further away from him. Narrowing his eyes, Hematite shrugged and continued to the middle of the warp pad. He wasn't about to go looking for trouble.

 

Without a word, the warp pad activated, and Hematite was gone.

–

_Gleam!_

Blinking, Hematite lifted his head and looked around at where he'd warped to. His brows shot up in surprise at the sight of a rather... human-like home. There was a 'kitchen' to the left, what seemed like a couch and bedroom to the right... but nobody was home. There was a window and a door at the opposite end of the room, along with a large, partially obscured painting of some sort. Hematite didn't pay it much mind, more distracted by whatever he could see out the window. From what he _could_ see, the outside world was nothing but a beach. And if he wasn't mistaken, he saw someone down on the coast, far away from the front entrance. It looked like a human was sitting in a rather tall 'chair' of some sort and was talking to two other humans, possibly? It was impossible to tell from so far away. They looked a tad odd. Hematite frowned and scratched his head, looking behind him. There was a large, strange-looking door with a star and five different colored circles on it. White, purple, blue, red, and pink. The service gem pursed his lips and frowned, looking back down at the warp pad. This didn't look like the right place, and with people outside of this building, he didn't want to stick around. He tapped his foot, activated the pad again, and was gone in a flash.

–

“Tsss. Stars, this is worse than I thought.”

Rubbing his forehead, Hematite looked around and paced the edge of the badly cracked galaxy warp. His eye piece was useless at the moment for anything but accessing files, so he couldn't properly scan the damage. He had, however, already checked if the pad worked.

It didn't.

Angrily rubbing the back of his head, the service gem stomped his foot and looked around at all the other warp pads. Almost none of them worked. Hematite was wracking his brain for a possible solution, but his outburst with Celest and his frustration over the state of the galaxy warp were clouding his mind. That, and the lack of his visor or eyepiece wasn't helping matters.

“There has to be a way to fix this. Maybe...”

Hematite rubbed his chin quietly. He sat down, crossed his legs, and thought quietly.

 

Hours passed.

 

Suddenly, Hematite's face scrunched up in realization, and his eyes shot open. Leaping up, the service gem tossed his arms into the air and clenched his fists.

“My ship! There must be some flask robonoids left in there! Stars, I hope some of them are intact...” Hematite grinned widely, his balled up fists shaking excitedly in front of him. Yes! He still had a chance! Looking back at the warp pad he'd used to get here, Hema scurried over and hopped onto it.

He had to tell Celestite!

–

“... Celestite?”

Hematite frowned and peered around the living room of the small gem's temple. He still stood at his normal size, and was crouched down to look into the miniature building.

“Hey, Celest? I think I can fix the warp pad! I can go check on things on Homeworld and come back! I don't have to leave...” Furrowing his brows, the gem frowned and peered into the tiny bedroom. No sign of the light-haired gem. “... Celest?”

Sitting up, Hematite looked around, confused. Maybe she went out for a while? The service gem leaned down again and peered into the main room, where he'd been mere hours before. His eyes widened. The broken teacup was still on the ground, a small towel laying beside it, mid-swipe.

Celest... _never_ left messes like that. Sure, her room was cluttered, but she _never_ let spills and such stay.

Something was wrong.

Sitting up again, Hematite stood straight and looked around, cupping his hands to his mouth.

“Celeeeeeest! Celestiiiiiiiiite! Heeeeeeey!”

No answer.

The ivory haired gem made his way around the temple, checking for any sign of the tiny gem. He didn't find her... but he found something else. Dark gray feathers, and a huge hole in the ceiling of the main temple. It wasn't there before...

Biting his lip, the service gem thought back to the screech he'd heard before he left...

No...

No surely she was fine.

–

A month.

Hematite searched tirelessly throughout the miles and miles of land around the temple for Celestite. She was no-where to be found... and neither was the bird. Without his visor, Hematite was unable to track any gem signatures. He was stuck. Celestite was gone. And even if she wasn't _gone unwillingly_ , it was clear she didn't want to be _found_. The service gem eventually had to call it quits. Maybe some day he'd come back and look for her...

But for now. He had one chance to get home. One chance to redeem his near decade on earth.

He had to find his ship.

–

It only took the gem a few days to find a warp pad that appeared to be close to where he'd first landed on Earth. He didn't quite recognize the immediate area, but it seemed _similar_ to where he'd crashed. Tapping his visor, Hematite stood straight. The eyepiece sluggishly chirped and powered on, the screen dim. He pulled up a map of Earth, a tiny white symbol overlaying a location a few hundred miles away. There it was!

Please, please let something be intact.

–

Hematite grunted, moving a large piece scrap metal and tossing it to the side. His vessel was in the same state that he'd left it in, amazingly, though it was far worse than Hematite remembered. He was shocked he'd even survived the crash. Slowly, the service gem rummaged through a small, bent-up container, his fingers taking up almost the entire thing.

 

“Come on, come on. Don't tell me you all broke.... or wandered off.”

 

Nothing.

 

Cursing under his breath, the giant gem tossed the box aside and found a new one. Perhaps someone DID come here after him. About an hour or so later, Hematite froze, his fingers having brushed something with a soft 'clink'. Slowly, the giant gem drew out a few small, green spheres. They were here... they were intact.

 

And there were enough to fix the warp, he was sure of it.

 

Shaking slightly, Hematite grinned and bubbled away all the tiny, fluid-filled robots and put them away in his pocket dimension. He stood up and checked over the debris for anything else that may have been of use, but found nothing.

_It was time._

–

The service gem raced back toward the warp pad he'd taken to get to his ship. Along the way, he'd surprisingly run into a rather reclusive and odd gem, a Tourmaline, if he wasn't mistaken. But he hadn't stayed long, nor did she seem to want him around in his rather **_perturbed_ ** state. He didn't mind all that much. He wasn't about to get attached to another gem when he could finally go home.

 

…

 

_Home..._

 

–

Slowly, Hematite stepped back. The flask robonoids went to work on the galaxy warp, spitting pale green liquid onto the crystalline surfaces, sealing them back up in no time at all. Hema's hands shook, and he let out a shuddering exhale as the warp pad gleamed faintly, looking good as new. He... he did it.

…

So why did he feel a knot of anxiety in the pit of his stomach?

The service gem collected up the robonoids slowly, bubbling them and putting them back in his pocket dimension. As soon as he was done, he took a step back from the warp pad and stared at it, eyes wide. His hands slowly lifted, folding in front of him. He fidgeted quietly, biting his lip.

What if they didn't want him back?

What if he returned, and nobody had even noticed he was gone?

What if... they set him up?

This easily could have been a ploy to get rid of him.

Wh... what if.

What if they sent him back?

…

Well.

_Only one way to find out..._


	9. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite returns after his failed mission.

_"Now, Hematite. This mission could take you significantly longer than your previous ones. The planet, need I remind you, is known for being hostile, and the conspirators are spread far and wide. You've been briefed and given their gem signatures, and I trust you will harvest them all in a prompt manner. Be careful out there, and do your best."_

 

\---

\------

\-------------

\--------------

 

"This is White Diamond. Please respond."

 

"This is White Diamond. Hematite, do you copy?"

 

"This is White Diamond. Hematite, you haven't reported as requested. Please respond when you can."

 

"White Diamond here, requesting feedback from all Crystal Colonies in Star Sector 7. Any and all White Diamond gems please respond."

 

"This is White Diamond. You are behind schedule, Hematite. Please respond when you can."

 

"This is White Diamond calling...Hematite, if you are receiving these, please respond."

 

"This is White Diamond. Do you copy?"

 

 

"Blue Diamond calling. Hey rookie, we haven't heard anything from you in a while. Get back to us when you can!"

 

"Blue Diamond here! Hey Hematite, White's starting to get a little worried. Please give us a call when you can!"

 

"This is Yellow Diamond. Please send a report of your current status as soon as possible."

 

"White Diamond calling. Hematite? Are you receiving any of these messages? Do not ignore our calls."

 

"Hey kid, it's Blue Diamond again. Hope you don't mind me sending you all these. I know it's not my business and all but... ah heck, it's been 3 years and we're starting to get concerned. If you can hear this, please call back!"

 

"White Diamond calling in. Hematite, please respond as soon as you can. This is your final warning."

 

 

_**2 years pass before any more logs are recorded.** _

 

 

"Hematite?... It's Blue. I miss you, rookie. Hope you're safe... wherever you are."

 

"It's Blue again. Hematite! Hey! I'm not sure if you're getting these or not. I hope you're alright."

 

"Blue Diamond speaking. I'm probably wasting my time sending these out, aren't I?... Sorry, please respond when you can...if you can."

 

"Blue Diamond. Are you there...?"

 

 

_**Another whole year passes.** _

 

 

"Hematite, this is White Diamond speaking. I'm not sure if you can hear these or not. If you can, I'd like you to respond. Blasted communication systems..."

 

"Blue Diamond speaking! Don't worry rookie, wherever you are...We'd like to see you again sometime! Or at least hear you. C'mon kid, say something!"

 

"Blue Diamond here! I miss ya, rookie! Where have you been?"

 

"This is White Diamond. Hematite..." There's a long pause. The audio cuts out for some reason.

 

"This is White Diamond. I'm sorry; Do let me know if you are alright. I would hate to see you get hurt... let alone never see you again. I know you're out there somewhere, Hematite. Please, just say something. _Anything_. Let me know you're okay."

 

 

 

_**Two more years pass.** _

 

 

 

"We're not giving up on you rookie. Not if I have anything to say about it. I'll keep trying for the next hundred years if I have to! Say something kid, talk to me! Blue Diamond, out."

 

"Hematite, this is White Diamond. Please be alright. Please tell me you're alright. Please respond; Please say something..."

 

"This is White. Hematite, do you copy at all...? Blue told me to keep trying, so I am. If you can hear me, please give me some sort of signal. Anything."

 

"This is White. I had some peppermint tea today. It reminded me of you. I hope you're alright."

 

"This is White Diamond. Please be safe, wherever you are."

 

"Hey kid. It's Blue Diamond. I just wanted to let you know that, well... wherever you are, if you're even there... anymore..." There's a small pause. "I'll try to check in every now and then. Maybe once a year if I can. Just uh, if you receive any of these, please let White know! Or me. Or anyone..."

 

 

_**One year passes, there is only one final log.** _

 

 

"This is Blue Diamond. White's been discouraged lately, but I keep telling her to have hope. I know sometimes these missions just take a lot of time! I just uh, hope you come back at all.. Maybe. Ah, you'll come back someday... You've got spirit, I know wherever you are, you're doing just fine, haha! ... But really, you should respond if you're getting these. We'd like to know if you're okay. Anyways... stay safe, kid. Hope to see you again someday!"

 

\--------------

\-------

\----

 

Adjusting his hair, Hematite stepped off of the tower warp pad, his hands shaking. _Oh, stars, he was finally home._

Ignoring a surprised stare from a nearby Pearl, Hematite excitedly rushed to White's tower. He rapidly pressed the elevator button, barely able to contain himself. As soon as the doors hissed open, he practically leapt inside, not even turning around to press the button to the top. As the elevator rose, Hematite wrapped his arms around himself, rocking on his heels. He couldn't stop moving and looking around with a bright smile on his face. Everything looked relatively the same, not much had changed in the area around the Towers.

As the elevator dinged and opened, Hematite rushed out and made a beeline for White's office door. He hoped she was inside.

With a bounce in his step, he slowed to a halt in front of the tall doors. Alright, deep breath.

His hands stopped shaking as he inhaled slowly. Steeling himself, but barely able to restrain his excitement, Hematite knocked on the door, waited for it to hiss open, and stepped in a few paces before stopping and saluting enthusiastically.

"Hematite reporting, White Diamond!"

–

Indeed, White was there.... as well as the other two Diamonds. There was a long, drawn out silence. The three gems had all simultaneously turned their heads to see what was going on.

 

An unnatural silence fell over the room before Blue and White finally broke it what felt like an eternity later.

 

"OH... my stars...."

 

"Hematite? Is that you?"

 

"..."

Blue was the first to move, darting quickly up from her seat and running towards the service gem. In one swift movement he found himself in the arms of his Blue superior, being swung around in a circle as she laughed hysterically. Her hug was unbearably tight... but not crushing.

"HEMAAAAA!! YOU'RE BACK BUDDY, I KNEW WE'D SEE YA AGAIN!" She cheered, putting him down finally with her hands on his shoulders. There were tears in her eyes. She was... incredibly happy to see him again, to say the least.

–

Hematite let out a sharp yelp of surprise as Blue picked him up, and he felt his head spinning as she whirled him around.

"WhOOaAA, BLUE GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO." He gave a strained laugh, trying to touch his feet back to the ground. When she put him back down, he looked up at her with bright eyes, tears starting to form at the corners. They seemed... awfully surprised to see him. He would have thought they'd be annoyed, cold... distant. But, Blue at least seemed happy to see him.

_So... They **hadn't** gotten any of his messages?_

\--

White moved soon after, putting up one of her hands to her mouth, looking at the two in disbelief.

"Hematite..." she said quietly, a shocked expression befalling her. She walked closer, holding out her hand to gently touch the gem's shoulder. She looked down on him with a sorrowful, yet relieved look. "I was... starting to think you weren't going to come back," she said softly, another long pause following. Blue backed up, watching the two. With a wide grin, she glanced up at White.

–

As White walked over, he smiled at her in return, as if to say ' _I'm so glad to see you, and I'm so glad to be back.'_ He glanced at her hand as it touched his shoulder, but he quickly looked back up at his superior.

"So was I, but-"

–

The tallest Diamond crouched down and wrapped her arms quickly around Hematite, pulling him in closer to her. She didn't let go.

"It's so good to see you again..."

–

He stopped as she pulled him close, his breath catching in his throat. The smaller gem let out a soft exhale of disbelief after a long moment, his eyes widening. Slowly, wrapped his arms around her in return.

"I-it's..."

Hematite's eyes filled with tears, and he buried his face in White's neck, his body trembling with relief.

"It's good to see you too. I missed you." After a moment, he looked up past White's shoulder, to the final diamond standing behind her, and gave a bright, teary-eyed smile.

"All of you."

–

Yellow's expression never changed. It never so much as turned into a look of surprise. Maybe there was a raise of her brow, but that was it. She watched the other two give him hugs and praises, but she sat with her arms crossed, staring boredly at the Hematite.

"Hm... a service gem managed to make it back all on their own? Took you long enough." She said, staring right through him.

–

At Yellow's cold response, Hematite felt his heart sink, and his smile faded. Well, maybe she was just in a bad mood. _Yeah, she must have had a Peridot mess something up again today._

–

White unwrapped her arms from him, stepping back and placing her palms together.

"I'm glad to see that you made it back at all. You will have to tell me all about it later." She said, with a faint smile on her face.

"Yeah, and me too! We'll share a drink over it sometime if you'd like, Hehehe!" Blue wrapped her arm again around Hema's neck, pulling him in harshly and placing her hand in his hair. She waved it around rapidly, giving the white-haired gem a fierce noogie.

–

As White stepped back, he looked up at her and nodded.

"I have so much to tell you. M-Maybe we can discuss it over tea some time..." His attention turned to Blue, and he smiled again before she suddenly grabbed him and mussed his hair.

"AH, Blueee my hair!" _He'd just fixed that before getting here!_ "Alright alright we'll have a drink over it!" His distressed flailing turned into playful shoving and he found himself laughing happily. _Stars, he'd missed being home._

He just wished all _three_ of the Diamonds shared the same sentiment.


	10. The Harvester Approaches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite has a surprise match in the Coliseum.

_Well that wasn't good, was it?_

Hematite slammed into the far wall of the arena, leaving a couple impressive cracks in the stone, despite only being his civilian height. He lifted his head sharply to see two gems sprinting towards him, their next attacks readied. Rolling to the side, the service gem barely dodged the smaller of the two as she barreled down on the spot where he'd just been, her arms engulfed in flames. Hematite made a run for it, but was cut off by his other opponent, who brought down her mighty ax mere feet in front of him.

Puff and Rubes were _quite_ the team.

"Stay still, for star's sakes! Puff, grab him!" Rubes called out in a commanding tone. Her partner grinned and grabbed Hematite, quickly wrapping her arms around him.

"Let him have it, Rubes!" she shouted back, laughing smugly as Hema struggled to get free. His legs flailed in the air, and his eyes widened as Ruby came barreling toward him and leapt to deliver a hard punch.

A blinding flash disoriented Jasper for a moment, and her arms were left holding nothing. Before she could react, Rubes' fist made contact with her face and knocked her to the ground with a sharp yell. Rubes gasped and stood up, fussing over her downed partner.

"Oh my stars, I'm sorry, are you alright?" Puff didn't respond, continuing to lay flat on the ground, her head spinning. All she could get out were a few unintelligible noises of dazed confusion. Angrily, Rubes looked around for her missing opponent and blinked in utter confusion when she saw him scampering away... at only a few inches tall.

What the absolute _hell_.

Leaping to her feet, Rubes let out a growl of frustration and darted toward the now tiny Hematite, her eyes never leaving him as she quickly approached.

"Get back here!"

Hematite stopped and made a sharp turn, quickly running back toward the Ruby. She tried to skid to a halt as he neared her, but her momentum worked against her, and she was mere feet away when the tiny gem suddenly shifted to about ten feet tall and landed a solid punch to her abdomen, sending her flying back toward Puff.

Rubes landed directly on top of her still-dazed partner with a loud grunt. Panting, she attempted to stand up, but collapsed back on Jasper's stomach. She was done. The crowd burst into cheers. The Harvester had won again!

Breathing heavily, Hematite looked around and soaked in the adulation, a wide smile on his face.

_Finally._

_He was back where he belonged._

Months and months he had been home, and he was just now getting back to fighting in the Coliseum. He missed this. After explaining his situation to White Diamond, she'd given him a short recuperation period before setting him right to work again. Thankfully, all his jobs had been on Homeworld. Seemed White wasn't too eager to send him off-planet again so soon.

Hematite, remaining at about ten feet tall, walked to one of the tunnels that lined the sides of the Arena. He leaned against the wall and wiped his brow with a sigh.

Looking up at the sound of footsteps, Hematite's face lit up, and he stood straight as he spotted Blue hurrying down to the tunnel.

–

The Blue gem ran hectically towards him, waving her hand frantically.

"HEMA! HEY!" She shouted, skidding to a halt and giving him a harsh pat on the back. "Good to see ya! Sorry I'm late, I didn't miss anything fun did I?" She said, smiling like her usual self. It had been over a decade since she last got to see Hematite duke it out, let alone spar with him.

–

Despite currently being taller than his superior, Hema still let out a loud 'PUH' as she 'patted' him on the back. Chuckling breathlessly, he regained his posture and smiled at her warmly.

"Naah, you didn't miss too much. Well, you know. Except the fact that I just ended up fighting two of those gems that I caught way back when. They almost beat me, too! They're quite the effective pair." The larger gem leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Makes me feel kinda weird for going after them. I know it was my job, but." He suddenly paused, glancing nervously at Blue. Should he really be saying this out loud? To his _superior_ , of all people?

"... I dunno. They don't seem like bad gems. It's a shame I had to uh." Hematite shrugged. "You know."

-

Blue bit her lip, holding her hand closer to her in her other palm.

"Er, listen bud. Don't feel too bad, alright? These things need to get done one way or the other, and hey, look at it this way!" She grinned warmly, walking a few steps closer towards the opening of the arena, just enough to still be in its shadows. "At least ya didn't have to hurt anyone that day." _Her eyes widened a little, looking down at her feet. At least **you** didn't, anyway._

-

Hematite had caught Blue's moment of hesitation. He knew what that was all about, but he didn't want to bring up _that_ part of the mission.

Smiling awkwardly, the taller gem looked out toward the arena where Puff and Rubes were dusting each other off and fussing over each other. Rubes was apologizing, it seemed. Puff shrugged it off and laughed as she said something, and Rubes rubbed the back of her neck bashfully. The two of them began to walk to one of the opposite coliseum entrances, probably to make their way into the stands. Though the crowd couldn't see it, Hematite watched the two lace their hands together as soon as they were in the shadow of the Arena tunnel. His brow furrowed.

"I'm just glad Yellow Diamond didn't get a hold of them."

–

She shook herself back quickly, turning to her friend, and spread her arms out.

"Haha, ah, yeah! Sparky's a real stickler for law and order." the diamond grinned nervously, taking advantage of the sudden change in conversation. "Why, if she got a hold of em, Stars... I don't even wanna think about it..."

–

Brows furrowing, Hematite frowned and tapped his finger on his arm. He sighed. Something seemed to be bothering him.

"Yeah. Me either."

–

That last statement struck a small chord. Blue looked away awkwardly again, then sighed heavily. Her arm swung behind her, hand scratching her head. She started thinking... thinking about how Yellow had reacted, or rather _didn't_ react to Hematite's return. She thought about how much Yellow would spar with Hematite before, and how he would always come back beat up and... not all _there_. She thought about how Hematite never really seemed to keep up conversations when it came to Yellow Diamond. Blue knew their relationship must have been a little rockier, but then again, she also knew that Yellow wasn't a very social person, and the 'friends' she did have were good acquaintances at best... not including the other Diamonds of course.

"Listen Hema, I know things might seem a little.... weird, with Spa-Er, Yellow Diamond. She comes off really... cold? Harsh? At first, at least... But, just give her time." She said, placing a palm on Hematite's arm, looking up to him warmly. "She's an odd gem. You just gotta give her a chance." She shrugged, her once-gleeful expression finally returning.

–

Cold, harsh? _Hmph_. _Understatement of the century._ When Hematite managed to meet Blue's eyes, there was a faint hint of... genuine anger? But only for a moment. The look was quickly replaced with barely disguised skepticism, and he rolled his eyes, looking away again.

"I've tried to give her time. It'd be a lot easier if she wasn't so hard to talk to. I just. Don't think she likes me very much." The taller gem sighed and tried to find comfort Blue's attempt to make him feel better. He looked at the hand on his arm and huffed through his nose. He conceded.

"Alright, I'll give her a chance. No promises, though."

–

Blue shrugged again, moving her arm away from him.

"She doesn't really like anyone very much, to be honest... But that doesn't mean she's, ya know, a bad gem! Just give it time. She can't stay too cold with ya forever, especially given that you're around us all the time. Heh, I know when she first got her Pearl, it took her an entire century to even start thanking them.... Aaand even now, she rarely thanks that Pearl... I-I digress!" She chuckled, deciding to change the subject again. She could tell Hematite didn't want to dwell on the subject for too long.. besides, she was certain she got her point across.

 

"Now, whadda ya say we toss a few punches in the ring? Just like the good old days?!" Her excitement had quickly returned, and she already looked like she was getting hyped back up for the match.

–

The gem listened to Blue's words with a heavy sense of doubt in his chest, but regardless, he did take notes. Right, Yellow was just.. hard to crack. That's all. She had taught him a few things, even if her methods were... questionable. It was all for his own good.

_**Right?** _

Putting his thoughts aside, he nodded down at Blue and uncrossed his arms, some of his old fire returning.

"Right! I hope you've been keeping sharp, I learned a lot back on Earth!" He laughed good-naturedly and began making his way for the exit of the tunnel.

"Race ya to the center!"

–

Blue laughed and bolted for the opening, the guards at the front of the entrance swaying back to avoid colliding with the two oncoming gems. The crowd erupted in cheers upon seeing their favorite fighters back in the ring. It'd been such a long time since they had seen them fight, and they were ready for a show. Smaller crystals lit up in a few of the gems' hands, excited murmurs masked by the overall hype of the crowd. Some were using their communicators to spread the word. There was no way they were gonna let their friends miss this!

–

Hematite gave a hearty laugh as he neared the center of the arena, and he turned to the crowd as he bounced back the last few paces, throwing his fists up.

"Are you all ready?!" he cheered, an excited grin plastered on this face. Looking around at the audience, he realized this was the most people he'd ever attracted to the stands... This was going to be one hell of a return!

The return of _'The Harvester'!_

–

The crowd all took a standing ovation, applause and cheering exploding from the stands. Blue looked up warmly at Hematite. It was so good to see him back... so _wonderful_ to see him happy again. She gave a determined nod, throwing her own hands up in the air.

"YEEEEAHHH LET'S DO THIS!!!"

She reached quickly for her gem, pulling out a large mace, darting back a few feet and facing Hema.

"I've waited a long time for this!"

–

Hematite turned and grinned at his superior as she pulled out her weapon. He didn't waste any time summoning his, and he took a few paces back before settling into his familiar fighting stance.

"Bring it on, Blue! Don't hold back!"

And with that, he charged at her, for once, going in for the first hit.

–

Blue cackled and slammed her mace in her palm. She darted around, narrowly avoiding the advancing gem.

"Haha, you're gonna have to be less predictable than that bud! I haven't forgot your tricks!" she said with a wide grin, swinging her weapon around to catch him in the back.

–

Wasting no time, Hematite moved with Blue's dodge in a subtle enough way that she wouldn't catch it, and when she swung her mace, he turned on a dime, reached for the handle, and vaulted straight over it, giving her a sly smirk. As soon as he met the ground beside her, he spun and gave her a powerful kick in the side, making sure to keep himself low should she swing at him again.

–

With a surprised yelp, Blue dropped her mace and skittered backwards, clutching her side.

"Woaaahh, Where'd ya learn to do that, kid?! I've never seen ya so nimble before!!" She grinned widely, turning and swiping her mace back off of the ground. The crowd cheered even louder, more gems starting to flood in from the gates. Blue laughed, happy to see that her favorite opponent had learned some new tactics. It was new, it was exciting! She was reminded of the first time she ever fought him. With a fire in her eyes, she let out a fierce battle cry and advanced forward, her mace thrashing back for a powerful swing.

–

The gem let out a confident laugh as Blue stumbled back, and he'd taken the time to leap to his feet and make a few flighty paces backwards, as he was wont to do when preparing an attack. Once he'd made some distance, he crouched low, his knuckledusters sparking with electricity.

As Blue barreled toward him, he tensed, ready to jump over her. But he froze. His eyes widened, staring at the mace, and he found himself planted on the spot.

The image of the shattered Hematite flashed through his mind.

It was a long enough pause that instead of moving, he took a solid hit from her mace. Hematite let out a sharp yelp and landed heavily about ten feet away.

–

Blue froze for a moment, her smile quickly fading. The crowd cheered, but a few were looking on in confusion. The diamond carefully scurried up to Hematite, looking down at him with her mace still in hand.

"Hey, you ok kid? That wasn't like you at all." She said, unsure if this was one of his new tactics or not. She made sure to keep just a few feet away, in case he was gonna take advantage of the moment.

–

_You're not a threat right now.  
_

_It's just a spar._

_She's not going to hurt you._

_You're being silly._

Sitting up slowly, Hematite groaned and shook his head to clear it. Right, that was going to sting later. Even if it already stung pretty badly now. The downed gem looked up at his concerned superior and gave her a reassuring grin. His hands were balled up into fists.

Suddenly, Hematite reeled his hand back and landed a heavy strike to the ground, the prongs on his knuckledusters sinking easily into the dirt. Electricity coursed up his arm and raced into the ground, making its way to Blue in an instant. The lightning sparked out of the ground, striking her directly. It wasn't enough to hurt her badly, but it would be enough to stun her for the moment that he needed.

He took the opportunity and launched at his superior, landing a solid strike to her abdomen as he'd done in their first fight, his fists still alight with electricity.

–

The shock alone took her by surprise, but the service gem's sudden punch quickly struck her back into the fight. With a wince, she shot him a fiendish grin.

"Atta gem!!" She uttered, flinging her mace back over her shoulder. He was starting to play a lot smarter. Good. The great thing about training in the coliseum was that it was helping him learn new things while still keeping his skills in check. She was happy to help in any way... after all, it was tons of fun for her as well!

She darted out of his way sharply, her mace starting to glow and spark. In a few short moments, the mace grew, the ball on the end becoming much bigger. With a mighty battle roar, she brought the end of the mace down on the ground so fiercely that a small tremor erupted forth. Dropping her weapon completely, she lunged forward for a strong punch while her opponent was briefly distracted. Two can play at that game!

–

At first Hema's only concern was getting out of the way of Blue's mace, but he was caught off-guard when she suddenly leapt over it to land a strong hit.

_C'mon, get back into it!_

Hematite rolled to the side as Blue closed in, and he only hoped his speed would serve him well. As he dodged, hoping it was enough to miss her fist, he kicked out at her legs, hoping to knock her off her feet.

 

In the shadows of one of the far tunnels, a large, well-built figure stood, cloaked in darkness. They were wearing bright brown and gold armor, a golden helmet hiding their face. In their hands was a huge gem claymore, which they patiently patted against their gloved palm.

–

Blue was ready to make her move, but her eyes caught something suddenly. Her smile quickly faded, and she took the full brunt of Hematite's kick. Landing on the ground with an ungraceful thud, she scrambled quickly to her knees and looked up past Hema. The crowd got eerily quiet, aside from a few gasps here and there. Blue looked incredibly nervous, her eyes transfixed on...whatever it was behind her opponent.

 

"What is _this_ , now?"

 

An ominously familiar voice called from above. Up on one of the archways to the gate stood a tall figure, sword placed gracefully in front of them. She grabbed a hold of it and jumped down, landing harmoniously on her feet, swiping her sword up to point at the two gems in the ring. Her eyes narrowed coldly, fixed on the taller of the two.

 

The coliseum fell silent.

–

Hematite had let out a satisfied shout when his attack landed, but as he jumped up to look at Blue, his excitement turned to confusion. What was she looking at? Did Mago show up again to yell at him?

The taller gem turned, brows raised, and stopped when he saw Yellow Diamond perched atop the gate arch. His eyes widened. Gaze following her as she leapt down, the gem blinked in surprise and went silent.

Suddenly, he smiled.

 

And he laughed.

 

"This is perfect!" He gave a quick, excited glance back at Blue before looking Yellow Diamond in the eye. For once, the two of them were the same height.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to spar later, but this is even _better_! I can show you everything I learned on my, er... mission!" He didn't want to reveal to his audience what exactly had made him go missing. Not yet.

The crowd was still silent, and though he didn't know it, only the first few rows of gems could clearly make out his words.

"I mean, I know you prefer the sky arena, but! This is just as good, right?" He looked at her with unbridled excitement, his fists balled up in front of him, close to his chest. His eyes were practically shining.

_This was the chance he needed!_

He could show her what he was really made of, here, in the one place he knew best!

_Maybe this would be the first spar he'd actually win!_

"Whatta ya say, Yellow Diamond? Care to take on '''The Harvester'''?"

–

Yellow raised a brow simply at his words, placing her sword into the dirt. She pursed her lips, looking out to the massive crowd that had gathered. _They were here for **him**? … No. Blue was there. They'd come for her, probably._ She shrugged off his words completely, rolling her eyes before staring him down. Was this kid serious?

"Fine." She said simply, her gaze drifting to pierce the other. "As for you, stand aside. I'm taking over this fight." She said sternly. Blue got to her feet and nodded in understanding, looking over to Hematite with a glance that could only say 'good luck'. The crowd's murmurs started to pick up, a dull commotion sweeping over the stands. Blue joined them quickly, finding herself in one of the front row seats. Stars, it really was crowded here.

Yellow placed a palm over the hilt of her sword and looked over to Hematite, her stare hardening as the seconds passed.

"Show me then what you have learned, _'Harvester'...."_

–

Watching Blue leave the arena grounds, Hematite looked up at the crowd and gave a big grin.

"You hear that? Your champ's gonna take on Yellow Diamond herself!" A large portion of the gems watching raised their voices in a cheer. How exciting! They'd never seen Yellow Diamond fight in the arena, or if they had, it'd been FAR too long! Hematite had defeated Blue a few times, so this would be interesting!

Looking back at his opponent, the gem crouched low and regained his fighting stance, his knuckles aglow with lightning.

"The guest should get the first move.~"

–

As the crowd began to stir once more, thick clouds started to form overhead, leaving only small patches of light to shine through. The yellow gem closed her eyes and swung her sword in a fancy show, small sparks fizzling around the blade, before drawing herself into a bow. It was a courteous display of sportsmanship. Her eyes shot open into a narrowed glare, golden eyes piercing daggers through Hematite.

She straightened her posture, poised to strike. With a sharp movement, she advanced, her sword extended in front of her. It was just another spar. Just like she had done with Hematite many times before. Over and over, she would engage him, tire him out, then win. Rinse and repeat. She never lost. This would be over before they knew it, best to just humble him and get it out of the way.

The crowd was in for a treat.

–

Hematite was _ready_ for her this time.

This spar was going to be different.

_He could feel it._

As Yellow Diamond closed in, Hematite skirted around her, feigning his usual dodge that he went for at the start of their spars, but instead of trying to avoid her attack, he shot his foot up, making strong contact with the bottom of her wrist and the hilt of her sword.

–

Her eyes widened suddenly, the sword flung into the air. She darted back and grasped her hand where Hematite's foot had made contact. She looked in short disbelief, baring her teeth with a nasty scowl. _Wha?_... _How dare he_. She placed her hand to her gem and created another sword. No use going after that one. She turned on her heel, the blade to the new sword starting to glow slightly. She went in for another strike, stabbing at the air rhythmically so she could get closer to him. She kept a sharp eye on his feet.

–

Hematite had taken the momentary pause to jump back and make some distance, and he readied his next attack.

_Time to show off a new trick._

The gem's knuckledusters began to glow. As Yellow Diamond approached, he deftly avoided the end of her weapon, making sure to block it with his hands, the blade glancing off the silvery metal. He'd gotten very good at blocking close-quarters blades, and it _showed_. Before, he would simply dodge and roll out of the way, but he was taking her head-on this time. When he got an opening, Hematite made a wild swing for his opponent's sword arm, hoping to hit her shoulder.

He kept an eye on where her gaze was affixed, and his form began to glow.

–

Yellow started to become mildly perturbed, if even a little. Her strikes became gradually faster, but more erratic. She needed to land a hit... how come she couldn't land a hit? By now she would have at LEAST gotten him once. With a coarse grunt, she darted back suddenly, swinging her sword arm upwards. He had missed, but just barely...and now he had actually forced her back. The crowd cheered louder, now fully into the excitement. Blue however, for once, was not too excited. She had a bad feeling about this. She watched nervously, biting her lip, gripping the edge of the wall tightly.

"You can do it, kid..." She muttered under her breath, watching closely. She had watched very few fight Yellow and actually win. If he didn't win, it probably wouldn't bode well for his current mental state. But if he won.... Yellow would be spiteful. In any way this went, she couldn't foresee a positive outcome.

–

As Yellow stumbled back, Hematite quickly retracted his fist, but something whipped out from it.

The hit had been a fake-out. As the gem swung his arm back, seemingly to bring it close to him, a long, crackling whip of electricity lashed out and struck Yellow Diamond's sword, wrapping around it.

Not hesitating, Hematite flicked his other hand, another wild leash of lightning appearing from his knuckleduster. With his left whip holding onto her sword, Hematite lashed out with his right, going in for a direct hit.

–

With another startled gasp, she quickly dropped her sword as soon as the whip made contact. That was unexpected. She didn't have much time to react as the other whip came flying towards her, but she saw a single window of opportunity. She reached out and grabbed the whip mid-swing, electricity violently coursing through her. Her form tensed up, but all the while she gave Hematite one of the most vicious glares he'd ever seen. This one stung. However, given that she had electrical powers of her own, it didn't do near the amount of damage it would have with any other gem. She was able to stave off the majority of the pain, quickly regaining her strength. With a sharp pull, she managed to compose herself long enough to yank him towards her, quickly delivering a fierce punch to his chest.

–

Hematite froze on the spot when she gave him that look. There was _malice_ there, hatred, fury. All the confidence and happiness he'd worn on his face a moment before vanished, leaving nothing but a startled and vaguely hurt expression.

_Isn't she proud?_

Still stunned by her piercing glare, Hematite barely reacted as he was yanked close and struck in the chest. His whips vanished, and he was sent flying back. He landed semi-gracefully, though his recovery wasn't as steady as usual. He looked up at her, panting breathlessly, A weak smile found its way to his face, and he began skirting around her, watching her carefully.

"Like that new trick?" A timid laugh escaped him. "I thought you of all gems would appreciate it." His words were quiet, far too soft for the crowd to hear any of them. What was her next move?

And for that matter, what was _his_ next move?

–

Yellow placed her hand to her gem, creating yet another sword. How many was she going to go through? She hardly ever had to make replacements. She was starting to feel like maybe she was getting as reckless as Blue. No, no she was far more graceful than Blue. She'd prove it. Ignoring her opponent's words, her livid face had calmed to the cold look she held before....almost condescending. She took a running start, quickly leaping into the air with a flash of lightning striking her new blade. An instant charge. She twisted in the air, clutching her sword tightly and bringing it down sharply on the ground in Hematite's direction. A massive electrical current struck forward, jutting out in many different directions. It was like a shock wave... a powerful, _fast_ shock wave.

–

As Hematite watched Yellow Diamond leap into the air, he'd prepared two whips again, ready to grab onto her feet as she came down. But the lightning strike startled him, and his attack missed badly. As she struck her sword to the ground, the shock wave was almost immediately upon Hematite, and he went flying back, landing ungracefully on all fours. His body was coursing with electricity, but other than making him grimace and tremble involuntarily, the worst of the pain passed quickly, and he grinned at his opponent boldly.

"C'mon! Is that the best you've got, Sparky-"

 

His eyes widened, and he went silent.

 

_**Oh no.** _

 

–

The audience gasped, a crude silence befalling them.... including Blue.

She placed her hand to her mouth quickly, eyes widening. Oh _Stars_ , he didn't. Not now, not _here_...

 

Yellow's face went entirely blank as she dropped her sword to the ground. She stared straight through him, her fists clenching tightly.

"What. Did you. Just call me?"

 

The audience roared in laughter, pointing and shouting. They just couldn't help it. Sparky. Sparky?! What kind of name was that? Blue started to sweat, nervously hunkering herself down in her seat. Yellow slowly turned her head, her expression turned to one of pure rage. Her gaze, despite being a little far off, definitely met Blue's. This was _her_ fault...and she would pay for this later. But first... she needed to make someone _else_ pay.

Her head turned slowly back towards Hematite, the same rageful glare she had given Blue now found its way back to him. Her fists started to glow vibrantly, sparks flying off. She took a heavy breath, appalled, and grit her teeth.

 

"How. DARE YOU...."

–

Slowly standing up, Hematite put his hands in front of him, his weapons vanishing. He was scared.

No.

He was _terrified_.

His attempts to meet her eyes failed, and he kept glancing away, as if looking around for help. His eyes momentarily rested on Blue.

_**Help me.** _

Avoiding Yellow's gaze, he bit his lip.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! It was an accident! I-I didn't mean to-" He began shaking uncontrollably.

–

With breakneck speed, she was upon him already. She violently grabbed his arm and flung him down into the ground. The dirt met him with a great deal of force. _Did she always have this much strength?_ She stared down at him with a cold, merciless glare.

"How DARE you humiliate me in front of this many people!" she spat, thrusting her foot into his side, sending him skittering across the ground. She inched closer, fists still resounding with glowing electricity. "I have half a mind to KILL you for that..." Her rage was growing, as if it could even rise any higher. The crowd had since stopped laughing, but it was still all she could hear.

"GET UP."

–

Hematite felt the air violently leave his lungs as he was slammed into the ground, and he gasped weakly as he tried to sit up. But his breath was cut off again as she kicked him in the side, sending him skittering over the dirt floor. His body weakly glowed, and he shrank down a tad. As she neared, he managed to roll over and sit up, but his hands were still in front of him.

"Please! I don't want to fight, not like this!"

–

"You WILL fight, oh great _Harvester,"_ she hissed, striking venom into the last word. She grasped his shirt and yanked him up, quickly delivering a punch to his abdomen. Then another. And another. She barraged him with electrified swings, harsher and quicker as they went on. Her gaze never faltered, never left his maroon eyes. It was as if she had trapped him in a cage to beat him down, over and over.

"What's wrong?"

whack.

"Why won't you fight now?..."

WHACK.

"Are you scared?!"

**WHACK!!!**

"FACE ME YOU COWARD!!!"

_**W H A C K!** _

She reeled her arm back and delivered a massive blow to his shoulder, knocking him back. Thunder cracked violently above her. She breathed heavily. Her vicious scowl alone could have sent chills up the bravest of spines.

 

"You should have stayed back on Earth...."

–

Hematite could do nothing but take his punishment, blow after blow. Slowly, his form shrank down, until his feet were dangling off the ground, and he took the final hit to his shoulder. He fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Weak sparks emanated from his form as he began to glow, and soon, there was only a tiny version of the service gem left huddled on the ground.

There was a long, ominous pause.

_You should have stayed back on Earth._

_She doesn't mean that... she's just angry.._

Deep within, he was holding onto his last shred of hope that despite all this, she still saw something in him. Even if it was something small...

"...." Hematite slowly rolled onto his side and managed to get himself upright. He was reclined on the ground, his elbows supporting him as he looked up at the massive Diamond before him.

"I'm sorry.... Please forgive me"

Tears streamed down his face. He gave a weak cough, a hand resting on his abdomen.

"It was a mistake..."

–

Yellow's merciless eyes narrowed, her hand placed to her gem. It glowed brightly, revealing yet another sword. She slowly raised it, poised to strike one final blow.

 

"You **are** a mistake..."

 

**CLANG!!!**

 

The diamond's sword fell down on something harshly, sending a massive reverberation back through the blade, shattering it completely. She stumbled back, gasping in surprise. Blue had, just in time, ran between them with her mace in hand. The sword had made contact with the bar of her mace, which was fortunately strong enough to stave off the blow completely. She lowered the bar and slammed her weapon on the ground, holding the end of the hilt.

"STOP THIS, YELLOW. This fight is OVER." She growled, protecting the smaller gem cowering behind her.

 

The crowed erupted in boos, hisses, and displeased shouts. This wasn't what they wanted, this wasn't what anyone wanted. Yellow heaved, still noticeably pissed... but she took a deep breath, glaring at the shorter Diamond.

She threw her sword hilt on the ground and started for the exit, but not before shooting the Hematite a rather dark glare, not even bothering to turn her head to face him. Before either of them could say anything, she stormed out of the ring. She was gone.

 

Blue turned to the small gem and knelt down, her mace fizzling away into a sparkling dust.

"Hematite..."

–

**Cold.**

Hematite's body was numb. Everything went dead silent around him, he heard nothing. He felt **nothing**.

 

_**Y o u a r e a m i s t a k e.** _

 

_Kill._

_She was going to kill him._

_Over a little mistake._

_A little, tiny, harmless mistake._

_She was going to kill a little, tiny, harmless gem._

_Ha. Hahaha. Tiny. Harmless. Useless. Nothing. Worthless. **Pathetic**._

Hematite felt something inside of him sink. Sink deep, deep down, into a sticky black abyss. He'd been good. He had done everything he was told. Hematite was a good little gem.

_A good little gem that was nearly killed over a slip of the tongue._

Hematite's eyes were hollow. He stared at the shattered remains of Yellow Diamond's sword that laid on the ground.

 

_He just wanted her to be proud of him._

 

But it wasn't enough. It would _never_ be enough. He was nothing. Nothing but a doomed gem that would one day corrupt and leave nothing behind. She would probably be glad when that day came.

And he would be forgotten.

 

…

 

_No._

 

No, Hematite would not be cast aside so easily. He was _big_. He was _loud_. He was _a force to be reckoned with_. And this gem thought she could tell him what he was? A mistake? _**Ha**_.

 

_He'd show her what he was._

_He'd give her a reason to fear him._

_He was **something**. He was a **Harvester**._

 

_**And he just found his next target.** _


	11. Drone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue Diamond notices Hematite is acting odd.

It'd been weeks since the blowup in the Coliseum. Blue bared through a number of verbal lashings from Yellow since then. She was _not_ happy about her spreading that ridiculous nickname around enough for Hematite to know about it. The lectures and verbal lashings were enough, but... Worse yet, Blue hadn't seen a single sign of Hematite anywhere since she brought him back to the White Tower. Hematite assured her that even in his tiny state, he could find his way to his room just fine from the ground floor... but. The diamond hadn't seen him since. She was worried about him. Sometimes, she would show up at Morganite's bar, calmly waiting for him to show up, secretly hoping she would catch him.

_But she never did._

She set off on her own today, having heard from White that Hema had a mission he was handling out in the front end of the Pink district. Since she wasn't running into him out and about, she decided she would go and find him for herself. Blue didn't know how he was feeling, and since she hadn't seen him since Yellow's little party crash, it made her more and more concerned for him. Maybe he was mad at her? Perhaps he was just a little spooked? Maybe a good old fashioned tussle with her would make him happy! _Yeah, surely that would do!_ She raced forward, picking up her pace, her will to find him stronger than ever.

After scouting for a solid two hours, looking for any sign of the gem, she started to get a little nervous. _Was he still out here?_ He was surprisingly easy to lose, despite normally being so big. Then, she heard it. A distant crumbling sound echoing in the distance. Perhaps that was him? She made her way swiftly in the direction where she heard the noise, climbing over bits of fallen rubble and running through clearings. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any trouble around, at least not _yet_. It was a smooth run, and the noises started to get louder and more clear. _That **had** to be him...  
_

–

**CRACK**

Take a step.

**CRACK**

Take a step.

**CRACK**

Hematite slowly pulled his hand away from the tower he was demolishing, bits of rubble and old plant life falling to the floor.

 **CRACK**.

The service gem was steadily making his way around a smaller sky scraper while at half of his full height. As he punched through another section of wall, his visor chirped in response to some movement further off. Someone was coming.

 **CRACK**.

_Almost done._

–

Blue peered over a piece of rubble, watching the gem make his way around the building. That was definitely him, alright... but it... also _didn't_ seem like him. She stayed quiet, watching him wreck the building, in an almost... mechanical fashion. Was this how he always demolished things? Or was she missing something more? He seemed so much more drone-like than usual. She didn't want to bother him, so she tried to stay hidden for the moment. Maybe she wouldn't bother him, and maybe he wouldn't notice her....

–

**Crack.**

_Crumble._

Pulling his hand away again, Hematite stared hollowly at the building in front of him. Visor whirring, he stood straight.

It was ready to come down any minute now.

Slowly, the giant gem turned toward Blue, seeming to look straight through her. She was some distance off, almost out of sight, but he'd still caught her faint movement from far-off. His visor wasn't glazed over at the moment, but was dancing with different HUDs.

"I can see you there." His voice was cold, monotone, mechanical. He sounded like it did when reciting his prisoners their rights.

He waited in dead silence for the 'hidden' Diamond to make a move.

–

Blue blinked slowly, surprised he'd noticed her so quickly. _Must have been the gem tech he wore._ Not bothering to stay hidden now, she made her way closer and stopped on an outcropping that was some distance off the ground, so she could be a bit closer to his height. Not that it helped much. _  
_

"Ah, Hey kid! I thought I'd uh, pay you a visit! Do ya mind?" she asked, climbing up onto the rubble fully now, her hands out in an almost shrugging gesture. There was the faintest trace of nervousness in her tone, but she kept it together. Something really _was_ off about him.

–

Hematite raised his head ever so slightly, still staring through her. He hadn't looked this dead-eyed before, even while on his harvesting mission that Blue had tagged along with. His voice remained flat, lifeless.

"You are my superior, Blue Diamond. You may stay if you so desire."

He slowly turned back to the building. His eyepiece began to scan it, clicking and whirring as it looked for faults and weak points. Hematite was silent.

–

Blue bit her lip, her heart sinking, her anxiety rising. _No, no this definitely wasn't like him. Something was wrong, **very** wrong...she was right._ She was right to assume, she just knew something was up. It wasn't like him to avoid her like this. It wasn't like him to speak this way... To _look_ this way. She hopped up on the highest part of the rubble and stood as tall as she could, which, given her size compared to Hema, didn't really matter much

"Hematite, we need to talk!" She shouted, a seriousness in her voice that wasn't normally there. She clenched her fists. _"Now."_

–

Blinking slowly, the giant gem turned to Blue and stared at her. He said nothing for a long moment. Eventually, he slowly moved toward her, his motions stiff. Another pause. Slowly, Hematite lowered himself to her eye level, his knees bent, his face unnervingly close to her. His visor had not shut off.

He waited for her to continue.

–

This unnerved her... _badly_. She didn't move, however, and stared at him, eye to eye. His lack of response didn't help the growing anxiety in her chest. She was frowning; baffled and... almost in disbelief.

"This isn't _like_ you, Hematite. Please, talk to me. Say something. Say anything! Tell me a joke!" She laughed feebly, starting to get the feeling everything she was going to say was in vain. It would at least be worth a shot.

She stared into the hunting visor, wondering if Hematite even acknowledged anything she was saying.

–

At first, his expression remained stoic, but as he listened to Blue's words get more desperate, something faltered. His brow twitched, and he glanced away for a moment. _Say something... but_ _ **what**_ _?_ What was there to say?

_I'm busy?_

_I don't have anything to say?_

_Leave me alone..._

_I don't want you seeing me like this..._

What **could** he say?

**_You should find another Hematite to be friends with._ **

A soft, bitter laugh escaped him.

"Ha."

 _Oh... she wasn't supposed to hear that._ Slowly, he looked back at her, the slightest bit of apprehension in his eyes.

"I guess you could say my job today is to really... bring down.. the.. house." He _tried_ to smile. He did.

But nothing happened.

–

Blue stared for a moment, but burst into a pathetic laughter. She crumpled down on the rubble placing a palm on its cold surface. She didn't stop. She kept laughing, but the laugh turned dry... before it turned into something else.

A sob.

Tears flowed from her eyes, spattering onto the broken piece of building. She tried desperately to cover her face with her hands. _Why did this hurt? Why did this suddenly make her so upset? Was she overreacting?_ She ran her hands up her face, fingers digging into her puffy hair. She looked at the ground, refusing to look up at him. She just kept crying.

-

Though she couldn't see it at the moment, Hematite's cold demeanor broke, if only for a moment.

_No._

_No, he couldn't see Blue like this... She was distraught over how he was behaving. It was his fault._

… _No._

_Yellow Diamond's fault._

_**She** did this to him._

_**She** hurt Blue._

_-_

"Th-they... You... I...." She could hardly keep herself together.

This hurt... This hurt her. It hurt her to see him like this. It hurt her because she didn't know what to do. A service gem... a service gem and a Diamond with a friendship that she felt was so strong, she could be comfortable around him. Or so she had thought.

The common gem would have laughed. In such a seemingly short amount of time, Blue got closer to this gem than she did most others. Sure, she was social, and palling around with gems was just how she was. But Hematite, from the start, was something special to her.

"You broke your promise," she said quietly, looking up finally with an expression of hurt and anger. She didn't know how to feel... and yet she felt _so_ many things.

He had changed. He had let them take his spirited nature away. They took _him_ away. This wasn't the same gem she befriended before.... and she could do nothing about it.

–

As she looked up at him, his eyes widened, and he glanced away, hurt. Slowly, he lifted his hand, as if to reach for her, but he stopped and lowered it again, instead moving to hold his upper arm. He squeezed tightly, the fabric bunching up between his fingers.

".... You're right. I'm sorry."

_She hates you now._

_You hurt her._

_You're **defective**._

_And you're a **c o w a r d**_

_You're not good enough for **anyone**._

"If I may go... I have a job to do." His voice was quiet, but the numbness from before was slowly creeping back into his tone. He couldn't do this.

_But he had to._

_He wouldn't let Blue grieve him._

If it meant she hated him by the time he was gone, then so be it.

But damned if it didn't hurt right _**now**_.

–

Blue wiped the tears from her eyes. She felt disgusting... she felt weak. She felt vulnerable. She felt angry.

_But she kept it together._

Standing up, she nodded simply, turning away without a word. There was nothing she could do for him. She could only hope that he'd come back to his senses. Though, she didn't count on it. She wanted so badly to just _beat_ the sadness out of him. _Hah...no, that's not how it worked._ She could tell, for a split second, she had moved something in him... but it was unlikely that it was _much,_ much less enough to bring him back.

 

She gave up.

 

Back turned to the service gem, she shrugged her shoulders and sighed heavily.

 

"I'll see ya around, Kid..."

–

Hematite stared at her, apprehension still clear in his expression, but as Blue turned away, the life drained out of his face again, and he went cold.

"Yes, I'm sure we will see each other around again." He stood up. "We do live close to each other."

With that, he turned away and walked back to the crumbling building.

–

Blue started off, clutching her arm in her hand. That was a disaster...she started to wonder if it was best if she had just stayed out of it. After a few moments, there was an ear-splitting crack, followed by crumbling. She jerked her head back to see what had happened. Her eyes widened.

–

Hematite stood, motionless, the building crashing down around his arm. He'd punched straight to the center, taking out the one last piece he needed to destroy the tower.

But he didn't move.

His hunting visor had glazed over.

As the dust cleared, the giant gem was left standing there with his arm still extended, his hand balled into a fist. Slowly, he stood straight. His hand turned over, and dangling from his clawed fingers, was a tiny, very frightened Jade. From the looks of her outfit, she didn't belong to any faction. She cried out in terror as Hematite lifted her close to his face, his visor scanning her gem. The giant gem turned his hand over, Jade now precariously gripped on all sides by his clawed fingers. She cried out for help.

_**Poff** _

One little squeeze. That's all it took. Hematite's visor went dark, and with a flick of his wrist, he bubbled the tiny gemstone and tossed it in his mouth, wasting no time in tapping his gem as it flashed brightly.

And then he left.

–

A massive wave of stress flooded over the Diamond. She quickly looked back to her original path, sweat forming on her brow. Her pace quickened. _Right, just get back to the Blue district. Have a drink. Ok, have a lot of drinks_. She had never seen Hematite so ruthless. So deadpan. So cold... No, she had to keep up hope. She had to believe that he was still in there, somewhere. Still, she wasn't going to turn around _now_. Perhaps it would be ideal if she stayed away from him for a little while. Maybe this was what he wanted. Perhaps it was for the best...

 

She wished she hadn't come here.

 

 

–

-

_Gleam!_

Stepping off the Hematite Kindergarten warp pad, Hema looked around with a frown. He stepped down and headed down the small staircase that lead to the main floor of the Kindergarten. The warp pad was located in the very center of the huge maze of rock walls and bordered by various Peridot work stations and inactive injector drills lined against the walls. It had been over ten years since he visited this place.

But he wasn't here for sentiment or nostalgia. He was there with one goal. Slowly, he walked further into the kindergarten, heading for the north end. There was a large clearing there that was perfect for the purpose he had in mind. Hopefully, the gem he had the archival Peridot check on was where she should be. Slowly, Hematite shifted up to his full size, arms folded behind his back. His eyes remained locked ahead.

Hema was oddly silent the entire way over, mirroring the current state of the kindergarten. It seemed that most of the Hematites were out on missions or were deeper in the maze of rock walls. _Good. He didn't want to be disturbed._

–

–

Soon enough, the ivory-haired gem stepped through the massive entrance to the north clearing. There, far across the expanse of flat, purplish rock, was a well-built and _very_ big gem. It was another Hematite. She had a more muscular build than Hema, and was about twice his size. Her hair was semi-long and wavy, but was incredibly short on the left side of her head. A silvery stone laid in the middle of her forehead, covered by a pale white visor with rounded tips around the cheeks. She was leaning up against the wall, looking at the sky with a bright, curious smile. Her eyes were the same pinkish color as Hema's left eye, from underneath her visor, at least. Elbow-length dark gray gloves covered her arms, matching her two-toned top. The rest of her suit was a mix of maroons and whites.

Pursing his lips with a grim frown, Hema walked over, loudly clearing his throat. The much taller service gem perked up, her brows raising as she tilted her head down. As soon as she spotted the ivory-haired gem, she gasped in surprise, grinning soon after and revealing a large, curved buck-tooth.

“Heyyy!” Standing up, the taller gem rushed over closer to Hema, making him flinch slightly. Stars, she really was _big_. He did his best to keep his composure as she closed in on him, though. The gray-haired gem chuckled heartily and suddenly leaned down as soon as she was within arm's reach, picking Hema up around the waist with both hands. Inhaling sharply through his teeth, he stiffened and lifted his arms, glancing down at the bigger gem's hands with a scowl. She held him up in front of her, looking him over.

“Stars, I forgot how small ya were! You're a cute lil thing, heheheh! Been a long time, fancy boots. Haven't seen you a single time since after that first test we all went through! Good to see you're still in one piece, eh? I guess the Diamonds haven't worked you _too_ hard,” she said jokingly, eyeing Hema curiously. The much smaller gem frowned up at his current captor and crossed his arms.

“I'd appreciate it if you put me down,” he said simply, arching a brow. The gray-haired service gem grinned awkwardly, giving a soft chuckle.

“Aaw, okay grumpy granite. If you say so.” Slowly, she lowered his feet back to the kindergarten floor, patting his head afterward. Hema grunted quietly and adjusted his hair, frowning. The taller gem stepped back and put her fists on her hips. “So! A Peridot said you needed me here for something? You're in luck that I'm around Homeworld for a few weeks! What did ya need, oh small one?” she said brightly, staring down at the shorter gem. Snorting unappreciatively at the nickname, Hema adjusted his eyepiece and stood straight, staring up at the gem.

“Hematite 2, I'll get right to the point. For the next few days, possibly weeks, I need you to meet me in the Blue District training grounds near the Coliseum. Stay in your civilian size so you don't cause distress. You and I will be sparring there.”

Brows raising, the gray-haired gem tilted her head.  
“Eeh? Ya wanna fight? Hah! I wouldn't have pinned you as the scrappy type!” she chuckled, bringing her hands out in front of her as she cracked her knuckles. Hema arched a brow.

“We will not be 'fighting' per say. It's endurance training. As it stands, I can only last about five or so minutes at my civilian size during fights or high-stress situations, and this has become a problem. As such, my stamina isn't the best for spars, and I need to work on it for my missions,” he said simply. Smirking curiously, the taller gem shrugged and sighed.

“Whatever ya say, lil buddy. Hand to hand combat, then?” she asked. Hema nodded. She smiled and rolled her shoulders with a soft hum. “Weeeell, then I'd happily oblige! But uh, just one condition,” she said, lifting an index finger and closing one eye. The shorter gem sighed and frowned. He'd sought out this gem specifically because she was two ranks under him and had to do what he said, even if she didn't want to. What was this 'condition' of hers?

“What is it.”

Smirking, the well-built gem lowered her hand and offered it to Hema.

“Don't call me Hematite 2. Call me Tita! That's what my friends call me,” she said with a grin. Glancing at the offered hand, Hema paused.

“We're not _friends_ , we're sparring partners. But, alright. I will refer to you as Tita,” he said simply, looking up to meet the giant gem's eyes. Tita gazed into the shorter gem's eyes, her smile faltering for a moment. Something in his gaze sent a shiver up her spine, and she quickly withdrew her hand.

“Right! Okay, good. Should we start today, then?” she asked, grinning awkwardly.

Standing straight, Hema narrowed his eyes and nodded.

“The sooner the better.”

–

–

 

 

_Five minutes._

 

 

_I already know how to **fight** Yellow Diamond. I just need to make sure I can outlast her in battle. I can't just shift up right off the bat. That's too easy. _

 

 

_Five and a half._

 

 

 

He had to keep pushing himself. There had to be more he could do. His endurance was abysmal, at best; especially if Yellow got some good hits in.

 

 

_Six._

_Seven._

 

 

If he was going to do this, he had to hold out longer. Hit. Kick. Punch. Swipe. _Don't give in. You're capable of so much more. Show her._

 

 

_Seven and a half._

 

 

_Show her what you're made of. Prove her wrong. Take a hit. Keep going. Let her words fuel you. If you can hold your own against Tita, you can hold your own against **her**._

 

 

_Eight._

 

 

_White Diamond's been giving me odd looks. She can tell something's wrong, I think._

**White doesn't suspect a thing so far. Thankfully. She still believes the 'I'm tired' excuse. I hope it holds out.**

_What about Blue? She's not going to be happy. This is going to hurt her._

**She's already hurt. She won't miss me. I have to do this.**

_No, I don't! Just tell White what's going on!_

**They're both Diamonds. There's nothing she can do to stop Yellow. Besides. Who knows what Yellow Diamond will do if she finds out I told on her.**

_She can't do anything... White would protect me. … Right?_

**She couldn't protect me that one night against Yellow.**

… _She couldn't have known she would do that._

**I'm just a service gem. A service gem with limited time. I don't matter. They didn't send anyone after me on Earth. If I really mattered, they would have tried to find me.**

_They couldn't have known where I was. They couldn't risk a search team for one- ... gem._

**Exactly.**

_But this isn't the answer! There has to be another way to fix this. Nothing's unfixable!_

 

… **_This_ is.**

 

_I'm not going to walk out of this intact. There's no way. I can train all I want, I'm not making it out of this alive._

**But I _will_ be remembered. I won't simply fade away. Someone, no, _everyone_ will know my name. They'll talk about me long after I'm gone.**

… _But what will they say?_

**What does it matter. I won't be there to hear it. I don't care.**

_Then why do I care so much about it in the first place?_

**They can't just toss me aside. I'm not 'nothing'. I'm _something_. I'll show them. I'll show them all.**

 

_I'll show **her**._

 

 

 

_Nine minutes._

 

_No, I have to push myself further. Fight harder, hold out longer, don't pass out, don't shift down. I have to tire her out. Avoid her attacks. Make her throw strategy away._

 

_Ten._

 

_Give them a show. Give them all a show. Make them remember you. Let them know who you are. **What** you are. What you're **capable of.** Let them know how much you've been **hurting**._

 

_Eleven._

 

_What to say, what to say... Make it good. Diamonds and service gems, big and small. Hm. Break, broken? No. Hunter, hunted... Better. Perhaps._

 

_Twelve._

 

_Harvesters, harvested. Mercy... Mercy to a hunter? To the hunted? Hm. There might be something there._

 

_Thirteen._

 

_This didn't have to be this way. This could have been- ... Ha. You just **had** to make this difficult, didn't you Yellow Diamond? _

 

_Thirteen and a half._

 

_That's more like it... but I know I can push the time further. I can't pass out. It'll all be over if I do._

 

_Fourteen._

 

_I've almost tripled my sparring time... this. This is incredible. Why didn't I ever do this before now? Why didn't I ever fight like this before?! She would have respected me if I could haven beaten her, even once!_

 

… _No, nothing would ever be good enough for her. Not even **that**._

 

_Fourteen and a half._

 

_This should be good enough, right? Surely, she'd tire out by now._

 

_Fifteen. Fifteen minutes._

 

… _**There**._

 

Taking a flighty step backwards, Hema held his fists close to his face, glaring up at his opponent. Tita chuckled breathlessly and held a hand over her abdomen, wincing slightly.

“Stars, fancy boots! No wonder White Diamond picked you. But, ah... Do you think we could pause for the day? I actually have another job I have to get to later.” Hema looked up at the well-built gem with an unreadable expression. Slowly, he shifted out of his fighting stance and looked at his fists.

“... Actually, Tita. I think I'm good,” he said quietly. Tita raised a brow at the smaller gem, still rubbing her stomach with a small grimace.

“Ahh, whatcha mean?”  
“... I mean I will no longer need to spar with you. Thank you, you have been very... helpful.”

The gray-haired service gem stood straighter, pursing her lips with a surprised blink.

“Oh, really? Aah man, I've kinda had fun these past few weeks, though! You sure you wouldn't wanna tussle next time I visit Homeworld?” she asked with a hopeful smile, putting her gloved hands on her hips. Hema frowned seriously, unsummoning his weapons.

“Hm. Perhaps. But for now, you're relieved of your duty as my sparring partner. Remember, not a word of this to anyone, this is private training. I don't want the others getting envious.Thank you, again. Good luck on your job today,” he said simply, folding his arms behind him. Tita smiled awkwardly down at the smaller gem.

“Thanks, fancy boots,” she said softly. The ivory-haired gem turned and started to walk off, fingers brushing together behind his back. Tita watched the smaller gem walk off before she lifted up a hand. “Hey.”

Hema stopped, not turning around. Glancing to the side, the gray-haired service gem bit her lip for a moment with her rather odd, rounded buck-tooth.

“Whatever's been on your mind, lil guy... good luck with it. Don't push yourself too hard, alright? There's more to life than your job and efficiency!” she said cheerfully, with a forced smile. Hema silently clenched his fists, not replying. After a moment, he kept walking, eyes locked forward.

 

_Not anymore, there isn't._

 

_It's just me and you, Yellow Diamond._

 

 

 

 

_**'You are a mistake'  
** _

 

 

_And you, Yellow. Have **made** a mistake._


	12. The Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite displays the results of some intense personal training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks the end of Arc 1.  
> [This chapter contains a scene from chapter 2 that some readers may find disturbing or uncomfortable. Reader discretion is advised.]

**Do it.**

Hematite walked down the bridge toward Yellow Diamond's tower, his steps measured, breathing even, his eyes dead ahead.

_This was it._

Stopping at the tall office doors, the service gem took a slow, deep breath. He hesitated. Hematite's hand lifted, and his fingers gently brushed his gemstone.

_I've got nothing to lose._

Knocking on the door, he took a step back. The doors hissed open, and Hematite looked inside, not moving, his arms now folded neatly behind him. Yellow Diamond was at her desk.

**Good.**

–

Yellow Diamond was thumbing through a few archive disks in her hand. Looking up, she met Hematite with a rather unwelcome stare.

"Can I help you, Hematite?..." she spoke promptly. The pearl that commonly was around gave Hematite a suspicious glare, but looked away without a word.

There was an eerie quietness in the air... something stale. Something _tense_. Her eyes narrowed, fixated on the gem in front of her. Why was he here? Why was he looking at her like that? He didn't normally just show up like this, let alone without a single word. Normally, he'd have already started babbling. She crossed her arms and awaited his reply.

–

His silence was heavy, dense, cold, **invasive**. It filled the whole office, reaching every corner of the room, _**weighing everything down.**_ Hematite was so quiet, he almost seemed like a _statue_.

_**Do it.** _

He finally moved. Lifting his head and giving Yellow Diamond a 'friendly' grin, he saluted his superior.

"Hematite reporting, Yellow Diamond. May I enter?"

–

Yellow raised a brow and nodded.

"Yes. Is there something you need or are you just here to talk about your _riveting_ adventures with Blue?" she said with an annoyed scowl. Glancing over at the Pearl, she gave her a look... one that the Pearl understood immediately. She bowed gracefully, then made her way out of the room. She didn't look at Hematite this time.

–

After the Pearl left, Hematite took a few steps into the office. The door hissed behind him, shutting with a 'click'. He was still smiling.

He rubbed his fingers together behind his back.

"No, no adventures to report." His voice lowered a little. "No, I've been training ever since our last..." He swallowed. His finger twitched. " _Spar_."

Pausing a moment, he tilted his head with a bright smile.

"I came to see if you would like a _rematch_. Three days, the Sky Arena. Evening."

–

The Diamond couldn't help but smirk with a cocky demeanor. She never really passed up the opportunity to spar...plus, this was one of the few times he'd actually asked _her_ to. She figured she would humor him and accept his little request. Tapping a finger gently on the table, she thought about it with a sarcastic smirk for a moment, then looked back at him with an unsettling grin.

 

"As you wish.~"

–

Hematite grinned back, clenching his fist behind his back. His eyepiece glinted in the light as he stood straight.

"Excellent."

–

-

Word got out quickly that Yellow and Hematite were going to have another showdown, this time, in the Sky Arena. A smaller crowd had quickly gathered up, making their way in the stands. The warp pad kept flashing on and off, new gems arriving with each few passing minutes. Yellow stood somewhere around the sidelines of the battlegrounds, stretching her arms out and waving her sword. Blue, too, showed up... but decided to keep a low profile. She figured it'd be good to come along and watch to make sure everything went alright. After their last battle, well... she'd be lying if she said she didn't have the best feeling about this. She slipped in quietly, seating herself up on the second row. Maybe they wouldn't notice her.

The evening sky above was slowly reddening with the setting sun, casting the arena in warm hues. However, the light was slowly being suffocated by dark storm clouds that were starting to form. It was very common that lightning storms followed Yellow Diamond around, especially when she was closer up to the sky. The air felt charged with electricity, making some of the gathered gems a bit antsy.

–

There were many familiar faces in the crowd. Mago, whom was currently shrunken to her civilian size and keeping a low profile, Puff, Rubes, a few gems Hematite had met at the bar, and of course, many of '''The Harvester's''' loyal fans. They loved seeing him fight, even if they were sure this match was going to end... badly. But they would still be there for moral support!

Murmurs drifted through the crowd. Most of the gems were nervously discussing the last time Yellow Diamond and the service gem had duked it out, Hematite was _thrashed_. How would this be any different? Did he have a new trick, was he going to cheat? Over time, the crowd's murmuring grew in volume. Their excitement was steadily rising.

 

But... where was Hematite?

 

Nobody had seen the service gem since this fight started gaining popularity. Did he chicken out, ditch, refuse to be beaten again by Yellow Diamond?

 

No.

He was waiting. Watching. From a dark tunnel at the far end of the Sky Arena, Hematite was crouched, his knees bent, his arms resting on them. The air around him was heavy and cold, his breathing shallow.

Eyes wide, the small gem watched Yellow Diamond with intense focus.

_Go ahead._

_Swing your little sword around._

_**It won't do you any good.** _

–

Blue would normally be right there with the crowd cheering, but she wanted to bring no attention to herself. She hunkered down as low as she could, trying to be subtle. Her gaze drifted to Yellow, who was nimbly swaying her sword, breathing calmly. _This would be fine. It would be over in a flash. Just like all the other fights..._ Of course, Blue wanted to support him, to see him happy again. Maybe if he won, he'd be fine. He'd feel better. Regardless, she couldn't even so much as cheer. It was best if she just stayed quiet and watched. If Yellow tried to pull another trick, she'd jump in. She didn't want anyone to get hurt. She didn't want _Hematite_ to get hurt...

 

Yellow quickly swiped her sword towards the entrance of the Sky Arena, watching it intently.

"Hmph." She smirked, clicking the end of her sword to the ground. _Looks like he's a no show. Figures._

–

_Ha. You're looking the wrong way.~_

_Guess that was the advantage of waiting here overnight._

Tapping his clawed finger on his forearm, Hematite took a deep breath. It looked like the crowd had stopped gathering. Everyone was here.

_There should have been more._

_**Oh well. Time to give those who** _ _are_ **_here a good show._ **

The ivory-haired gem slowly stood to his feet, clenching and unclenching his fists. He rolled his head to stretch his neck, frowning deeply. _Don't break character. Don't let her scare you._

Looking forward, the service gem inhaled slowly through his nose, letting the breath out through gritted teeth.

 

_It's time._

 

Hematite slowly walked out of the darkness of the far tunnel. He was across the arena from Yellow Diamond. The crowd quickly noticed him and most exploded into cheers and whoops. There he was! Phew, so he hadn't bailed!

They would have hated it if their time was wasted.

The small service gem stood, motionless, waiting for his opponent to notice him.

He was sure the crowd would get her attention.

–

Yellow turned her head, looking to the smaller gem that had now entered the ring. She smirked again, pointing her sword to him.

"I see you finally decided to show up! Well then, are you ready?" She said with confidence. _This would be easy._ Dark clouds rolled overhead, darkening the stadium. They had been gathering there all day, and now that the two were out and about, the skies started coming to life at last with a brilliant display of lightning. A roaring roll of thunder rumbled along the horizon.

_This was it. Time to spring into action. Time to put the Hematite in his place yet again. She was ready._

–

**This will be easy.**

Hematite didn't move as his opponent pointed her sword at him. Instead, he smiled widely. A crack of thunder rumbled overhead once more as the sky was sent aglow with lightning.

There was a long pause.

"Let's make this quick. Shall we?"

–

Yellow narrowed her eyes, but the grin on her face spoke a thousand words.

She advanced forward, her blade aglow already. The crowd erupted in cheers. The fun had begun. While running, she zig zagged with sparks of lightning trailing behind her. Perhaps this would throw him off right off the bat. When she had maneuvered herself close enough, she shot out a thick bolt of lightning right towards her opponent.

–

_Hm. How showy._

_This was going to be fun._

The smaller gem hadn't moved an inch as she bolted across the arena to him, seemingly unfazed by her impressive show of speed. As soon as she neared and shot her lightning at him, however, that changed.

With unnatural speed, Hematite ducked and dodged the lightning strike entirely, his body shooting forward. He went straight for his opponent, and was upon her within one short moment. Leaping upwards, he delivered a sharp blow her to abdomen, sending her back. But his full force was not put behind the punch; it was only enough to make her lose her footing. His expression was eerily calm and cold, and as Yellow stumbled back, Hematite darted for her again.

–

Yellow let out a sharp gasp, taken aback by the sudden blow. _Wha....how did he dodge that so quickly!?_ She stumbled back, scrambling to regain her footing. Not a moment later, she noticed the gem advancing quickly and swiped her sword to keep some distance between them. She muttered something crossly under her breath.

"A lucky shot..." she snarled, charging for him as well, her stance low. She looked down. With any luck, she could aim for his feet to knock him down.

–

The tiniest smirk crossed Hematite's face as he approached her, despite her swinging sword.

 _"Luck had nothing to do with it."_ he said lowly, but loud enough for her to hear. The smaller gem saw where her eyes went to, and he charged even faster for her, looking like he too was going to go for her legs.

–

Yellow scowled, but didn't notice that he was speeding up. As soon as she got close enough, she decided to pull a fast one and instead of going for his legs... she jumped. With a fierce yell, she went straight in for the kill, her sword clutched in her hand, poised to come down right through the figure below her. _He wanted fast, so she was going to make it fast._

–

_Right on cue._

As Yellow Diamond leapt into the air, Hematite spun around, his fists suddenly alight with electricity. Before she could blink, the smaller gem lashed out his lightning whips, grabbing onto her foot.

_**SLAM!** _

Yellow Diamond was on the ground within an instant, a faint crack now in the marble where she landed. Before she could react, Hematite's whips dissipated, and darted forward, his body glowing.

–

The crowd called out, chanting Hematite's name. Blue, however, remained silent... she felt a prickle of anxiety growing within her. He was doing well against her. _Too well._ Not to mention, he was keeping himself together unusually well. She placed her palm to her mouth, taking a deep breath. _Man, Sparky was gonna be maaaad about this._

 

But she already was. Yellow felt a fierce anger rise within her. She coughed, staggering to get to her feet. That was brutal... even for him. She hadn't landed a single hit, and to make matters worse...why was he suddenly so _strong_?... She met him with the same bloodthirsty gaze she had during their last match. Clenching her fists, she readied another sword and pointed it towards him.

"ALRIGHT you pebble... Bring it on!" she hissed, her hands starting to glow with flowing electricity.

–

His form shifted quickly, and within a moment he stood at equal height with his opponent. Hematite met her gaze with an icily hollow smile as he ran for her. He wasn't even in a fighting stance, but instead was clenching and unclenching his fists.

Suddenly, they sparkled with lightning, and his hands seemed to.. change. But before Yellow could see what he'd done, Hematite went straight for her and reeled back his hand before suddenly skirting to her side. With a fierce, feral cry, he swiped violently at the side of her head.

–

She blinked in mild surprise... he shifted _up_? _Normally by now he'd be getting tired..._ then again, she still hadn't laid a single hit on him. She ran quicker, but ducked down to her knees and skidded right past him. Jutting herself back up, she swung her leg around, attempting to kick him in the back.

–

She landed the hit that time. Hematite overestimated himself, and his claws met the open air as he tumbled forward. Normally, he would have landed in a heavy heap, but the ivory haired gem gracefully rolled to the side, landing on all fours. The moment he was up, he launched at her again with claws out at his sides.

–

Yellow grinned ominously. _Finally_. She darted back, holding her sword in front of her body like a guard. She darted to the side and gained a good distance from the service gem, speeding up until she eventually started to glow brightly with a yellow aura. She easily outran Hematite in this state. With a loud crack, a massive lightning bolt struck the Diamond directly, creating a small crater where she was at said time. She ran right through it, cackling maniacally. Her entire body now surged with the powerful electricity. This time, she was using it to her advantage. The strike itself stung, but it was nothing to her willpower to overcome the pain. A simple flick... that was all it felt like to her at the moment. Bolting forward, she extended her sword, going for another blindingly fast strike.

–

_Hmm, Impressive. But it's all show._

As Yellow Diamond was struck by the lightning, Hematite took the chance and put some distance between them, his body aglow. As she neared for her attack, there was a blinding flash, and a hideous _**CLANG.**_

Hematite had shifted up again, and was standing at 12 feet tall, his knuckle dusters having taken the blow and shattered his opponent's sword. His body was coursing with electricity, and his shoulders ached terribly, but he didn't so much as outwardly flinch.

"C'mon _Sparky_. Is that the best you can do?" he growled with a chuckle. Before she could react, he spun around and landed a nasty kick to her abdomen, sending her flying back a considerable distance.

–

_What?..._

She didn't get a chance to even react, suddenly struck back a good 20 or so feet. She landed ungracefully on her side, tumbling over herself with a pained grunt. The crowd gasped, but quickly started cheering again. Yellow was _furious_. She shot him another nasty glare, clutching her abdomen. She didn't say anything. Standing back up, she stumbled a little, creating another sword.

"You BRAT..." She snarled, taking a more defensive stance this time.

That actually hurt.... that... _actually_... hurt. He wasn't holding anything back. This strength wasn't like anything she had fought against before from him. Why was he suddenly so strong, so fast? He'd never fought like this in any of their other spars. She'd practically batted him around during all those fights!

 

_So where was **this** coming from?!_

–

Hematite was already racing for her, his body low. As soon as he was within reach, he swiped at her, fingers outstretched. Now at a much closer range, it was clear that his hands had definitely changed. His fingers were longer, more angular, tapered into full-on _claws instead of fingertips._ He reeled his hand back, swiping at her. He was leaving no room for her to take a swing at him. Again, again, again, he swiped for Yellow Diamond's chest, _seemingly_ aiming for her gemstone. Each time, however, his hands glanced off of her sword, missing consistently. It almost seemed like he wasn't actually trying to hit it, but was rather aiming for right around it.

He let out an unnerving, confident sounding laugh.

–

She swiped her sword in more defensive poses, backing up as he seemed to edge closer and closer. His close strikes didn't go unnoticed, and she shot him a dark, deadly glare.

"HEY! WATCH YOUR CLAWS!!" she remarked harshly, darting back quickly, hoping to gain some distance. _Was this gem cracked?! He WAS going right for her gem!_ What was he thinking?! She could have him killed for that _alone_!

Perhaps he was just getting feisty. He was just really into the fight. _Surely that was it_. He wouldn't dare go after her gem again.

She was starting to sweat. He wasn't tiring out... why couldn't she land more hits? Why was she suddenly the one being backed up into the wall?! She jumped back quickly, thrashing her sword at his hand at the first sight of an opportunity. If she could just get him away from her for a few moments...

–

But he didn't stop. The gem continued to make wild swipes for his superior's gemstone, and as she darted back, he took the chance and matched her movement, seeing an opening.

"You're sliiippiiiiing.~" he crooned, his voice tinted with a strange melodic malice. This time, instead of going for her gem, Hematite landed a full-force strike to the Diamond's face. He let out a maniacal laugh as he swiped again, this time hitting her sword arm.

–

The sudden tone shift took her by surprise. The sharp cold cock knocked the wind right out of her, her sword flinging into the air. She stumbled backwards, landing on her back, but she scrambled to regain her composure. She shook her head, placing a palm to her cheek.

"YOU...." She sputtered, gnashing her teeth together with a nasty glare. She got to her feet quickly and lit her arms up with lightning. "THATS IT, I'M ENDING THIS!" she roared, violently charging the other gem, bringing her arm back to barrage her opponent. Her body started to glow once more, the electricity surging through her, more powerful than ever. It was also starting to take a toll on her body. She was starting to slow down, and her moves became more erratic. This attack was tiring her out....

 

It was desperate.... a last resort.

 

Blue bit her lip, clutching her hand close to her chest. She watched nervously, sweat pouring off her brow. _Man, she never resorts to this... That's gutsy, even for her._ What grace and strategy she _did_ have had all but disappeared, leaving a livid, impetuous diamond in its wake.

–

_**Then let's end it.** _

Hematite admittedly was startled by her wild attack, it seemed she had reached her patience limit. _**Good**_.

As the Diamond closed in and began landing powerful punches, Hematite blocked them as best he could, her lightning coursing through him. _Oh it hurt like hell, but he wasn't about to back down._

"You're getting sloppy, Yellow Diamond.~ " The service gem was in a great deal of pain, but he simply wasn't wearing out. All that training. His weeks of endurance-tempering were paying off. Yellow's attacks hurt like nobody's business, and his entire body was screaming at him to give up, to shift down and find somewhere to recover, but he couldn't give in. Not now.

_Not when he was so close._

–

"WHY. WON'T. YOU. TIRRREE RR AAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!!"

She cried out in frustration, delivering blow after blow. He wasn't shifting down or backing off, but she could tell her strikes were finally making purchase. Hematite was in a great deal of pain, that much was obvious. Finally, she felt maybe she was making some headway toward being back on the offensive. She was so infused with rage, she hardly heard the words he spoke to her. Her emotions were taking over, driving her every move and decision. She reeled back, ready to deliver one final, powerful punch, meeting his gaze with the most condescending glare... Then she smirked.

_It's over now!_

–

Hematite watched Yellow's hand reel back, and he took his chance. In a flash, Hematite had shifted up again to about 20 feet and landed a powerful blow to his opponent, electricity shooting into her through his fist. She flew away a good 50 or so feet, and the ivory haired gem felt a cruel satisfaction in the pit of his stomach.

_Now stay down._

–

The crowd fell still. Silent.

 

So did Yellow Diamond.

 

Blue gasped, her eyes widening. She wasn't poofed... but...

 

The battered, beaten gem coughed, shakily trying to get up. She stared at the ground.

_How?.... How..... No, there was no way....._

Her breathing got faster, heavier, more shallow.

 

"FINE! YOU WIN. IT'S OVER. You've bested me, at last. Are you satisfied, now?!" She looked up at him, shaking with absolute _fury_. Her hands clutched the ground, clawed fingers digging at the tiles.

 

Blue stared in a stricken silence. _He.... actually won?_ She called the match? There had been so few in her days that she had actually seen push Yellow to this point... It was incredibly rare. And yet, even still, none of them had been quite like this... to this level of rage. Her heart sank. Yellow was gonna be beating herself up over this loss for a while. Oh well... at least it was over.

–

The gem stood in grim silence. Thunder rolled overhead, lightning cracking through the sky, lightning it up in a flash.

 

At Yellow Diamond's words, a cruel grin spread across Hematite's face.

“Satisfied? Oh, you'd know _everything_ about that, wouldn't you?” Hema took a single step forward, his hands out in a sort of shrug as his claws disappeared, shifting back to his regular fingers. “Nothing EVER satisfied you. No matter how harrrrrrd I tried, it was all a waste. Loss after LOSS. AFTER LOSS!” His voice dropped to a crooning lilt. “I would have been fine if you'd just... taught me. Made me a better gem. Did SOMETHING TO BUILD ME UP INSTEAD OF STEPPING ON ME ALL THE TIME! THIS COULD HAVE BEEN EASY!” A sharp, bitter laugh escaped him. “This... you think this is about _WINNING?_ YOU THINK THIS IS OVER?”

–

Her eyes widened, her furious face cringed with confusion and disgust upon his words... before fading into a hollow stare. The entire arena kept quiet, small gasps and soft murmurs being passed around. Blue felt her non-existent heart drop suddenly. _What was he talking about...?_

-

“Ha... haha...h haahahaHAHAHA!” Unnerving laughter erupted from Hematite's chest, and he put his palm to his forehead, cackling maniacally to the thundering skies. “You think this is **OVER**?” he repeated. His laughing grew louder, all sense of sanity gone from the horrific sound. “Nooo, no nononono! Yellow Diamond...” He dropped his hand, his eyes shut peacefully as he smiled, his face still toward the sky. Slowly, he lowered his head, and his eyes snapped open and locked onto his opponent.

 

“ _W e ' v e  o n l y  j u s t  b e g u n.”_

 

Hematite lowered himself to the ground on all fours, his eyes never leaving Yellow Diamond. His form began to glow and shift even bigger, but it was painfully slow, as if he was making a show of it.

–

Yellow wanted to say something... but nothing came out. She wanted to yell, she wanted to respond. She wanted to say anything. But she couldn't. Her legs were locked into place, eyes unable to look away as Hematite's body took a huge form, towering now above her.

She wasted no time in placing her hand to her gem, summoning a sword, and stepping back. The angry confusion returned to her, mixed this time with... something else. An emotion she couldn't quite put a finger on. She was sweating bullets at this point, already roughed up immensely from the fight. No, she was in no shape to continue, especially not against this thing.

-

He still spoke, his voice slightly warped by the shifting.

“Don't you know the rules of the food chain, Yellow Diamond?” He slammed a massive hand down, leaving a huge crack in the marble. “There is no 'mercy', to a predator.” A crack of thunder shook the sky arena, and the crowd suddenly started to stir, some gems gasping in surprise or worry. Hematite's massive form stayed alight for an unnerving amount of time until it finally flashed brilliantly, revealing his crouched, fully sized form. He opened his eyes and grinned down at his opponent, gaze full of fire. “There is only 'eat'.” A massive hand raised to his face, and with a flick, Hematite's hunting visor blocked out his eyes.

“Or be eaten.”

-

His words struck like a hundred daggers into her, a piercing anxiety rushing through her.

She felt... something. Something awful. She felt... _what was this?_ No, she refused to feel this way.

Baring her fangs, she swiped her sword threateningly to the side, looking up to the monstrous figure with as much courage as she could muster.

"Wh.. What ARE YOU DOING?! I ALREADY CALLED OFF THE MATCH!!"

–

The visor began to glow. Hematite's gaze never left his now minuscule opponent, and as the screen fully lit up, he bit his lip in anticipation. A soft chuckle escaped him at the sight of Yellow Diamond's sword.

"I'm sorry to say, Yellow Diamond, but I humbly refuse your...." He condescendingly tapped his chin with one clawed finger. A grin spread across his face. " _Request_."

At this point, two of the guards that were standing watch at the entrance of the Sky Arena charged at the giant gem. Without taking his eyes off of Yellow Diamond, Hematite waited for his chance, and then batted the two guards away, back into the main entrance. He picked up a piece of rubble from the more torn up side of the arena, still without taking his eyes off of his opponent, and placed it in front of the tunnel, blocking the entrance.

–

Yellow's brows furrowed, her lips curling into a harsh snarl.

But it was a mask.

She felt something. Something _dreadful_. Something _she didn't like._ She was trying her hardest to suppress it. He couldn't be serious, whatever he was doing. _This was some sort of sick joke. Was this Blue's doing?_ She raised her sword up to the gem and backed up. The crowd started getting far more anxious, gems raising their voices now and pointing. They sounded distressed.

Blue was still among them... and felt everything around her. All the bustling, anxious gems, their confused whispers, their fearful questions... She opened her mouth to say something, but instead got to her feet and jumped down to the first stand, between two gems. She gripped the side of the wall, looking frantically between the two gems on the arena floor.

"I ORDER you to stand down!! This fight is OVER, Hematite!! You have NO authority here, and failure to comply will result in a SEVERE punishment!" she shouted up at him.

She was visibly sweating... even the sword in her hand started trembling, unbeknownst to her.

–

Hematite glanced around at the audience he had. The faintest laugh escaped him at the sight of all these gems, and he slowly looked back down at his opponent. He advanced a single 'pace', putting his hand in front of him. His visor began to whir.

When he spoke, Hematite's voice was low, cold, and devious.

"Gem Located: Yellow Diamond. Status: No gem faults detected. Mission Objective." An eerie grin spread across his face, and there was a long pause before a yellow, diamond-shaped target flickered onto the screen with a high-pitched honing sound.

**"E l i m i n a t e."**

–

Everyone panicked.

The crowd erupted into screams and vicious yelling. _He was turning on her. He was actually turning on her!_

Gems began to scramble out of the stands, some unable to move from their seats.

Blue gasped in horror, clutching the wall so hard, she left small cracks in it. It was as if she had felt someone strike her gem head on, an exploding pain rupturing through her body. She finally put all the pieces together. Hematite's behavior, his sudden absence in recent weeks, the cold, dead look in his eyes. It all made sense now... horrible, terrifying sense. _No. Oh stars, what was he doing? No... No he can't.._

"No, Oh no... No, this is REALLY BAD..." Blue whimpered, looking nervously at the gem next to her. "YOU, do you have a communicator?! I need it now!" She scrambled, the gem nervously handing her the small device. She quickly held it up to her face, desperately trying to get it to work. _Come on, White, I REALLY need you to pick this thing up right now..._

 

Yellow, in the ring, felt whatever had been building up to this point hit her at full force. It hit her like a ship crashing down right on top of her, lighting the field around her in an unseen, ghastly inferno. She knew what it was.

 

_**Fear.** _

 

 

Pure, horrible, unmistakable horror.

Her body went numb for a split second, and she dropped her sword. The weapon clattered to the floor, exploding into a cloud of dust. She placed her hands up in front of her, balled up into fists. Her eyes were widened in shock, but her teeth were still bared.

"STAND DOWN, HEMATITE!" she shouted, unable to look away from the gem's visor.

"THAT IS AN ORDER! STAND DOWN, OR I'LL...." She froze mid-sentence, her pace quickening as she turned to run. There was no way she was going to keep going backwards, lest she slip up and trip.

–

The crowd's panic only drove Hematite on, and he slowly advanced toward his target, sending the fleeing gems into an even further frenzy. Hematite watched as Yellow Diamond ran, and he lowered himself closer to the ground, this time bending his knees so he could crouch down and reach for the fleeing gem.

"What's the matter, Yellow Diamond?~ Are you afraid to fight me now?!" Raising a hand, he lunged toward her, the shadow of his clawed fingers falling over her form. He purposefully missed grabbing the diamond, his hand slamming down no more than ten feet behind her. The diamond quickly realized she was heading for a corner and made a quick turn, bolting away from the massive gem. Hema made no move to chase after her any faster than he was. He watched her head toward the destroyed end of the arena. He slowly stood to his feet, now standing at his full height.

"Come on, now! Did you really forget how small you actually were to a HARVESTER?" A laugh rumbled in his chest, and he followed after her toward the end of the arena.

–

Yellow's pace quickened, desperately trying to flee from the oncoming gem. He wasn't stopping. Why wasn't he stopping. Didn't he know he'd be shattered if he dared to hurt her?... She skidded to a halt, finally coming to the end of the arena... now faced with an open drop. She was cornered. There was no way she could simply jump off the arena, a fall from this high would hurt, and it was dangerous if she landed on her gemstone. She turned her head slowly facing the huge, murderous gem walking precariously closer. Yellow was stuck.

She scowled in anger, positioning herself for an attack. Despite knowing it would do nothing, she would at least try to face her dangerous opponent. Countless times she had stared death in the face before, why did this feel different? Why did this make her so unnerved, so nervous, so absolutely _horrified?_

 

"THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE, HEMATITE. STOP THIS RIDICULOUS BEHAVIOR THIS INSTANT!"

–

Hematite rolled his eyes and gave a theatrical sigh as the tiny gem below him readied for an attack. He was towering above her. One little nudge, and he could have sent her plummeting off the edge of the arena. But he didn't, he simply stared down at her with a cruel smile.

"Well, at least you're '''brave''' enough to face me.~" Hematite crouched down, his hand closing in on her.

"An unwise decision."

–

The audience exploded into chaos, gems crawling over other gems to get away. Even though the entrance way was blocked off, they still found themselves scrambling over the edges of the rubble to get to the warp pad. Yellow, on the other hand, wasn't lucky enough to find any means of escape. She watched in disbelief as the hand cast her in shadow.

She flinched. Flinging her arm over her head and hunkering low, she braced for impact. _This was it. This was the end. There was no point in running, no point in trying to attack._ It would have made no difference... and she knew it. Yellow started to spark wildly, small bolts of electricity flickering around her body. She was surprisingly steady, despite all of her fears.

In one, last ditch effort, she bared her teeth and shouted with all of her fury, all of her courage. Whatever she could muster.

 

"Y-YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!!!"

–

_That's right. **Cower**. Be afraid. **Feel everything I did that night.**_

Hematite's hand slowly, carefully coiled around the tiny Diamond, his fingers trapping her firmly in his grasp. Turning his hand over, he lifted her up towards his face, making sure to drag it out. He ignored her threat.

_He already knew he'd pay dearly for this._

"You said that night that I needed to know my place." He drew her closer. "Well here it is, Yellow Diamond." Closer. "I was made for this. This is where I belong, and there's nothing you can do about that."

-

Yellow yelped sharply as she was picked up suddenly, thrashing and squirming in the gigantic hand.

"LET GO OF ME! LET GO OF ME RIGHT NOW!" She screamed in angry desperation. It was a fruitless effort, whacking her electrified hands into his palm as hard as she could, closing her eyes and yelling... just yelling. Yelling as loud as she could.

-

She was level with his face now, firmly held in his fist.

"Do you remember my arena name, Yellow Diamond?" The giant gem grinned and licked his teeth slowly.

**"I am The Harvester."**

–

_Shattering._

The noise of shattering rang through her mind, a deafening sound... a horrible sound.

Now dangerously close to his face, his words shot through her like another hundred daggers. But this time, they sank in. _Deep_.

Her expression warped suddenly into unmasked horror. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted into a small, quivering frown. She gripped tightly on the gem's hand that grasped her, clawed fingers slowly digging into his skin. She trembled, unable to speak. She was... terrified. _Speechless_. Her gaze drifted slowly from Hematite's teeth, up to his eyes. They met him with a look that he had never seen before, at least from her.

 

_Don't. **Please**. Don't._

–

As Hematite stared at the terrified gem in his hand, something in his chest tightened. He'd never seen Yellow Diamond like this before. All her bravery, all her hatred, all her condescending sneers. They'd been replaced by a look of undisguised horror.

_This is what he wanted._

_This is what he'd wanted, and yet..._

Was throwing his life away really worth the momentary terror of this one spiteful Diamond?

. . .

Well, there was no turning back anymore anyways.

Hematite's hunting visor dulled, the target vanishing. For a moment, it looked as if he was going to call off this charade.

But then his lips parted.

Slowly, the giant gem lifted Yellow Diamond over his face and opened his mouth below her.

–

Yellow gasped in dismay, frantically holding onto Hematite's hand as she was lifted up.

"NO! NO LET GO OF ME!" She pleaded. There wasn't a single sliver of anger left in her... it was all replaced with sheer _terror_. She was at his complete mercy. She could do nothing. She was going to die like this, scared and humiliated, and _no-one_ was going to save her.

 

 _This is it, this is the end_.

 

She flinched abruptly, clutching her hand close to her gem, forced to stare into the awaiting maw below. With one final whimper, she closed her eyes and cried out.

"STOP! I'M _SORRY!"_

–

Hematite froze as Yellow's final cry rang out.

 

 

_**I'm sorry.** _

 

 

His mouth closed partially, leaving only a shocked, small frown.

"You-"

–

**THWICK!!!**

 

A sharp object shot into Hematite's back, right behind his shoulder.

 

"PUT. HER. **DOWN**."

–

A stabbing pain shot through Hematite's back, and he winced heavily, inhaling sharply through his teeth and leaning forward. He still managed to hold onto Yellow Diamond, keeping her away from the edge of the arena. _Thankfully_. He panted for a moment at the sharp pain and looked back to see White Diamond standing not too far off.

_**Oh no.** _

–

White stood upon the rubble that covered the entrance. She must have jumped over the wall to get here. Her expression was cold. Stern. **Angry**. She walked forward slowly, breathing heavily... but steadily. She stopped only 10 or so feet away from the huge gem, looking up and summoning another pole arm.

 

"Drop her. **Now**."

 

Yellow looked on in disbelief; small, quiet whimpers escaping her. She was still petrified.... _Was she safe now?_ She looked from the huge gem down to the other Diamond, then back up at Hematite. The look she had before was still frozen on her face. _She still expected him to do it._

–

Hematite watched as White approached. He made no sudden movements, no sign that he was going to cause trouble. As she pulled out another pole arm, he tensed. At her command, Hematite slowly looked to the gem still in his hand. There was a long pause.

"..."

He sighed heavily through his nose, and his hunting visor poofed away in a flash. Giving Yellow Diamond an almost... _apologetic_ look, he slowly, carefully lowered her to the ground, _behind_ White Diamond. He let go, setting her down so that she only fell a few inches to the floor. Slowly, he drew his hand away.

–

Yellow quickly skittered away from his hand, trembling behind White and quickly turning to face the two. Her expression changed yet again, but this time the anger came back... and it was laced with fear.

"Oh thank the stars you're here White-"

 

"SPARKY, YOU FREAKIN' IDIOT!"

Blue's voice erupted from the stands, a loud, crumbling thud soon following. She jumped onto the arena grounds and bolted for the other gems, a fire in her eyes. She stormed up to Yellow and shoved her violently back. The yellow gem gasped and held her arm where Blue pushed her. She looked at Blue, utterly bewildered, _hurt_ even.

Blue heaved, tears welled up in her furious eyes.

"YOU.... You did this. This is YOUR FAULT," she hissed, pointing at her with an accusatory finger.

 

White raised a brow, but didn't look back at the two. She was focused on Hematite. She stepped forward.

"Shift down this instant. You are in a **lot** of trouble."

–

Hematite removed the pole arm from his shoulder and set it down beside him. He turned to look at White, guilt plastered across his face.

"... Yes, White Diamond." Closing his eyes, Hematite grasped his forearm nervously, his form beginning to glow. His size shifted down rather steadily, but as he shrank down to about ten feet, the glowing faltered. In a flash, he was suddenly on the ground, tiny.

His exhaustion had caught up with him.

Hematite sat up and stared at the three towering diamonds before him, still holding his arm. A cold shudder ran up his form, making his hair stand on end.

_This is it._

–

White observed the small gem, looking right through him. She did _not_ look pleased.

Behind her, however, Blue continued to deliver an onslaught of angry shouts to her yellow counterpart.

"YOU were the one who beat him down! YOU were the one that changed him! YOU were the one that made him feel HORRIBLE! **YOU TOLD HIM HE WAS NOTHING. THIS.... THIS IS YOUR DOING?!** " She shouted, stepping gradually, sluggishly closer to her. White turned her head slightly, but kept her eyes on Hematite, making sure he stayed in place.

Yellow backed up, unsure of how to respond to Blue's accusations. She knew they were _accurate_ accusations. She opened her mouth to say something, but Blue let out a furious roar and was on top of her in seconds. White suddenly tensed, snapping her attention to the two.

"BLUE, ENOUGH."

White slammed the end of her pole arm down on the ground. Blue had grabbed Yellow by the neck and reeled her arm back. She stopped. Shooting Yellow a nasty look, she cursed under her breath. Yellow shoved her off and got to her feet quickly, shaking in anger. Blue didn't look much better.

White's eyes narrowed, and she leaned down to pick up Hematite. Her fingers wrapped around his tiny form, and she slowly lifted him up off the ground. Her grasp was firm, but not enough to hurt him.

"Is this true, Yellow...?" she asked as she stood straight, tone unreadable.

 

Yellow froze, the anxiety returning to her. She glanced away and bit her lip, but after a moment, she hung her head.

"Yes."

 

White looked down at Hematite and walked over to Blue.

She handed him to her.

"Be careful with him."

–

Admittedly, Hematite expected White to shatter him then and there when she picked him up, and was surprised that her grip wasn't tighter. He couldn't meet her eyes, though, and looked down at her hand, trembling, waiting for his punishment.

But instead, he was handed off to Blue. For a moment, he thought that White was going to have _her_ do the job. But his fears were momentarily quelled with White's words.

_Be careful with him._

He couldn't stop shaking, whether from exhaustion or fear, it was impossible to tell. Hematite leaned back against Blue's fingers. He crossed his arms, holding himself to try and calm his nerves.

 

_He had it coming._

_What he just pulled was unforgivable._

_It was just a matter of time before one of them broke him for this._

–

White turned to the other diamond and walked towards her. Yellow felt a chill go up her spine as she finally looked up at the fast approaching gem.

"But! I.... I didn't want ANY of this!! I...." Her voice faltered, stammering and stumbling over her words. "I just... wanted to keep him in line. I wanted to make sure he didn't betray us. I wanted to keep him in check, so that no-one would get hur-"

 

**THWACK!**

–

Hematite's eyes flew open at the sharp sound, and he sat up enough to peer through Blue's fingers. His arms uncrossed, and he carefully placed a shaking hand on her palm to steady himself as he watched.

Did White just... _punch her?_

–

Yellow stumbled back, the wind knocked completely out of her. She grabbed her face, looking up at White in horror.

White grasped the hilt of her pole arm, meeting Yellow with a furious stare. She clenched the fist that she had punched her with.

"That was not your problem. That was not your job. You had no right to take this matter into your own hands. If you had a problem with one of MY gems, you should have taken it up with ME. WHAT. WERE. YOU. THINKING?! DO YOU HAVE **ANY** idea what you've done?! He was FINE, Yellow! There was NOTHING wrong with his loyalty, until you used your iron-fist tactics on him! YOU did this, YOU brought this on YOURSELF." She hissed through her teeth.

 

Yellow looked....stunned.

Taken aback.

She looked _guilty_.

 

She looked away, biting her tongue, but her brows furrowed.

"You've created a monster, White."

 

White placed a finger sharply on Yellow's gem, making the shorter diamond look sharply up at her. The monochromatic gem stared her dead in the eyes.

"No, Yellow Diamond, **YOU** have created a monster."

–

Slowly, the tiny gem's eyes widened, and he felt tears pricking at their corners.

. _.. There was nothing wrong with him?_

Slowly, Hema looked up at Blue and sniffled, tears streaming down his face. He blinked as he heard Yellow's last accusation.

 **Monster**.

He kept his eyes on Blue for a moment longer, regret and guilt in his eyes, until he looked away, leaning against her fingers again.

–

Blue looked down on the small gem, careful with her hold. In fact, she didn't even really grip him like White did. She simply let him sit in her palm. Even after all _that_ , after all she saw, how she had every reason to believe he was dangerous... she still trusted him. She still believed in him. Deep down, she knew he wouldn't try to pull a fast one, or try to escape for that matter. Blue gave him a reassuring look, a faint smile returning to her. She, too, had a few tears in her eyes. They were subtle, but they were there.

 

Yellow wasn't finished. She yelled out in frustration, still appalled by the entire situation. Angry that she got hit, angry at her humiliation, angry that she was made to _fear_. White turned to walk back towards Blue, but Yellow stepped quickly forward to follow her.

"WELL? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO _DO_ ABOUT THIS THEN, HM?! He ATTACKED me. He was going to KILL me!" She remarked, throwing her arms dramatically up in the air, sparks flying off her body.

White stopped, clicking the end of her pole arm audibly on the tiled floor. She looked back at Yellow with another harsh glare.

"Hematite will be punished for his actions today. However..." She paused.

–

Hematite listened intently to every word, despite the fact that his head was starting to throb. For a moment, he looked like he was going to pass out right there in Blue's hand, but something Yellow said grabbed his attention.

_He was going to kill me!_

Growling lowly, Hematite pouted and angrily peeked over Blue's fingers, his brows furrowed. If he hadn't seen White walking over, he would have spoken up.

_Hematite will be punished for his actions today._

The tiny gem's eyes widened. _Wait... was she.._

–

There was a horrible, cold tension that filled the air. Yellow narrowed her eyes, and Blue bit her lip. White raised a brow.

"Hematite will _**not**_ be shattered for this."

...

"WWHHHHAAAAAATTT???!!"

–

Slowly, the small service gem sank back behind Blue's fingers.

 _Ooooh Yellow was not gonna be happy about-Yeah. There it was._ The gem winced at Yellow Diamond's angry outburst, but stayed out of sight. He didn't want her seeing him right now. He'd be lucky if she didn't make a go to grab him herself at this point.

–

Sparks flew in every direction, Yellow's whole body momentarily glowing with yellow light, but it soon faded away.

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS, WHITE!! HE-"

"Did everything he was told until _**you**_ berated him. You took everything into your own hands, treated him unfairly, beat him down and expected him to not get angry? If this has been going on from the get-go, I'm surprised he's held it together this long. Actually, I'm _impressed_. He will be punished dearly, yes. But he shall not be killed over _your_ mistakes," she growled.

 

"MY mistakes?!"

"Yes, Yellow. YOUR mistakes." She turned again, continuing to walk forward.

"BUT WHITE-"

"SILENCE!" White slammed her pole arm down, cracking the ground beneath her. "I've had enough of this. I've made up my mind, I've made my judgments.... Now stop this at once, Yellow Diamond. Honestly, I expected _better_ from you."

 

Silence followed.

 

Yellow scoffed and in a fit of frustration and yelled out in anger before storming off in the other direction. She headed over to the rubble covering the door and climbed over it. She'd had enough of today.

 _Everyone_ had had enough of today.

–

The tiny gem's head began to swim again, and he broke out into a cold sweat. _Uh-oh._

Hematite flinched as White's polearm made heavy contact with what sounded like the tile floor, but he stayed where he was. He gave Blue a glance in the silence that followed White's disapproving last words. As Yellow Diamond stormed off, Hematite swallowed and looked back at the gem holding him.

"... I'm sorry. For _everything_."

–

Blue blinked and gave the gem a nod of understanding. It didn't excuse what he did, but at the very least she understood _why_ he did it. At least, for the most part. White made her way back to the two and held out her palm.

"The Hematite, if you please."

Blue swallowed nervously, hesitant for a split second, but she handed him carefully over to her. White took the tiny gem and easily grasped him, making sure not to squeeze him too tightly. She wasn't quite as comfortable holding him as freely as Blue was. She stared down at him with sharp, judging eyes, but looked quickly to the entrance.

There was a long pause.

 

"Well, by the sounds of it, you certainly gave them a show...."

–

As he was passed off to White, Hematite tensed involuntarily, but forced himself to stay still. He wasn't going to be shattered. He was okay. _This was okay._ Looking up at his superior, he neatly folded his arms over the edge of her hand and swallowed nervously. Why was she so quiet?

_Well you certainly gave them a show._

Blinking, Hematite's mouth opened in surprise. Well, alright. _That wasn't the first thing he'd expected out of her mouth but..._

"... Why spare me?"

–

White didn't respond for a moment, making her way to the warp pad. With a flash, they, too, were gone. Long, agonizing moments awaited as she made her way to another warp pad, one that would take her to the White tower.

–

The silence was killing him.

As the two of them made their way to the warp pad, and then to the next, it took all of his effort to keep his composure. He could do this. It was no big deal... What he did was... justified..

_**Right?** _

–

Finally, as she continued walking, she spoke.

"I want to hear more of your story. There's a lot you haven't been telling us, Hematite. The little stunt you pulled today spoke a thousand words." Her voice was stern, but in an odd way.... compassionate. Much like a mother who just wanted what was best for their child, even though they just got themselves into a lot of trouble.

"I still need to know if you have snapped for good... what your reasoning behind all this was... And if you still really are _my_ Hematite."

–

Hematite looked up as White began to speak. She was mad, understandably... But there was.. Something _else_.

_I need to know if you have snapped for good._

_If you still really are **my** Hematite_

The tiny gem's eyes widened in shock, and finally, the walls came crashing down. Burying his face in his hands, Hematite let out a shuddering breath that quickly turned into a sob.

"I-I'm sorry! I swear, I wasn't going to hurt her!" He shook his head. "I wanted to tell you what was going on, I did! I even tried to tell B-blue! But Y-yellow Diamond said if I told anyone what was going on, she'd... Sh-she'd!"

–

White narrowed her eyes and hushed him softly.

"Shhh... Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. No-one is going to hurt you." Her eyes drifted down, looking upon him with sorrow. Even if she was mad, it wasn't going to help the situation, let alone Hematite's nerves for her to be outwardly angry.

"Start from the beginning.... What did Yellow _do_ to you?...."

–

The tiny gem managed to look up at his superior, and by the look in his eyes, it was clear he didn't quite believe her promise.

_No-one is going to hurt you._

Hematite's hands grasped his forearms, and he held himself tightly, shaking his head. He was trembling uncontrollably.

"I-I can't."

There was a pause. He was still shaking like a leaf. Shutting his eyes tightly, he looked away and took a long, shallow breath.

"That night when I came back late from bringing Yellow Diamond her files, she...." Hematite swallowed thickly, as if the words were stuck in his throat. "She said I needed to be reminded how 'small' I am. She thought I questioned my position, th-thought I was stronger than you three."

Hematite shook his head again, the tears that he was trying to keep in escaped from the corners of his eyes. "A-and that you were all waiting... Waiting for me to slip up- a-and-!" The realization hit him like a war hammer.

_This was it._

_This was what she was talking about._

He _**had**_ slipped up. He _**did**_ consider himself more powerful than her, even for a short time.

**She was right.**

–

White nodded simply, looking straight on ahead. She stepped onto another warp pad, sending them off with another brilliant flash of light. They appeared soon right outside of the White Diamond tower. After some time, they'd finally made their way up to the office. There was another pause, as she placed her hand to the door. It came open, revealing the warm, calm room that they were both entirely familiar with. She walked through, her grasp on Hematite slowly but surely becoming less firm.

She sat down to her desk, placing Hematite onto the smooth surface. To the left, there was a tray with hot tea still steaming in its cup. Seems she'd been in the middle of a new cup when Blue called her. She grinned softly, grabbing one of the cups and sliding it casually towards Hematite. Even if he was small, perhaps he would have enjoyed a little bit of it.

–

The tiny gem, though he was still in quite the state, found some comfort in the familiar sight of White's office.

_Right._

He was okay.

_Deep breath..._

He was safe with her.

Hematite looked down as the expanse of White's desk came into view, and he let out the smallest 'ooph' as he landed. He'd taken quite the beating during the end of the fight, to say the least, and his entire body was aching.

As White slid over the cup of tea, he gave her a confused stare, but then nodded appreciatively. If anything... he was happy for the warmth. Leaning back against the still-hot cup, he drew his knees closer to his chest. The warmth of the smooth surface on his back soothed him, making his eyes drift shut just slightly.

_Silence._

–

"Now. Let's try this again." She took a deep breath, inhaling and holding it for a moment. She closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she exhaled, drawing it out.

"What did she tell you?.... Did she really make you feel like you were nothing?... Did she really think that you would turn on us?"

–

"... She sure seemed to think I would. I swore, that night, that I was loyal to the three of you... That I would never think of turning on you." His face had guilt written all over it. "But she didn't believe me. And... that night."

_No, he couldn't bring himself to give her the details._

"I thought she was going to kill me."

–

She looked down, and away from Hematite. She looked.... almost guilty? The Diamond sighed heavily, taking the other cup of tea from the tray and looking down into it.

"I really wish she didn't try and take control of everything... I swear...."

–

Hematite took a deep breath.

"Ever since then... every chance she's gotten, she's put me down, said I was nothing."

He rested his head in his arms. A strange, empty tone took over his voice. It wasn't angry, no.

It was void of emotion, aside from a trace of sadness.

"Nothing. Worthless. Pathetic. Weak. Small. A coward."

Another pause.

" _Don't go thinking you mean anything._ " Hematite couldn't look his superior in the eye, and he scooted closer to the teacup. His voice was quiet.

"Her exact words."

–

White clasped her hands together, pressing her fingertips into one another. She curiously listened to every word, her irritation seeming to build with every passing syllable. She bared her teeth and looked away, but closed her eyes and took yet another deep breath. Of course she wanted to be furious, but she remained calm. For both their sakes. She picked up her tea and sipped at it, placing the cup back down onto its tiny plate a moment later.

"I see..."

A crude silence filled the air. The sun had long since set, but the warm glow of the room made it seem like there was more than enough natural lighting... yet it was subtle. Soothing, even.

"Hematite. Let me tell you something about Yellow Diamond...." She said, placing her finger onto the cup, running it across the edge leisurely.

–

At White's silence, Hematite dropped his knees back down, and his hands rested on the desk, supporting him. She wanted to tell him something about Yellow? _Oh, joy._ He was going to get the 'she's not as bad as she seems' talk again.

He'd already heard this. And he had already taken a chance and let Yellow show him what she was really like.

Regardless, he nodded silently and watched White's hand as she fiddled with the teacup.

–

White reached down to grab something out of one of the drawers in her desk. Placing it on the surface of the table, she turned it on. Hematite would have likely immediately noticed that it was an archival Diamond pad instead of a standard one for taking notes. Pressing its screen with her finger, White brought something up like a hologram in front of them both.

She made her way to what seemed like a gallery of different pictures, videos, and reports. She mumbled something quietly, before her tapping a file promptly.

On the holo screen, a picture of Yellow diamond came up...but she was dancing with someone, it looked like. The other gem in the photo was unfamiliar, but beautiful. She had long, voluminous ringlets in her hair, and she was smiling happily. But there was something else... _Yellow Diamond_ was smiling. Genuinely, warmly _smiling_. She looked content... no, she looked _happy_.

White took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Have you ever wondered why there was a Pink District, Hematite?.... Why there were three diamonds, and four factions?... Have you ever wondered if there was ever a fourth?" She paused for a moment.

 

"Long ago, there was a forth Diamond. Pink Diamond. Pink Diamond was kind to everyone she met. Loving.... Caring.... Motherly, even. She saw beauty in everything. She was... a wonderful friend to us all."

White's eyes went cold.

"And then she betrayed us."

The picture flipped to the next screen, an image of absolute carnage. Burning buildings, gems running around in terror, warriors running into action with their weapons drawn... and her. Pink Diamond. The same from the picture just before, holding a sword and shield, fighting off the warriors.

"She rebelled against Homeworld over 5700 years ago to defend some... pitiful planet." Her tone dropped, and her eyes closed.

"Ironically enough... the very same planet that you were lost on." She opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on the small service gem.

"After the war, we severed all ties with Pink Diamond. She was free to live on her pathetic little rock, and we went our separate ways. We never spoke to her again.... but that isn't to say that severe, irreversible damage wasn't done."

White stopped once more, grabbing her tea and taking another sip. She went to the next image. It was an image of Yellow Diamond. She had a much colder, angrier, and dry face. She stood in front of a crowd of warriors, holding her sword in front of her, her hands placed firmly on its hilt... much like she did normally.

 

"After Pink left, something in all of us changed. We all had deep connections with her in some form or another."

She swirled the cup in her hand.

"She liked to study with me... we liked to sit out in the parks and have tea, chatting and gossiping the night away."

The diamond smiled warmly in remembrance.

"She and Blue went to hang out at the bars commonly, even sparring against each other for fun."

She closed her eyes again.

"But her and Yellow...."

Opening them again, she looked sadly at Hematite.

"It was arguable that Pink and Yellow were, well. Inseparable. The greatest of friends. They were always talking, always hanging around one another, laughing, smiling... They too would spar every now and then. They would go out to parties and dance throughout the night. They were always thinking about gem-kind, Homeworld, and all of its majesty. Yellow had so much respect for Pink. She looked up to her, even. On top of that, Pink kept her well grounded. Level headed. She helped Yellow keep her temperament in check. Yellow was a very different gem back then.... But. After the war, something in her..."

She paused, reluctantly turning off the diamond pad with a mechanical click.

"Something in her changed."

–

Hematite's eyes were wide as saucers as he listened to White's words, and he stared at the different holograms silently as they came up.

_Pink Diamond..._

So much made sense now... The Pink district, the extra tower, the various pink-insignia'd rebels...

 

But, Hematite always figured the last leader had _died_. That she, whoever she was, whether a good leader or bad, that the three of them were just... upset. So he'd never pried about it or read up on it. Perhaps she'd been shattered tragically, and they had to tear down the Pink District to make room for progress? Whatever happened, it didn't effect him, after all, and he didn't want reason to pity the gems he was sent after, so he never asked.

But he _had_ wondered if that made any sense. Why would they tear her stuff down if it had been a tragedy? Wouldn't they leave it up in remembrance?

_But no._

_She was a traitor to Homeworld._

Not only that, but she betrayed them all for the sake of that gemforsaken planet, the one he'd been stuck on for over a decade. How could anyone turn on their home to protect some sorry clod of mud floating out in space?

He couldn't understand it.

 _If I'd known there was such a traitor back on that planet, I would have harvested her myself_ , Hematite thought to himself. He remained quiet and continued listening to White talk about each of their relations to Pink Diamond.

The look on her face broke his heart.

".... You all really miss her.. don't you?"

–

"Yes. We all.. miss her, Hematite. But, the past is in the past, time cannot heal this wound. She will never come back and we will never go back for her." She shrugged, sighing heavily.

"We all took it very hard when the war was over. When everything was said and done.... but, during the war.... Yellow's outlook on everything changed. Her entire demeanor....shifted. She became cold, merciless. Heavy hearted, even. She grew bitter, distrustful. We can't really say we blamed her, but..." She pushed her cup of tea away finally and grabbed the Diamond pad. She looked over it casually, and put it down in the drawer once more.

"It changed her. It effected all of us, but ... I personally believe that Yellow took it the worst. She changed the most drastically out of all of us, that I know for a fact. She became a much more cold, stern gem. She started to enforce her rules more strictly, with an iron fist. All her focus went toward progression, work, advancing modern gem-tech in any way possible. She spoke less, trusted less, and went about her own business. For a long time, she even shut us out." She looked down at Hematite, placing her palm on his tea cup. It was still warm.

"... But she eventually came around. Yellow is... ah, what is the word I'm looking for." There was a long pause. She stared right through him, her gaze drifting upwards to look at nothing as she thought.

"Yellow doesn't always go about things in the best way... But you already seem to have figured that out. Now, the point I've been trying to get at, Hematite... I'm not going to tell you to try and be friends with her. After all this, I don't expect you to. But know this... she does what she does because she doesn't want to see us or anyone on Homeworld get hurt. Even if that means being harsh. I know it might seem hard to believe, and, hell... I don't expect you to fully believe me. Just understand that Yellow isn't quite as cruel as she seems.... you just...have to get to know her better. To know why she is the way she is."

-

As White spoke, Hematite found himself slowly putting pieces together. The aggression, the mistrust, the anger, the distance... She was this way all because of Pink Diamond?

_What a horrid gem..._

Yellow looked so happy before... Yellow Diamond, happy? The fact that he couldn't even picture it on his own was...

_No gem should have that taken away. Not even **her**._

-

White shrugged again, the smile returning to her face.

"It's pretty hard to befriend her, sure. She isn't the most social of gems, and she doesn't really open up to anyone....She hardly even opens up to us. Buuuut who knows... perhaps this little fiasco has humbled her. Knocked her down a few pegs. If you ask me, she needed it."

White rolled her eyes, the faintest of chuckles escaping her.

"Something I've noticed about you, Hematite... something I've found fascinating about you the more I learn about you. You are a very compassionate gem, and fierce when you need to be. You have so much... love in you. Something so few gems seem to have, these days...”

She paused.

“Who knows, Hematite... maybe someday, assuming you two can move past this.... even she could learn how to love like you."

–

Hematite touched his gemstone lightly as he continued to listen to White's words.

_You're so full of love._

Looking up, the tiny gem's eyes widened slightly.

_Maybe even she could learn to love like you._

Tears filled Hematite's eyes, and he turned away, ashamed.

"How can you say that about me after what I just did? What if I'm...." His voice grew quiet. "What if _that_ was the real me?" The tiny gem looked up at his superior, his eyes wide. "What if I've changed like she did?"

It was... a silly question, in a way. After all, most of his behavior back in the arena had been a facade, a mask... something to keep himself from breaking his resolve. But Hematite's head was swimming, and he was having a hard time processing all of this.Especially after his breakdown toward the end of the fight.

–

She smiled warmly, cupping her hand around Hematite and petting his hair gently with her index finger. She couldn't help but chuckle... and surprisingly, it was genuine. With everything that happened today, she had every reason to be upset. She had every reason to still be angry. But for this moment, for this talk... she was compassionate.

 

"Hematite. What happened out there... that wasn't you. If you really changed, you would not be questioning these things. You would not have stopped when you did. You would not be here right now, confused and scared. You wouldn't be this upset..." She carefully ran her thumb over his cheek, wiping away some of his tears that collected.

 

"I wanted to make sure you were still loyal... that you were still _you_... And I truly believe that you are. You have not become a monster, Hematite. You are not _nothing_. You are not weak... you are not expendable. You are Hematite.... and you are _my_ Hematite."

–

Hematite gave the smallest flinch when White brought her hand near, but he quickly relaxed. He sniffled and leaned slightly into the petting, surprised at how comforting it was.

_What happened out there, it wasn't you._

He looked at her quietly, blinking as she wiped away his tears. Her words sank deep, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. She was right, of course. Right about everything. He'd terrified himself with how he acted, and deep down he knew that it wasn't him. But that didn't change the fact that he had the _capacity_ to act the way he did. And while that thought alone troubled him...

He trusted White's judgment better than his own.

She was smart. She knew what she was talking about.

Not to mention Blue still seemed to trust him some small amount too, if their moment back at the arena meant anything...

He could trust himself, _right_?

_He would just make sure he **never** got to this point **again**._

"R-right. Right. Your Hematite," he repeated quietly, rubbing his arm with a small smile. His expression fell, however, after a moment. "White? What will be my punishment?"

–

White sighed heavily, the smile leaving her face.

"We will discuss your punishment tomorrow, Hematite. Right now... I think we aaaaalll could use a bit of rest. Don't you think?... Can I trust you to stay out of trouble?" She gave him a wink, a small smirk returning. She took the cups and placed them on the tray, standing up from her chair and stretching. "Take the rest of the night off as you see fit. Just remember to report to me immediately tomorrow." She gave him a stern stare, but the smirk was still there.

"You won't be getting off of this one easy. Everything I've said here tonight still holds true, but it does not excuse your actions either. Buuuut that is for tomorrow's discussion." She nodded, gesturing for the door. "You are dismissed."

–

Nodding, Hematite finally let out a yawn that he had been stifling for a while, and slowly got to his feet.

"Yes, you can trust me." The tiny gem walked over to the edge of the desk and hopped down before heading for the door. A nervous smile found its way to his face, and he nodded.

"I'll take whatever you think is fair. I know I messed up."

The door opened in front of him, and he looked back at his superior.

"... Thank you, White."

With that, he rushed out the door, making a beeline for Blue's office.

He still had one person to talk to tonight.

–

**WHAM!!!**

With a horrific crunch, the dummy's entire form exploded into splinters and cotton. A bit of a primitive build, but it worked. After all, to Blue's mace, everything felt soft. _Especially now._

With a fierce war cry she slammed her weapon down into its remains, heaving and kneeling down. She glared daggers into the dummy's shredded remains, baring her teeth in unimaginable frustration. She breathed in and out, heavy, irrationally.... and then she sighed.

And then she laughed.

She stood up, taking one more deep breath, her weapon disappearing. She tweaked her neck.

_Crick. Criiiick._

_That felt better._

–

It took a... _considerable_ amount of time to get to Blue's tower, but eventually, Hematite stopped at the door and gave it the tiniest of knocks.

"Blue? Are you in there?" he called best he could, fidgeting with his index finger and thumb.

–

Blue felt a twinge of something spike her back into reality. Turning her head sharply, she made her way to the door and opened it. Looking down, she was greeted with... the smallest of gems.

"Hematite!!..." She said, her usual giddy demeanor returning to her. She backed up, allowing the gem to come in. She didn't say anything else...she was still recovering from everything. Her outburst, his outburst, the overall stress of today... she guessed that he probably wanted to talk.

–

The tiny gem scampered inside and looked up at the Diamond before him with a smile.

But after a pause, the smile vanished, and he looked away awkwardly. He... hadn't thought this part through very well. Hematite took a deep breath and scuffed his foot on the floor as he idly looked around.

"S-so... Uhm."

Another pause.

"White can really throw that polearm of hers, huh?" He laughed nervously.

–

Blue stared with a rather... distant look. But then she... smiled.

Then she teared up, her lip quivering, the biggest of grins plastered on her face. She started chuckling quietly, but it soon grew into a hearty laughter. A happy laughter. A _relieved_ laughter. She placed her hands on her head and sighed heavily, wiping a tear from her eye. Looking down to the service gem, she still had the same grin that he was so familiar with.

"I missed that.... It's good to have you back again, buddy."

–

At first Blue's demeanor worried him, even when she started laughing, but he quickly smiled when he saw that it was a _genuine_ laugh. Hematite couldn't help but let out a relieved chuckle too. It had been weeks, almost months since he'd _properly_ talked to Blue, ever since that day in the Coliseum. He was glad she wasn't shutting him out after all he'd done.

"It's... good to _be_ back, Blue." He rubbed his arm. "Hey... I'm sorry. That you, you know. Had to see me like that.."

–

Blue knelt down and placed her palm on her knee, getting a little more level to Hematite. Not by much, but at least she wasn't towering over him now.

"Well, Kid.... You got a lot of explaining to do. I doubt you're in any shape to go to the bar though." She said, still holding her grin. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked at him, concerned. "So....."

She sat down on the ground now, still only about a foot away from him.

"Let's try this again... And, hah, I know that you didn't wanna come talk to me about your hair!" She gave another warm chuckle.

"Tell me, Hematite... what really happened?... I want to hear it from your side."

–

Hematite looked up at the Diamond as she sat down, and he smiled gratefully. Sitting down himself, he ruffled his own hair and chuckled.

"Aww, come on Blue! What if I did come to talk about my hair?" He grinned at her cheekily, but it faltered quickly and he sighed. There was another long pause and he pursed his lips. _Where to start._

"Remember that time I got really really drunk?"

–

Blue chuckled again, crossing her arms and nodding.

"YEaaah... Man, you were really... out of it that night." She looked a little to the left, still at the floor. She appeared to be lost in a thought. "All those things.... _She_ said that to you. _She_ made you feel that way. She tried to take away who you were." She frowned, looking back in the other direction.

"It's always her.... she does this kinda thing all the time. Tries to take away everyone's fun.... ugh, she just. She needs to chill out." she scoffed.

–

Hematite nodded while rubbing the back of his neck. He stared to the side and swallowed. Blue was understandably angry, he'd seen that much in the way she'd pounced Yellow back at the arena after spewing all those _admittedly accurate_ accusations at her fellow Diamond. Hematite knew that now might not have been the best time to discuss all this with her, lest he make her even angrier at Yellow. But no, he had to tell her. He had to let her know his reasoning, how he'd let himself get to this point. It wasn't going to be fun, but it was needed. He'd been silent with her far too long.

_Oh boy, here it goes._

"Yeahh. But. Still. I shouldn't have... done what I did today. I guess I just wanted to... give her a taste of her own medicine."

–

Blue fidgeted with her thumbs in her hands. She narrowed her eyes, a little confused.

"What... do you mean?...."

–

_Deep breath._

Hematite rubbed his arm nervously and looked at the ground. He couldn't look at her when he said what he was about to. He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because there was a cruel irony in the fact that a _Harvester_ of all gems was petrified of someone doing to them what _THEY_ did for a job. Or maybe he was ashamed that he hadn't told Blue sooner, or at least hinted at it better.

Or perhaps he felt that he had no right to be mad at someone for doing what he did on a regular basis.

"A long time ago, a few weeks, months... I don't remember, after I started working here at the towers, White gave me an errand to deliver some files to Yellow.”

His thumb brushed his arm.

"It went fine until she... picked me up." He glanced at her, quickly adding "I'd shrunken down that day. It was the first time it happened." There was a pause. "I tried joking that she could carry me back to the tower, since it was such a long walk at this size. But she... got really mad. Apparently it was disrespectful. So she, uh. Said I needed to know my place around here. And, well."

There was a long, awkward pause. He didn't want to say it.

".... Let's. Let's just say that for one night, Yellow Diamond seemed to think _**she**_ was a Harvester." The last part was mumbled, but still intelligible. He went quiet, keeping his eyes away from Blue's face.

–---

...

\----

_"I-I would never! I'm here to serve you, White Diamond, and Blue Diamond! I would never question my position!" He was full-on shaking at this point, the smallest of whimpers escaping him. Small, scared, powerless... is this what his mission targets felt like...?_   
_"I'm sorry, I won't forget, I swear it!"_   
_–_   
_"No."_   
_Her eyes narrowed in an ominous calm._

_"You won't."_

_She opened her mouth, moving the tiny Hematite closer to her face, now terrifyingly close to her. Her teeth were pristine, sharp, and to a gem as small as he was... dangerous. She maneuvered her fingers around his body, rolling out her golden tongue and slipping the tiny gem onto the end of it gradually._   
_–_   
_Oh..._   
_Oh stars, what was she **doing?**_   
_Hematite's eyes widened in undisguised panic, and he tried to free himself from Yellow Diamond's grasp, but quickly found it was a futile effort. He couldn't see perfectly over her fingers, but he'd seen enough of what she was doing to go into full 'flight' mode._   
_"Y-yellow Diamond, what are you doing?! I have to get back to White!" He squeaked in fear as his feet met what he could only guess was the gem's tongue, and he tried his best to draw his tiny form away, tightly clinging to the larger gem's fingers. Shutting his eyes tightly, he hoped that if he held on hard enough, he'd be alright._   
_And she wouldn't actually-_   
_Hematite shook, trying to quell the terror boiling in his stomach. She wouldn't really hurt him, right?_   
_–_   
_She didn't respond. She took a finger and pushed against his abdomen, slipping his small frame over her slippery tongue, just past her teeth. He was just big enough to fit in her mouth, even if he was a bit of a mouthful. Her tongue curled past his legs and drew him in, her mouth becoming more and more apparent as a golden death trap. The only hope the small gem had was the light streaming in from the outside, which gradually became dimmer and dimmer by the second._   
_–_   
_Gritting his teeth, Hematite tried to fight his way back from the huge gem's sharp teeth, but it was a pointless effort, and he quickly found himself stomach-first on the golden surface. He scrambled to distance himself from the back of Yellow Diamond's mouth, but his actions were fruitless, and his hands only slipped on the smooth surface. Little noises of panic escaped the tiny gem, and tears stung the corners of his eyes._   
_"Somebody, help!" he choked out, his cry barely audible to his own ears. His voice was failing, as was what little composure he had left. He couldn't understand why she was doing this, he hadn't done anything wrong! He followed her rules, right?! Was there something he missed? Why hadn't she just crushed him if she was going to do this? At least that would have been quick! Hematite, seeing that his light was about to be cut off anyways, closed his eyes tightly and covered his head, his body shaking violently._   
_–_   
_The pressure got tighter, the roof of her mouth gradually becoming closer and closer to him, the light fading quicker, until... darkness. Her mouth closed completely around him, her tongue pushing him against her teeth. At any given moment, she could snap down on him... but she didn't. She seemed to be toying with him. Admittedly, she didn't dislike how he tasted. Still, she didn't have too much time to dawdle._   
_–_   
_A sharp whimper escaped Hematite as his back met the hard surface of the gem's teeth, and his panic flared, the image of being crushed into shards flashing through his mind. He clung to her tongue, cringing, and another weak cry escaped him, though not even Yellow Diamond would be able to hear._   
_This isn't happening. It's not real. Maybe I'm in a training simulation and I don't know it... he lied to himself, what little strength he had to hold on starting to fail him._

_-_

_Cutting to the chase, Yellow gave a little grin, chuckling darkly, the sound echoing around the puny gem's form. Then, without warning, everything started to tilt under him._

_-_   
_A heavy shudder crept up his spine when Yellow Diamond's chuckle echoed around him. He opened his eyes in the darkness, confused by the sudden shift in gravity. But it didn't take long for him to process what was happening as he began to slip. A sharp cry forced itself from the tiny gem's throat, and he shut his eyes tight again, holding on to the golden tongue under him as tightly as he could. Which, admittedly at this point, was a minimal amount._   
_–_   
_Yellow pressed her tongue, and the small gem, against the roof of her mouth, motioning the golden muscle under him and pushing him back. With a quick motion of her tongue, the pitiful gem was pushed further back, until there was a gradual drop._   
_Then, without a second thought, the diamond gulped thickly, pulling the Hematite down with a sharp tug, warm flesh now enveloping his upper half._   
_–_   
_There was no point in it now... that was all he had in his already exhausted state. With one last shudder, the tiny gem's arms gave out on him, and he covered his face, waiting for the inevitable. She was going to put him where he'd never be found. A Diamond's gem dimension was surely a terrifying place..._   
_He wished she'd just zapped and crushed him._   
_As his form was suddenly moved downward in a swift movement, Hematite let out another yell for help, his mind fuzzy with terror. There was nothing he could do. It was over._   
_I shouldn't have said anything. I should have just left the pad._   
_–_   
_Another quick gulp sent the rest of the small gem traveling down her neck. She raised a brow, swiping her tongue over her lips. She moved over to her seat, sitting down and propping her legs up on her desk, sighing heavily. Crossing her arms, she clicked her tongue once._   
_"Stop whining," she said coldly, looking out to the door in front of her._   
_–_   
_Hematite could only make out a little of what Yellow Diamond had said at first, and quickly found himself on 'solid' ground again in what he assumed was her stomach. Wait... so she didn't put him away in her gem's pocket dimension?_

_-_

_She was still aggravated from the previous guest, if the irritated scowl on her face was anything to go by._

_"If I wanted you dead you'd be shattered easily by now. Consider this a little warning." She said, tapping her fingers on her arm, both of which were crossed over her chest. "Show some courage. You sound pathetic."_

_-_

_The panic that had driven him moments before was starting to fizzle out, his emotional energy almost spent. He'd already had a terrible mission that nearly got him seriously hurt, and now this? After seemingly no provocation?_

_He backed against the 'wall', his breathing uneven, but he stopped cold at her last words._

_**Show some courage.** _

_His shaking stopped, and his brow furrowed. A long moment passed, and the gem said nothing._   
_Slowly, he lifted his hand to his visor, swiping a finger across the surface. The clear visor lit up, the hud coming online, and Hematite looked around at the glittering golden surfaces around him. A deep frown plastered itself across the gem's face, and he slowly pushed his hair from his eyes, ignoring how it clung to his hand._   
_"Fine."_   
_An uncharacteristic cold tone crept into Hematite's voice, and he looked around again at the environment he found himself in. The diamond's words echoed in his mind._   
_**If I wanted you dead, you'd be shattered easily by now.**_   
_Then why do this, he thought with a heavy hint of bitterness. Why do something so..._   
_Well, it didn't matter. Fine. If she wanted him to stop whining, to 'show some courage' after thinking he was going to **die** , or be locked away forever, then fine. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of panicking any further._   
_–_   
_The Diamond's patience today was already worn thin, and she didn't like the Hematite's sharp tone. Still, he was already in a bit of a bind, so she bit her tongue for once._   
_"Hmph."_   
_Shifting her weight, she leaned over to grab the metallic pad that was on her desk. Blipping on its screen, she peered over its interface. After what seemed like an hour of reading, she lightly tapped the pad on the desk. The Hematite had been quiet for some time now. Good. It was just how she had wanted it. She got her point across, she was sure of it. Maybe now she could trust that he wouldn't try anything funny._   
_She was doing this for them. For all of them. Still, White did need this gem back. She sighed heavily, taking a deep breath._   
_"Alright Hematite. Since you probably have gotten my point by now. You should be getting back to White. But you'd better not forget anything I said. Do I make myself clear..." she said rhetorically._

_Another day, another enforcement, another lesson. At the very least, she wasn't quite as angry as she had been an hour prior._   
_But now she had to return him to White. She couldn't keep him in there even if she had wanted to. Besides... it was just a scare tactic._   
_–_   
_Hematite had done nothing but sit in wait, tiredly wishing he was back in White's office. Soon, he heard Yellow Diamond speaking to him, and noted every word. No, he wouldn't forget anything._

_Within a few moments, a small spot on Yellow's abdomen glowed a bright golden color, and she reached in casually, easily able to grab Hema's tiny form and pull him out. Her form returned to normal as soon as Hematite was out in the open, and she glared down at the tiny gem. Hema glanced up in return, but quickly looked back down at her hand. Well, at least she wasn't making this anymore unpleasant than it needed to be._

_\----_

_..._

_\----_

 

Blue scowled in disgust, looking from Hematite to the door. It all made sense. Everything Hematite said, everything Yellow had been doing... it all played together. It all made... _so_ much sense now. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was no use getting worked up now. She had to keep it together for Hematite, and everyone else for that matter.

She gazed back on him with a concerned look this time, the anger not quite gone all the way from her eyes.

"You must have been really scared...." she said, unsure of how exactly to respond. Her hand clenched in her palm, squeezing her fingers. She sighed heavily.

"... And she... made you feel like you were nothing. Like you were worthless..." Her shoulders drooped. The pain on her face said everything. "I couldn't have known.... but I should have guessed.... I'm so sorry, Hematite. If I had known, why I woulldaaaa...." She grit her teeth, shutting her eyes tightly. "Tsssss..... Mmm." She relaxed, the tension fading away once more. _Keep it together, Blue._

–

Seeing Blue get so tense wasn't a surprise, but it was worrying to the tiny gem. He nodded, brows furrowed in a frown.

"I was, yes. I guess I just. Wanted to show her what it felt like." Hematite hesitated.

Without warning, the tiny service gem hopped to his feet and scurried over, jumping onto Blue's knee. He knew he wasn't supposed to make contact with her, but he... he had to make sure she could really hear and see him.

"It's not your fault! I could have told you, I could have told _White_... but I let her control me. I let that terror of her loom over me for years, despite White being my immediate superior. She would have taken care of the whole thing but I..." He clenched his fists. "I didn't understand how things worked when this all started. I just did what I was told, and I was scared of getting hurt. I just.. went along, doing my job."

The tiny gem inhaled deeply. Here goes.

"But _you_ made me feel like I actually had something to strive for. Like I had worth! Sure, White gave me _purpose_ , a job to do, but that was... empty at times. You showed me there was more to life than doing my missions and being afraid. You showed me the arena, sparred with me, praised me, Everything that Yellow Diamond didn't... Everything I _wanted_ her to do. And no, I never stopped trying to make her happier with me, but the failure to do so was... lessened by being able to talk with you."

His eyes were wide, and his expression was hard to read. It was something akin to pleading, but there was a fire there.

"I _know_ you're mad at Yellow Diamond, I am too. And honestly, this whole thing has... probably ruined any shot I had at mending things with her."

His hands shook, just slightly.

"I screwed up today. I screwed up _**big**_ time. But. I don't want my mistake, my choice to shut out the only person that's been by my side this whole time to ruin... what we had going."

–

There was silence. A hollow, yet shocked look glued to her face. Everything...everything he had said. It was all ringing through her like melodious chimes.

He... he really did care. He acknowledged everything she said. Hema took it all into account. He remembered....he believed her. The whole time, he cared. Despite how things had looked, he didn't lose sight of who he was in the end. What she said _mattered_ to him. She had helped him far more than she could have even imagined, and she did it by just being herself. She _helped_ him. She actually made him feel _better_. All this time, she had partially thought all of this was her fault. His outbursts, his anger, his unhappiness even. She had been worried that she had influenced him in all the wrong ways. Even to the point of being convinced that she had hurt him... that she taught him the wrong lessons. That she was a horrible leader. All this time.... it was the opposite of what she had thought.

A small, single chuckle escaped her.

Tears welled up in her unblinking eyes, her lips parted subtly. She almost looked like she was hurt... but it was quite the opposite. No.... no it wasn't hurt. It was _hope_.

She lifted her hands and grabbed the small gem, squeezing him close to her chest and, without warning, the tears started to flow down her cheeks. A quiet sob resounded through the small room. Her grasp was firm, but... surprisingly gentle coming from the normally rowdy gem. She often didn't know her own strength, but not this time. No, she made sure to be easy with him.

 

"Hematite..." her voice shuddered in a quiet whisper. She opened her eyes and stared down at her feet, looking past him. "You kept your promise... thank you."

–

Hematite's own eyes filled with tears as Blue pulled him close, and he buried his face in her shirt, hugging her best he could at his size. He was surprised at how careful she was able to hold him, and a bright, relieved smile spread across his face.

_They were okay._

_He hadn't ruined the best thing he had here on Homeworld._

Sure, he'd really messed up today. There were wounds made that would leave scars for a long time. _Some he wasn't aware of yet._

But it also... opened doors. He trusted White more, he understood himself better... and he understood Yellow better. Hell, he'd learned things about his own home that he'd never expected.

But he was still here because Blue supported him. Because she opened up to him and showed him what his life could be.

"Even though I shut you out... and I hurt you... You still didn't give up on me, despite having every reason to."

He looked up at her, teary-eyed, a wide smile still on his face.

"Thank you."

–

Blue sniffed and smiled, giving him a wide grin. Having finally let him free from her embrace, she placed him back on her knee as carefully as she could.

"I always knew there was somethin' special about ya from the first time ya spoke, kid... I guess I saw a lot of me in you? And, hah... I don't say that about many." She shrugged.

"No matter what happens.... at the very least, I understand why you did what you did. No it wasn't right, but what she did wasn't right either. In the end, I guess no-one really won." She sighed, placing her palm on her cheek.

"... But maybe it's for the best. If we all learned anything from this whole mess.... I'd consider that a plus in the end." She said reassuringly.

_At least it was finally over._


	13. Loom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Diamond runs into Hematite somewhere she didn't expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arc 1 summary: [Spoilers... duh!]  
> After White took on her chosen Hematite to be her bodyguard, tensions rose between the new gem and Yellow Diamond. For seemingly no reason, she abused and belittled him in a misguided attempt to keep him in line. After befriending Blue Diamond and discovering that Hematites have a fatal genetic flaw, Hematite wound up stranded on Earth for ten Homeworld years. [14 Earth years] While he was there, he befriended Celestite, the Heaven Beetle. They parted ways on less-than-pleasant terms, and Hema found his way home. He was welcomed with open arms from White and Blue, but was given a cold welcome by Yellow.  
> Shortly after returning home, Yellow's abuse continued. She took it too far, and Hema finally snapped. He struck back in a fateful 'spar' in the Sky Arena that landed him in trouble with White. Yellow's callous abuse was revealed to both Diamonds, and she, too... would soon face her own 'punishment.'

**Dark.**

**Silent.**

**Freezing.**

 

**Alone.**

 

 _What was this? What was this dark abyss she found herself in? And how long had she been wandering around aimlessly?_ Yellow Diamond tried to find anything, _anything_ at all to guide her way. She could feel some kind of solid ground under her feet, but no matter where she looked, in every direction, it was black. Pitch black.

Yet when she looked at her arms, she could see her own color just fine. It was as if she were standing somewhere where it was perfectly lit up, despite the world around her being inky black. _Strange.... very strange._ Perhaps it was some sort of gem magic. She shrugged, continuing to walk tirelessly into the darkness.

Surely if she kept moving, she'd run into something. Anything. _How long would this last? And what was it?_

_Why was it just.... nothingness?..._

–

Within the inky blackness of the area surrounding the Diamond, something was watching. Waiting. Unseen, unheard, undetected, it watched its 'guest' intently.

Soon, it began making itself known.

It grew bored watching her walk around aimlessly. Slowly, the darkness grew denser, more invasive. It felt as if it were closing in behind her, slithering along the floor.

_Something was coming for her._

–

She felt an odd pressure in the air. Yellow felt something rising within her.... _anxiety_. Her pace quickened, but... she felt as though she was getting nowhere. Hell, was she even moving?

It was dark. It was quiet. It was cold..... She was alone.

 

Or was she?

 

Despite the eerie silence, she couldn't help but get the feeling she was being watched. She kept glancing over her shoulder every now and then, eyes wide. _Why did she feel like this?! What was going on?!_

Soon enough, she broke out into a full on sprint, trying to get away from her unseen pursuer.

–

The darkness followed right behind her, never more than a few feet away from her heels. Whatever was on her trail was fast, relentless, and huge.

Though it had been chilly just moments before, the darkness around Yellow Diamond slowly became... colder. It weighed down on everything, making the air thick and heavy.

A soft breeze blew at the Diamond's back.

**"Haha~."**

–

With a sharp gasp, Yellow nearly stumbled forward and turned around on her heel, facing whatever it was behind her.

"WHO'S THER-" she hissed threateningly, though her eyes quickly widened in shock at what she saw as she turned around. Her head lifted slowly, sweat starting to form on her brow. Her mouth hung agape in disbelief. She grit her teeth and stepped back slowly. Her body went numb... Her legs heavy.

–

Black, inky shadows slowly peeled away as a massive, dark form crept from the void surrounding the Diamond. Its face was near impossible to see through a mess of mussed hair and blackness that blocked out the form's distinguishing features. Huge, clawed hands scraped noisily against the 'ground' as the humanoid figure moved closer and closer. With each pace, its claws left massive, stark-white cracks in the floor. It appeared to be on all fours, despite being.. mostly human in appearance. Not to mention, the back half of its body seemed screened from view, obscured by the blackness surrounding the two.

As the last shadows peeled away, the figure lifted its head to stare at the tiny Diamond before it. Within the darkness that covered the top half its face, there was a single, small yellow insignia. It was watching her.

**"What's the matter, Yellow Diamonnnnd?~ Aren't you happy to see me?"**

–

A sudden horror befell her, and she felt her nonexistent heart _drop_.

"YOU?! I... Wait, NO! What are you doing here?!" She shouted in anger. She knew _he_ wasn't supposed to be here. Despite the fact that she knew nothing about this place, she knew he wasn't supposed to be around, especially not when he looked like _that_. She clenched her fists and nervously stepped backwards.

"NO I'm not happy to see you! Shift down this instant!! Have you learned nothing from that last stunt you pulled?! You're lucky you weren't shattered for that! When White finds out about this...."

–

The nightmarish Hematite stopped advancing for the moment, but he cocked his head at her with a wide smile.

**"Ooooh, but I'm ever so happy to see YOU!"**

Slowly, the smile spread into an unsettling grin.

"You're lucky **you** weren't shattered for it. And White?" A soft, low chuckle echoed around in the darkness. "White's never going to find out about this.~"

Closing in, the darkness around the two grew even denser.

"We're aaaaaaall aloooooooone."

–

A cold sweat ran down her brow. Yellow's eye twitched, her entire body tensing up.

"Wh-what do you mean _**I**_ was lucky?... What do you mean we're alone?" she asked, pacing back a few more quick steps. He was closing the distance between them, getting unnervingly closer.... _Uncomfortably_ closer. She glanced to the side, trying to spot anywhere to go but here. There was.... a whole lot of nothing. She looked back at him, her anxiety flaring as she was met with the target on his visor once more.

Holding her breath, she stared up at him, standing tall. _Be brave..._

–

Slowly, the huge form leaned down until his face was mere inches from Yellow Diamond's. His breath stirred the tiny gem's hair, and his unsettling grin was replaced with an even more unnerving, 'friendly' smile.

"Ooooh, being brave now are we? Goood. Goood." Without warning, the giant gem leaned forward, his lips parting. Chuckling, he slowly drug his tongue across Yellow Diamond's front and moved to hover above her afterward, his visor whirring.

**"You're going to need it."**

–

A heavy whimper arose from the yellow gem, startled by the huge gem's sudden _less than appealing_ gesture. She stumbled back, panting heavily in horrified shock. Her legs started shaking... her entire body soon following. Her spiteful expression was wiped clean off, only to be replaced with one of terror.

"Y-you... You aren't serious!" she stuttered, brows furrowed. _Be brave......_

–

The huge figure inched closer again, his massive face only inches above her. Flashing, the yellow insignia clicked and changed into an exact replica of the Diamond's gemstone shape.

"Oh I'm **deadly** serious, Yellow Diamond.~" A low chuckle escaped him, shaking her tiny form.

"Did you really think.... you were safe?" He breathed down her neck. "Did you really think this was **over**?"

A crack of thunder violently shook the area around the two gems, and the nightmarish form suddenly vanished, leaving behind nothing but a sinister, unsettling laugh that slowly grew in volume until it was unbearably loud.

"Ha.. hahaha ah aHA HA HA HA AH A **AHAHAHA!"**

–

**CRASH!!!**

 

Yellow winced in pain, clutching her head and groaning. She was jolted awake suddenly, her forehead meeting the shelf that hung over her bed. Her body was in a cold sweat, and she felt groggy and disoriented.

It was dark, but at least it wasn't pitch black. The stars and city lights illuminated the room around her, spilling in from the window which she left open that evening.

 

She was back in her quarters.

 

Sighing nervously, she wiped the sweat from her brow and sat on the edge of her bed. It was the night of the incident with Hematite, and she'd decided it'd be in her best interests to take a long, well-deserved rest that night. Gems didn't _need_ sleep, in all honesty, but it certainly helped sharpen the mind and regain their energy at a more rapid pace than staying awake. It was common that the diamond would sleep or nap after she pushed herself too hard for an extended period of time. She hardly ever took breaks in her work, after all. And after that fiasco in the arena... Yellow needed all the rest she could get. _However, she didn't expect to be greeted_ _with_ _ **that** in her sleep._

 

_Thank the stars... It was only a dream..._


	14. Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite is given a job in the Kindergarten.

The air was dense in the Kindergarten this morning. A few Peridots were scattered here and there, checking holes in the walls and writing things on their screens. With a quick flash, White Diamond arrived with Hematite on a nearby warp pad. Her hands were placed formally behind her back. Standing tall and looking over the scene, she raised a brow. Her appearance did not go unnoticed.

"Wh-WHITE DIAMOND!!" One of the closest Peridots saluted, startled by her sudden arrival.

"Forgive me, I had no idea you were coming! Do you need an assembly?" she asked politely, walking closer. White held up one of her hands and shook her head once.

\--

It had been a long time since Hematite last visited the kindergarten, all the way back before he was stranded on Earth. It didn't look too different, aside from a couple new holes here and there in a quartz section and an unknown one. Late bloomers, he supposed.

The familiar sight of the Peridots going busily about their work was a slight comfort to the service gem, but he wondered if any of them knew who he was. He didn't recognize any of the green gems. The ones he'd gotten to know were probably working in a different kindergarten by now or stationed in another sector.

As White spoke with the Peridot in front of her, Hematite stood politely at her side, a few feet away, and stayed quiet.

\--

White finally spoke up.

"It's alright, I'm not here for business or meetings really. I'm just here to bring this Hematite so that he may serve his punishment. I didn't really have much time to make my entrance known, this was sort of a last minute decision," she responded, stepping off of the warp pad. Ever since Hematite first showed up this morning, she hadn't said much to him, let alone told him what his punishment even was.

The Peridot nodded in understanding and stood as still as she could, nervously awaiting their next move. White stepped closer.

"You are able to broadcast a small PSA, I presume?"

"Yes ma'am, I can do that."

"Good, then I want you to tell the other Peridots that Hematite here will be assisting you for the next month or so. For the time being, he is a lower rank than you workers. Have him help you with whatever you deem necessary. I expect him to be on his best behavior," she remarked, giving Hematite a side glance.

The Peridot nodded and brought up her screen, walking off and repeating White's words.

 

As the Peridot walked off, White turned to the ivory haired service gem and crossed her arms.

"As for you Hematite, perhaps I should... elaborate a little more on what your punishment is. This isn't the only part of it, of course."

–

When she finally turned to him, he stood straighter, his arms behind his back.

The service gem gave a nod, and his half-visor chirped as a screen popped up on the small gem tech piece. He was ready to jot down whatever his responsibilities would be.

–

White continued, pleased to see his cooperation.

"First off, as you just heard.. You will be working here in this Kindergarten for the next month. You will do as the Peridots tell you to do and comply with their orders. You won't have to stay here all the time, however. Every 7th rotation, I would like you to come back to my office to give me a direct report on your jobs and whatever else goes on while you're here. Once the first month is over, you will spend another month picking up and helping around the Yellow, Blue, and White districts. Community service, more or less. You will have a guard with you at all times during that period."

She unfolded her arms and placed her hands on her hips, looking as though she were deep in thought for a moment. Raising a brow, she met Hematite's gaze directly.

"Also, no tea for one year."

–

_Alright, working for the Peridots, check._

_Community service with a guard, check._

_No tea for a year, ch-_

_**WHAT?** _

"A whol-...." Hematite was definitely about to say something, but he cleared his throat and nodded, though his eyes gave away his distress. "Yes ma'am. As you wish. Who will be my guard?"

–

The diamond gave a flick of her wrist and nodded slightly.

"Ah, yes, about that. I have not decided quite yet, but I will have one for you soon. You need not worry however, seeing as you won't be meeting with them for another month. Now, off you go! Remember, I want full progress reports! Don't disappoint me, and don't cause any trouble. Alright, Hematite?" She said, turning and observing the kindergarten around her.

"Now, if you don't need to know anything else, I shall be on my way."

–

Hematite blinked and nodded as his eyepiece dulled, turning off.

"Full reports, right. I won't let you down, White Diamond! I don't have any questions!"

He saluted her respectfully and stood at attention.

_I got it easy. I'm lucky I still have my gem, job, **anything** after that stunt..._

The service gem pushed the thought aside.

_But White is fair. This seems suitable punishment, if even a bit lenient ... Even if the tea part is a bit cruel._

–

White clasped her hands together and gave another quick nod to the service gem.

"Very well then! I'll be off now," she stated simply, starting off for the warp pad.

–

Hematite watched her go with a respectful smile, but it faded when he heard a familiar voice some distance away.

"YOOO PIIIPSQUEAAAAAAK~"

"Oh _nooo."_

The service gem grimaced and turned to see Mago, who was surprisingly only a head or two shorter than White right now, rushing toward him and his leader. She seemed to be leaving one of the other Hematites behind her. Hema recognized her from his test years and years ago. She was lithe, graceful, with long silvery white hair and warm eyes. Her forehead gem gleamed in the early morning sun as she turned and walked away from Mago. There was a faint smile on her lips.

Hematite turned his attention back to Mago, who was quickly closing in. What did _she_ want? The ebony-haired gem hurried up the set of stone stairs that led up to the warp pad, approaching White and Hema without hesitation.

Stopping a little ways off from the two, Mago saluted White Diamond and gave her a semi respectful, semi devious smile.

"Hey, White!"

–

White Diamond stopped abruptly, raising a brow in curiosity.

"Hello, Mago. You're looking... _chipper_ , today," she stated with a small bit of confusion.

She was surprised to see her so small for one, and her timing was... impeccable.

–

"Hmm, chipper isn't the word I'd use! I'm actually in a _pretty_ bad mood!" her smile widened, but it wasn't threatening. It was more... stressed? "Hey so, juuust curious." She started walking over to Hematite, who leaned away slightly as the ebony haired gem approached him. She was a little taller than him right now, and he didn't like when she loomed. The longer-haired gem leaned her elbow casually on Hematite's shoulder and looked to White Diamond. "I'm having some.... _troubles_. With my size shifting." Looking at Hematite with a smug grin, she pinched his cheek. Hematite scoffed and swatted her hand away. "I was wondering if, for part of his punishment, shrimp here could help me learn how to control it better."

–

White looked on, a little concerned about the Hematite's former statement about being in a mood.

Her eyes narrowed, and she pursed her lips a little, as if she was a tad suspicious. She was quiet for a moment, deep in thought. Looking up to the sky gradually, she placed a finger to her chin.

"Aaahhh, nmm.... Well. I don't see why not?" she said, giving a shrug of her shoulders. "Very well then, Hematite, see to it that Mago's size shifting is stabilized. Add that to your reports as well." Her ominously bemused stare drifted to Mago, piercing through her. "I'd like to know of _her_ progression as well as yours."

–

Admittedly, Mago felt her cocky smile falter at the corners, and a few beads of sweat formed on her brow as White stared through her.

_Oh stars cover this up fast._

"Thaaanks, White~! I'll be sure not to rough him up too bad." Mago grabbed Hema's cheek again before her hand was swatted away in irritation. Hematite growled lowly at her, but said nothing to object.

"Yes, White Diamond. I'll..." He gave Mago a highly suspicious glare. "Make sure to tell you _everything_."

The ebony haired Hematite's smile faltered again, her left eye giving a twitch.

"Yeah, he will."

–

"Very well then, you two both stay out of trouble," she said sternly, turning and waving her hand. Within a few short moments after, the warp pad flashed brightly, and the two were left standing alone in the middle of the clearing.

–

As soon as White Diamond blipped away, Mago's shoulders relaxed slightly, but she didn't stop leaning on Hematite. The shorter gem was still giving her a suspicious glare, and he cleared his throat.

"Do you _mind_ , Mago?"

"Oh! Right right haha silly me, you're not an armrest." Standing up straight, Mago turned to Hema, but suddenly grabbed his shoulders, shaking him aggressively.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING BACK IN THAT ARENA, PIPSQUEAK?" she shouted, brows furrowed.

Hematite's voice wavered as the taller gem shook him, and he couldn't quite get his words out. The ebony-haired gem continued, teeth bared.

"YOU COULD HAVE DIED. I mean it was really cool and all BUT YOU COULD HAVE DIED, HOW ARE YOU STILL HERE?” she exclaimed, confusion clear as day on her face.

"B-B-B-E-E-C A U SE-" Hematite grabbed her arms, lifting them away from his shoulders. He cleared his throat and adjusted his sleeves. "Because. White is... fair. We had a long talk, I explained what happened."

Mago's face went deadpan, as did her voice.

"What happened. _'What_ _ **happened**_ _?'_ Pipsqueak you tried to _harvest_ a Diamond, that's not something you get _community service_ for." Hematite looked away grumpily and ruffled his hair in irritation.

"I wasn't going to harvest her. It was a scare tactic. I don't wanna explain everything, but she wasn't in any danger." The smaller gem looked up at Mago, and he frowned suspiciously. "And how do you even know what happened? Did word spread THAT quickly?"

Blinking, the taller gem looked away, almost awkwardly. She scoffed, putting her hands on her hips.

" _Tch_ , if you must know, I was _there_. I caught your first match against Yellow Diamond and I wanted to follow up on it. Figured it'd be fun to watch you get your butt kicked again."

Hematite bristled.

"You know what, Mago. I have a punishment to deal with, so if you'll excuse me, I need to get-"

Mago hissed through her teeth at him before looking away, to the side. She pursed her lips and looked down, though she didn't move her head. After a long pause, she finally moved, and lifted her hand to her eyes. Slowly, Mago removed her visor, uncovering her bright pink irises. The shorter Hematite blinked in surprise. He'd _never_ seen Mago remove her visor willingly.

"Listen, Hema. Just be quiet for a sec. I got something to say." The gem twisted her visor between her fingers, as if looking it over, but there was a distant look in her eyes. "It's true, I came there to watch you get thrashed."

A long pause. Hematite crossed his arms, watching the taller gem intently. He'd never seen her act like this before. The sharp-toothed service gem continued.

".... But. You didn't. You kicked _her_ butt. It was... pretty awesome." The taller gem gazed at her kin and gave him a look that was... unreadable. "But. It didn't really seem like _**you**_. You feeling alright?"

She suddenly put her visor back on and leaned on his shoulder again, a teasing grin on her face. "You aren't going rogue are ya?~" The ebony haired gem gave a loud laugh, but Hematite didn't respond. He stood there, still a bit... baffled at what Mago had just said.

_How did she know that wasn't like him? What did **she** know about him? All she did was pick on him._

"No, I'm not going rogue, and yes I'm feeling fine. Yellow Diamond and I just had some..." He shrugged her off of his shoulder and adjusted his suit again. "Business to finish."

The taller gem nodded and crossed her own arms as she looked away.

"Mmm. Gotcha." There was another pause.

"Is that all? Because I need to get to work."

Mago looked at him. The mischievous light returned to her eyes, and she 'saluted' him before she turned around.

"Alright shrimp but don't forget, you still gotta train me. Meet me at the Cove in a few hours.~ Or tomorrow, whenever, I don't care."

She walked off. Hematite was left to stare after her and wonder what her angle was. She had to have something planned. He knew it.

_The question was **what**._


	15. M.A.G.R.O

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite meets some of the other members of his kin.

–

\----- Long ago, a day after the Hematites were first presented to the Diamonds, six days before their fateful 'test' in the Pink District.

–

"And that is how you activate your hunting visor. You will need this for your test in a few rotations. The Diamonds will expect you to put these to use. Tonight, you will all be giving your visors to us, and specify if you would like them styled any differently than they currently are. We'll give you some choices and ideas. This is strictly an aesthetic choice, and shouldn't mess with the visor's effectiveness. That being said, please do not break these. You will all be provided with a set amount of visors every few years, and while we CAN replace them, it may take some time." Standing tall, a Peridot tilted her chin up and frowned seriously at the fifteen gems collected in front of her, on the kindergarten floor. She was standing on a cleanly cut ledge with a rather sizable holo-screen projected in front of her. A few other Peridots and service gems stood around as well, eyeing the collected giant Hematites either curiously or suspiciously. There was an assortment of Jaspers and a few unidentified gems in armor that stood guard during the presentation, holding their weapons at the ready, destabilizers on hand, should anyone get rowdy. The presentation was being held in a miles-wide 'scoop' in the ground that was large enough to be occupied by the gems that were being lectured.

Fifteen gems sat in five neat rows, the smallest in the front, the biggest in the back so that all of them could see the screen. All of them had their legs crossed or folded in front of them and remained quiet, though a few of the gems seemed antsy. A Hematite with swept back curly whitish hair was rocking side to side subtly where she sat, looking around between the different sections of the Peridot's lecture. Another with a similar hairstyle, though her locks were a deep black color, was intently watching the screen, a small, serious frown on her face. She listened to every word and nodded once in a while, never making a move from her spot. Another gem with light gray hair and small, sharp tooth that stuck out slightly from under her upper lip was watching the Peridots with intense curiosity, eyeing the limb enhancers they wore. Every once in a while she would start to reach for one of the green gems, but was quickly scolded and told to face front again. Three of the largest Hematites sat in the back. One had a head of curly ivory locks and a gem on his collarbone, another had messy pink hair and a gem on the upper half of her chest, and the last bore a forehead gem that was partially hidden under her swept-over bangs. She and the pink-haired Hematite were more well-built than the larger gem sitting next to them, who didn't seem to have the most powerful physique. If anything, he actually looked a bit scrawny, for being the largest Hematite. Despite that, however, they didn't dare question his strength. They'd seen what he could do, during their training they'd endured before being presented to the diamonds a day or so ago.  
The Hematite with the pink hair and the chest gem leaned over to her slightly smaller kin, muttering something under her breath with a smile. Eyes widening, the gray-haired Hematite brought her hand up to her mouth, snickering quietly as she looked to the gem sitting next to her. She leaned over and whispered something back, earning a displeased glance from the ivory-haired Hematite sitting near them. The Peridot on the ledge continued.

"Now then, about size shifting. You will not be doing this during your test. It is far too unpredictable and you will receive a full lesson on it after you are ranked. All of you will receive this lecture, regardless of the results of the test. However, you will need to momentarily shift down to teleport to the Pink District, should you be too large to fit on the warp pad. It's a rather big one, so a few of you shouldn't have any problems. The rest of you, however, will receive some assistance shifting down and getting the warp pad to work.”

The largest Hematite looked rather bored. There was a small, disgruntled frown on his face. He kept casting side glances at the guards standing within a few hundred feet, or the Peridots that were walking around once in a while, his deep maroon eyes betraying a strange mix of emotions. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. Whatever was on his mind, he certainly wasn't paying attention to the lecture.

But then again, neither was a certain ebony-haired Hematite.

"Hey pipsqueak, you've got a rock in your hair."

"What, no I don-Hey!" Hematite winced and inhaled sharply through his teeth as the slightly bigger gem at his side yanked harshly on his long white hair, snickering. "Cut it out! I'm trying to listen to the lesson!" he whispered harshly, attempting to tug his locks away from the ebony haired service gem.

"Yeah you and all these other nerds. What's the matter, can't focus, runt?" She tugged on his hair again, this time a bit more forcefully. Glancing down at the front row of Hematites, the Peridot continued, still giving her speech on size shifting.

"You all have a few sizes you should naturally default to. Staying _between_ these sizes will require more concentration and use up far more energy. You will all find that you have four sizes that you should naturally switch between when shifting. Your civilian size, which you should use to walk around normal gems and while you're off the job. Your 'combat' size, which is a bit bigger, your half size, and your full potential. Currently, you're all at your half sizes,” she stated, tilting her chin up. Blinking in surprise, the largest Hematite looked down at his form, leaning forward slightly to look himself over. _So they could all get even bigger, huh? Interesting..._ _ **Very**_ _interesting._

“Hmm.”

Another white-haired gem in the first row stared up at the Peridot with wide, maroon eyes. A tiny grin spread across his face, revealing rows of unnaturally sharp, narrow teeth. A near perfectly-round gemstone laid on his stomach, gleaming in the low moonlight. His hair was spiked up into side-swept tufts, an oddly rectangular visor over his eyes. He eagerly patted at the ground, tilting his head down to look himself over. _They could get bigger and smaller? What?! That was so cool! He just thought they were stuck at this size._  
“Whoa...”

Smiling in wonder, the gem turned his attention back up to the Peridot, listening intently to her speech.

 

Snickering, the black-haired service gem in the front tugged on her victim's hair again, her sharp teeth bared. The smaller Hematite growled lowly and backhandedly tried to slap his neighbor's arm away from him, but she grabbed his wrist and sneered cruelly at him.

"And in order to shift down, which need I remind you, you will not be allowed to do during your test, you simply need to visualize where you wish to be standing when you shift down or up, and feel out the energies as-"

"You're going to have to hit harder than that if you wanna make it out here, pipsqueak. Whatever this 'test' is, you're never gonna pass it with those reflex-"

"HEY! Hematite 9, Hematite 11! Stay still and pay attention down there!" a rather irritated voice piped up from the cliff, light, metallic tapping following. The lecturing Peridot was staring right at the two gems in front, a hand on her hip, her foot tapping on the ground impatiently. The ebony-haired Hematite nonchalantly flipped the smaller gem's hair back into his face with a smug 'hmph' and sat up straighter, looking once more at the large holo-screen. Scoffing, the ivory-haired service gem scooted a few feet away, glaring at the gem by his side before he too turned his attention up. _Great, now he'd missed a whole section! Something about shifting?_ He hoped it wasn't too important.

Flipping to the next section of the lesson, the Peridot cleared her throat and frowned seriously, tapping something on her limb enhancer screen.

"As I was saying. You are all classified as "M.A.G.R.O." gems."

The black-haired gem wrinkled her nose with a lopsided frown, arching a brow at the screen as an acronym popped up onto it. Words began to appear down below each of the capital letters as the Peridot continued speaking. "This stands for Maintenance And Gem Relocation Operative. But they are more commonly known as 'Harvesters'. While you Hematites are created specifically for this position, there are occupational 'Harvesters' as well that really only handled Gem Relocation. Many Generals and District-specific operative gems have this ranking. It was a job given to many powerful gems long ago for the purpose of cleaning up stray rebels and corrupted gems here and there, but has since become more of a need. That's where you all come in. While originally, 'Harvesting' simply entailed poofing, bubbling, and relocating troublesome gems, it has a slightly different meaning for all of you. There's a psychological aspect to it as well."

The ebony haired Hematite had stopped listening at this point. She pursed her lips and let out a soft hum, muttering quietly to herself, "Magro? S'a dumb name. 'Harvester' sounds a lot better." Rolling his eyes slightly, the smaller Hematite tried to ignore the gem's mumbling beside him. Not noticing the gesture, the black-haired service gem looked slightly to the side, brows furrowed. "Magro. Groma. Groam. Doesn't matter how you put it, it sounds stupid." She sneered, her sharp teeth glinting lowly in the dim moonlight. "Even if you took out some of the letters."

The Hematite at her side drew his lips tight with a look of exasperated frustration and looked sharply at the gem beside him, whispering crossly,

"Would you please be quiet?! Yes, Magro, Mag, Grom, Mago, it's all stupid! Okay?! I am _trying_ to focus!"

Brows raising, the larger Hematite stared at nothing in particular. She was silent a moment. At first, it seemed the smaller Hematite had finally shut her up, and he rolled his eyes again, looking at the screen. There was a stretch of quiet before the ebony-haired Hematite suddenly chuckled and sat up straighter, a smug smile on her face.

"Huh. Mago. I actually kinda like that one."

"Excuse me?"

"Hmm? Oh. Nothing, Pipsqueak. Nothing at all."

\--

\----- Present day, the afternoon after 'the incident' between Hema and Yellow Diamond. Kindergarten.

–

 

 

"Mago!"

"Hm? Oh, hey Pipsqueak, took ya long enough! So you actually showed up, huh?" Mago turned on her heel and put her hands on her hips, smirking down at the approaching service gem. Hema frowned and scoffed, glancing to the side as he made his way over. His eyes scanned along the huge cliff faces that stood at either side of the wide path the two of them were standing in, idly glancing at the different holes in the stone.

"Well considering I have an order from White Diamond, yes, I did show up."

"Ooooh what a good little service gem you are.~" The taller Hematite wrinkled her nose in a mocking smile, snickering to herself. Groaning and closing the distance between the two of them, the ivory-haired gem crossed his arms and gave the taller gem a dirty look.

"Listen up Mago. Whether you like it or not, I'm in charge of you for the next month, or until we fix whatever this 'trouble' of yours is. _You_ set this up, not White, so I can tell her that you refuse to work with me if you're going to be difficult. I'm sure she'd have no problems revoking her orders for me to help you." Narrowing his eyes, the gem tapped his foot. Mago's eyes widened slightly, and her smug sneer vanished. Standing a bit straighter, she scoffed and looked to the side, tapping her fingers along her hip.

"No need for that, pipsque-er. Hematite. Look, just. You're the only one who can help me out with this, alright?" A slightly nervous edge entered her voice, though Hematite had a hard time telling what was going through her head, as Mago refused to make eye contact. Hema pursed his lips and frowned.

"What exactly is the problem anyways, Mago? You said you were having issues with your shifting, but what is it exactly?"

"Aaah. Listen I'll tell you when we're actually at the Cove, alright? Let's not talk about it here." Glancing around, the ebony haired Hematite turned and walked down the huge path, her arms swinging casually at her sides. Huffing his bangs away with a sigh, the smaller Hematite followed suit, glancing around idly. From here, the Cove was still about a thirty minute walk. Hematite was surprised to find Mago here instead of all the way at the old meeting point.

_Something was definitely up._

Mago remained silent as she and Hema rounded corner after corner and walked down vast passages and up steep slopes. It'd been so long since he'd been here that Hematite forgot how arduous it was to walk through here when he wasn't huge. In fact he was half tempted to shift up, but figured it'd be best to get information about what he'd be helping Mago with before he changed size. After all, the last time he'd been around her when she was this size hadn't ended in a friendly manner.

After a few minutes of walking, Hematite zoned out and idly followed after Mago, his hands folded neatly behind his back. This area was familiar enough to him, as he'd walked through it plenty of times back in the day. Though he wasn't fully paying attention, he did notice that things had changed slightly in his ten years of being gone. A few new holes here and there, a missing boulder or two, a new wall blocking off a path to the east sector -... wait.

_A new wall?_

Frowning, Hema shook his head to clear the idle daze he was in, and he finally turned his attention to the gray surface he and Mago were walking by. The small service gem stopped dead in his tracks, eyes as wide as saucers.

_That was not a wall._

Laying on their side, the massive gem was laying in the opening to a branching path, and didn't seem to notice the passing service gems. Though he couldn't see a face, or even half of the form before him, Hema quickly realized that what he was looking at was one of the Hematites from his group. But it was worse than that. It was the _biggest_ remaining Hematite.

Hema recognized her from her build alone. This gem was broad-shouldered, had powerful arms and a wide chest and back, and most noticeably, had dark pink, short messy hair. Her back alone, even with the massive gem laying on her side, stretched at a little over fifty feet high. From what Hematite could tell, it seemed this gem was... sleeping? She was breathing softly and wasn't moving, so in the small service gem's mind, she didn't seem to be a threat. Cautiously, the tiny gem continued to walk toward Mago, who hadn't so much as slowed, but instead seemed blissfully unaware of the massive gem she was walking alongside.

That is, until she lifted her hand up and chuckled.

"Afternoon, Meta~!" she called up rather loudly, just now passing the giant gem's shoulders. Hema stiffened and inhaled sharply through his teeth, looking nervously up at the monolith of a Hematite beside him. He paled upon noticing that the pink-haired Hematite was _moving_ now, ever so slightly. His pace quickened.

"Mago! What are you doing?!" he whispered harshly, trying to close the distance between them. Mago stopped walking entirely and arched a brow at the ivory-haired gem, chuckling. Turning, she looked up just in time to see the reclined Hematite raise her hand, give a small, half-hearted 'wave'. Her arm cast a dark shadow upon the two tiny gems, blocking out a considerable amount of sunlight. She lowered her arm again, not so much as turning around.

"Afternoon, Mago," she replied lowly, her voice deep and monotone. She sounded rather tired.

Hematite ran the last few paces toward his accomplice and glanced up at the giant gem, brows furrowed.

"You two know each other?" he asked curiously, looking over at the ebony-haired gem.

Mago flipped her hair behind her shoulder and smirked, glancing back again at the pink-haired gem.

"You could say that. Meta here's helped me on a few destruction jobs and even some recon, eeeeh Meta?" Gently nudging the giant gem in the back, Mago grinned, eyes half lidded. Meta gave a soft, tired sounding hum in reply and sighed.

"Yup. That I have."

"Yeaaah, Meta's the best. Haaah, but we should get going. Sorry for waking you." Not losing her smirk, Mago continued forward and glanced at Hema as she passed him. The smaller service gem blinked in confusion and glanced once more at the huge gem laying nearby before he followed suit. Meta shifted slightly in place, getting comfortable. Within moments, she was fast asleep again.

\--

Soon enough, the two stepped foot into the absolutely massive, vaguely scoop-shaped clearing that the Hematites had 'affectionately' named the 'Cove'. It was where they'd trained and been lectured years and years ago. They'd emerged from the other end of the Kindergarten, but were put through classifying tests in this section before they even met the Diamonds. It was also where Hematite had learned the hard way what being the runt of a batch meant to a gem. He still remembered all the teasing he'd suffered from most of the fourteen other gems of his kind long ago.

And to his misfortune, Hematite saw a few of his kin working in the very clearing Mago had taken him to. Seemed quite a few of the Hematites weren't currently on Harvesting jobs... just his luck. Three Hematite gems were being bossed around by Peridots a little ways off, working on a broken-down injector drill or two. Hematite recognized a few of the giant gems, and was displeased to see that at least two of the three were ones that used to treat him rather poorly. Another was a Hematite he recognized to be rather indifferent to him. She had short, swept back black hair with a tuft of bangs between her eyes. She was one of the biggest Hematites, just a few tiers below Meta. Currently, she was standing at her half height, helping out with the drills. Hema hoped none of them would give him any trouble.

–

"Alright, that should be good! The diagnostics have been completed, and it looks as if everything is as it should be," a tall black haired Hematite spoke promptly, tapping a finger to the sharp edged pink visor that she wore. A few of the service gems standing near an injector drill nodded and tapped their fingers over the exposed panel. Within seconds, it hummed to life, remaining online and stationary. The Hematite looked quite pleased with herself, grinning softly and holding a clenched fist over her chest.

The technicians soon powered off the drill and gave the massive gem a wave of thanks, moving onto another drill which had been previously fixed. The other two Hematites were half-hidden behind said device, tinkering with something under the instruction of a few Peridots. Glancing around, the tallest Hematite wondered if they were going to check everything again. _It never hurt to double or triple check their work!_ As she looked over her shoulder, she noticed another pair of service gems. However, this duo was of her own kin. Her eyes widened upon noticing one of them.

 _Was that White Diamond's Hematite?... He looked... different. Ah, well, what could she expect? The last time she saw him had been a while ago. He had much longer hair back then. Well, short hair was far more practical._ She was confused, though. _Why was he here? And why was he with..._

_Oh stars, not **her**. _

She turned quickly, though she tried to keep it subtle. She hoped they wouldn't acknowledge her. Glancing over the newly fixed drill, the taller black-haired gem eyed the strange contents inside the drill's casing. It appeared to be newly filled, and she couldn't help but ponder when it would be put to use next.

–

Rather quickly, Mago spotted the other ebony-haired, though much larger Hematite and grinned deviously.

"Oh heeeeeeya Tam~!"

Snickering, she made her way over toward the working Hematites, earning a startled objection from the ivory-haired gem behind her.

"Mago, wait!" Hema trailed after her, grunting in frustration. "We're not here to socialize, we're here to... do whatever it is we need to do!"

"Oh pipe down pipsqueak we have a whole month." Stopping short of the giant gem, Mago stood a little ways behind her, tapping her foot. "Taaaam. I know you saw us. It's rude not to say hi, you know."

Hema stopped a little ways from Mago, shooting her a scolding look before he turned his attention up to the giant gem before him.

–

The larger black haired Hematite rolled her eyes, sighing quietly. _Wonderful_. Turning with furrowed brows, she looked down upon the shorter of her kin and placed her arms behind her back.

 

"Helloooo... egh... Mago," she sneered in undisguised annoyance. She was quick to straighten up however, clearing her throat. "And, hello to you as well Hematite. What brings you to the kindergarten?" she asked curiously, raising a brow simply at the ivory haired gem.

She couldn't really think of a reason as to why he _would_ be here in the first place. He worked directly for White Diamond herself, what on Homeworld was his business here? _Maybe he just had a day off and wanted to spend it here? No, that certainly wasn't it._

If there was one thing that Tam was good at, it was observation. For one, it hadn't exactly gone unnoticed how most of the other Hematites treated him. For two, he had the highest position a Hematite could probably ever dream of having. Working for White Diamond herself? Living a cushy life among gem royalty? Surely he wouldn't spend any of his time HERE by choice.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't envious; and that made her slightly wary of this gem. Why would White Diamond ever consider the _runt_ for the position that he held?

Still, she was a stickler for the rules and since this Hematite was officially ranked higher than any of the gems in the kindergarten, she still held some sort of respect for him.

–

Hematite mirrored Tam's posture and cleared his throat, looking up at her with an arched brow.

"Sorry to interrupt your work. Mago and I are here on business. I'm... Well. I'm actually going to be around for a while because-"

"HEY!"

"Oh dear." Grimacing, Hematite looked over his shoulder at an approaching pair of Peridots. They didn't look pleased. The one that had called out had her screen out over one hand, and seemed to be quickly putting in some data of some sort. She glared at Hema and narrowed her eyes.

"We didn't say you could leave yet, clod! We still needed you to move a few rocks!"

Blinking, Mago raised her brows and turned slowly, now watching the three service gems. _Oooh? Did pipsqueak of all people shirk his work?_ Looking rather taken aback, Hematite frowned and fidgeted behind his back.

"Yes you did say I could leave! You told me we were done for the day."

_That was the only reason he'd gone to find Mago in the first place!_

 

The drama going on over by the injector drill hadn't gone unnoticed. One of the Hematites that had been following Tam's instructions peered over, arching a brow. She had poofy side-swept bangs and a medium-length haircut. Her locks were a deep pinkish-gray color, and she wore a slanted white visor over both her eyes and most of her nose. A rectangular, silvery gem rested on the left side of her neck, glinting in the afternoon sun. Upon noticing Hema standing a little ways past Tam, the Hematite sneered and glanced to her side, motioning for her friend to come and see the fuss.

White Diamond's Hematite was getting ordered around by a Peridot? Ohoho, this should be interesting.

–

The other Hematite, who had been meddling with the hair that swept over her brow turned to her friend with a bemused grin.

"Hmmm?" She inched closer, peering beyond the slightly taller Hematite. "Heeeey isn't that White Diamond's Hematite? What do ya suppose this is all about huh?" She said, brushing her fingers through her hair. It was styled much like White Diamond's hair, though slightly more curled and with longer bangs in the front.

Tam remained in a frozen, stationary position and glanced quickly between the bickering gems. Was White's Hematite really one to put off his orders? She figured if he did, he wouldn't have still been White Diamond's Hematite. _Wait...was that why he was here?! Had Hematite slacked so much that she demoted him?_ She felt a spike of indignance welling up in her chest. _How could he waste an opportunity like that?!_

–

Looking behind him, Hema noticed the two other of his kin that were now watching this. He frowned and bit his lip, looking back to the two Peridots in front of him.

"Look, you said, and I quote, 'We're done for the afternoon, we'll get a Hematite to move these other rocks later.' Your exact words."

The second Peridot snerked and glanced at her associate, raising a brow.

"Yeah, _a_ Hematite, and we chose _you_. Now come back to the west section! We need you immediately."

–

The shorter, off-white haired Hematite scoffed under her breath, turning her nose up at the ivory haired gem. Still, she kept her grin, peering over at her slightly taller buddy.

"Those Peridots are toootally askin' for it..." she whispered, stifling a cocky snicker.

–

Sneering, the pink-haired Hematite glanced at her friend and nodded, whispering back,

"They are. If that were me..." She licked her teeth, gently nudging the shorter service gem. Leaning on her shorter friend, the pink-haired service gem raised a brow, her eyes half lidded as she gazed at Hema.

"Better listen to her, _**runt**_."

The ivory haired gem grimaced and glared back at the pink-haired Hematite.

" _Excuse_ you."

Taking a few paces back, Hematite frowned and glared at the gems surrounding him. Glancing at Mago, he crossed his arms, closing his eyes. His gemstone started to glow.

Within a moment, Hema shifted up to his full height, now standing equally with Tam, a little taller than the other two Hematites. Mago's eyes widened subtly, but she didn't back up. Hema raised his head and frowned at the two Peridots and the four collected Hematites.

"Now _listen up_. I can't say why I'm here, but I will _be_ here for the next month. I am indeed under the jurisdiction of the Peridots here, but _only_ the Peridots. And." Looking down, Hema eyed the two green service gems, who admittedly looked a bit nervous. "Even though I am under your orders for the month, you told me my work was finished for today. I have two jobs at the moment. One of them is to help Mago here. So today, my work with you is done. I will help you move those rocks later on, because my second job overrides your changed mind." He now turned to Tam and the other two giant gems. "Before anyone gets any ideas, I am still White's bodyguard, and my status has not changed. I am simply serving out a special 'job' in the kindergarten. At the end of this month, I will return to the towers."

The pink-haired Hematite rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. _Of course. Tch. Did he really expect them to listen to him or something?_ _He was still a runt. Being at his full harvester height didn't change that. He better not try to boss them around._

–

Tam clenched her hands behind her back, listening to Hematite's every word. Admittedly, she felt somewhat intimidated by his sudden change. _So he was just here for more business? That was all fine, then. She could understand that. Heck, she could respect that._ She may have been envious of his position, but from what she could tell, he seemed to know his rules and regulations. Perhaps she could learn more from this gem.

–

Hema sighed softly.

"But until then. I suppose we'll be seeing each other around. You can call me Hematite, Hema, either is fine."

"Or Pipsqueak."

"Not Pipsqueak."

–

Tam raised a brow, giving Hematite a polite nod.

"Very well, Hema. You may call me Tam. The two imbeciles over there go by Hemmi and Mite, but I refer to them as _SLACKER ONE AND SLACKER TWO,_ " she snarled suddenly, turning to the others with bared teeth. Her frustration was short lived however, and she sighed, facing Hema once more. Mite was too busy making quiet, snide remarks to hear the first part of Tam's outburst.

"Yeah yeah, don't get your boots in a bunch ya uptight squawker." The shorter of the other duo remarked, shrugging her shoulder. She didn't pay much attention to Tam, really. She was always getting onto them about not doing their work, and she could honestly care less what she had to say about it. She never forced them, she was just an awful lot of bark.

–

Hemmi scoffed and turned to her friend, whispering to her,

"Oh no, White-wanna-be is angry. Maybe she needs to catch a snack to calm herself down~ Oh wait, that'd be too hard for the poor clod."

Tam inhaled sharply through her nose at Hemmi's discourteous statement, but didn't want anymore conflict. It was best to not respond. She furrowed her brows, shooting both gems a rather nasty look from the side, but returned to her professional stance.

–

Hema shook his head and sighed. _Hemmi, Mite, Tam. Got it._ He stared down at the two Peridots.

"I will contact you as soon as I am finished here. I may be done before the end of the day. Apologies for the inconvenience. Please inform me ahead of time next time."

Scoffing, the Peridot rolled her eyes and looked at the other green gem beside her, who nodded and headed off. She noted something down on her own limb enhancer screen before leaving with her associate.

–

Tam watched the two Peridots leave, raising a brow.

"I have work to do, myself. Perhaps I'll see you around as well. Good luck with..." She blinked, looking down at Mago in curiosity "Her."

–

Mago glanced at Mite and Hemmi with narrowed eyes before looking up at Tam. She drummed her fingers along her hips with a soft, nervous chuckle.

"Abouuut that, Tam. We might need you around." Chuckling softly, she lifted a hand and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. "Hematite's going to be helping me with some... stuff. And we could use your, you know. Tendency to notice a bunch of weird stuff."

Offering the giant gem a rather awkward grin, Mago glanced sidelong at Hemmi and Mite without turning her head. It was clear she was uncomfortable talking about _something_ with the other two around.

–

She raised her brows in bafflement, snapping her attention back to Hema and Mago.

"What do you mean?... Actually... Would you like to take this conversation elsewhere?" She said, dropping an obvious hint that it was probably best to get away from the others. She didn't like them, for one, and for two it seemed no one else fancied them either.

–

Mago glanced at Hemmi and glared at her with a sneer. She nodded at Tam and started to walk off toward another corner of the Cove. Hema arched a brow at the two gems making snide remarks and nodded to the ebony haired service gem to his side.

"Right, yeah. Let's uh. Take this elsewhere. You two." He turned to Hemmi and Mite. "Back to work. There's nothing to see here."

Hemmi gave her friend a long, sarcastic look before slowly grinning. She turned to Hema and gave him an exaggerated salute and bow. In a mocking voice she crooned, "Oh, yes of course, whatever you say..." she snickered, shooting Hema a venomous sneer. _"Gray Diamond.~"_ Her voice was _dripping_ with disrespectful sarcasm.

–

Mite turned quickly, chuckling with a pleased smirk.

"Gray Diamond... Niiiice one Hemmi." She nudged her elbow into the side of her taller friend's arm. Tam growled too quietly for any of them to hear and started off for the side of the cove where Mago was headed. Hopefully she wouldn't have to deal with them much more today, they were already giving her a headache.

–

Hema snorted with an offended grimace before he turned away, following after Mago and Tam. _Stars those two were just as obnoxious as he remembered... if not worse!_

"Are they always that disrespectful? Apologies, Tam."

Hematite walked alongside the ebony haired Hematite, his arms folded behind his back. His brows furrowed in apologetic concern. Seemed Tam's patience was already worn thin with those two before he even arrived.

–

Tam had zoned out for a second, turning her head towards Hematite with a somewhat surprised expression.

"Hm? Ah, yes unfortunately. I don't think I'll ever get used to them honestly." She faced ahead once more but kept her eyes on Hematite. Honestly, she was rather impressed by how he handled that entire fiasco. She'd have to keep her eyes on this one.

They soon found themselves far enough away from the other Hematites for Tam's comfort. She turned to look behind her, and smiled once she realized they thankfully weren't followed by anyone. "So, what is it exactly that you need me for?..." she inquired.

–

Inhaling deeply, Mago looked up at Tam and crossed her arms, biting her lip.

"Alright first, both of you shift down." After a quick pause, she glanced away, adding "Please."

Hema's brows raised, and he looked at Tam quietly, lips pursed in confusion. He of course had a general idea of what Mago's problem was, but he didn't have any details. And seeing the normally cocky gem acting so oddly was... mildly _concerning_.

–

Tam slowly furrowed her brows.

"E-excuse me? Why?" she said, crossing her arms. After a few moments, she sighed, her expression falling. She spared Hematite a quick glance and her form began to glow. Not giving Mago time to answer, she shrank down to her civilian height which stood about a good foot or two above Mago. Soon returning to her normal colors, the light fading from her newly shifted form, she crossed her arms behind her back. "This is as far as I'm going... What are you plotting, Mago?..."

–

Mago looked up at Tam, and then turned her attention to Hema as he too shrank down to his civilian height. The ivory-haired Hematite crossed his arms and looked to the taller gem before him.

"Alright Mago, what exact-"

"I can't size shift. At all. I'm stuck. I can't shrink, I can't grow, I'm freaking out."

Hematite's eyes widened, and he slowly turned to the other Hematite. Her expression had barely changed. She was still grinning, but it seemed... _off_ , much like it had when she was talking to White Diamond. The corners of her mouth twitched, and she was looking around nervously, not making eye contact. "Something's _wrong_ with me."

–

Tam didn't react at first, in fact for a moment she didn't _believe_ her. But...that _would_ explain why she hadn't seen Mago running around at a much bigger height. It wasn't like her to stay small like this. Her brows shot up and she frowned with worry.

"What?! What do you mean you can't shift? How can you not shift? You had no trouble before!" Tam exclaimed with a hushed tone, holding her hands out beside her with confusion.

–

Mago's unnerved grin faltered. It seemed she was doing her best to keep her aloof air up. She shrugged, her arms out at her sides. Her hands were shaking.

"Hahah, beats me! I just CAN'T!" She let out an off sounding laugh. "I-I can't do anything. My powers still work and all, but... any time I try to shift... nothing happens." Looking to the two gems before her, she scoffed and reached under her visor, rubbing her eyes. "So you know! I thought you two might be able to help me! Tam!" Her cocky air dropping entirely now, Mago lowered her hand, a distressed smile on her face. "You're really smart! Probably the smartest one of us clods! And pipsqueak, you're really good at size shifting! Between of the two of you, I'm sure we can figure out what's wrong with me! _Right_?"

Hema's eyes were wide, and he stared at the distressed Hematite, mouth slightly ajar.

_Mago?_

–

Tam stood, bewildered, staring at the panicked gem before her. She looked to Hematite once, then back at her. Mago wanted _her_ help? What could _she_ do for this? She placed her fingers over her mouth, lowering her head without a word. This was a problem. _A major problem._ What was a Hematite that couldn't size shift? Around here, _probably in_ _ **big**_ _trouble._

"Alright, alright. Calm down." Tam took a deep breath, pressing her fingertips together. She closed her eyes, exhaling through her nose quietly. "We'll figure something out. When did this start? Do you even know?"

–

"I-it, uh. It started. Well. A few days ago." Mago put her hands on her hips, drumming her clawed fingers on them. "Yeah. I shrank down for something, and then... this. That's all I've got."

Hematite arched a brow, biting his lip. A few days ago... _Uh oh._

"Mago, are you sure you don't just need a nap? That's what I have to do when I get tired out and shrink down."

"But that's- _Ugh_! That's the thing, pipsqueak! I don't _get_ tired! I don't _get_ stuck small!" She rubbed her face, taking a deep breath. "If anything, I get stuck _big_! The only time I've ever shrunken down like this was by will, or... well. That one fight you and I had years ago. When you used that weird... I don't even know what you did. But even then, I was able to change back later that day." Crossing her arms, Mago puffed her cheeks out, huffing. "Do you... have any information on this sort of thing, Tam?"

–

The other ebony haired gem tapped her fingertips on her chin, hissing quietly through her teeth.

"Well... not off the top of my head, no. But not to worry! I can do a little research and ask the Peridots if they have any knowledge on this matter. I've never had this problem before, myself. But...." She paused, glancing to the side with brief exasperation. "I will try to help as much as I can."

_Why did she feel like she was going to regret this?_

She already didn't like hanging around Mago all that much, but if she didn't help her, who would? Tam wasn't exactly spiteful or completely uncaring. Of course, she wasn't going to go _out of her way_ to help her, but maybe in hanging around these two she could learn more about Hema. Perhaps that would make this worth her time.

–

Blinking in surprise, Mago gripped at her sleeve, a small smile crossing her face.

"Wait, really?" After a moment, she shook her head, smiling smugly and tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I mean, of course! A nerd like you _would_ help with something like this. I meaaan after all if anything you'll probably get more data or whatever." Twirling her hand at the wrist, Mago sighed and shook her head. "And Pipsqueaaak, maybe now would be a good time to teach me that trick you did at the coliseum! Maybe I just gotta use it on you and I'll be all fixed!"

Hema arched a brow slowly before pursing his lips and tilting his head back slightly as he looked up at the sky, expression unreadable.

"Yeah. About that." Sighing, he shrugged. "I don't know how I did it." Mago stared at him, not losing her cocky smile, though the corner of her eye twitched subtly.

"... Pardon."

"I don't know what that trick was, or how I used it. Ah! Tam. Have you or any of the other Hematites ever used a sort of... ahhh. How do I describe it. It almost seemed like a size-stealing ability. I used it on Mago and she shrank down while I was able to shift up in return. Almost like I'd swapped our energies?"

–

Tam narrowed her eyes at Mago, but she knew she was right. This could be very valuable to her data collection. She was always willing to learn more. Though, she had never heard of anything like what Hematite had described.

"Well, no actually? There isn't a lot of information on what a Hematite's abilities are. We are, in case you haven't noticed, a rare gem and knowledge of our kind is ever growing. Thooough if you find anything out about that... I'd love to know,? she said, an interested tone in her voice. _Size stealing? That was peculiar. She'd have to ask the Peridots about that, too_. She knew quite a bit about the Hematites herself, but there was some information she knew she'd need to get from an outside source. If anyone knew anything about the Hematites that she didn't, the Peridots did.

–

"Well, if we figure anything out in the next month and you're not around to see it yourself, I suppose, we'll let you know. Thanks for any help in advance, though. Now." Turning to the long-haired Hematite, Hema nodded quietly. "We don't have much to go on. You can't size shift, it started... 'a few days ago', and there's no further data on that weird ability I used. So... I guess maybe we should just. Try some training first, perhaps that would spark something? You've tried napping, right?"

Mago rolled her eyes and puffed her hair out of her face.

"Yeees pipsqueak I tried napping. Didn't work. I've tried napping, picking fights with gem monsters-"

"Wait, what?!"

"Tshhh, nothing major, nothing major! Calm down."

Hema arched a brow and suddenly took a few paces forward, now looking Mago over curiously. Her form hadn't changed a bit from what he remembered, so that was good. It meant Mago was staying safe and hadn't been poofed for a while. _That was a plus._

–

Tam took a step back, placing her arms behind her again.

"Mago, I hope you haven't been getting reckless..." Tam rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't go picking fights you know. What if your gem gets cracked? Or you cause a commotion?" She scolded. It seemed like she was getting a little off point, and she thankfully caught herself. "Er.... Nevermind. Have you... told anyone else about this? Or just us? Any of the Peridots, or White Diamond for that matter?" She continued, narrowing her eyes again.

–

Mago stiffened at the mention of White.

"U-uh. Hah. Haha, yeah. No. No I haven't. I told her that I-" She cleared her throat. "I told her I was having 'trouble' with my shifting and that pipsqueak should help me 'control' it better. It's not a lieeee exactly. But she doesn't know I'm stuck like this, no." Trailing off, she lifted a hand to her mouth, tapping her fingers along her top lip. "... I'd be decommissioned in an instant if she knew I wasn't able to shift."

_If she knew I was broken._

–

Tam grimaced.

"You really should report these things, you know... Have you considered that White might be able to actually help you with this? She has vast amounts of knowledge and resources at her disposal," she stated simply, holding her chin high as if she were proud of her statement. "Though, I guess I can understand not wanting to risk that... so, I'll keep quiet about it as well." She raised a brow simply, closing her eyes.

–

Hema nodded slowly. He agreed with Tam on Mago needing to report things, though in the back of his mind, he wasn't so sure about that second part. It was true that White had a seemingly infinite well of knowledge at her fingertips, but even he knew from his studies that information on Hematites was little to none. Even if Mago did risk telling their leader about this, he wasn't sure White would have been able to help much.

As much as that haunted him to think about...

Mago turned to Tam and gave her a grateful nod.

"Thanks, Tammy. At least until the end of the month. If we can't fix me by then... Well. We can tell her. But not until then!" She narrowed her eyes at both of the Hematites before her and pointed an accusatory finger at them, her hand still close to her face. "Or I'll... sic Meta on you or something. Maybe. She probably won't get up, who am I kidding?" Rolling her eyes, she huffed her bangs away from her face. "Alright, 'training', then, pipsqueak? What kind of training?"

–

Tam frowned, unamused by Mago's 'joke'. She'd still keep her promise though. If it really was imperative that White knew about it, she would find out later one way or the other, but until that became apparent, it just wasn't necessary.

–

Hematite sighed and put his hands on his hips, looking at the ground for a long, quiet moment. He hadn't thought this part through, exactly. How was he supposed to help Mago fix her powers? Fusion was leagues out of the question, so he couldn't help her that way. Simply explaining how he size shifted wasn't going to work either. It wasn't something he could put into words. Not only that, but why was this happening in the first place? Could a gem's abilities simply stop working? He had never heard of such a case.

However, it was a known fact that sometimes newer gems just didn't know how to use their abilities, and it took time to learn to harness them. He himself was still learning new things. But, could a gem truly forget how to use a power?

Or was there something else to this?

"Alright, let's see. Tam. Mago and I are going to do some simple hand to hand training, see if that takes us anywhere."

"Aw, what?! Pipsqueak, how is that supposed to-"

"Look, Mago. Just. Trust me, alright? What harm can it do? Look what our last spar spurred on. Maybe if we warm up with some melee lessons, it'll make something click. It's worth a shot."

"Tch... Fine." Glancing to the side, Mago shrugged and dropped her arms. "Lead the way, pipsqueak."

Nodding, Hematite folded his arms behind him and made his way to the most open part of the cove, far away from any of the other workers.

–

Tam gave the two a curt nod and turned to walk in the other direction.

"Be careful you two." She called out simply, holding up a hand even though they couldn't see it. She wasn't queued for any jobs for the next week, so she was already bored out of her mind. She wanted to work, so at least this gave her something to do. In the end, she couldn't really complain, even if it did mean she had to hang around Mago every now and then. She may have frustrated her to no end, but maybe this would turn out in her favor somehow or another. That, and perhaps what new knowledge she gained could prove useful to her in the future. Maybe it _would_ be worth it.

–

– A week later.

–

_Well that didn't work now did it?_

Hematite frowned and sighed, thinking back to last week's sparring session. He and Mago had gotten nowhere with their hand to hand combat training, and he'd worn out before they could really get anything out of it. After that, he'd been put hard to work with the Peridots, and he'd had no chances to get together with the ebony-haired Hematite. Ever since last week, he hadn't even seen Mago around. Granted, after their last spar he told her that if he didn't get away from his job during the week, that she should try and meet him in the cove every seventh rotation, after he reported to White. He hoped Mago hadn't gotten herself into trouble, as nobody had seen her around...

Though, knowing her, it was very likely she had.

 

Hema rubbed his shoulder with a long sigh through his nose and closed his eyes, walking down the path he usually took to the cove. Currently standing at his civilian height, the service gem strolled along in silence, wishing the Peridots hadn't overworked him so much today. He'd shrunken down to his normal height and found himself unable to shift up. While he was thankful he hadn't shrunken down entirely and passed out, this was still a bit of a problem. Finally he had a day off to meet with Mago, and he wouldn't even be able to use his abilities. _Oh well, maybe teaching Mago some more fighting skills would spark something!_

_He hoped..._

Much to Hematite's relief, he hadn't run into any of the less-than-pleasant of his kin, and his walk toward the cove was going smoothly. He quickly made his way past the huge pink haired Hematite that... still appeared to be sleeping in the same spot, and made his way down the last few paths. Until he rounded a corner and yelped in surprise, nearly running into the long-haired service gem he was heading to meet.

"Whoa-! H-hey pipsqueak, didn't see you there! Sorry, I was heading over to see if you were done with work!" Mago smiled awkwardly and put her hands on her hips, drumming her fingers anxiously. Hema arched a brow and adjusted his sleeves, clearing his throat. How would she have even known where he was?

"Well. I am, so let's get going. No wasting time today."

"Right, right." Shrugging, Mago turned and briskly made her way down the huge stone path, not saying another word. Hema followed after her with a sigh and crossed his arms.

After a few minutes, the two rounded one of the last corners to the cove, stopping dead in their tracks. Mago went from looking surprised to exasperated, but Hema just looked surprised. Ahead, almost directly in the path, was what appeared to be a Hematite's... leg? Hema couldn't tell from here. The rest of the form was hidden behind a rather large boulder, though Hematite could just barely make out a tuft of maroon hair behind it. Was someone sleeping over there?

Mago suddenly grunted and rushed over, much to Hema's surprise. After a moment of hesitation, the service gem followed suit, staring nervously ahead as the two of them neared the large, half-hidden gem.

"'Ey! EY! Out of the way, buddy!" Stopping near the Hematite's leg, Mago tapped her foot, lips pursed in an impatient pout as she stared up at him. She lifted her leg and prodded at the huge limb, glaring up towards its owner.

–

The larger figure didn't move at first, but after a few moments of Mago's prodding it shifted.

"UUuuuuuuggghhh."

From atop the large boulder, a massive clawed hand gripped the hunk of rock. They were much more claw-like than most of the hematite's fingers, tapered to a point. Slowly, the massive leg disappeared from view. A new figure appeared slowly, hoisting itself up and over the top of the boulder, slouching over it wearily. It was another Hematite, much more sluggish and lanky looking than most of them. He smacked his lips and blinked at the two with half lidded eyes. He seemed either bored, tired, or both. It was kind of hard to tell.

His hair was fluffed up and forward, a dark washed out maroon in color. His visor was sharp, thin, and jutted outwards; It was a wonder he could even manage to keep that over his face. He bore a small round gemstone high up on his neck. Though, what was really odd about him were his teeth; he had a large, buck-toothed styled overbite, though his teeth were sharp. Even his front teeth were tapered into a point, connecting as one large, singular tooth.

He stared at them both, unmoving, slumped over the rock.

"… Yeah?..."

–

Admittedly, Hematite stepped back a few paces as the larger gem hoisted himself over the boulder, and he stared up at him, swallowing quietly. He didn't quite recognize this member of his group, though to be fair it seemed all of them had changed their forms at least once since he last saw them. Staring up at the gem, Hema scuffed his foot on the ground, eyeing the maroon-haired gem's rather large, odd front tooth.

"Sorry to bother you, we're just heading through-"

"We've got business to get to. So don't leave your legs in the path, alright?"

"Mago please, we could have just jumped over..."

"Yeah well. Still." She puffed her bangs away from her face, shrugging. "Alright you've got a point. Sorry, bud! Buuut don't you have something you should be doing right about now?"

Hema glanced up at the gem.

"Ah, yes. If you're not terribly busy, the Peridots in the east sector could use some extra hands."

–

The larger Hematite's expression didn't change for a moment, but soon he closed his eyes and lowered his forehead onto the rock.

"UUUUUUUGGHH...."

Muffled by the stone, the Hematite gripped at the surface of the boulder they were laying on and slumped over further, rolling off of the rock completely. Laying on his back, he splayed out his arms and continued groaning quietly. Had he ignored them?

–

Hema and Mago slowly looked at each other before steadily making their way down the path. Popping his lips once, the ivory-haired gem folded his arms behind him, brows raising.

"Well. We will just let you be. You have a nice afternoon. Come on Mago let's go."

"Right behind you Pipsqueak."

Heading off, the two made their way to the cove, not looking back.

–

"Mmmgghh... Bye...."

As they made their way past the maroon haired Hematite, he rolled over onto the ground face first again, propping his head up on his arms. He seemed to be muttering something quietly, but from afar it only sounded like he was complaining about something. It was uncertain what.

–

The injector drills from the previous week had long since been cleared out, and now a few Hematites were helping a rather large group of warrior gems tear down a section of wall. Seemed they were nearly finished. Wiping their brows, the two harvester gems stood back and huffed, looking around before they made their way to another section.

Stepping into the cove, Hema looked to his fellow kin and huffed, glancing back.

"Well he's a sparkling conversationalist."

Mago smirked and shrugged, chuckling quietly.

"He does that a lot. I'm not sure what his deal is. I've only seen him a few times and he's always laying around or grumbling. At least he doesn't get in the way a lot. Unnnless he does stuff like that. Anyways. So, what are we gonna do today?"

Hema took note of what Mago said about the maroon haired Hematite and nodded quietly.

"Right, well I'm... a bit worn out from work today, so I'm afraid it's sparring and hand to hand technique again."

Mago's cocky smile vanished, and she tilted her head back, groaning quietly.

"Not again. Alright, fine. But don't hold back this time, alright?"

Without waiting for an answer, the ebony-haired Hematite strolled over to the same cleared area that she and Hema had used before, glad to see it was empty. Hematite rolled his eyes and followed after her.

–

Unbeknownst to the newcomers, they were being watched from afar somewhere within the cove.

"Hey, Hemmi... Do ya smell that? Smells like runt and _annoying_ runt..." A snide voice came quietly from behind a dip in the wall. Peering at the two newly arrived gems, Mite felt her grin widen darkly upon spotting Hema and Mago. "OOoohohoh, get a load of this!~" She crooned deviously, narrowing her eyes. They were smaller this time? This was going to be _fun_.

–

Turning from her freshly finished work, Hemmi raised a brow and let out a soft, curious hum. The pink-haired Hematite turned where her partner was peering, her eyes widening slightly.

"Hmmm, I knew I smelled some gems looking for trouble.~" Biting her lip, the taller gem slowly turned to her friend, her dark expression saying a thousand words. "Shall we?"

–

Mite poked her tongue out between her teeth slightly, shooting Hemmi the same expression that she wore.

"Oh, but of course!~ You first, hmhmhm!"

–

"Alright Mago, so your techniques could still use some work, but you _are_ making progress. You need to have more control and awareness over where your arms are at all times." Walking over to his opponent, Hema carefully adjusted her fighting stance and nodded once, stepping back. "Like so. If you keep them close to your body, you're more likely to block a hit that's coming for you."

Mago puffed her bangs from her face and rolled her eyes. However, she didn't talk back this time, and instead took notes on what the smaller Hematite was saying.

Hema showed her a few common block and jab combinations that he knew, reiterating what they'd gone over in their last session.

"These are really good for close quarters combat. They can usually buy you some time before you can get a hit in-"

"Too bad a hit at her size wouldn't do much."

Stiffening, Hema turned right to see Mite and Hemmi heading straight for himself and Mago. _Oh dear, this couldn't be good._

"Excuse me, this is a private lesson, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't interrupt."

–

The smaller of the approaching duo sneered coyly and slouched her shoulders a little.

"Awww, he'd appreciate it Hemmi! How cute. Well, _I'd_ appreciate it if you didn't show your little faces around here, but we can't all have what we want now _can_ we." Mite hissed in a mocking tone.

–

Hema scoffed, an offended frown on his face, and he turned fully to the approaching giant gems. Crossing his arms behind him, he did his best to keep his composure. They didn't know he was currently stuck at his civilian size, best not to make them aware of it if he could avoid it.

"We will come here if we please. I have a job to do and if you interrupt it, you're interfering with White Diamond's direct orders."

Hemmi shot the tiny gem a condescending sneer before turning to her friend.

"Oh no, White Diamond's orders. Whatever shall we _do_ , Mite?"

–

Mite cackled and looked over at her taller pink haired friend, grinning ear to ear.

"I think we should teach Grey Diamond and his little assistant a lesson! Afterall..." She paused, glaring down at the two, suddenly taking another slow, condescending step towards them. "They're awfully small to be barking such big talk."

–

"Assistant!?" Mago grimaced, baring her teeth up at the two gems. "Now listen here you pebble! Unlike you two we have important stuff to get done, so get lost!"

Hema wasn't so quick to talk back. The smallest trace of sweat began to form on his brow, and he took a step backwards, trying to keep his serious frown.

"Shift down this instant. Interference with a service gem's work is illegal, a-and."

"Shift down? Why, so we can get to your level, you defective little pebbles? No, I think Mite's right. You both need a little lesson on the pecking order around here."

Mago took a few steps back, slowly making her way behind Hema. She kept her fists up, the faintest glow appearing around her arms.

–

The shorter of the giant Hematites slowly circled the two, stifling faint, dark chuckles.

"What do you say Hemmi? Would you like the runt?" She hummed out, narrowing her eyes at the smaller duo. With every word, she seemed to inch closer and closer. She held her hands behind her back, skulking around the two.

–

Hematite frowned and inched closer to Mago, his arms slowly reaching out to the sides in a defensive pose.

"Cease this at once."

"Hmm. I think I would, he doesn't seem to understand his position here."

Hema's eyes widened, and his teeth grit harshly together, a fierce and familiar indignance rising in his chest. His hair stood on end as he narrowed his eyes up at the pink-haired Hematite.

Mago kept her back to Hema's, staring up at the shorter giant gem that was inching closer.

"Back off. Pipsqueak's taken on far tougher gems than you, he'll do it again."

Grimacing, Hema glanced back at the ebony haired Hematite, whispering too quietly for either of the giant gems to hear, "Mago, now is _not_ the time for that."

–

Mite raised a brow, baring her teeth in a crude smile.

"Ohoho is that so? I'm soooo scared! If that's the case... I'd be more than willing to see you try to _make_ us leave. Go on! Go ahead!" She chuckled, now seemingly looming over the two, bringing her hands out in front of her at last. "Or what about you, ya feisty pebble? You gonna shift up and say that to my face? You're awfully quick to be hiding behind the _**runt,**_ " she snarled connivingly.

–

Eyes widening, Mago stammered quietly, her fighting stance faltering.

"W-well I would, but you're not worth wasting the energy on." Gritting her teeth, the tiny service gem glared up at Mite. Her hands glowed brightly with plasmic energy as a last warning for the giant gem to leave.

She just wished it wasn't such a weak bluff.

Hemmi sneered and crouched down where she stood, sizing up the two tiny gems before her.

"Yes, oh great and mighty chosen one, why don't you show us why White picked you out? If she has such great taste, I think it's time you proved it." Her eyes narrowed, a cruel grin spreading across her face. "One way or another."

–

Mite leaned down on one of her knees, placing a massive palm down next to Hema and Mago. Without warning, Mite was quick to snatch Mago up in her hand, glaring daggers at the puny gems she still towered over.

"Oohhh I've waited a long time to try this!" She cooed, holding up the ebony haired gem to her face. She spared Hema a glance, smirking. "But don't worry! I'm sure nobody will miss either of you."

–

Letting out a sharp, angry yelp, Mago immediately started to fight back, struggling as best she could to get out of Mite's grasp. Glaring venomously back at the giant gem, she bared her sharp teeth, a low growl in her chest.

"Put me down, Mite! If you two touch pipsqueak you're really gonna be in for it! Hema! Call White or something!" she yelled down, sounding more angry than afraid. Hema looked up with wide eyes, taking a few steps away from Mite's hand that rested on the ground.

"R-right!" Quickly tapping his eyepiece, the ivory haired gem frowned and grit his teeth.

Contact Whit-

"Not so fast." With one deft movement, Hemmi snatched the other tiny gem in her hand, suddenly tossing him into the air. Hema let out a distressed shout as he plummeted back toward the ground, only to be painfully caught by his left leg. Now hanging upside down, the service gem tried to re-orient himself, but found it near impossible when Hemmi suddenly started teasingly swinging him from her hand. She hummed in amusement and glared at the tiny gem in her grasp. "Can't have you doing that, now can we?"

–

The shorter of the giant gems leered down at Mago once more, slowly licking her teeth.

"Nice catch Hemmi. Mhmhm... Nooow... about you..." She clenched her fist a little tighter, squeezing the puny gem just enough to make her very uncomfortable. Her teeth parted slightly, revealing a bright red tongue that slowly swiped over the top of the small, ebony haired gem. "Oh!~" She crooned, raising a brow. With a widened, toothy grin, she chuckled lowly. "That's not bad at all..."

–

Hema managed to catch sight of the other two gems a little ways away, and his eyes widened, his face paling.

"MAGO!"

The ebony haired Hematite shuddered heavily, grunting in disgust as she tried to turn away from the giant gem. Her breath came in pained huffs, Mite's grip getting worryingly tight. It cut off any snide comments she could have made, and instead, the tiny gem returned to struggling.

Suddenly, faintly, her gemstone began to glimmer.

Hema's eyes widened, catching sight of the dim light. He couldn't tell if the sun was glinting off of her gem, or if something else was going on.

"What-AH!"

Hemmi suddenly pulled the tiny gem up closer to her face, a cruel smile on her lips.

"Seems your assistant doesn't taste as sour as she acts. How about you, huh?" Slowly, the pink-haired Hematite parted her teeth, flicking her tongue over her canines. "Being White's assistant must be a tough job. There's surely a lot of _pressure_." She sneered. "I wonder how much it'd take to _break_ you."

–

**"Record."**

 

Mite froze in her tracks, her head turning sharply to look behind Hemmi. Upon realization of who's voice she heard, she hissed through her teeth.

"Ughh, what do _you_ want Tam? Can't you see we're _busy_?" She hissed. Standing behind Hemmi with her hands behind her back, towering at _full size_ was Tam, her visor glazed over.

"I suggest you put those two Hematites down, unless you want me to send this recording straight to White Diamond. If you so much as poof either of them, you will be severely punished." She said formally, sternly, and calmly.

Mite furrowed her brows in frustrated disgust, sparing her friend a glance. Her grip on Mago loosened ever so slightly, but not enough to fully let her go. She hesitated.

–

Hema's eyes widened, and he attempted to see past Hemmi's head, though at this point it was impossible.

Turning sharply, Mago blinked up at the massive service gem standing not too far off. After a momentary pause, she suddenly furrowed her brows, a smug grin on her face.

"HEEEEY, nice timing, Tammy!" she crowed, giving the ebony haired gem a smirk. The tiny gem turned her attention quickly back to Mite and shot her a venomous, devious grin before suddenly baring her teeth.

And chomping right down on the giant gem's finger.

–

"GRAAH!"

With a sharp, pained yelp, Mite opened her fist completely and dropped Mago, holding onto her finger where she had been bitten. She snarled harshly at Mago, but was silenced by a sudden noise Tam had made.

"Ahem! I wouldn't, if I were you." Tam said, bringing a finger up to her face, tapping onto her visor. Mite growled lowly at her and stood up completely.

"Hmph. Come on Hemmi, lets go." She said, shooting Tam a nasty glare.

–

Hemmi said nothing since Tam started recording, and instead, slowly lowered Hema to the ground, standing silently afterwards. She didn't so much as turn to look at the larger harvester. Shooting Mite a look, she nodded and walked off with her, tightly crossing her arms as they left.

Mago stood up and dusted herself off, grimacing and trying to wipe the unappealing stickiness that still clung to her hair and face.

"Ugh, when I get back to normal, I swear. Let's see how she likes-"

"Mago. Now is not the time."

"Tch."

Wiping her hands on her sides, Mago slowly looked up at the other ebony haired Hematite, a slightly nervous frown on her face. Tam was absolutely _huge_ right now, completely dwarfing the two of them, even more than Hemmi and Mite had. As far as Mago knew, Tam was one of the tallest Hematites, just short of Meta and perhaps one other. And seeing her at her full height like this was... _daunting_.

Looking up as well, Hematite adjusted his sleeves, frowning seriously.

"Thank you, Tam. That... could have gotten nasty."

–

Slowly, Tam knelt down to get herself a little closer to the duo, her visor powering down aside from a soft, pink glow.

"Don't mention it. I heard Mite cackling like an idiot so I came to see what the ruckus was about. I'm just glad I got here in time." She raised a brow, her form glowing briefly. She shifted down to about half her height now, seeing as she probably didn't need to be at her full size with no other threat in sight. "Perhaps I should stick around and make sure they don't try to bother you again... or anyone else for that matter,” she said, pursing her lips. "That is of course, if you'd like. I'm rather surprised you didn't shift up and try to fend them off, Hema."

–

Pursing his lips, Hema rubbed the back of his neck and looked to the side, brows furrowing.

"Yeaaah. About that. The Peridots might have overworked me a bit today and used up whatever energy I had. I'm afraid that until I get a good rest, I won't be able to shift up."

Mago turned to the ivory-haired Hematite with raised brows, a small frown on her face.

"You could have mentioned that earlier. You just said you were tired you didn't say you couldn't change size."

"Well you were so busy complaining I didn't get a chance to elaborate."

–

Tam rolled her eyes, but she couldn't really blame him.  
"I see, well...guess you two are lucky then. Very lucky... Though, actually, I came because I brought someone with me that might be able to help. Would you mind waiting here just a moment?" Tam held up a finger, standing straight once more and turning to walk towards the entrance she came through. Disappearing behind a curve, she was out of sight for a good few long moments. Soon, however, she reappeared with something... or rather, _someone_ in her palm.

"I'd like you both to officially meet someone!"

–

Hema watched curiously as Tam walked away, and his brows raised in surprise when he caught sight of just who was in her palm.

At a head smaller than Hema, a tiny Peridot stood happily in the giant gem's palm, waving down at the two service gems. She had a visor like all the other green service gems, but she seemed to have a slightly different model of limb enhancers. Instead of the cone-shaped ones the Kindergarten Peridots wore, this one had rounded ends on her arm enhancers, and rounded fingers to match. Her leg enhancers were far less pronounced, and looked more like metal boots than extended legs. Her hair resembled Hema's hairstyle mixed with a bit of Yellow Diamond's, and stood at a fluffed point toward the top with little tufts at the side of her face. Most notable though was a patch of small freckles that ran along her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

This was the Peridot that most of the Hematites reported to at White's Archives when they dropped off their records and mission logs. Most of them had met the small gem, but hardly any of them had any sort of extended conversation with her. That was, except for Hema.

Excitedly, the green service gem practically bounced in place, holding her metal hands close to her.

"Hiii Hema!" she called down, her voice bright and clear.

"Oh! You brought Frecks? Shouldn't she be at the archives?"

Mago crossed her arms and arched a brow, narrowing her eyes up at the tiny gem. She'd met her once or twice, but never stuck around the archives long enough to introduce herself.

_'Frecks?' What kind of name was that?_

–

Tam raised a brow and lowered her palm to the ground, allowing Frecks to hop off.

"Oh, so you know this Peridot? That's good then. She might be able to help you with your little...issue," she said, giving the small Peridot a reassuring nod.

–

Frecks nodded and eagerly brought up her limb enhancer screen, looking at Mago.

"Tam told me you were having some troubles with your powers! I couldn't find any data on it, but I do have all your records and mission logs! Maybe something there can help you!"

Grimacing slightly, Mago crossed her arms and looked to the side. She never knew how to interact with this gem... she was far too chipper for her tastes.

"Riiight. This has never happened before, Peridot. I doubt old records will help."

Freckledot's expression fell, and she pouted slightly, glancing at the screen.

"It won't? ... Well! We can at least try, right? I have access to all the Hematite logs and statistics, so perhaps there's something we can glean from that! I can't share personal information or audio logs, but I can tell you about someone's powers from a gemetic standpoint!"

Hema stood back and let Frecks talk, looking a bit distracted. He could have sworn he saw Mago's gem glowing for a moment earlier... what was that all about?

Was she faking all of this?

With a chipper smile, the tiny Peridot continued on.

"But I should mention, Mago, this might take a while. From what I've gathered, your shifting is... well."

Turning, the green service gem enlarged the holo-screen and brought up a few stats on it with a model of Mago's gemstone.

"Your energy polarity is almost reversed! While all the other Hematites use energy to shift and stay bigger, you use energy to shift and stay smaller. From your mission logs and what you've mentioned to me in the Archives, that's what I can conclude. I'm unsure what we can do with this information, but." She tapped a single green finger on the screen. "From what I can gather, this should wear off eventually! Your energy can't keep up this form forever. How long have you been stuck like this? A day, two days?" Turning to Mago, she arched a brow. The ebony haired gem slowly looked away, clearing her throat.

"Over a week."

"... WHAT?! B-but that's not possible! Even the largest Hematite can only stay big for five days... Are you sure it's been that long?"

Mago sighed and huffed her bangs away from her face, nodding once.

"Yep, I'm sure. It's been over a week. No progress. I can't budge an inch. I've been worn out before and unable to shift down, but this feels... different."

Pursing her lips, Frecks looked at Hema quietly and turned back to her screen.

"Oh... well. Uhm. Tam? Could you fetch the Hematite named 'Tiny?' I know her powers are different as well, perhaps she can shed some light on this. She shouldn't be on a mission right now."

"Is anyone on a mission right now?" Hema commented idly, under his breath.

–

Tam shrugged simply, glancing away.

"Weeeell, there are a few that are on missions... But Tiny is not one of them. I'll go get her right away." The tallest Hematite stated, giving the group a nod. "Frecks, contact me if anything goes awry while I'm gone. I'll try to hurry back." Without another word, she saluted, and turned to run off towards the entrance.

–

Some time later, Mago and Hema were sparring casually in the same place Tam had left them. Freckledot was watching in delight from a small cliff side 'shelf', about ten or so feet off the ground. She tapped her metal feet together, idly taking notes as the two fought. Watching the Hematites was always so interesting! Though Frecks did wish that either of them could use their shifting abilities.

"Alright, good! But you need to keep control over the plasma, otherwise your shots are too wild."

"And how exactly do I do that?"

Hema opened his mouth, closed it, and then narrowed his eyes.

"I do not know."

Rolling her eyes, Mago snorted and attempted to shoot a more stable bolt of plasma at her opponent, but she stopped abruptly, eyes widening as she looked up and behind Hema.

"Uh pip-"

_**THUD!** _

"Heya, clods!"

"AH-"

Letting out a rather unflattering shriek, Hema stumbled forward and landed flat on his face. He quickly scrambled to roll over and stared up at the giant gem crouched down behind him, right in front of the huge kindergarten wall. This Hematite had short, swept back, light pink curly hair and a bright pink visor that had a rather lopsided shape to it. The right side only covered her eye while the left side sloped all the way down to cover nearly half of her face. A small, claw-shaped gemstone rested between her brows, covered by her visor. But most noticeably, this Hematite wasn't physically the same as all the others. While all the other harvester gems were proportioned like Pearls or other taller service gems, this Hematite was similar to a Ruby or a Peridot. She had shorter limbs and smaller shoulders, and hardly looked like she belonged among the lithe or powerful hunters.

Though, her stance certainly said otherwise.

Mago backed up a few paces, staring up at the giant crouched gem. Tiny, she presumed, was lowered onto all fours before Hema, staring him down with a wide grin and playfully narrowed eyes. The ivory-haired service gem attempted to get onto his feet, but suddenly stumbled backwards when Tiny leaned down without warning, her face mere feet from him.

"Man I knew you were small, but I forgot _how_ small you were! Heheheh. Tam said she needed help with something, is that 'thing' getting you two to leave?~" Lifting her hand, the Hematite stuck her tongue out just slightly and hovered her palm over Hema's form teasingly.

–

"TINYYYY!"

 

Tam's voice bellowed throughout the rocky cliffs, followed by the gem herself. Making her way quickly towards the group, she stopped just shy of Tiny and grabbed her by the back of her uniform, lifting her up to her feet. "Ugh, WHAT did I say?! WAIT for me next time!!" she snapped, running her fingers through her hair with piqued frustration. Furrowing her brows, she looked down at Hema and Mago and placed her hands on her hips. "So sorry about that, Tiny can be very... hyperactive and impish. Especially today," Tam remarked.

–

Tiny blinked as Tam picked her up, but quickly stood on her own feet, circling the tiny gems with quick, light steps.

"Yeah yeah Tam, so what are we doin, huh? Where's-HEYY!"

Perking up, the giant gem leapt straight over Mago and Hema and rushed over to the cliff side where the Peridot was sitting. Grinning ear to ear, Tiny held up a balled fist close to the small service gem, snickering. "Long time no see, Periwinkle!"

Frecks grinned back and gently tapped her metal hand against Tiny's knuckles, giving a cheerful laugh.

"You need to come give me your reports some time soon! It's been two months!"

"Yeaaah sure whatever. Maybe. That place is so stuffy." Sticking out her tongue, the giant gem turned to Tam and rocked side to side on her heels, constantly shifting her weight. "So! What are we doing, I have a very full schedule! Chasing gem monsters, putting said monsters into Mati's little hideaway spot, laughing at Mati as she throws stuff at me. You know. Important stuff.~"

–

Tam rolled her eyes and, with a somewhat exasperated groan, turned to the other large Hematite. "Would you quit messing around? Honestly, there's no need for you to be so childish." She scrunched her nose up at Tiny. "Now, we brought you here because Mago here is having a little issue with her shifting. If you know anything about how to help, your cooperation would be very important and valuable to us." She said, closing her eyes and standing up straight.

–

The pink-haired Hematite returned to circling the tiny service gems and eyed them curiously.

"Mago's the taller one right?"

Tossing her hair behind her shoulder, Mago raised a brow and narrowed her eyes up at Tiny.

"Yes, I am."

"Alright, so what's your problem? Why are ya so small, you're never like that, far as I've seen."

"Well... if you must know. I can't size shift at all."

"At all?"

"Yyyyeaaah."

"Wow, that's unfortunate."

Mago frowned crossly and scoffed, putting her arms out to her sides as she looked up at Tam.

"Oh yeah, some help she is! Can we please actually find someone that knows what they're doing?"

Tiny snickered and crouched down quickly, prodding at Mago with one finger. The ebony haired Hematite grunted in surprise and tried to slap the giant gem's hand away, but couldn't make much headway. Arching a brow, the pink-haired Hematite looked at Tam curiously.

"So you don't have any info on it, I'm assuming Periwinkle doesn't have any info, what am I supposed to do?"

Frecks made her way down the side of the cliff with her limb enhancers' gravity-defying features before scurrying over to the group.

"Well! Tiny, your powers are kind of odd like Mago's! You take extra energy and focus to change to your full harvester size, and you've only done it twice, right?"

Though the pink-haired gem's expression faltered for a moment, she nodded and continued prodding curiously at Mago.

"So, maybe whatever made you shift then will help Mago! Do you remember what you did differently those two times, Tiny? Anything at all?"

Finally backing off from the rather frustrated ebony-haired Hematite, Tiny put a finger to her lip, tapping it as she thought to herself. There was a moment of silence before she shrugged, closing her eyes.

"All I remember is being in danger. Both missions got pretty out of hand. Physically? I don't remember what I did. It just kinda happened."

–

Tam curiously started to pace in place, slowly walking beside the group.

"Peculiar... I suppose high stress situations could have some sort of effect on your abilities, be it involuntary or instinctual." She closed her eyes, mumbling something under her breath. "Mago, did something stress you out? Those few days ago that this all started?"

–

Looking away, Mago pursed her lips and crossed her arms.

"Yeah you could say that. I saw something pretty..." Glancing at Hema, the black-haired gem paused. "Intense. But that couldn't mess with my powers, right?"

Hematite frowned and crossed his arms, staying quiet. He didn't want his kin to know about his little 'incident' with Yellow Diamond.

–

Tam raised a brow and opened one of her eyes, sparing Mago a strange look.

"Hm... I'm not too sure. Honestly, you should have worn out by now and sized up but..." she paused, utterly perplexed. It frustrated her that she had no clue how this not only could have happened, but that she didn't know how to resolve it either. "Frecks, give Mago a rundown the appropriate stats, if you will."

–

Blinking, Frecks stared up at Tam, a perplexed look on her face.

"Uh. Uhm. ... Which stats, exactly?" She grinned awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. "I haven't been out in the field for a few... years."

–

Tam blinked at the tiny green gem, grimacing slightly.

"Ergh.... you know, abilities? Weapons? Any faults if they are recorded? Aside from...well.." She paused, shaking her head quickly. "Just, find anything you can that might help us determine the closest thing to Mago's... 'condition'."

–

Hema nodded and looked at the Peridot as she blinked and gave Tam a quick nod.

"Ah, right! Sorry. Okay, uhh." Turning to Mago, Frecks held up her screen and stuck out her tongue slightly, pressing a few 'buttons' on her holo-device. A bright green beam shot out at Mago's feet and scanned up along her form, taking about ten seconds to completely move up to her head. A flurry of gem-speak and numbers popped up on the holo-screen, and Frecks enlarged it so the collected Hematites could see.

"Alright. Taking a look at this... Hmm."

Mago quirked a brow and stared at the statistics, pursing her lips. She didn't understand most of that stuff, as she only really learned to read things on her hunting visor. There was a long pause as both Frecks and Hema skimmed over the details of Mago's status.

After a few long moments of soft humming or muttering, Hema reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well that's not good..."

–

Tam watched the initial scan, eyes widening slightly. She couldn't make out exactly what the screen said from where she stood and knelt down.

"What isn't good?..."

–

Looking up at Tam, Hematite scratched the back of his neck and frowned. He wasn't sure what to make of this.

"Well according to the scan... Mago's statistics are all normal. There's nothing wrong." Turning, Hema frowned at the ebony-haired gem. "Mago, this says you're totally fine. Your energy levels are normal, your gemstone hasn't changed status since its last scan some time ago, and physically you haven't changed at all." Crossing his arms, the ivory-haired gem narrowed his eyes.

Tiny glanced between the two gems, shifting her weight back and forth. A curious frown found its way to her face.

–

Tam blinked in confusion, placing a palm to her cheek. Her jaw hung ajar, eyes darting between the three smaller gems.

"Wh-what?! But this... doesn't make any sense, this is statistically improbable. If something is really wrong with Mago then..." She sighed, moving one of her fingers under her visor to rub her eye. "Well... something should be wrong _here_."

–

"Yeah. If there is something wrong," Hema grumbled, suspiciously eyeing Mago. The ebony haired Hematite frowned, offended, and held her arms out to her sides.

"Excuse me? Are you calling me a liar?"

"Well the stats don't lie, Mago. That scan says there's nothing wrong with your gem. So either there's something that modern gem tech can't detect, or you're not telling us the truth."

–

Tam rolled her eyes, pinching her brow. She wanted to believe it was a lie, but there was one small problem with that.

"Mago was in serious danger when Hemmi and Mite showed up. If she was lying, she probably would have broken her facade then and there." Opening her eyes again, Tam straightened up. "I highly doubt she'd risk her life staying small over a lie like that... Or that she would lie about something like that around here either. If any more found out she was stuck like this, she would have been in far more trouble right off the bat."

–

"Yeah, what Tam said!" Mago's tone sharpened, and she took a threatening step toward Hema, teeth bared. "You think I'd fake something like this?! I hate being small! I hate being stuck like this!" Tiny's brows raised, and she silently side-stepped toward Tam, hiding behind her. Ooooh this was gonna get tense quick.

Hema's brows raised in surprise, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Mago silenced him, not finished.

"Maybe you guys are fine walking around like normal gems, heck, you're lucky to get to walk around like normal gems whenever you want! But I don't get that luxury! AND NOW I'm just... I don't have a choice! I'm not choosing to be like this! Why in star's name do you think I asked you guys for help?!" Mago shook her head, her clawed fingers clenching and unclenching tensely. "If White finds out I'm broken, that's it! I'm done for! It's bad enough I'm defective, now I'm just plain USELESS!"

–

Tam opened her mouth to speak, but for a moment, she found herself silent.

"Mago." She said quietly, her expression softening. "We'll do what we can to help, alright?" She put her hands behind her back, clasping them together. She'd never seen Mago like this before. Something really was wrong with her...

–

Sharply turning her attention up to the other black-haired Hematite, Mago glared up at her, her chest heaving. She was absolutely seething.

"Well nothing we're doing is helping! Frecks can't help, pipsqueak can't, you can't, Tiny surely can't!"

The pink-haired gem pouted and peeked from behind Tam.

"Hey."

"And at the end of the month... Hema's gonna report all this, and that's it! I'm done! ALL BECAUSE THIS CLOD DECIDED TO GO BESERK-"

**"MAGO!"**

–

Tam flinched slightly, looking quickly at Hema.

"Berserk?.... What do you mean berserk? What is she talking about?" She said, her expression falling into heavy suspicion. _What did she mean? What was she talking about? Hematite was here on business terms.... right?..._

–

Eyes widening, Hema frowned deeply at the gem before him, glaring daggers through her. Mago flinched and glared back, her teeth bared.

"This is all your fault, pipsqueak."

"Mago. You will stop right there. That is nobody's business here."

"Oh yeah, what are you gonna do if I tell them? You haven't exactly been a big help, I don't owe you _anything_."

Standing straight, Hema frowned deeply and grit his teeth.

"I'll tell White that your problem is _unfixable_. I won't give you any more lessons, I'll be done wasting my time on this."

Mago's eyes widened, and she immediately dropped her angry glare, mouth hanging ajar.

"You wouldn't."

"I report to White every seventh rotation. I'm sure that if she hears we're not making any progress, she'll agree that my time is better spent elsewhere."

Scoffing, Mago turned away, her hair falling over her eyes, hiding the panicked expression they betrayed. Frecks fidgeted awkwardly, glancing uncomfortably between the two.

–

Tam cleared her throat abruptly.

"Hema, forgive me for...intruding here? I know it's not my place, but... if any ounce of you thinks she might be right, perhaps you can help her?" She suggested. She wasn't exactly sure what they were talking about, but maybe... just maybe this time, it wasn't worth prying for.

–

Hema sighed heavily and turned to Tam, staring up at her.

"That's the thing, I've been _trying_ to help, I don't have any other ideas!"

"U-uhm. Hema? If I may..." Frecks took a cautious step forward, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end from the tense air surrounding the two Hematites. "If Mago's abilities are not physically malfunctioning, perhaps it's a mental block?"

Blinking in surprise, Hema turned to the Peridot. She continued, glad to have his attention.

"Sometimes... gems can't shape shift or use their abilities simply because something's stopping them in their mind. It can happen to anyone..."

–

Tam quickly placed a finger to her lip, furrowing her brows.

"Mmm that's right! If what Mago says is true, perhaps Frecks is correct." She said, glancing down at the panicked Hematite below. "If it's something that happened between you and Hema, perhaps try... talking about it?" She shrugged a little.

–

Hema looked at Mago, the ebony-haired Hematite returning his gaze. After a long moment, she scoffed and rolled her eyes, looking away.

"There's nothing _to_ talk about. At least not around every one else. Right, pipsqueak?"

"... Hm. Well, no. There isn't." Crossing his arms, the ivory-haired gem sighed softly and shook his head. "Alright, everyone... I think Mago and I need some time alone. Thank you for your help. Frecks, can you stick around for a little while? Can you come back in seven rotations, as well?"

The Peridot blinked in surprise and nodded with a hearty salute.

"Of course, Hema! Anything for you!"

Looking up at the taller black-haired service gem, Hema turned and gave her a polite nod.

"Tam, I won't need any help for the rest of the week, but could you return here again in seven rotations? I'd prefer to have you around if Hemmi and Mite get... rowdy."

–

Tam offered Hematite a formal nod and saluted.

"Of course! You wish to meet here in this very spot, I presume?" she asked, letting her hands fall beside her. If anything, if she didn't have to work she'd try to keep an extra eye on them when she could. It probably wouldn't hurt.

–

"If you would, yes please."

Peeking around the taller Hematite, Tiny arched a brow.

"And what about me, eh? Can I help?"

Turning to the pink-haired gem, Hema blinked and pursed his lips.

"Aah. Well. Tiny, was it? You may... observe, if you wish. But I don't think we'll need your assistance. Thank you, though."

"Aww. Okay." Pouting, the smaller Hematite walked out from behind Tam and stretched, closing her eyes. "Well! If that's all, I have another Hematite to pester~ See you clods later!"

Without waiting for a reply, Tiny bolted off toward the exit and quickly scaled one of the kindergarten walls, out of sight within moments.

Shaking his head, Hema looked to Tam, then Mago.

"Alright... We'll. Try to talk. You're dismissed, Tam!"

–

Tam shot Tiny an annoyed glare, but rolled her eyes.

"Very well. Be careful, you three." Without another word, she too headed out for the entrance she came through.

–

After the two Hematites had left, Hema turned his attention back to Mago and sighed softly. He gave Frecks a look and a quick nod, and the green service gem took the hint, running back to her cliff ledge. Looking back at the black-haired Hematite, Hema frowned and crossed his arms tightly, letting out a slow exhale through his nose.

"You really shouldn't go blurting out things like that. Do you have any idea what sort of commotion it could cause among the harvesters if they found out what happened?"

Mago scoffed and flipped her hair back, lips pursed.

"You're making it out to be way bigger of a deal than it is. So you attacked a Diamond, what are these guys gonna do about it?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to find out. Besides, this is about you, not me."

Sitting down, Hema crossed his legs and stared up at Mago, tapping his fingers along his upper arm.

"So let's talk."

_Beep beep, beep beep, beep beep!_

Eyes widening, Hema groaned and sighed, holding up his index finger to Mago as he answered his communicator.

"Hematite reporting."

"Hey, we need you over in the west sector!"

"Can't you get one of the other Hematites?"

"Excuse me? You're the only one under our direct order, get over here!"

"... Fine." Shooting Mago an apologetic glance, the small gem stood and dusted himself off. "I'll be right there. Hematite signing out." With a chirp, the service gem's eyepiece powered down. Hema turned to Mago and frowned, folding his arms behind him. "... I'm sorry. I have to get going."

Mago looked to the side quietly, not responding. Her lips were drawn tight, and she slowly shook her head.

"Whatever. It's not like this _matters_ to you anyways," she muttered, shooting him a venomous glance.

Hema's brows raised, but he didn't have a chance to reply as Mago turned and walked off, her arms crossed tightly. Soon enough, she broke into a run, out of the cove within a few minutes. Frecks looked after her with a concerned frown, fidgeting with her limb enhancer fingers. She looked at Hematite quietly, her ankles crossing nervously. The ivory-haired service gem stared at the exit to the cove for a long moment, Mago's words echoing in his head.

Normally he'd brush off such a comment, but what shook him was... _part of him wondered if she was right._

* * *

* * *

 

* * *

* * *

 Five rotations passed since Hemmi and Mite's little incident with Hema and Mago. Thankfully, they remained on the down low and went back to their territories since then, keeping away from the other Hematites when they weren't on one-day missions here and there. Hematite would have to report soon, though he wondered if he'd possibly get lucky and have his time with White delayed. His leader was currently on a short mission, and possibly wouldn't return until after the seventh rotation of the week. Unfortunately, that also meant she was currently out of contact with him.

Other than that, nothing really changed. The days were generally uneventful; the Hematites would come and go from their jobs, and nothing out of the ordinary happened.

 

Which was precisely why one Hematite in particular was bored out of her wits. Sauntering down a particularly large path, a slightly stockier built Hematite made her way out of the primary kindergarten and towards the southern entrance where most of the Peridots hung about. She seemed to be whistling a cheery tune, leisurely bobbing her head side to side as she walked.

Sporting short, fluffy gray hair and a visor that almost resembled huge, round glasses, the service gem looked more like she belonged in a lab than in a group of hunting gems. A single, sharp snaggletooth poked out from her upper lip, which was curled up into a cutesy smile. She bore a glimmering square gem on the right side of her chest.

Rounding a corner quickly, she spotted her destination, eyes widening with glee and wonder. Sure enough, there they were! Dozens of busy, tiny Peridots. She herself was standing around her preferred height, around 25 feet or so. Big enough to not use up too much energy at the time, and small enough to not startle any of the finicky service gems.

In her spare time, she enjoyed watching the Peridots work. Observing their limb enhancers, watching them run around, listening to their tech talk whenever they did socialize with one another, and most of all... learning more about gemtech were some of her favorite pastimes. She loved learning about gem technology; loved watching it in use, and she envied the Peridots for having limb enhancers. The Hematite thought they were exceptionally neat, and wondered what it was like to have a pair of the multi-use enhancers. Of course, she knew she'd probably never get some of her own, but it was nice to learn about them at the very least.

A few of the working service gems noticed the larger gem pacing towards them and shot each other a blank glance. They didn't seem confused or worried, oddly enough. Seemed this was a normal occurrence to them.

"Hey Mati,” one of the Peridots said, holding up their arm to the approaching Hematite. Mati beamed at the tiny service gems and plopped down next to them, leaning forward just a bit.

"Heeeey! How are you both?" the Hematite said, waving her fingers at the two Peridots she sat near. One of them immediately held up their screen and turned slightly as if ignoring Mati, but the other shrugged with an amused smirk.

"Oh, you know. It's the usual. Same routine every day, here we are again. We'll be performing a maintenance check on some broken injector drills today. Have you come to watch again?" she remarked, glancing over the other Peridot's shoulder at their screen. Mati chuckled.

"More or less, yeah. There's nothing to do, and Tiny keeps annoying me. Hita keeps complaining, and he was wandering in my general area and when I told him to leave he just groaned at me and fell on the ground." She frowned, poking out her lower lip. "And Mite won't keep away from my territory so I keep having to chase her away... Ah, everyone's so annoying! Except you guys! I like you guys," she continued, raising her brows. The Peridots seemed to have zoned out of what she was saying for the most part, aside from the one who was supposedly paying the most attention.

"Right." They responded simply.

Mati frowned and crossed her arms. _Did they listen to a word she said? Well, whatever._ She leaned over, narrowing her eyes at the other Peridot's screen. It displayed some sort of elaborate diagram of the drills, as well as a huge map of the kindergarten itself with many white dots scattered across it. She looked transfixed with what she saw, that is until she heard a few hushed voices somewhere behind her.

"Yeah, lots of gems saw it! And that's why he's here!"

"What? You're kidding! He'd surely be dead by now if that were the case!"

"Nooo, he's White Diamond's Hematite. I think there was something far more to that..."

Mati perked up, her interest suddenly shaken from the screen that she watched, turning her head slightly. _White Diamond's Hematite? What were they talking about? Ohhhhh this should be good!_ She turned around completely, spotting two more Peridots walking up to a ledge together, talking.

"He's serving out a punishment for trying to take out Yellow Diamond. He's supposed to be here all month, you know."

"Hmph! He attacked _our_ Diamond? Are you suuuure Yellow Diamond didn't shatter him on the spot? There's no way he's still alive after a stunt like that."

"I'm serious!! Look, didn't you read the reports?"

Giving the other Peridot a quick nudge with their enhancers, they brought up a screen. From where Mati was sitting, she couldn't make out what was on the holoscreen, but she could make out every word they _said_. That was all she needed. She gasped quietly, her eyes going wide. Sharply, she got to her feet and bolted for the path that she had entered the Kindergarten section from without a word. The Peridots she sat near looked at each other in confusion, shrugging before continuing on with their work.

The Hematite made her way down the rocky slopes of the main Kindergarten halls, panting heavily with every step. A few minutes into her run, she shifted up to her half size. _Oh stars, just wait till the others hear about this!!_ She smirked, skidding to a halt as she came to a sharp turn, bolting around the corner. At such a speed, she didn't have time to react as she barreled herself right into the back of a pink haired Hematite, slamming into them at full speed.

–

Hemmi let out a sharp, squawking shriek as Mati ran into her, and she sharply turned and shoved the shorter Hematite off of her, adjusting her suit with a venomous scowl.

 **"** _ **Excuse**_ **you,** clod-watcher. Did I give you _permission_ to touch me?" she sneered with malice, taking a large step back. Staring down at the gray-haired Hematite, Hemmi scoffed and adjusted her visor. "Watch where you're going."

–

Mite crossed her arms indignantly, glaring down at the smaller gem. She and Hemmi both were at their half sizes, a bit taller than the gray-haired gem. Mati was quick to right herself, grinning impishly at the duo.

"Hey, hey! You're not gonna believe what I just heard!!" she said giddily, clenching her fists tightly. Mite raised a brow, taking a step back.

"Eh? Spit it out then! What's go-"

 

"White's Hematite straight up attacked Yellow Diamond! And that's why he's here in the kindergarten with us!" Mati blurted, her arms trembling with unconstrained excitement. _Talk about the juiciest story of the millennium!_

Mite's eyes widened, her jaw dropping slightly.

"… Come again?..."

–

Brows furrowing, Hemmi mirrored her friend's pose, crossing her own arms. A serious frown crossed her face, and her eyes betrayed a strange mix of emotions. Her expression was unreadable.

"Did he now. How... _Intriguing_."

–

Mati bounced up and down in place, ramped up by her adrenaline-like rush.

"Yeah! Yeah! I gotta find the others... Ooohhh boy!" She didn't wait for the duo to respond; in an instant, she rushed passed them ungracefully and bolted out of sight. Mite slowly turned to her friend, a grin spreading across her face.

 

"Well, now.... This just got a whole lot more interesting...."

–

Hemmi returned her partner's gaze, an unnatural gleam in her eyes. Her left eye was blocked out by a bright reflection on her visor for a moment.

"Yes, yes it did. I think the runt has some explaining to do."

–

Mite cackled softly, circling around her friend without so much as looking at her. She seemed to be skulking around, clasping her hands together.

"What do you say then? Shall we pay him a visit? Or..." She paused, stopping behind her accomplice and giving her a sidelong glance.

–

Silent for a long moment, the pink-haired service gem tapped her fingers along her chin. She seemed to be processing a thousand thoughts, and her eyes were dark with an unreadable expression.

"Perhaps. Or, you know. Maybe we should follow after Mati and see how many of us we can get to corner this little annoyance. Either way..."

Chuckling lowly, Hemmi cracked her neck and smirked faintly.

_"This will be fun."_

–

Mati had made her way quickly through the vast expanse of kindergarten walls, skidding and stumbling multiple times with her increasing excitement. Panting heavily, she scrambled into a small clearing where Tam was standing with an injector drill. She was knelt over at just under half of her potential height, carefully inspecting the drill head.

"TAAAAM! TAM TAM TAM!"

Mati shouted out hysterically, stopping just shy of the taller Hematite. Tam grunted and stood up taller, sparing Mati a rather annoyed glance.

"What," she replied simply, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. Mati was practically shivering, clenching her fists tightly in front of her. She was grinning impishly ear to ear.

"So ya know White's Hematite? You won't believe what happened!"

Tam rolled her eyes and brought a hand up to her face. _What was she going to babble about now?_ She didn't see Mati around too much, but she knew about her overly rambunctious nature. She also knew she had a pretty big mouth and hardly knew when to keep it shut.

"So, the whole reason he's here!! He attacked Yellow Diamond and he's serving out a punishment!! Can you believe it?!" Mati wasn't even looking at Tam at this point. In fact she seemed to be rambling just to hear herself talk. She turned away, quickly making her way out of the clearing that they were in as soon as she spoke. Tam was left standing alone, her expression falling into shock.

_Did she hear that right?..._

_**That** was why Hematite was here? **That** was what was going on with him? **That** was what Mago was talking about? _ Her brows furrowed as she glanced around the clearing quickly. She wanted to be furious, and part of her was. But she had to remain calm and collected for now; she couldn't let her emotions get a hold of her like this.

_How was he still alive if this was the case?... Surely Yellow Diamond would have had him shattered for that, or at the very least White Diamond. Why was he still White's bodyguard after that?!_

She was appalled, and despite her best efforts to keep her emotions in check, she felt a prickle of spite faint betrayal rise in her chest.

_He attacked a Diamond. Why did he still deserve that position?_

She started off to find Hema. Tam had questions for him now, and on top of that she couldn't help but worry. _How many other Hematites was Mati blathering to? Would they be as angry as her? Worse?_ She didn't want him to get hurt, even if she was suddenly very wary of him. She'd have to find him quickly, lest Mati start a riot.

–

"Alright you clod, pick up the pace!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Hema frowned and glanced up at the small green gem on the cliff side. She had been barking orders at him for the past hour or so, and admittedly it was starting to wear on his nerves. He'd had a rough night working for a few other gems and was already a bit worn out. However, Hematite had been sure not to wear himself down too much so he could stay shifted up. Since that incident with Hemmi and Mite, he wasn't risking shifting down anymore. Currently, he stood around his half height, and didn't have the energy to shift up any further.

The Peridot atop the wall was having the giant gem scan and check the states of every injected gem in the patch of cliff he was working on. He needed to document the state of each incubating gem for stability, date of emergence, etcetera. It wasn't exactly exciting work. And after this, he still had to go check the state of a few injector drills. This was looking to be a long day.

 

And it was about to get longer.

 

Footsteps were heading Hematite's way quickly. Eyepiece chirping in response to his broken concentration, the harvester frowned and turned his head to look back at the path that lead into the dead-end area he was working in. Those footfalls sounded big... Was a Hematite coming to join him?

–

Storming through the chasms, Mati came barreling into the hall leading to the area that Hema was stationed. She straightened up upon spotting him, freezing in her tracks. Sweat began to form on her brow, but she looked at him fiercely with a small grin.

"SO IT'S YOUUU!" she yelled out, pointing an accusing finger towards him. The Peridots raised their brows, looking at one another, taking a few steps back from the newcomer, despite being on the top of the cliff. One of them, however, stepped forward grumpily.

"Ahem! You there! This is a restricted area. You are not authorized to be here at this ti-"

"Hey, back off! You don't know what you're dealing with here!" Mati shouted back, her lips curling into an odd snarl. She looked back at Hematite, eyes narrowing. "What did you do?! What were you THINKING?!" she hissed, stepping quickly towards him. She didn't get much time to get too close before more footsteps were heard behind her.

–

Brows raising in surprise, Hematite took a step back toward the wall as Mati closed in on him. His eyepiece dulled, turning off. Frowning, the giant gem tensed at the sound of more footsteps closing in.

"E-excuse me? What are you talking about?! I'm trying to do my work over here, you need to leave!"

–

Mati's grin quivered, twitching into more of a frown.

"Rrrrgh you know why I'm here!! How could you attack a diamond?! What is WRONG with you?! Are you cracked?!" she growled, continuously pointing her finger at his face. Before too long, Tam came huffing in quickly behind Mati. She immediately grabbed onto the boisterous gem's shoulders, pulling her back.

But it wasn't Mati that she spoke to first. Her eyes were locked onto Hematite with mistrust and disbelief. She was quiet for a second, but turned her head slightly, still staring into his eyes.

"I... cannot _believe_ _you_..."

–

Hematite's expression quickly faltered into a look of guilt, and the giant gem looked away, eyes wide, sweat forming on his brow.

 

_**They knew.** _

 

_Did Mago tell them? Did she want to make his life more difficult **that** badly?!_

"You weren't even there, you don't know what happened!"

Around the corner, two more Hematites peered into the area Hema was in, but unlike Tam and Mati, they didn't approach. They stayed back, watching, waiting. Hemmi narrowed her eyes.

_Looks like things were about to get interesting._

–

Mati squirmed out of Tam's grasp, pacing forward a few slow steps.

"What were you thinking..." she sneered.

Mite stood just behind Hemmi, crossing her arms with intrigue. _It seemed maybe they wouldn't need to get involved themselves!_ She was all fine and dandy with watching Hema get torn down from afar. _Less work for her, anyway._ Tam placed another hand on Mati's shoulder, but it was quickly shoved away. Tam furrowed her brows at Mati, taking a step forward herself.

"Why did you do it?..."

–

Standing his ground, the smaller Hematite set his jaw and frowned up at the two standing in front of him. His arms crossed in front of his chest, clawed fingers clutching at his sleeve. _Maybe he could fib his way out of this..._

"It was a rematch. I'm not sure what you heard, but that's all it was. We had a spar that got a bit out of hand. Nobody got hurt."

–

Mati's expression darkened.

"That's not what I heard..." She growled lowly. Tam quickly stepped in front of Mati now, pushing her back. Her eyes never left Hematite. Before she could speak, Mati peeked out from behind Tam, glaring at Hema. "The Peridots said you attacked her! Why did ya do it?! How are you still alive?" she growled.

Some of the Peridots stepped forward, yelling down at the group.

"You all need to leave immediately!! You have no business here!" One of them called out. Tam shot them an immensely intimidating glare. She didn't say a word. Looking back to Hema, she took in a deep breath.

She stepped forward again. Her face twisted into anger.

"You... How are you still here. How are you still in the position that you are? Why do you get to be a bodyguard when you can't be trusted?!"

–

Hema's back finally met the wall as he stepped away from the two Hematites. Furrowing his brows, he felt his own expression darken.

"White Diamond handled my punishment and made her judgments on what happened. I'm at no liberty to share anything with you." His eyes narrowed. "Are you questioning White's authority to say whether I remain her guard or not?"

One of the Peridots scoffed and rolled her eyes, glaring down at the group.

"Well she certainly doesn't seem to know how to punish a gem that tries to harvest our leader!"

Shoulders tensing, the giant gem grit his teeth and glared up at the green service gem, his eyes wide and filled with anger.

–

Tam clenched her fists tightly, taking another step forward. Mati followed in her footsteps. Mite, however, remained behind with Hemmi, raising a brow with intrigue. _This was getting good._ Baring her teeth slightly, the ebony-haired gem stood straighter.

"I'm not questioning White's Authority. I'm questioning _you_ and your position." Tam scoffed, sizing up the smaller Hematite. She seemed undeterred by his demeanor, for once. All she could bring herself to feel was envy, mistrust and confusion.

–

Scoffing angrily, Hematite turned his head to attempt to meet Tam's gaze. He quickly found he couldn't. Clutching tighter at his sleeve, he grit his teeth and glanced away.

"I still hold my position because White knows and trusts me. You all couldn't possibly understand what it's been like to work for her. And you couldn't understand why I did what I did."

–

Mati snarled from behind Tam, now coming out to face him directly. She closed in.

"That's no excuse to attack your leader! You ought to know better than that!" she shouted, baring her teeth. Tam straightened up, sparing the rowdy Hematite a glance. She didn't know how many Hematites Mati told of this ordeal, but likely all of them would hear about it sooner or later. Admittedly, she wondered how many would have this violent of a reaction. She herself didn't plan on hurting Hematite, but with the way Mati was going, and knowing the way that she acted in general, Tam couldn't speak for _her_.

–

Around this time, another new face peered around the corner. The silver-haired Hematite with the forehead gem seen with Mago a few weeks ago curiously blinked and bit her lip, nervously watching what was transpiring down the corridor. For the moment, she didn't say anything.

Hemmi leaned against the wall, not noticing the new arrival. She was far too occupied watching Hema.

The shortest Hematite glared at Mati and took a step forward, finally removing his back from the wall.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what I went through! Hell, you would have done the same thing, probably! You have no IDEA what I have to put up with, working for the Diamonds!"

–

Tam was a little surprised by Hematite's sudden outburst. _How could he possibly try to justify this? Should she even be listening to him right now? By the Diamonds' standards, he should have been easily classified as a traitor!_ And here he was, standing before them alive and still in a higher position than them.

But she wanted to hear him out. As wary as she was of him right now, she wanted to hear his side... and wanted to see why he did it.

Mati however, had no such intentions. She took another bold step forward, a low growl rising in her chest.

"I wouldn't be so stupid as to turn on my leaders..."

–

Hematite scoffed and looked away, gripping at his sleeve. He didn't have a response for that. He knew how stupid his stunt had been, he couldn't defend against that. However, he raised his head boldly and looked right into Mati's angry gaze, an odd look in his eyes. He seemed to be hiding something, or rather, that he had something to say that he couldn't.

"Yeah, well what's done is done. I didn't _turn_ on her, I had a point to make. I made a mistake and I'm being punished for it. End of story."

A new voice spoke up, low and measured.

"Well, if you ask me, you aren't being punished severely enough." Slowly, Hemmi walked out from around the corner, her hands up at her sides in a sort of shrugging motion. "If you ask _me_ , White doesn't know the proper measures you need to take to put gems back in their place... Serving Peridots? That's hardly a suited sentence for attacking a diamond. No, I'd wager..." Stepping closer, the pink-haired harvester frowned and turned her attention to Mati. "We could come up with something a bit more... appropriate. What do you say, Mati?" Hemmi suddenly turned to stare Hema dead in the eyes. "If you were to wear him down, Mite or I could 'take care' of him. I'm sure such a traitor wouldn't be missed. And, ah... that would open up a certain _job position,_ wouldn't it?~" She shot Tam a look, a smirk on her lips.

–

Tam looked at Hemmi, raising a brow. For a moment, she looked hesitant. Mati didn't fare much better. Tam, for one, was _livid,_ sure. She wanted _justice_. But did she really want to _hurt_ Hematite for it? No, she wasn't stupid enough to attack him. However, she couldn't speak for the others. She glanced between Hema and Hemmi, her expression unreadable. Mite started to approach from the back, cracking her knuckles loudly.

"That it would. And, if Tam wouldn't want that position. I'm suuuure you or I could fill in just fine hm?" Mite sneered, closing in on Hematite as well. She nudged her elbow into Hemmi's arm, glaring hot, spiteful daggers into Hematite's very being. Tam raised her hand, but curled her fingers. She looked reluctant, biting her lip. Both Mati and Tam weren't sure how far they wanted to take this. That didn't stop their dirty looks, though.

Mite looked down at Mati, giving her a dark smirk.

"You wouldn't want him turning on _you_ now would you?..." She whispered. Mati's eyes narrowed, glaring over at Hema. She turned to him, squaring her shoulders.

"No. I wouldn't. We should stop him before he gets out of hand... before he hurts anyone else!"

–

During this entire exchange, Hematite had backed against the wall, his eyes wide, staring up at the four larger harvesters before him. Though he didn't actually change size, he slowly felt himself shrinking under their angry gazes, his chest rising and falling a bit more rapidly than before. His body went cold at Mati's words, and he shook his head slightly.

"B-back off. I'll contact White about this!"

"Then we won't give you a chance. Have at him, Mati," Hemmi sneered, her lip curling into a condescending sneer.

–

Mati grinned darkly, placing a hand to her gem briefly and summoning her weapon. With a flash of light, she brought out a large, heavy club. Without a word, she inched steadily closer. Tam's eyes widened, and she stood frozen. She wanted to interfere, as this was about to get ugly... but something stopped her. Something kept her held in place. The Peridots, too, were ominously quiet about things, some even looking the other way without a single hesitation.

–

Hematite paled, trembling slightly as Mati approached him, weapon in hand.

"W-wait, we can talk this out! We-"

In a blur of silver and pink, someone suddenly shoved Mati back, away from the smaller Hematite.

Not an instant after Hema began his sentence, the harvester with the forehead gem had zipped between him and the club-bearing service gem. She held her arms out in a defensive manner, frowning at the gray-haired Hematite.

"..."

Hemmi's eyes widened. She snarled at the silver-haired gem and flicked her hair behind her shoulder in annoyance.

"Ti! What are you doing?! Get out of the way!"

Hema stared at the taller gem's back, blinking in confusion. He went silent.

–

Mati snarled, clutching her club tighter.

"HEY!! What gives?! Get out of the way!" she growled. Tam raised her brows, taking a step back. She was in no hurry to get in the middle of this herself. Mite made her way towards Ti, but didn't get _too_ close.

"You're defending a traitor, Ti..."

–

Shaking her head, Ti frowned sadly.

"Now hold on, everyone. Look..." Standing straight, the silver-haired gem clasped her hands together in front of her and sighed. "Are we really going to turn on each other like this?"

Scoffing, Hemmi narrowed her eyes at the lithe Hematite.

"If it means weeding out a dangerous gem like him, then yes. Stand down, Ti."

"No." Frowning seriously, the silver-haired Hematite put her hand near her gem and pulled out a long, thin weapon that quickly morphed into an odd looking cross between a hammer and a pickax. She quickly placed the head of the weapon on the kindergarten floor, resting her left palm on the hilt. "Look... There's more going on here than I think any of us could know..." Glancing back, Ti bit her lip.

–

Tam parted her lips, staring in mesmerized surprise at Ti. After a tense moment of silence among the Hematites, she finally stirred, clenching her hands together. She got closer at last, standing next to Ti and facing the group, standing in front of Hema. She straightened herself up, glaring fiercely down at Mati.

"Ti is right. Perhaps it is best we don't...get involved." she said softly, a hint of shamed regret in her tone. Mati glared up at Tam, but didn't make any moves.

"Tam, don't act like you're okay with what he did!" Mati growled.

"That may be so, but that doesn't mean we should cause unnecessary conflic-"

"Unnecessary?! This pebble attacked one of our leaders and is walking among us now!" Mite piped up from the trio, her nose scrunched in disgust.

Tam stood tall, steeling herself.

"It is out of line. And you know it. I know you don't care, but I do."

_Even if I should have stepped in sooner than this._

–

Glancing gratefully at the taller Hematite, Ti gave her a soft smile before frowning and turning to Mati, Hemmi, and Mite.

"I just got back from a mission, so I'm not exactly sure what's going on, aside from what Mago told me. But from the sounds of it... I don't think Hematite here is going to try and cause anymore trouble, and neither should we." Turning slightly, the lithe service gem leaned her weapon against the wall, shooting Hema a sympathetic look. She turned again and held her hands up in front of her.

"Interfering here is out of line, and it's not necessary. White... White knows what she's doing. And, come on... There are already so few of us." Something in Ti's chest tightened, and she drew her lips tight, eyes almost pleading. "We all need to stick together. We're stronger as a group, not as a bunch of monsters out for their own good. If we can't look out for each other, who will?"

Hemmi furrowed her brows, scoffing softly. However, she didn't reply, and looked away, tapping her fingers along her hip.

–

Mite narrowed her eyes. Turning her head, she slowly looked over at Hemmi, unsure what to think. She _wanted_ to put these clods in their place. She wanted to... _but she couldn't._ Mati frowned, looking away. After a few tense seconds, her weapon fizzled away and she crossed her arms.

"Tch...." She sighed, looking up to Ti. "Fine, I guess you're right...but if he causes any trouble, I'll be the first to correct him!" Mati growled, pointing a finger past the two Hematites standing guard. Tam held up her hand, placing the other behind her back.

"You don't have that authority, Mati. Don't cause any unnecessary trouble, and don't get yourself hurt. Please. We need to be _careful_." She looked up slightly, looking into Hemmi's eyes now. **"All of us."**

–

"Tch, as you say, _Tam_." The pink-haired Hematite's tone was biting, but she did seem to take the taller gem's words into account. _Right. They all needed to be careful._ "C'mon Mite, let's go." Sneering, the pink-haired gem flipped her hair and turned, walking off toward the exit of the dead end. She didn't want to deal with Tam's know-it-all attitude anymore.

 _Tch, well that didn't go how she'd hoped. And now she'd probably hear about this later. Wonderful._ Hemmi glanced down as a Peridot ran past her, a holo-screen formed with their fingers. The tiny green gem was heading right for the other group.

Hema nervously peered from between the two guarding service gems and bit his lip, his hands wringing together.

Ti sighed quietly and dissipated her own weapon. She pursed her lips, frowning at Mati.

"Yes, please Mati. Do not be so reckless... we all need to take care of each other and ourselves. Nothing is worth putting yourself at risk..."

–

Mite was soon to follow, disappearing out of sight. She wasn't going to stick around for any of the aftermath, but she wasn't going to simply forget about this either. Mati glanced up at Ti again, her expression falling into something unreadable. She would have normally been indignant and rowdy, but this time she knew better. _They were right._ Even if she wasn't alright with what Hema had done, it wasn't worth the fight to her.

"...Alright."

–

Ti gave her a bright, happy smile and clasped her hands together in front of her, standing on her tip toes.

"Thank you, Mati! C'mon, could you come help me with a job in the west sector? I actually-"

"There you are! Get back to your job, Hematite 14! You can't just ditch like that!" shouted up the Peridot that had entered the area, holding up her holo screen in irritation.

"There it is. Hah... Sorry, I'm coming!" She shot Mati a pleading smile and held her hands in front of her lips, eyes gleaming hopefully.

–

Mati looked between Ti and Tam, sighing heavily.

"Yeah sure, not like I have anything better to do now. I'm bored anyway." Mati responded, turning her attention to the exit. She didn't say anything more.

–

Ti glanced back at Hema before she bounded off, Mati and the Peridot trailing soon after. The shorter Hematite tilted his head curiously, blinking as the three left. Swallowing, he clasped his hands together and glanced up at the black-haired service gem.

"..."

–

Tam turned finally, now that they were alone. But, she wasn't nearly as angry as she had been when she'd arrived originally. In fact, she looked apologetic.

"I'm...sincerely sorry for my brash actions. It won't happen again, by the Diamond Authority I swear it..." she said quietly, folding her arms idly behind her back.

–

Hematite rubbed the back of his head, finally moving away from the wall.

"I-It's fine. I. Don't blame you, honestly." Frowning, the smaller gem shrugged and looked to the side, not turning his head. "There's a reason I've been keeping quiet about why I'm here. I knew it wouldn't go over well... especially if anyone was envious of my job. It'd give _anyone_ an excuse to be angry. I guess I just.." Holding his arm, the service gem sighed and slouched his shoulders, his expression falling. "What I did was wrong, but Yellow had a hand in it too. That doesn't excuse my actions, but... I wanted things to go back to normal after what happened. I suppose that's wishful thinking."

–

Tam's eyes widened slightly. Horrible guilt washed over her, and she found herself unable to look in his eyes. _Were things really that hard for him?_ She guessed she couldn't have fathomed what it was like. There was probably a lot of pressure on him given his high standards and position. Maybe she was better off where she was. _After all... she probably couldn't meet White's standards anyway._ She finally looked to him, a sympathetic look in her eyes. She nodded quietly.

"I won't bring it up again. I apologize. If there's anything I can do..."

–

Looking up at the taller gem, Hema bit his lip.

"Thanks. And..." Looking away, he sighed and let go of his arm. "Could you maybe... help me diagnose some of these incubating gems? I have a hard time reading all the numbers in proper sequence to the Peridots." He glanced up and pointed at the impatient green gems who were now returning to their work. "I-if not, it's fine. I can do it myself! But you really seem to know what you're doing around here, so I thought I'd ask."

–

Tam's eyes widened further, looking to the wall adjacent to them. He wanted her help? And after all that? She saluted promptly, her professional demeanor returning.

"I-I'd be honored, Hema. I'll get right on that!" She said with a soft smile.

–

Hema gave a soft, weak chuckle and waved his hand.

"No need to salute, Tam. I'm still technically lower ranked than a Peridot right now, remember that." The service gem offered a smile and turned back to the wall, his eyepiece chirping to life. "C'mon, I finished with this section, but I still have this whole wall. It'll be faster if we both cover half of it."

–

Tam nodded, smiling warmly. Well, that was a relief, anyway. Turning to the wall, her own visor chirped to life, scanning the sheer cliff face.

"Hm... Yes, it's far easier with help. Alright then, let's get this done." At least the Peridots didn't seem to mind her joining in.

–

–

A week passed. Unfortunately for both Mago and Hema alike, they were unable to meet on the seventh rotation of the previous week, the Peridots keeping Hema busy all day. Hematite reported to White Diamond as he was required, as she'd returned from her mission by then, but he left out a few of the dicier details of the week. He'd tell her once his punishment at the kindergarten was up. With how some of the Hematites acted around him, he didn't want to stir up any drama while he was still stuck around them.

That being said, he did have to report that Mago hadn't made any progress yet. White hadn't shown much reaction to that, as Hema had quickly added that while she was still having 'troubles' with her shifting, her fighting skills were improving rapidly. That seemed to please her, at least! If only a little.

 

But he only had a few days left to figure out a solution to the real problem.

If he didn't... he wasn't sure what would become of Mago.

 

While Hema wasn't very fond of her... he also couldn't imagine being in her situation. A Hematite without their size shifting, what could they even do with that?

 

_No, he wasn't going to find out._

He _had_ to help her.

 

Mago was annoying, a bully, and not exactly the kindest person... but oddly enough, Hematite still felt some sort of drive to figure out what was wrong with her. He wanted to see her back to her old self, as obnoxious as she may have been.

And perhaps, with some luck, this would make things better between the two of them.

 

_But first, they had some talking to do._

\--

Turning, Mago raised a brow with a frown and sat down on the ground, crossing her legs. Her arms soon followed suit, folding over her chest. Hema sat down across from her and sighed softly. Crossing his own legs, he grasped at his ankles and gazed at the slightly taller Hematite quietly.

"Alright. I told the Peridots to leave me be today and that I had to have the whole afternoon set aside. So... let's talk."

Mago puffed her bangs away from her face and looked away, drumming her fingers on her arm. Pursing her lips, she gazed around, as if thinking. At first, Hema waited patiently, but after a few solid minutes of silence, he groaned and sighed.

"Look, Mago. Why don't you just start with what you saw? I mean, I don't even know what all you witnessed." The ivory-haired gem tapped a single finger on his ankle, going quiet. Glancing to the side, Mago finally looked at Hema and turned to him, once again drumming her fingers on her arm.

"Well, I got there before Yellow showed up. I'd shrunken down to my smaller height so I could blend in." She shrugged. "Like I said before, I watched your first match with her cuz I was there to catch yours and Blue's fight... and I wanted to see the rematch between ya. I saw... everything." Stifling a shudder, the black-haired service gem frowned slightly. "Your weird behavior, all those skills you'd been honing, I guess... and then your little speech when you were shifting up..." Lifting a hand, Mago drummed her fingers on her upper lip. Hema quietly stared at the gem in front of him, but when she mentioned his 'speech', he turned away, unable to meet her gaze. Mago continued. "And then when you picked Yellow up... Mmm. I bolted. But... not before I saw White throw a pole arm at you. I'd hidden at first because I thought maybe if things got out of hand, I could stop you... but then when White showed up, I figured she could handle it. I saw her approaching you, and then I snuck off and used the warp pad to leave..." Sighing and closing her eyes, Mago stopped drumming her fingers along her lip. Slowly, she lowered her hand and folded it under her arm, crossing them again. "That's all I saw. I've been stuck like this since. But you already knew that, so." Shrugging, she looked away, expression unreadable.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Hema frowned and looked away. _Well, she really had been there almost the whole time then._ She'd seen everything. But, witnessing something like that, it shouldn't have broken her powers, right? _How was that even possible? Surely it was something else._

_And yet, nobody could find anything wrong with her._

There was a long stretch of awkward silence before Mago finally turned with an odd, almost hesitantly curious expression.

"Pipsqueak?"

"Hm? Yeah?"

"... Is that what you really think being a Harvester is all about? That whole deal about eat or be eaten?"

"I-I. Uh." Hema cleared his throat and frowned, crossing his arms tightly. He didn't _really_ see it that way of course, but he wasn't entirely sure he wanted Mago to know that. After all, he was almost positive that was how _all the others of his kin_ saw things. "... Why does it matter?"

Mago frowned almost... sadly? She puffed her bangs away from her face.

"Dunno. I just thought you were different from some of us." Shrugging, she continued. "Obviously White picked you for some reason I can't fathom, so. For you to say something like that, it seemed..." She bit her lip, looking for the right words. "I can't see White keeping someone who truly believes that around. Especially after a stunt like what you pulled." There was a brief pause where Hema opened his mouth to say something, but Mago didn't notice, and scoffed, cutting him off. "Then again, what do I know about White, huh? Maybe she actually does like the ruthless type. Coulda fooled me. Still doesn't make her choosing you make anymore sense, though."

At first, Hema looked offended, but he bit his tongue, keeping his rather aggressive retort in White's defense to himself. Instead, he cocked a brow curiously.

"What do you mean by that?"

Frowning, Mago snorted and glanced at the smaller Hematite.

"If she wanted ruthless, you're not exactly the best choice." Scoffing, Mago tossed her hair behind her shoulder, suddenly looking rather irritated. "Meta is the biggest and the strongest, Ti is the fastest, Tiny is the most agile, I'm one of the fastest, and hell, I was the first one to pass that stupid test! So what the hell does White WANT?! Why did she pick you, the runt?!"

Hematite frowned and leaned back, sneering slightly. He didn't appreciate Mago's tone, and he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end a little.

"Well maybe she sees something in me that none of you do! Did you ever think that maybe I have something that you don't?" he pointed out rather gruffly, narrowing his eyes slightly. Mago curled her lip slightly, shooting Hema a nasty look.

"Well then, if you're so special, care to explain what that something is? Cuz hah! I'd looooove to know! I'd love to know what White sees in you, why she thinks you're so great! If you ask me, her judgment is terrible!"

Gritting his teeth, the smaller Hematite stood up, clenching his fists.

"What do you know about White Diamond?! You've hardly even spoken to her!"

Eyes widening in surprise, the ebony-haired Hematite turned sharply to Hema and growled, standing up on her own feet, glaring down at him.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me, pipsqueak! What do I know about her? Oh, nothing at all, honestly! The only stuff I know about her I've heard from other people like you! EVERYTHING I know about her is from other sources! I would _love_ to get to know her, but guess what! I'M STUCK HERE! I'm lucky if I even get to speak to a Peridot through my day, much less my leader!"

Hema stood, stunned, his mouth slightly ajar. Mago was _seething_ , and pointed an accusing finger at him, her teeth grit.

"The highlight of my day is getting to tease a worker gem every once in a while. While you're sitting around and having tea and probably telling stories to White Diamond, I'm sitting around these rock walls, hoping someone will talk to me! Boulders don't make good conversationalists, pipsqueak."

Looking away sharply, the ebony-haired Hematite inhaled deeply, sharply.

"And now, to top it all off, I'm stuck like this. And you know what, it's ALL YOUR FAULT!" She glared daggers into the smaller gem, but there was a heavy hint of desperation and fear in her eyes. "Seeing you go nuts out there shook me so bad that it messed me up! I don't know why or how, but it did! So while you're still living high and mighty in the diamond towers after literally attacking and trying to harvest Yellow Diamond, I'm down here, eVEN MORE BROKEN AND DEFECTIVE THAN I WAS BEFORE!" Angrily, the ebony haired gem wiped at her face, masking it by pretending to swipe her bangs away from her eyes. "I've done my best... so I don't understand why this happened. How am I supposed to be any use to White like this? I can't harvest, I can't lift anything, I can't fight. What am I supposed to do if I get into a fight with anything bigger than _you_? I'd be taken out in minutes." Her expression fell. Hema frowned guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck. Her words sank in _**deep**_ , piercing into his very core. Guilt washed over him, forcing him to look away from Mago. _Stars, she was more upset than he could have imagined._

 

_Seeing you go nuts out there shook me so bad that it messed me up! I don't know why or how, but it did!_

 

Slowly, Hema's expression shifted.

"... I'm sure we'll figure something out, Mago... It'll be okay. We'll." Blinking, Hema frowned and lowered his hand. His brows furrowed in concentration, and he was quiet for a moment. "... We'll. Figure something out. How about I come back and show you some more techniques later?"

Blinking, Mago frowned and turned to the smaller Hematite. When she spoke, her tone was laced with only half-disguised distress.

"Why later? Where are you going?"

"I just need to go ask someone about something, that's all. I'll come back in a little while, okay? Sorry, I just. Need some time to clear my head."

Mouth twitching at the corners into a frown, the ebony-haired Hematite sighed and looked away crossly. Her sour demeanor returned.

"Fine. Go ahead, I don't care,” she said softly, still clearly upset.

Hema frowned slightly, but his eyes were still thoughtful.

He had an idea, but he needed a little time alone to think it over...

Walking off, the service gem spared Mago a small wave before he left the cove, covering his mouth with his hand. Mago's words echoed through his mind, making his heart heavy. He almost wondered if that talk did more harm than good, but if it led to him finally figuring out how to fix her... well. Perhaps it was worth it.

\--

Pacing back and forth, Hema rubbed his chin, his eyes intensely focused on nothing in particular. He was muttering to himself. HUDs and gem speak flickered over his eyepiece. Hema was continuously attempting to piece bits of data together to formulate some sort of solution, but nothing was fitting together neatly.

But he knew he was onto something.

_What am I supposed to do if I get into a fight with anything bigger than you?_

Nothing was physically wrong with Mago. It had to be something mental. It was spurred by seeing him act viciously in the arena, so perhaps... What if she'd felt personally threatened by his behavior?

Tiny's words echoed in his head.

_All I remember is being in danger. Both missions got pretty out of hand. Physically? I don't remember what I did. It just kinda happened._

Frowning, Hema rubbed his forehead. Tam's comment flashed through his mind.

_I suppose high stress situations could have some sort of effect on your abilities, be it involuntary or instinctual._

He could have sworn he felt a headache coming on. _C'mon, I know I'm on to something._

The image of Mago's glimmering gem flashed through his mind's eye. Hema's eyes opened wide, and he stared ahead, brows furrowing. Okay, what if he _hadn't_ been seeing things? What if Mago _wasn't_ faking anything? So, why had her gemstone...

_High stress situations could have some sort of effect on your abilities, be it involuntary or instinctual._

 

_**Wait.** _

 

Standing straight, Hema suddenly froze, the hair standing up on the back of his neck. Mago had been shaken by him back in the arena, she'd felt threatened, perhaps. Maybe that had created some mental block she couldn't get past, some... some sort of fear that was keeping her from being able to feel big, to shift up.

So if that had disabled her abilities... could the same thing work again in reverse?

Had her gemstone almost broken through the block when she thought Mite was going to harvest her?

 

_... Only one way to find out._

 

Powering down his visor, Hematite ran off to go find someone, his brows furrowed, a steely look of determination on his face. _Stars, he hoped this could work._

–

Not far across the way, two Hematites were stationed near a wall, inspecting holes in the cliff face. It was Tam and Mati, both apparently working together. Well, as best as they would allow each other to anyway. Occasionally Mati would slack off or lounge around and Tam would continue to bark orders at her to try and get her to work again. At the very least, she seemed to be working at the _moment_.

–

Hematite skidded around the corner before spotting the two. He very nearly slammed into one of the walls before he rushed over to Tam, waving to her. At this point, he had shifted up to his half harvester size, in preparation for his plan.

"TAAAAAM! Tam I need you for a moment it's very important." He came to a clumsy halt near her, fists balled up in front of him, eyes gleaming.

–

Turning quickly, Tam and Mati both faced Hema. A look of sheer confusion was plastered on Tam's face, raising a brow in curious concern.

"What is it, Hematite?"

–

The service gem was shifting his weight from foot to foot, a tiny smile on his face.

"I think I may have an idea on how to fix Mago, but I can't trust anyone else to test it out... Hemmi and Mite are out of the question, Meta is too big, the Hematite with the weird tooth... I don't know what his deal is, so." He shrugged before inhaling sharply through his nose. "So I'm going to test it myself, but I have to be in the right mindset! I need you to do something for me."

–

Mati looked up at Tam, wide eyed. Tam stood straighter, her eyepiece chirping to life.

"Really?! Yes, certainly!! What can I do to help?!" She said quickly.

–

Hematite grinned, furrowing his brows. Without skipping a beat, he clenched his hands close to his chest, a determined light in his eyes.

"I need you to hit me."

–

Tam and Mati both fell silent, Tam's arms falling to her sides. They both stared blankly for a moment at Hematite in disbelief

"You want me to what?" Tam said, holding her hand up to her mouth. _Why on Homeworld did he want her to do that?_ Before Hema could even have a chance to respond however, Mati raised up her hands with a boisterous laugh and swung her arm back, delivering a quick _**whack**_ to the side of Hema's cheek.

"AW YEAHH!" She shouted, bouncing back in a fighting stance, making no further move. She seemed overly giddy, and Tam looked between the two in shock.

–

_**Regret.** _

For a long moment, Hema was left reeling, tightly gripping his face. A slow, deep hiss sounded through his teeth as he inhaled through them. Gradually, Hematite stood straight again and held the side of his face, a low hum in his throat.

"Mmm alright, I asked _Tam_ to hit me, Mati. _Not you._ " Hema opened his eyes, glaring at the gray-haired service gem. He made no other comment, and felt his anger steadily rising.

_Good._

_Alright, so it hadn't been Tam, but what Mati did was even more effective._ If he was going to do what he was about to do, he'd need to be in a sour mood so he didn't break his facade.

"... But it still worked." Bristling from the searing pain in his jaw, the service gem sharply turned with a deep frown and rushed off, toward the cove.

He had to do this quickly, before his fight or flight response wore out.

_He just hoped this would work.._

–

Tam looked down at Mati again, this time not taking her eyes off of her. She was speechless. Mati, however, was grinning ear to ear. Chuckling to herself, she clenched her fists and held her arms akimbo.

"That was rad...." She froze suddenly, pursing her lips in acute confusion. "But er... why did he..." Narrowing her eyes towards where Hema had ran, Mati turned and gave Tam a nod. She was quick to bolt after him. She wanted to see what was up. Surprised, Tam watched as the gray haired Hematite followed after the shorter service gem. _Maybe she should see what was up as well. How would this help Mago?..._

\--

Soon enough, Hema neared the cove. But instead of going in through the main entrance, he made his way up a small rise that lead up to the top of the cliff sides. Slowly, he crouched down on all fours, creeping forward to peer over the rock ledge without being seen. His form remained low to the ground, his chest practically touching the rock floor. Mago was a little distance away from the cliff that surrounded the cove. She was idly practicing firing off plasmic bolts, her hands alight with bright pink energy. From what Hema could hear, she was muttering something crossly to herself. She zapped a small rock, sending it flying a good ten or so feet.

Crouching to the ground, Hema narrowed his eyes, raising a hand to his face. He flicked on his hunting visor.

–

Mati gained good distance between her and Tam along the way back to the Cove, listening carefully to pinpoint where she should go. Thankfully, there weren't that many twists and turns along the route Hema took. She was quick to find the correct entrance. In due time, Tam rounded the last corner, approaching Mati as the two ran down the last hall leading to the huge clearing ahead of them.

–

There was an eerily long pause. Hema seemed unaware that Mati and Tam had followed him and were near the entrance to the cove, as he didn't take his eyes off of Mago. The ebony-haired Hematite frowned and blinked, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. _Something felt wrong._

Before she had a chance to turn, something caught her attention and froze her in place.

_Whirrrrr_

_**Click.** _

Spinning on her heel, the tiny harvester turned to face the giant gem looming on the cliff side. Her eyes widened, and she took a step back, the bright pink energy of her powers slowly dying out.

"Wh-what... Pipsqueak! What are you doing?!"

Slowly, the giant gem frowned and sat up, tilting his chin.

"Gem found: Hematite. Status: … Unavailable. Mission Objective: Harvest."

–

Mati stopped just shy of the entrance to the clearing, ducking back a few feet behind one of the sides of the walls. She didn't really want to be spotted... especially with the sight she was met with around the corner. Her brows raised in horrified confusion, staring up at the larger Hematite in the distance. Tam stumbled behind Mati, nearly running into her.

"Mati, what are you-"

 

"Shhh!"

Mati quickly cut Tam off, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her closer behind the side of the wall. She gestured her thumb towards the clearing with one hand, and with her other, motioned for Tam to keep quiet.

–

Mago's face paled, and a soft scoff escaped her as she stood straight. After a long pause, she gave a sharp laugh and clapped her hands together in mock applause.

"Oh man, good one pipsqueak! You had me going there for a second. Hoo, I can appreciate a good joke like that."

Hema didn't move.

"Nowww why don't you come down here and we'll get some more... training. Done..." Slowly, Mago's smile faded, only to be replaced with a fearful, nervous grimace. "Pipsqueak. The joke's over, ahaha, very funny. Now take off the visor and-"

Baring his teeth, the huge gem leapt down toward the tiny gem, landing with a shuddering THUD not twenty feet in front of her, on all fours. His clawed fingers scraped against the rock, giving off a horrid sound. Mago winced and stepped back quickly, her eyes wide.

_He..._

_He wasn't joking, was he?_

With a sneer, Hematite sat up slightly and focused his target's visor on the black-haired gem.

"If we can't fix you, then what's the point of having you around? You're too afraid to face what's bothering you, and you're too afraid to even face _me_. What kind of Harvester _are_ you?"

–

Mati gasped softly, moving forward. Tam, however, held out an arm and stopped her from progressing.

"Wait.." she whispered quietly, not taking her eyes off of the other two. "Let's see what he's up to..."

–

Frowning deeply, Mago gave an offended scoff and tossed her hair behind her shoulder, fists clenching.

"I'm not afraid of _you_! Who do you think you are, Pipsqueak?! I'll take you on anywhere- ... any. Time." Slowly, she took another step back. Hema was gradually leaning closer, hovering over the tiny gem.

"Then how about right here. Right now."

Baring his sharp teeth, the giant gem gripped at the ground, a low rumbling growl in his chest. "Who do I think I am? I'm the Hematite that's done wasting their time on you. Face me. And we'll see who's the superior harvester."

–

Tam wasn't sure if this was a part of Hema's plan or not... but regardless, she wanted to wait before she got involved. If it looked like he was truly going to hurt her, well... Mati seemed more willing to jump into the fray. For now, she held her back.

"Just be patient."

–

Stammering, the tiny gem shook her head and stepped back once more, tripping slightly over a small rock that laid in her path. She yelped slightly and stumbled, but never took her eyes off of the giant gem.

"C-cut it out, Hema! This is a stupid joke, it's not funny anymo-!"

Quickly, the harvester raised a clawed hand and swiped at his tiny target, very nearly striking her. However, he missed by a few feet and left deep score marks in the rock floor. With an unflattering squeak, the tiny gem scrambled away, now turning her back from the hunter. She looked to be heading for the exit, but before she could make it more than a few paces, Hema leapt out in front of her, blocking her path.

"You think it's gonna be that easy?~" He grinned deviously and lifted his hand again, bearing it down on the gem.

**ZAP!**

Wincing, Hematite hissed through his teeth and reeled his hand back, looking at the new singe mark on his palm. His half-glove was smoking, colored black by a plasmic blast. Sharply, the giant gem turned his attention to Mago, who was now fleeing in the other direction. He chased after her, closing in fast.

–

Mati stepped back quickly upon Hematite's sudden movements, despite being some distance away. If he was going rogue again, she certainly didn't want to be anywhere near him. Tam grasped Mati's shoulder and narrowed her eyes. _What was he getting at?..._

–

Mago and Hema's little 'fight' went on for about a few minutes or so before the ebony haired gem started to slow up. She couldn't avoid him forever. During the chase, she implemented a few tactics that Hema had shown her, but they did little to nothing to slow down his pursuit. Soon enough, the giant gem caught up with his target once more and grit his teeth as she readied a plasmic bolt. Without missing a beat, he reeled his hand back and slapped her away, near a wall. He was careful not to hit her _too_ hard, as he didn't want to poof her, but it was certainly enough to hurt.

Mago sputtered as she sat up, and she held her side, grimacing. A low groan escaped her. Looking up sharply, the tiny gem gasped quietly as Hema closed in. She grit her teeth, a growl growing in her chest. Suddenly, she bolted upright and made a run for the huge gem, her entire arms alight with bright electric energy. Hema frowned and backed up a few paces before he chuckled and licked his teeth, his body tensing. He watched her arms carefully.

Mago reeled her hand back to let loose a rather powerful bolt, but Hema's visor served him well, and was able to quickly predict where she was aiming. As soon as the electric blast was shot, Hematite dodged quickly to the side and lunged forward, hands outstretched.

 

Within in instant, he had Mago pinned harshly to the ground.

Grunting in furious anger, the tiny gem wrenched her head to the side, her shoulders struggling to get her arms free.

–

Tam and Mati glanced at one another as Hema pinned Mago down. Mati bit her lip.

"Should we..." She whispered, looking in concern at Mago. She didn't really like her all that well, but if Hema was going to hurt her...

Tam winced, her grip tightening on Mati's shoulder.

"No..." She narrowed her eyes, tilting her head up slowly. With a soft chirp, her visor pulled up some stats for Hema. "I... I think I get it."

–

Tam's screen pulled up some information on the harvester's current condition. In a little box on the bottom left, there laid a small set of finer details about the gem. One of them read 'Emotional State'. And next to it read three words.

_Nervous – Anxious - Apprehensive_

 

"You never stood a chance. This is where you belong, Mago." Leaning down, Hema sneered and gave a contemptuous snort. "Tiny. On the ground. Helpless. You never had the guts to beat me. You couldn't do it, even if you _did_ have your shifting right now."

Snarling, the tiny gem gnashed her teeth at the hunter, still struggling wildly to get free. She managed to pop one arm from underneath the massive hand holding her down. Clawing at Hema's fingers, she grimaced and hissed up at him, her look a mix of venomous spite and pure, undisguised terror.

Slowly, Hematite sat up, a small, condescending frown on his face.

"You're useless like this. I'll save White the trouble and take care of you myself."

Lifting his free hand, the giant gem went silent. Clenching his fingers into a fist, he held Mago firmly in place, glaring darkly down at her.

The tiny gem went still, her eyes wide as saucers. Her thrashing had stopped, only to be replaced with violent trembling as terror overtook her.

"No... H-hema! PLEASE!"

Grimacing, the giant gem steeled himself and growled lowly, suddenly lunging his fist down toward the tiny gem.

There was a sharp shriek of terror... before-

 

**FLASH**

 

_**THUD!** _

 

The moment the bright flash of light faded, two giant gems were left on the cove floor. Hema laid on his back, eyes wide, his hands pinned by the wrists onto the rock below him. He stared up at the furious gem holding him down.

Furious... and _**huge.**_

Mago's chest heaved as she glared daggers down at the slightly shorter harvester below her. Her gemstone was glimmering brightly, her form still glowing faintly.

–

Tam and Mati's eyes went wide, staring in disbelief at the two. Silently, Mati placed a finger to her own visor, turning it on. _Scan_.

Tam found the corners of her mouth drifting into a subtle but sure smile.

_He did it._

–

Both of the visors popped up the same stats.

Gem Found: Hematite. Aliases: Hema, Pipsqueak. Status: Gem Instability Detected. Mission: ---

Gem Found: Hematite. Aliases: Mago. Status: Gem Instability Detected. Mission: ---

 

The tiniest smile graced Hema's face, his eyes widening. Growling lowly, Mago grasped at the smaller service gem's shirt, suddenly pulling him close. Whatever smile Hema _did_ have quickly vanished, and he held his hands up defensively, his act from before dropping.

"Whoa whoa whoa, Mago it's alri-"

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHERE I _BELONG_ , PIPSQUEAK," she snarled, her sharp teeth bared. Her form suddenly glimmered brightly, the light quickly spreading through the ivory-haired gem's own form. His eyes widened, and he suddenly struggled to get loose from Mago's grip. It was a fruitless effort, however, and the two were enveloped in bright pink light in an instant.

And then slowly, but surely, the shorter Hematite began to shift even _smaller..._ while Mago appeared to near her full Harvester height.

Soon enough, Hema dangled from Mago's fingers, the front of his shirt still clutched in her hand. He yelped and grasped onto her thumb best he could, glancing down at the sizable drop below him. Looking up, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He'd been reduced to his civilian size involuntarily while Mago seemed to have reached her full potential in mere moments.

_She'd used the size stealing ability..._

–

Tam's smile quickly faded. _Okay,_ _ **now**_ _was the time to step in._ Swiftly, she ran past Mati and waved her hand up at the giant gem across the way.

"HEY! Put him down, Mago!" she shouted, Mati scrambling up behind her. They were both significantly shorter than the angry gem right now, but Tam, at least, didn't seem to be swayed. "Relax! Please! _Look..."_ She stopped, just shy of the two Harvesters, quickly gaining a defensive stance.

–

Mago bared her teeth at the now tiny gem, her anger still not spent.

But slowly, her expression shifted, and she stopped growling, looking more confused than angry. She turned to look down at Tam and Mati, and gradually raised a brow.

"... Wait."

After a moment, the black-haired gem let out an exhale of disbelief, turning to the service gem clinging to her fingers. She turned her fist over, letting him rest _on_ her knuckles instead of dangling _from_ them. Hema let out a relieved sigh, resting his chin on the giant gem's finger.

"Phew... Just in time, Tam." He shot a tiny, nervous grin down at the two. Mago still seemed stunned, and didn't look as though everything had sunk in quite yet.

"... B-but. How did..."

–

Tam laughed with relieved joy, taking a few quick paces closer.

"Incredible! Hema, you did it! How did you know this would work?!" she said excitedly, looking over Mago's now huge form. Mati stood back, still in a bit of shock herself. She was baffled and confused as to what was even going _on_.

–

Hema waved a hand, giving an exhausted sounding laugh.

"Weeell it was the last idea I _had_... I figured if everything got broken by Mago being freaked out by me, maybe doing the same thing could fix everything. And I saw her gem glow when Mite was threatening her, so I tried the same thing... And heeeyyy it worrrked." Glancing up at Mago, the tiny gem chuckled and laid his head on her finger, groaning quietly. "Ooooh stars I'm tired. Whatever you just did really uh... it's not fun."

Mago scratched her head, looking around in confusion for a moment.

"... So you _were_ faking all of that, pipsqueak? Y. You weren't actually going to..."

Hema weakly gave the giant gem a thumbs up, a crooked smile on his face.

"Youuu got it. Sorry I had to do it that way... I don't think it would have worked if you knew what I was up to..."

–

Tam jotted a few quick notes down, a pleased smirk on her face.

"This is wonderful! Now, the question is... will you be able to shift back down at any given point, Mago? Not that you'd _want_ to, I imagine. But, just to be sure..." She walked over to Mago, holding out her palm. "You might want to test that out..."

–

Blinking, Mago stared at Tam's outstretched hand and cocked a brow, giving her a glance. It was hard to tell exactly what she was thinking. But at the very least, she seemed a tad confused.

"Uh. Yeah, sure."

Glancing at the gem on her hand, Mago lowered her fist to the ground and set Hema down carefully, drawing her hand back once he was settled. The ivory-haired gem stood straight and dusted himself off, glancing up at Mati who stood nearby. Slowly, he took a few steps to the side, away from her.

 

He didn't fancy getting punched again for any reason.

Or kicked.

 

Mago huffed her bangs from her face and rubbed her forehead.

"Right, right hold on." Pursing her lips, she looked down at the shorter harvester and lifted her hand. Hesitating, Mago brushed her fingers together before gently placing her palm down in Tam's hand. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus. She went quiet.

–

Tam stood perfectly still, her visor focusing on the larger Hematite before her. If anything went wrong, she'd take note on it. Mati glanced between the other three Hematites silently. She, too, wanted to see what would happen. Without turning her head, she gazed down at the ivory-haired gem.

_At least Hematite had been acting this whole time. Stars, he was pretty convincing._

–

Hema sat down on the ground and sighed, watching the two ebony-haired Hematites. _Stars, that ability really took it out of you..._

Mago's gemstone laid dormant for a long moment, but after about ten seconds, it started to glimmer. On Tam's visor, the readings were a bit 'off' at first, but quickly evened out as Mago began to shift down to her half-height. The numbers showed that Mago's energy levels slightly decreased from the down-shift, but other than that... everything seemed normal. There were a few fluctuating numbers here and there, but that could have purely been from the odd ability she'd just used. Her form stopped glowing, and Mago drew her hand away, looking herself over.

_Well... everything seemed fine._

_Was... was she really fixed?_

–

Tam sighed quietly, giving Mago a reassuring nod.

"I think you'll be fine, Mago," she said, withdrawing her hand. Mati couldn't help but smile as well, but she wasn't a hundred percent sure why. Tam folded her arms behind her. "Just try and take it easy, alright? I'm glad to see you are back to your old self. As, hard as that is to believe..." the other ebony haired Hematite said, raising a brow in amusement.

–

Mago raised a brow back, shyly brushing her bangs back behind her left ear. Pursing her lips, she glanced away, pouting.

"Yeaaah well. I'm just glad I won't have to deal with slacker one and slacker two at such a small size anymore." She glanced at the two larger harvesters and shrugged, her palms facing up. "I meannn. Thanks and stuff. For putting up with these past few weeks." She coughed into her fist.

Hema smiled silently, giving a soft chuckle.

_Right. Mago was still Mago, fixed or not._

"Glad to have you back."

–

Tam smiled warmly, turning to Mati.

"We should get back to work, then. I'm sure the Peridots will talk our ears off if we don't." She said softly. Mati scoffed and crossed her arms, but offered a quirky grin.

"Riiight, right. You two don't kill each other while we're gone okay?" Mati said, waving at them with a sharp turn of her heel. She was out of the clearing before they could respond. Tam rolled her eyes, glancing over her shoulder at Mago.

"She can never stay in one place for too long, I swear... Do let me know how you fare, later. I'll be around."

–

Blinking curiously, Mago nodded and rubbed the back of her head.

"Uh. Right. Sure. I mean, psh." She shrugged with a smile and looked away, her aloof air quickly returning to her. "I will if I remember, of course.~ No promises."

–

Tam nodded once more and looked down to Hematite.

"And good luck to you too. Thank you for helping her," she said, turning to head out. She was relieved to see that Mago wasn't stuck now, but more impressed than anything to see that Hema actually did it. _Maybe he wasn't so bad after all._

–

As soon as Tam left, Mago turned to the tiny gem on the ground and cocked a brow, her expression unreadable.

"... You know, I almost forgot what it was like to look down on ya, pipsqueak. I missed it.~"

Brows raising, the ivory haired gem frowned, crossing his arms. _Great, so they really were right back to the norm, huh?_ He stood up, dusting himself off. He decided not to acknowledge Mago's comment, and instead, fixed up his hair.

"Well, it's a good thing I don't have any work today. It's not like I'll be getting a nap around here anytime soon."

Crossing her arms, the giant gem pursed her lips thoughtfully, looking to the side.

"Well... If you'd like, I coulllld. Make sure Mite and Hemmi don't bug you for a while. Maybe. I might bug ya. I have to make up for lost time.~"

Hema blinked in surprise, his frown fading. He stared curiously up at the ebony-haired Hematite.

"... I'd certainly appreciate an undisturbed nap, if that's at all possible."

Mago grinned down at the tiny gem, reaching her hand for him. Tensing, Hema swallowed nervously, but relaxed when Mago gently scooped him into her palm instead of plucking him off the ground. She soon stood up and stretched, keeping the tiny gem steady.

"I'll see what I can work out, pipsqueak. You could stay in the little alcove I've been hanging out in for the past month. I'm sure you can get some kind of nap there."

Hematite leaned back against the giant gem's fingers, watching her carefully.

"Alright, sounds good to me."

"Mmmhm."

Mago walked toward the exit of the cove, her free hand on her hip. There was a long pause before the ebony haired gem glanced down, pursing her lips. "Hey. Pipsqueak."

"Hm?"

Turning her attention forward again, the giant gem smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

"Thanks for teaching me that trick."


	16. It's Who You Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite is given a bodyguard.

Knocking on White's office door, the familiar ivory-haired service gem stood at attention and scuffed his foot on the ground. His arms were neatly folded behind him. As soon as the door opened, he stepped inside and saluted respectfully.

"Hematite reporting, White Diamond."

–

White sat behind her desk, her chair turned to look out the window behind her. Turning her head, she faced the service gem and beckoned him in with her hand.

"Hello Hematite. What news do you have for me today?" She said softly, the warm glow of the room filling the air with a welcoming atmosphere.

–

Hematite smiled softly, stepping further into the room. He stopped a little distance from White's desk and nodded politely.

"I've come to give you my final report from the kindergarten."

Tapping his eyepiece, the service gem flicked his wrist out, bringing up a few holograms from the gemtech screen. They projected into the air in front of him, collecting together into one screen-like image. Gem-speak and various diamond-shaped symbols laid here and there. Seemed he wanted to get more detail into this report than his others. "I have a few things to tell you about that may need your immediate action."

–

White raised a brow and leaned into her desk, placing her palms together idly.

"You have my attention. You may proceed." She said simply. Her Pearl was stationed somewhere in the corner of the room, watching the two quietly. While she normally remained motionless, today she seemed to be intrigued. Hema had been gone for a while, and she'd never seen the Hematite's kindergartens before. She wondered what it was like there...

–

Bringing up a few charts, Hematite swiped through a couple images of the kindergarten. The various jobs Hema was set on flickered past as the service gem flipped through the folders, muttering to himself. Finally, he stopped on a file collection of all the different Hematites. Frowning, the ivory-haired gem swiped his finger over the projected screen and zoomed in on Hemmi and Mite's profiles, setting the others aside. Since his time in the kindergarten, he'd fleshed out his database a bit more.

"These two Hematites caused me quite a bit of trouble during the later three weeks of my time in the Kindergarten. I apologize for not expressing these incidents in previous reports, but I did not want to disturb the punishment you had set out for me, the problems were dealt with promptly, and I did not want to cause any hostility among the harvesters while I was still stationed there."

–

Brows furrowing, White took note of the two Hematites that Hema brought up. With a smooth swipe of her hand, her gem flashed and she brought out a diamond pad, quickly turning it on.

"That's alright. What sort of trouble are we talking, here?..." White asked, looking down at the gemtech and thumbing through some folders.

–

"Well for starters, there was a day a few weeks ago where I was stuck at my civilian size after a rather arduous two days of work. I was training Mago, and these two approached us."

Frowning, the gem stood straight and rolled his shoulders, a grim look on his face. "They made a supposed attempt to harvest the both of us. It could have been a bluff to frighten us, but I digress. And this one," he motioned to Hemmi, "cut off any chance I had at communicating with you. If it weren't for Tam," he said promptly, bringing up another profile image of said gem, "we could have been in serious trouble."

–

White squared her shoulders, looking up with a disgusted scowl. There was an ominous pause.

"Thank you for your report... I'll see to it that they are punished accordingly for their actions." She growled, though she quickly regained her composure, still remaining professional. Tapping her finger onto the Diamond pad, it seemed as though she were taking down notes. She was doing her best to hide her rising fury, but it still showed through in her tense posture and deep scowl. "I'm glad to see you are alright..."

–

Hematite frowned and pursed his lips.

"Thank you, but... that's not all."

–

White glanced up at him, her eyes narrowing.

"Hm?...."

–

"There was another, arguably worse incident. _Unfortunately_ , it seems that news, or rather, gossip about what happened last month has already spread. One of the Hematites found out and began spreading it among our kind." He popped up Mati's picture. "All four of these gems cornered me and confronted me about what had happened. That wasn't too terrible, but then Hemmi here," he started, taking her picture aside along with Mite's. "started instigating Mati to attack me. To 'put me in my place' and take justice into their own hands. I unfortunately didn't record any of this so I don't remember all of what was said, but I believe these two may need some supervision aside from Peridots. I don't trust them,” he said grimly, pulling Hemmi and Mite's pictures aside.

–

White's eye twitched, her lips curling into a fierce frown. She hesitated from her typing, glaring up at Hematite.

"They did... _what_..." She growled, pinching her brow. Pearl looked a little nervous, and took a step back, holding her hands together. White opened one eye momentarily. "I ought to have them decommissioned for such a thing." She sighed heavily, running her palm down her face. "No, I'll think of an appropriate punishment later... thank you for telling me. Did anything else happen?"

–

Admittedly, White's anger put him off for a moment, but he quickly recovered and nodded.

"These two," he said simply, bringing up a picture of Ti and putting it next to Tam, "stopped them. I was lucky that this gem stepped in." He motioned to Ti's profile image and nodded once. "She and Tam were able to convince Hemmi and Mite to back off. They also stopped Mati from getting violent."

He swiped away all the pictures as soon as White took note of them on her diamond pad.

"And now, just one last thing."

Tapping his eyepiece, the service gem brought up a large chart with some numbers and a graphic of Mago's gem.

–

White's expression softened slightly as she muttered something too quiet for Hematite to hear. She almost seemed to smirk, now.

"Interesting... Seems that one has stood up for you quite a bit. Tam, was it? I'll have to thank her properly someday," she said softly, swiping her finger over the Diamond pad with a mechanical beep. She listened intently to the rest of Hematite's report as he brought up the diagram of Mago's gem.

–

"Mago seems to be making progress. In fact, she seems completely back to normal. It turns out it was a... well, kind of a mental block she was dealing with after seeing something that shook her." Hematite purposely left out the details. He didn't want to throw her entirely to the dogs, so to speak. "But regardless, she seems to be good as new. She even learned a new skill in the process along with the melee skills I taught her." The service gem's eyepiece dimmed and chirped as it powered down, and Hematite once again stood at attention.

"And that is all I have to report."

–

White tapped the fingers of her right hand on her desk, writing on the diamond pad with her left. She nodded as Hematite recited his report, ending the notes with a tap of her finger.

"Thank you, Hematite. The first part of your punishment is complete. Now, as for the second part...we'll move right into it." she stated, placing the diamond pad into the drawer.

Taking a stand and walking away from her desk, she motioned to the door. It hissed open, and she gestured for him to follow behind her, walking down to the nearby warp pad.

"I believe I have found an appropriate guard for you. I also believe you two have met before, if my memory serves correctly. This will be a good opportunity for you both to perhaps, ahhhh... clear the air between the two of you. The less bad relationships you have with gems, the better. I expect you two to learn how to get along... but if that is not doable, I'll see to it that you are given another guard. _However_... you _don't_ want me to have to do that." she said sternly, giving him a warning glare.

"I've arranged for them to meet with us near the Blue Warp. Come."

–

Hematite tilted his head to the side just slightly, a confused look on his face. He didn't know too many gems... who could White be talking about? The service gem followed after his superior and mused quietly to himself. Who did he know that could be a guard? _Oh, stars, he hoped it wasn't one of his harvested targets. That would be awkward._

Stepping onto the warp pad with White, he nodded.

"I'll do my best, White Diamond."

–

With a quick flash, they were off. Instantly warped to the blue district, White and Hema stood on the pad. The streets were busy as ever down in the city below, gems walking to and from and idly chatting.

"This place always has a sociable charm to it... I wonder why I don't come here myself more often..." White muttered quietly to herself, looking around for a moment. Her gaze quickly came back around when she spotted a familiar gem standing nearby, right on time.

"Oh good, you're already here! Thank you for your help, Puff."

–

Hematite hadn't heard what White said to herself. He was too busy staring at the gem standing a little ways from the warp pad with a smug smile on her face.

_Oh nooo, come **on**._

The Jasper smiled, a bit more respectfully than she had been a moment before, at her superior. She made her way over to the warp pad, her footsteps noisy.

"Afternoon, White Diamond. It's a nice day, isn't it?" Puff gave Hematite a glance. "Afternoon, _Harvester_ ," she joked, heavy sarcasm in her voice.

–

White stepped closer to Puff, gesturing towards Hematite.

"Yes, it is very lovely. I appreciate your cooperation and willingness to help out with Hematite, here. I trust that you can keep him and everyone else in line while he's doing his work?" she said with a professional tone. She placed her palms together and tapped her fingers against one another.

"I'll expect you to monitor him and tell me his progression and temperament as this month goes by. Is this clear?"

–

Puff nodded and crossed her arms in front of her proudly.

"No worries, White Diamond. I'll make sure he doesn't cause trouble." With a slight sneer, she glanced out at the busy city. "And that nobody _else_ does." The Jasper's eyes narrowed, and she wondered how many jeering gems she'd have to keep away from the harvester. _Especially_ after that fiasco at the Sky Arena a month ago. The gems that witnessed what happened there definitely were gossiping about it in the weeks that followed. Nobody had seen Hematite since then, and they all figured he was shattered.

Boy were some residents going to be in for a _nasty_ surprise.

"I'll keep him in line and tell you when he's not. You're _crystal_ clear.~"

–

White nodded and gave Puff a rather warm smile.

"Very good, I'm glad to hear it. Very well then, you two behave! Hematite, your community service begins first thing tomorrow morning. I'll send you your daily jobs as they come. Take the rest of today to get used to being around Puff. Don't get into any trouble, now!" she said, walking to the warp pad and blipping away without another word. It was apparent that she had other important business to attend to. _Some important business concerning a few Hematites._

–

Puff saluted as White Diamond left, and after her superior warped away, she looked back at Hematite.

"Well. Looks like you and I are going to be around each other a _loooooot_ more." Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned closer to Hema's face, wearing a smug grin. "I trust you only eat gems when you're on the job, huh?"

Hematite blinked in surprise and frowned, pursing his lips. _Well this was going to go just_ _ **great**_ _now wasn't it?_

"Yes. Or when they get up in my face, even though they're only my temporary boss." He narrowed his eyes back at her, cheeks puffed out slightly.

Puff frowned at the shorter gem and arched a brow, but she said nothing at first. Soon, she stood back up and crossed her arms.

"I may be your _temporary_ guard, but for the next month, you listen to what _I_ say. And no terrorizing gems out there."

Hematite's fists clenched up at the Jasper's _loose_ understanding of how his job worked, but he forced himself to relax, and he sighed, blowing his bangs up away from his face.

"As you wish, _Puff_." The Jasper gave a coy smile and started heading down the stairs, away from the warp pad.

"C'mon, we're meeting somewhere for the afternoon to get you situated. There's someone I want you to... _properly_ meet."

–

The city was busy with chatty gems, going about their day and hanging out at their leisure The passerby didn't go unnoticed, the ivory haired one in particular. Some citizens seemed curious, others seemed far more suspicious..and some were outright disgusted. Most of them looked away quickly, but others walked or ran completely in the opposite direction. They weren't going to take any chances. _What was he doing there?! Surely he should have been killed for the stunt he pulled!_

–

Needless to say, Hematite started to rapidly notice the way gems were looking at him. Some of them even ran away, or made sure to walk completely around him. His hand eventually lifted to his arm, and he fidgeted with his sleeve. They had every right to be cautious... but that didn't stop it from stinging.

Puff noticed the behavior too, but much later on than the service gem strolling beside her did. When she _did_ notice it, though, she gave them warning looks or shooed them away if they looked like they might say something. Hematite was in no position to be dealing with hecklers, especially not when this was his only night off. Sure, she didn't trust this gem or appreciate what he'd done, but after his little rant in the Sky Arena and the brutal beating she'd seen him take in the Coliseum at Yellow Diamond's hand, she had a feeling there was something more to this gem than met the eye. On top of that, she _was_ going to be stuck with him a while, and, well... Puff didn't want this to start off badly.

"Alright, almost there." She continued ushering him down the different streets, nearing their destination.

–

As they turned around a few more corners, the area they entered suddenly seemed very familiar. Not long after, it became clear just _where_ they were headed. As they got closer, a familiar gem could be seen sitting on a bench on the sidewalk, talking with another gem. They looked like they were gossiping about something, the occasional chuckle drifting from the smallest of the two. Seemed it was a Sapphire. They were small, had a short hair style, and bore a left shoulder gem. They looked a bit scrappy for an aristocratic gem. The bigger, however, was far more... charming. Lithe, pink, and effeminate.

_Wait... Morganite?_

After a few moments, the smaller gem got up, waved goodbye and left, his split tailcoat bobbing behind him as he walked away.

Morganite crossed one leg over the other, casually sitting back in the bench, now alone. Not for long, though. He peered over to one side and happened to notice two familiar faces headed towards him.

"Heeeey, I know you two! Heheheh. I had no idea you both knew each other." He waved casually, a cheerful grin on his face. He seemed in a pleasant mood, at least! Then again... Was he ever _not_ in a good mood?

–

The further they went, the more Hematite recognized the area. He quickly realized they were heading to Morganite's bar, and his down demeanor lifted. Well, if they were going here, maybe he'd run into-

_Morgan!_

With a bright smile on his face, Hematite rushed ahead of Puff, who quickly objected, and stopped near the bench. Jasper followed more slowly, but soon came to a halt next to Hematite. She looked at Morganite.

"Heya Mor'." Glancing at the service gem next to her, she crossed her arms with a smirk. "Yeah I guess you could say we... know each other. He drug me back to the capital on a job, and I've tossed him around in the arena a few times." She tossed her head slightly, her long, fluffy hair moving with the gesture. “I guess you know Morganite too, huh harvester? He and I have sparred a few times as well.~ He's won most of them. Though he still owes me for our last one.”

–

Morganite laughed and uncrossed his leg, taking a stand. He was.... surprisingly tall. Was he always that tall? The only other times Hematite had really seen Morgan was when he waltzing around behind the bar. Now that he was out in the open, Hema noticed for the first time that the lithe pink gem was a head taller than Puff, and almost as tall as Blue Diamond.

"Hello to you too, Puff! No, I haven't forgotten about the drink I owe you for that last fight." He gave her a wink, stifling a small chuckle.

–

Puff chuckled and nodded at the taller gem.

"Good, I swear I'm still feeling that fight to this day. But no rush on the drink. Honestly, Rubes can have it if she wants, heh." She shrugged.

\--

The flamboyant gem gave another soft grin, crossing his arms.

"No problem Fuzzball, I'll see if she'd like it!" He retorted, clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth with a 'tk'. Glancing at Hematite, the warrior gem raised a brow slightly. "Aaaahh, so what brings you two here? 'Fraid we're not opening up for another hour or so. You're free to stick around though and chat if you'd like," he said, rubbing his palms together.

–

Puff blinked and tapped her arm again with an amused smile.

"Fuzzball huh? That's a new one. How long you been holding onto that one, Mor'?" she muttered quietly. The Jasper shook her head. "Sorry, we're not here for the bar! Rubes and I meet here in the afternoon sometimes, since we both know the area."

Hematite was staring up at Morganite, and muttered something akin to _'You're a lot taller than I_ _thought you'd be_ ' before shaking his head and giving the pink-haired gem a small smile.

"Yeah, Jasper and I are going to be around each other for the next month. And then after that I'm gonna go back to fighting her at the training grounds." He gave his bodyguard a devious, but good-natured smile, and Puff narrowed her eyes at him, a brow raised. The service gem refrained from teasing her more and looked to Morganite curiously. "So, _you're_ a fighter? I had no idea..."

–

Glancing back to Hematite, Morgan raised his brow again. Tapping his fingers on his arms in a rhythmic motion, he gave the service gem a rather intent, curious look.

"Why yes, I do fight... On occasion! Buuuut since I work at the bar almost every night, my fights are often afternoon or morning based." He uncrossed his arms, cracking his knuckles in his fists. "Perhaps you'd like to spar sometime too?~ I'd be interested to have a go in the Coliseum with _the harvester_ himself." He furrowed his brow, a wide, unsettling grin crossing his face.

–

Puff chuckled and shook her head as she looked between Hema and Morganite. An interested gleam entered her eyes, and she wondered if she might get to see a rather... eventful fight in the future.

Hematite, however, was speechless. At Morgan's rather... 'out of character' smile and offer, the service gem began to fidget.

_Well now that was just creepy..._

_Was he normally like this outside the bar?_

His index finger and thumb brushed together nervously, and he glanced at Puff for a moment before his gaze drifted to Morgan again. Hematite attempted to make eye contact, but found he couldn't do it.

"... I'm afraid '''The Harvester''' might be.. decommissioned."

Puff's eyes widened slightly, a genuinely surprised look on her face. Hematite continued.

"I'll still have casual spars with people, maybe at the training grounds... but. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable fighting in the arenas anymore. Or that, you know. Anyone would _want_ to see me there." He gave Morganite a look as if to say _'do you know what happened?'_

–

The rather ominous look left the pink gem, replaced with one of disappointment... yet a small grin still stayed.

"Ah, that's what I'd figured unfortunately,” he said, closing his eyes, placing his palms on his hips. Looking up and away, he stared off into space. "Can't say I blame ya though, I guess. However, anyone who took down a diamond so easily would have been quite the thrill to fight!" He shrugged, chuckling almost darkly.

–

The shorter gem watched Morganite quietly, and couldn't help but make a puzzled face. _Who on Homeworld had he been talking to? Was it really going around_ _ **that**_ _much? Sure he thought maybe it had gone around that he had gone rogue, but..._

"T... to be fair, I only won because I... wasn't. Really." Hematite rubbed his arm, looking away. "I wasn't _myself_ during that fight. And I wouldn't lose myself like that again. Especially not in a spar."

\--

He opened his eyes, which now fixed on Hematite. His grin never left, and he raised a brow curiously.

"I'd still be interested. Regardless... I've gotta say, I am perplexed to see you still around after that stunt you pulled. I was a little worried you'd been shattered for that..."

–

The service gem looked up at Morgan and bit his lip.

"… It's complicated. I'm not at liberty to say what happened, or why I'm still around... but. Let's just say mistakes were made on both sides, and the choice was up to White Diamond." Hematite paused and sighed. "Besides all that, you really wouldn't wanna fight me when I get... mmm." Hematite twirled his hand around at the wrist, trying to look for the right word. " **Into** it."

–

Morganite gave a surprisingly understanding nod.

"I won't pry. I just hear what I need to from the common folk who come in and out of my Bar. Chatty little things, they are! Mmmmm that and Blue told me a _little_ bit. She didn't elaborate on much though." He said, placing a finger to his chin. "I'm sure I could manage in a spar, though. At the very least, it'd be a lot of fuuuun if you change your mind~!" He hummed out, chuckling towards the end. "Buuut that is for another day, another time. I assume you're serving out some form of punishment, then? Is that why you're with a Jasper?" He asked.

–

Hematite nodded, noting that Blue had talked to the taller gem about what happened. He didn't blame her, really, but he was curious how much she told Morgan. The smaller gem glanced at his bodyguard and pursed his lips for a moment.

"Yes. She's part of my punishment. I have to do community service around the districts for the next 30 rotations. She's my guard."

"Darn right I am." Puff chuckled, lifting her head proudly. "I get to boss around the _mighty_ harvester for a month.~ Keep him out of trouble. Should be fun."

–

He gave a quick chuckle, turning to the door of his shop.

"Well now, that sounds like it will be quite...eventful~ Hopefully you two will stay out of trouble, then. Keep your wits about you, Hematite. I'm sure that little incident hasn't boded well with many common folk" He stated, tapping his finger on the wall. "Buuuut if you find yourself stressed out and you're on a 'break', assuming you have those at the moment...feel free to stop by any time!"

–

The service gem swallowed nervously at Morgan's warning. He knew many gems were very leery of him, and some might even try to take justice into their own hands, if they saw fit. Regardless of the anxiety in the pit of his stomach, Hematite nodded.

"Right. I'll uh... keep that in mind, Morganite. Thanks."

"So what are you guys talking about."

Hematite jumped with a startled gasp, turning quickly on his heel to see Rubes standing directly behind him.

"When did you-!"

"Well I saw you guys standing here and you weren't paying attention so, about twenty seconds ago," she stated plainly, shrugging her shoulders. "Hey Morgan. This guy giving you trouble?" She smirked and thumbed at Hematite, who frowned defensively.

"H-hey!"

–

Morganite gave the much smaller gem a pleasant wave of his hand and smiled.

"No, no trouble Rubes! Personally, I'm just killing time before I have to open up shop." He said with a relaxed sigh. Looking up at the sky, then back to one of the devices near the door, he pursed his lips and looked curiously at it. There was a small timer on the device which displayed the time, but it also displayed a small lock. It was a security system that automatically unlocked and locked itself upon certain times of the day. "Whiiich will be in about another... 20 minutes or so. You here for a drink or are you just here to hang out?" He asked, looking back to the smallest gem of the group.

–

Rubes' hands balled into fists as she rested them on her hips, and she shook her head.

"No, no drinks today. Puff said she had a surprise for me, and that I'd be meeting someone new." She gave Hematite a long look. "I'm guessing she meant _you_."

The service gem blinked and nodded as he glanced around at the three gems before him. He'd never been around this many people before who all had their attention on him, besides the diamonds, and it was honestly a bit unnerving. _Especially_ after recent events.

"U-uh. Yeah, I guess? I mean, she's just supposed to be guarding me, so I don't understand why she'd..."

Rubes smiled faintly and shrugged, closing her eyes.

"Maybe she figures you and I could start over, try the whole... getting to know each other thing," she said in an overly-friendly manner. She paused before opening her eyes, giving Hematite a fierce stare. "Or maybe she'd like some help keeping you in your place."

Hematite's shoulders tensed, and he frowned slightly. Puff watched in silence, her arms still crossed. After an awkward moment of silence, Rubes looked away and chuckled lowly.

"I'm just messing with you, _tough guy_. I know you won't pull any funny business. If you're still around after that mess in the Sky Arena, that must mean White's got a strong enough hold on you that she trusts you're not gonna do anything... unsavory." She glanced at him. "Even if you did go a little nuts last month."

Hematite groaned and tilted his head back for a moment before looking at the three gems and motioning to them.

"Does _everyone_ know what happened last month, or am I crazy?!"

Puff snerked quietly before drumming her upper arm with her fingers.

"Both."

The service gem groaned again, ruffling his hair.

"Did you guys just bring me here to make me feel worse about what happened, or what?" he asked crossly, clearly flustered. Puff and Rubes glanced at each other, then Morgan. Puff chuckled and thumbed her nose with a sniff.

"I dunno, Morgan. Think we should let up on him?"

–

Morgan gave a shrug and a warm smile, glancing down at the service gem.

"Perhaps this time. I imagine he's had it rough the past few months. Besides, from what I can tell at least, from the brief exposure I've had... he seems fairly nice. Perhaps just, ah...talk to him?" He gestured to him simply. He hadn't spent too much time with Hematite, let along gotten to really get to know him, but from all the times he had come to the bar and from what he had heard from Blue, he had a strange amount of belief in him. Despite the fact that he was standing right there, Hematite didn't seem to object to being talked about.

 

Around this time, a very familiar voice came barreling through the streets.

"HEEEEYYYYY MORGAAAAN! WHIP UP THOSE DRINKS CUZ I AAAAM-"

 

"Early!" Morgan shouted back, following up with a laugh.

–

Hematite appreciated Morgan's more polite comments about him, and smiled thankfully at the taller gem. However, his attention was quickly pulled away when he heard a familiar voice.

_Blue!_

–

Blue came rushing up on the scene, stopping a few feet away from the rest.

"Hey Hematite! What are you doing out here? White got ya doin' chores or somethin'?" She said jokingly, moving closer and giving Hema a strong pat on the back.

–

The shorter gem turned to see her heading straight for the group, and he smiled brightly. He'd barely seen Blue since his punishment began, and it was nice to run into her in familiar territory.

"Hey, Bl-UH," Hematite's greeting was cut short by Blue's rather enthusiastic 'pat' on the back, and he took a moment to catch his breath before smiling awkwardly at her. "Hey Blue. Nice to see you too." He stood straight and motioned to the two gems standing behind him. "Remember these guys? Well, they're uh. Gonna be watching me while I clean up stuff around the districts for the next month."

Puff was standing at attention as soon as Blue stopped near the group of gems, but Rubes seemed a bit more relaxed. The red gem saluted her superior and gave a polite sort of 'bow'.

"Blue Diamond." She looked up at her with an unreadable expression. "I never got to properly thank you for saving me from that gem monster."

Hematite suddenly tensed. Rubes took no notice and continued.

"So thanks for that. I owe ya one." The Ruby stood straight again, putting her hands back on her hips. "Or five."

–

Blue gave a wave to the other gems, placing her hands to her hips with a wide grin.

"No problem, kid!" She responded, standing next to Hematite. "Was just... doin' what I had to do. " A bit of awkwardness befell her, but she tried to mask it. She knew that subject on its own was a little... touchy with her service gem friend. Morganite gave Blue a wink and sat down on the bench. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and quietly hummed a rather alluring tune.

-

Rubes arched a brow at Blue, but didn't say anything.

_Kid?_

She noticed the moment of awkwardness between Hematite and the Diamond, but didn't think much of it. The red gem shrugged and stood aside as Blue walked over to Puff, and she moved to sit down beside Morganite, crossing one leg over the other. She quietly listened to his humming.

-

Morganite opened one of his eyes, still humming, swaying slowly side to side. He looked at Rubes.

"Do you know this one?" he whispered, stopping for a moment. He continued to hum, closing his eye once more.

-

Rubes glanced at the pink-haired gem and nodded her head just slightly, muttering back to him,

"Of course." She went back to listening quietly, her foot bobbing idly. The faintest sad smile found its way to her face before her expression returned to its usual neutral state.

-

Blue soon stepped forward, looking over Puff.

"I don't believe we've met officially yet, or if we have I'm not sure I remember. Forgive me, heheh... I'm 'familiar' with too many gems." Blue gave a grin to the Jasper, crossing her arms. "You're gonna be watching out for my lil' bud here, hm? Well make sure ya do a good job, I don't wanna have to come picking up the slack if you get too comfortable!" she said, almost in a teasing, sarcastic manner.

–

Puff nodded, and looked like she was going to say something, but abruptly stopped when Blue called Hematite her 'bud'.

_Oh._

_Wait, so she tried to put an ax into the back of Blue Diamond's **personal** friend?_

_**Oops.** _

Puff smiled awkwardly and tapped her upper arm again.

"Yup, I'll be uh. Keeping an eye on him. You shouldn't have to step in, if all goes well." The Jasper gave a hearty laugh, masking her tension. "So you two are pals, then?"

–

Blue wrapped her arm around Hema and pulled him close, chuckling heartily.

"Yep! I've known this gem since he popped out of the ground, basically! Knew he was somethin' special since the first time I met 'em up close. He makes a pretty good drinkin' buddy too!"

–

Hematite let out a soft 'ooph' as Blue pulled him over, and he chuckled, playfully putting an arm around her in return. Though, he did glance around to see if anyone was watching. He wasn't sure just anyone would respond well to him hugging a Diamond in public. Thankfully, nobody seemed to notice at the moment. Puff glanced between the two of them with a curious look, but didn't say much while Blue was talking.

"You don't say. Huh. And here I thought this guy was the type to wanna be alone," she said thoughtfully, raising a brow.

-

Blue smiled warmly down at Hema, unwrapping herself from the smaller gem.

"Yeah, well! I'd at least like to think we're pals, anyway!" She nudged her elbow into him. "Then again, hehe... I'm pals with a lot of gems! Buuuut this one's special! Gotta keep your eyes peeled around him, he's full of surprises."

–

The service gem looked up at Blue with a warm smile as she nudged him, and he rubbed his arm shyly.

"Yeaaah. Full of surprises, alright." A nervous chuckle escaped him. Puff smiled lopsidedly and crossed her arms.

"Well don't pull too much while you're on the job, I wouldn't wanna have to report anything! I don't know too much about ya, so I don't want any nasty shocks, alright? Both figuratively and literally." She shrugged and gave a thoughtful sounding hum. When she spoke again, her tone was a bit friendlier. "Regardless, guess I've got a lot to learn about you while we're... Working together."

Hematite looked up at Puff with an almost hopeful stare, but he quickly shrugged it off. _Why would he make friends with a_ _ **rebel**_ _he had to harvest? Why would she_ _ **want**_ _to get to know him? After this job was done, she'd move on and have nothing to do with him. At least, that's what he wanted to tell himself.  
_

_... Still. It never hurt to have more allies than enemies._

"I'll _try_ to keep the surprises to a minimum," he chuckled, crossing his arms.


	17. My Domain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Diamond finds herself unable to use her powers.

**Darkness.**

**Cold.**

 

**Alone...**

 

_Here I am again, this place... What is this? Why is this nothingness so familiar? Where am I?_

 

The yellow gem wandered throughout the inky blackness aimlessly. A chill ran up her spine... but she couldn't figure out why. Sure, it was cold here, but it wasn't too terrible. No, it felt vaguely as though she'd been here before... but how could she have? It was an endless horizon of nothingness.

 

_Wait._

 

Squinting, the diamond faltered in her tracks. Something was up ahead. Desperate for any change of scenery, she hurried forward to see what it was. It took her what felt like an eternity, but also seemed to only take a few moments. Strangely, there seemed to be pillars, rubble, and rocks strewn to and fro. They were pitch black like the void around them, except they had a kind of stark white 'outline'. Curiously, she placed her palm on one of the broken pillars. It was tangible and cold. _Freezing_ cold. Her hand quickly retracted from the icy surface, and she clutched her palm close to her. She looked up at the vast expanse of darkness that engulfed the entirety of the realm around her.

 

_What is all this?..._

–

At first, the darkness left Yellow Diamond alone. It waited, watched, seeing what she would do this time. Slowly, it followed after her, always out of sight.

As the wandering gem approached the pillars, it closed in, still staying hidden. The area all around her changed as she walked, replacing the blank expanse that had stretched out behind her moments ago. As far as the eye could see, there were pillars and stones strewn about.

But there were also bits of color. Just out of Yellow Diamond's immediate view were the smallest flecks of color on the ground. Were they rocks? They seemed to be different hues. A few red, a few green, some an orangeish color.

_What were they?_

The subtlest of tremors shook the 'room'. It was so quiet, one could swear they were hearing things.

–

Yellow kept on as steady of a path as she could. She didn't want to end up getting even more lost than she already was. Her eyes scanned over the ground, catching glimpses of the small colors flickering as she passed by. What were they? She let out a short gasp as a second, more noticeable tremor shook the ground. Eyes widening, she ducked quickly behind a pillar, clenching her fists. For what felt like a few minutes, she didn't move, the ground beneath her feet trembling subtly.

 

It stopped.

 

Nothing.

 

Sighing to herself, she walked back to her path and continued on. _Be brave..._

–

A low thrum sounded over the horizon.

 

_It was closing in._

 

Slowly but surely, whatever was watching her, following her, _tracking_ her, was getting closer. The tremors gradually became more frequent and powerful.

As Yellow Diamond continued on, the flecks of color became more noticeable, more numerous. Until...

_Crick_

The path in front of her was suddenly riddled with scattered gem shards of all different colors. There weren't _too_ many, but it was enough to be... unsettling.

–

A sudden wave of distress hit the Diamond like a ton of carbonite. A sharp chill rang up her spine as soon as she realized what it was littering the floor. She looked below her foot, staring in mild horror at the shards laying on the path. Her anxiety started rising steadily, and the tremors weren't helping matters. She began to walk faster. _There must be some way out of this place... no, no maybe I'm going the wrong way._ She stopped, looking around nervously for any other route. There didn't appear to be a very clear way to go. Reluctantly, she decided she didn't want to go much further. She didn't want to know what she'd find if she kept going in the direction she was headed. Surely, if she hadn't run into anything yet in this direction, she wasn't going to run into anything anytime soon.

Yellow turned around to head back the other way, sighing to herself.

–

The darkness had been inching closer, and closer, until it was practically grabbing at her heels. But it always remained a few feet away, so as to not alert her. As the Diamond slowed, so too did the shadows that were on her trail. It watched as she began to turn back the way she came.

 

**And there he was.**

 

Body low to the ground, his face mere inches away, the nightmarish harvester was lying in wait for Yellow Diamond to turn around. His visor glowed bright white, and the diamond-shaped target was trained directly onto the tiny gem before him.

**"Evening, Yellow Diamond.~"**

\--

**"UuAAAH!!"**

 

_NO... BE BRAVE!_

 

Yellow Diamond scrambled away from the huge gem, the shock knocking her back. She put her fists up in front of her. Hunkered down as if she were going to fight him, she locked herself in place, staring at the ominous target fixated on her.

"HEMATITE! What on Homeworld are you doing?!" she snarled, sweat forming on her brow. Her legs felt heavy, the temperature dropping to an even colder state. She felt... weak. What was this? Why was Hematite here? What was he doing?! Why did this give her such a terrible feeling? She glared up at him, trying to mask her more than obvious nervousness.

–

At the Diamond's startled reaction, the monstrous figure let out a bone-chilling laugh that shook the whole room, causing a rather aggressive tremor.

"Aaaah, well now. Isn't this a pleasant surprise. The great Yellow Diamond is visiting me? What an **honor**." Hematite's voice was _dripping_ with sarcasm. He leaned closer as Yellow backed up, baring his teeth at her.

"Oh, were you planning on using those?" he asked in a condescending tone, lifting a hand and twirling a finger at the tiny gem's fists. "That should be entertaining. C'mon, I'll give you the first hit."

–

Yellow furrowed her brows, baring her teeth. _How_ _ **dare**_ _he speak to her this way._ She gave a short grunt, clenching her fists tighter.

 

_But nothing happened._

 

Her eyes widened, glancing briefly at her hands. Her lightning... it didn't work?! Slowly, she looked back up at the huge gem in front of her. There was no way she was going to fight that without her powers, even if the lightning would have done little. _Oh well, no matter._ With another growl, she took a step back and placed her palm to her gem.

 

_But nothing happened._

 

"W-Wha-?...." she stuttered, the reality sinking in that she couldn't even draw her own weapon. _She was powerless._ As she turned her face back up to her pursuer, she looked... shocked. Angry. Baffled. _Nervous_.

"Uhm... well..."

Yellow felt her feet lock in place. She was frozen, left staring up at him, unable to look away. She started to feel almost dizzy. The faint sweat on her brow slowly ran down her face as a pit of dread started to form in her stomach. _This was_ _ **bad**_ _._

–

Tilting his head, the monstrous figure lifted a finger to his chin, smirking coyly.

"Is that your move? Looking like an idiot? Well then..."

Hematite chuckled and lowered himself fully to the floor as he stared right through Yellow Diamond, teeth bared.

**"M y t u r n."**

Quickly swiping his hand toward the tiny gem, Hematite smacked Yellow Diamond away like a troublesome fly, sending her straight into one of the stone pillars that surrounded the two of them. He slowly crawled closer after she 'landed', chuckling to himself.

–

Yellow winced in pain as she smacked heavily into the pillar, the wind knocked completely out of her. She grabbed her head, brought back into 'reality'. Staring at the ground below her, she panted quietly, fingers gripping her hair. Her body ran cold, the tremors of the approaching harvester shaking her very form. Eyes widening, she snapped her attention up, catching sight of the massive gem.

 

_**RUN.** _

 

She got quickly to her feet and bolted in the other direction, weaving around the pillar she'd crashed into. Whatever she did, she had to get as far away from him as possible. She cursed under her breath, weaving through different pillars and between piles of rubble. _Get away from this thing... that isn't Hematite.... is it? It can't be. But.... he_ _ **is**_ _?_

Her mind raced, and laced with a new found fear, it didn't allow her to focus. _No, think clearly, form a plan, do something! He's coming for me, I can't run forever..._ She ducked quickly behind one of the pillars, breathing heavily.

_No, no.... be brave. You have to be brave... Don't let him see you like this._

–

At first, it sounded like Hematite hadn't followed after her. There was no tremor, no laughing, no whirring of his visor.

A deathly silence filled the realm.

The only sound that echoed through the pillars was Yellow Diamond's breathing. For a long moment, all was still, until...

 

_Click._

 

To the right of the pillar the Diamond was hiding behind came the soft electronic whir of a hunting visor. Hematite leaned around the huge stone structure, just out of Yellow's view. Quietly, he looked around.

**"Wheeeere aaaare youuu?"**

The hair-raising sound of grating stone filled the air as the nightmarish giant drug his claws down the pillar, sending pieces of broken rock to the floor beside Yellow Diamond.

**"It's not polite to hide from your host."**

–

She clutched at the pillar, holding her breath.

Her face went pale, eyes widening. Slowly looking over, she found she couldn't see anything... but she could _feel_ his presence. She had to think fast... either stay and risk him catching her, or run... and _still_ risk him catching her.

Everything in her mind screamed at her to be brave. She wanted to face him directly.

 

But she couldn't. She couldn't find the courage.

 

Quickly, she pushed herself away from the pillar, running as fast as she could in the other direction.

Panting heavily, she continued weaving through a countless number of pillars. They started to become more and more frequent, breaking up the black void with their outlines. Soon, she found herself running through dense rows of them. In her disorientation, she started to get confused on where one pillar started and another one ended. The white outlines all seemed to merge together, creating optical illusions... messing with her head. Unfortunately, this made it near impossible to dodge all of them, and she kept nicking her arm or foot on them in her attempt to flee.

Soon enough, she slammed into one head-on, thudding onto the floor a moment after.

Grunting, she grabbed her arm and tried to get up as fast as she could. Managing to sit up, she started getting to her feet. She couldn't stop now. She couldn't stop ever.

–

"Oooh, that looked like it hurt."

The voice sounded _directly_ behind her again, and something suddenly hooked onto her shirt, violently tugging her to the floor, on her back. Directly above, Hematite's grinning face hovered. His mussed hair hung in his face, partially obstructing the bright white visor.

"You seem to be lost. Allow me to show you the way out of here."

Slowly, the claw that had speared Yellow Diamond's shirt to the floor scraped against the stone before lifting her up. It was painfully slow, and the whirring of the giant gem's mask grew louder the closer she got to his face.

–

Yellow gasped in horror, clutching desperately at the 'ground' with no avail.

"N-NO! LET ME GO, UNHAND ME!!" she snarled, her voice cracking.

She wanted to be angry.

Every part of her wanted to be strong.

_But she couldn't be._

Her very core was drowning in horrific fear as she watched the darkness below her get further away.

She didn't want to look above...let alone in front of her. She writhed and thrashed about, throwing feeble punches at the air in front of her. It did nothing, of course, but perhaps her shirt would break under the tension.

_To her dismay....it didn't._

Her heart skipped a beat upon hearing the dark, mechanical whir.

_A deadly, familiar sound._

It struck like a bell. A death toll. A harbinger of something horrible to come.

Why did she feel like there was something missing, like a piece she wasn't putting together?

Why did she have a steady growing sinking feeling? Almost as if...

_She had seen this before..._

–

Grinning eerily, the nightmarish gem held Yellow Diamond close to his face as she dangled from his claw.

"So now you decide to throw punches, hmmm?" Hematite turned the tiny gem around, as if looking her over. "Mmm you don't seem like too much of a threat. I doubt it'd hurt much."

Suddenly, he flicked his wrist up, tossing Yellow Diamond up into the air, leaving her to plummet down into his open hand. His fingers instantly curled around the tiny gem, completely trapping her in darkness. He chuckled.

"I'm surprised you can run so fast for such a little thing.~" Turning his hand over, Hematite released Yellow Diamond from his grasp before quickly snatching her up again, this time holding her shirt between two claws. "But I'm afraid running will do you no good here.~ You see..."

He held her up close to his mouth, an unsettling grin on his face.

**"This is my domain.”**

–

Yellow was hardly able to focus on his words through her panic, though they still hit their marks.

She tried to cling to anything, whimpering and grasping onto thin air. With every impact, every toss, every sharp movement, what little courage she had left dwindled away alarmingly quickly. She was helpless, here, completely at his mercy... and she **hated** it. Every ounce of her being told her to fight back as much as she could, but the most she could do it seemed was flail around and hope to hit something. Even if she did, it still did nothing to him.

"Put me down or I-" She tried to muster up any lick of strength she could to speak back, but it quickly vanished as she now faced something far more terrifying than his hand.

**His teeth.**

–

"Or you'll what?~" His grin widened as Yellow went silent, and the giant gem slowly began to tilt his head back, lifting her over his face. "Oh, I'll put you down, alright.~" He let her shirt slip from his claws a few inches before he grabbed it again. "But I'm not sure you'll like where 'down' is.~"

–

Another sharp whimper escaped her, suddenly holding her arms closer to her.

It started to sink in. The realization, the fear, the everything.

"Wh-wha- Why are you doing this?!" she managed to speak out, trying to buy herself more time. _Surely she could think a way out of this... right?_ A quick reflection of herself glinted in the visor, catching her off guard. She hadn't even realized just how terrified she really looked. If there was a mask before, it was certainly gone now.

–

Hematite's grin faded into a cocky smirk. Lifting Yellow Diamond a little further from his face, the giant gem tapped a clawed finger to his chin as he looked away.

"Mmmmm. Why am I doing this, you ask? Well, my dear dear Diamond. You see, it's very simple."

The nightmarish figure lowered his hand again to bring Yellow close to his visor, mere inches away. When he spoke, his voice was warped, glitchy, and sounded almost... familiar. Eerily familiar. It sounded like _**her own**_ voice.

"҉B̢ę̢c͝aųse ̴I ̧do̧n̕'t̢ ̵f͢u͢l̛l͡y̵ ͘b͠é͢lie̷ve ҉y̢o̧ù̸ ̨u͞n͞d̶e͟rs̡t͝ànd thè̷ p͟o̷śi̴tioǹ́ you͏ h̡o͏ļd ͠h҉ére҉."

–

Horrified, her eyes widened, unable to look away from the visor.

"… No..."

The fear finally overtook her. What little bit of courage she desperately clung to left her, rendering her a shivering, anxious wreck. The warped tone of her own voice scraped her like stinging daggers, each word driving more and more fear into her very core. She stared down, terrified, unable to look away from the massive gem.

–

A sinister, warped chuckle echoed around the cavernous room, making the pillars creak and make horrible cracking sounds. But then the sound died down, and Hematite gave an unnervingly 'friendly' smile.

"And besides."

The giant gem slowly tilted his head back again, once more lifting Yellow Diamond's feet over his mouth.

_"I hear Diamonds are **wonderful** for your diet."_

The huge mouth slowly opened under her, Hematite's teeth glinting in the unseen light. His claws began to loosen. Her shirt began to slip.

–

Yellow let out a terrified gasp, scrambling to grab onto the huge gem's finger.

"NO! You can't!" She yelled desperately, trying to keep herself from slipping.

 _No no no no this was bad this was really bad..._ She tried to look away, but it was useless. _Anything but this, this can't be it!_ No matter how much she thrashed, nothing she did made any difference. Now, to make matters far worse, if she continued to squirm about, she would only slip faster.

"Y-you WILL be shattered for this!"

–

The corners of the giant gem's mouth turned up into a 'smile'.

"Not if you're shattered first."

_Slip._

Hematite's claws completely let go, leaving Yellow Diamond to fall into his mouth. It was deathly cold to the touch, and to make matters worse, whatever light Yellow Diamond could see for a moment after she landed, it was quickly cut off, leaving her in complete darkness.

–

**CRASH!**

 

"RrrRRAAAGH!!!"

Yellow jerked awake suddenly, her forehead meeting the shelf over her bed once more. In a small fit of rage, she grabbed the shelf and ripped it from the wall, throwing it violently across the room. Her breathing was shallow, heavy, and erratic. She was sweating.

Once she calmed down from her brief outburst, she found herself sitting on the edge of her bed once more, just as she had done the last time she slept and had one of these nightmares.

She ran her fingers through her hair, moving it down to wipe some of the sweat from her brow.

 _Again?..._ She stood up and moved to her window, sighing as she leaned against the sill. Grimacing, she looked up to the stars that flickered above.

She didn't _need_ to sleep, but the rest helped her keep her focus and stay alert. It even aided in the progression of her work. It felt nice, and it helped her recover from periods where she pushed herself too hard.

But these dreams weren't nice. They left her with a faint chill on her skin and a prickle of anxiety in her core. She narrowed her eyes, looking down into the city that her tower overlooked.

_Glad that's over..._


	18. No Trouble At All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite gets recognized at Morganite's Club.

_Extended rules of community service punishment for Hematite eleven, in effect for thirty rotations._

_-Do not shift up above thirty feet._

_-Do not cause conflict with civilians._

_-Do not leave the capital city._

_-Do not try to avoid your body guard._

_Failure to abide by these rules will result in severe punishment._

\----

100 miles and 15 hours later, Hematite's daily work was finally done. He'd been sent deep into the Blue district to help with some construction that was mostly being handled by Peridots. They needed the extra muscle because one of their bigger maintenance ships was down for repair. Hematite was able to help, but not being able to shift to more than 30 or so feet was... limiting. He covered far less ground and it took more energy and effort to lift things. However, through frequent breaks and lots of encouragement and heckling from Puff, he got it done.

After such a long, stressful day, it was time for a well-deserved bit of peace and quiet at Morgan's. Hematite had taken to walking beside Puff whenever they traveled, as it made both of them more comfortable than falling in line behind or in front of one another. Though, to be fair, after spending some time around each other, they were slowly getting more acquainted with each other's presence. At the moment, the service gem was his normal size of about five and a half feet, and was walking at a comfortable pace down the street. The sun set some time ago, and the cloudless sky was not shy about its dazzling display of stars.

Beside him, Puff stretched and let out a satisfied sigh. She crossed her arms behind her head and looked up just enough to gaze at the sky between the city buildings.

"This is what I love about the Blue district,” she said softly, almost to herself. Hema perked up and glanced over at the taller gem.

"Hm? Oh, the stars?"

"Yeah." The Jasper smiled and glanced at Hematite before returning to her stargazing. "The Yellow District's great and all, but you don't get views like this. So much of it is just... construction yards, ships, lots of open space. I dunno. I think it's nice" She shrugged. "I guess you'd probably prefer the fancy White district, huh?"

Hematite blinked in surprise at the question before he rubbed the back of his head, glancing to the side.

"Actually, I spend most of my free time here."

Puff looked at him curiously.

"Really? How come? You're a White Diamond gem."

"Yeeaah, but I don't actually _live_ there. I live in the White Tower."

The Jasper smiled and raised a brow with a soft scoff.

"Oooo, fancy."

"Not really? Sometimes I wonder what it'd be like to. You know, have my own place. It feels like I'm always on the job." The service gem put his palms out defensively. "NOT that I'm complaining." He gave a nervous chuckle. "It's just that, gems like you and Rubes have your own places to hang out and be with other gems and I guess it gets kinda..." He trailed off, not sure what the word was.

Puff gave him a surprised, thoughtful stare. She uncrossed her arms.

"... Lonely?"

As if physically wounded by the word, Hema flinched and looked away. After a long pause, he shrugged.

"I mean, I've always got the Diamonds around. When they're not on missions or too busy with work, anyways."

_Or avoiding me at all costs because they hate everything about me._

"Yeah but, Hematite, they're the Diamonds, you gotta have someone else to talk to. I mean, Rubes and I have each other and some other gems we know. Don't you ever hang out with anyone but Blue or White?"

After another long pause, Hematite awkwardly grinned up at Puff, the look on his face speaking a thousand words. Puff's brows raised slowly, realization clear as day on her face.

"… _Oh_." The Jasper went quiet for a few minutes as they continued to walk, and Hematite was glad for the silence. He didn't like thinking about this stuff. It made him feel strange. He didn't need anyone but the Diamonds. He was White's Hematite, and Blue's friend, that was enough.

 

_**... Right?** _

 

After turning down a few streets, nearing Morganite's bar, Puff suddenly spoke up again.

"You need to learn to live a little more, _harvester_. I mean with your gem abilities and all, I'd think you'd have all kinds of gems wanting to get to know you better." She gave a hearty laugh, but Hematite seemed less than enthused.

"Not after what's happened recently."

Puff's laugh died off, and she cleared her throat.

"Aaah, gems will get over it like I have. It's not like you're the first to try and kill Yellow Diamond."

Stiffening with a quick, soft inhale, Hematite turned his head, giving her the grumpiest glare he could manage. Puff put her hands up for a moment, smiling awkwardly.

"I-I mean. Ohh, quit it you know what I meant. I know, I know, you didn't try to kill her."

The service gem looked away again and rubbed his arm quietly.

"Mmm. Maybe you're right."

"I'm always right, Scrap."

Hematite straightened up and gave Puff a look, his eyes narrowed.

"You're never going to let go of what happened today, are you?" he muttered, pursing his lips. The Jasper snickered and snubbed her nose with her thumb, tilting her head with a smug smirk.

"Nope."

Hema rolled his eyes with the faintest smile, looking forward again.

"Thought not."

Turning the corner, Hematite and Puff approached Morgan's bar and walked inside. The small service gem headed straight for the counter and plopped down in his usual seat, crossing his arms on the bar. He looked exhausted.

–

At first, no-one was behind the bar. A few gems sat at the other side, chatting the night away. There were a few empty glasses laying around them, so it looked and sounded like they were already a bit tipsy. The lounge to the right of them was bustling with gems, all talking and dancing around, having themselves a rather fine time. The music was thumping around that area, just enough to create some background noise. As was the usual, the dance floor was thumping with electronic music and teeming with gems. Thankfully, the music wasn't too invasive to whoever sat at the main bar.

 

"Phew! Sorry about the wait, ladies!" A charming voice came from behind one of the doors that lead to the back. Morganite waltzed out with a rather flashy spin, holding two drinks in his hand. Setting them down, he picked up the empty glasses from the in front of him. Thanking him promptly, they picked up their drinks and clinked them together, giggling.

It didn't take long for the familiar bartender to notice the newcomers. "Heeeey! Friendly faceees!" he called, walking up to the two gems that sat near the front. "What can I do for you two this evenin'? You look like you've had a rough day, pal," he stated, putting the glasses away in a sink behind the counter.

–

Hematite spared the gems on the other end of the bar a glance, but turned back to Morganite as soon as he walked over. He gave him a tired smile and shrugged.

"Not really rough, but definitely longer than I'm used to, when it comes to the job I had today."

Puff walked over and gave Morgan a friendly smile before she sat down next to the service gem.

–

Morgan shot them a rather amused smile.

"I see! So it was more of a long day. I've had a fair share of those, let me tell you." He chuckled quietly, picking up another glass and wiping it down with a cloth.

–

The Jasper smiled and leaned back in her seat.

"We aren't here to get too much, Mor'. Though I did tell scrap here about that new drink you started serving up a few weeks ago. You know, the sweet non-alcoholic one with all the colors."

–

Morgan smiled brightly.

"Would you like me to get you a glass of that? Its a reaaaal hit!" The gem winked casually, flipping the glass skillfully in his hand before clicking it down onto the hardwood counter top. Occasionally, the two gems at the other end of the bar would glance over to Hematite and Puff, whispering something to each other. One would nod, and the other would giggle. Back and forth. However, they spoke too quietly to make themselves heard.

–

The shorter gem shyly rubbed the back of his head and glanced away.

"I-I mean. If it's not any trouble. I really just, you know. Came here because it's pretty relaxing." He gave Morgan a slightly embarrassed smile, as if to say 'sorry I come in here so often but rarely tip'.

The gems at the end of the bar didn't go unnoticed, and Hematite couldn't help but try to hear what they were discussing. He took note of the glances they kept giving him, but tried his best, after realizing he couldn't make out their words, to ignore them.

–

Turning back to his guests, Morganite leaned once more on the counter, waving his hand.

"Hey, no worries, kid! I enjoy your company. That's what this place is for anyway, just come and relax! I certainly don't mind! Whether ya buy anything or not. Mmmmm you're not like the common riff raff I get around her sometimes. It's nice to have some gems to talk to. Customers are customers, and surely I won't complain buuuut..." He grinned, pausing for a moment and glancing at the ceiling.

"Not many are really talkative Well, unless they get drunk, of course. But that's not the same... or the point. The point is, even if we don't know much about each other, I like having you around. You're good company. Plus, from what interaction I have had, you're a nice gem. And, of course, Blue seems to really trust ya, and I know Blue very well. So remember, if there's anything ya need, just let me know! Any friend of Blue's a friend of mine!" he said in a cheerful tone, standing back up straight. He started for one of the cubbies, grabbing a few colorful bottles.

–

He turned back to Morgan and went quiet as the pink-haired gem went on about his job and the customers he saw. As soon as the topic switched to him, however, his face turned a subtle shade darker and he looked away.

"Glad to know I'm not a bother." He gave Morgan a shy smile and watched as the lithe pink gem mixed his drink. "If I'd known that, I would have visited more often to chat." The service gem fidgeted with a lock of his bangs, twirling his hair around his finger. "I'll uh. Be sure to keep that in mind, Morgan."

–

With a flick of his wrist, Morgan slid down a rather colorful looking drink in Hematite's direction.

"On the house. No tips expected~" He gave him another wink, turning to grab something off of the shelf. It appeared to be a rather large container of alcohol, wrapped in a fancy foil. Moving over to one of the counters, he popped the cork off and poured a glass. "You're free to stop by any time for a chat." He continued, taking a small sip from the glass he just poured. He swished the biting liquid around in his mouth for a moment, relishing its flavor. With a smirk, he put the cork back on the bottle and set it to the side.

 

The music in this part of the bar was far more peaceful. Quieter than the bumping music in the club, it provided more of a laid back atmosphere. It was no wonder Blue liked to hang out at this place. There was a long pause before Morgan spoke up again.

"So, by the way... If I may ask," he started, picking up his glass and swirling it casually in his hand. "Why did you go berserk?" he inquired, raising a brow. The look on his face suggested that he already had some idea, but he still seemed curious.

–

At the question, Puff stood up and tapped her hands on the bar.

"Wwwell, I'm gonna go check out the dance floor. Morgan, I trust I can leave him in your capable hands. Thanks babe." She winked at him before giving Hematite a slightly concerned glance, which he didn't catch. Without another word, she walked off to the noisier part of the bar. Within a few moments, she went past the bouncer guarding the dance floor, and was soon lost to the crowd of partying, dancing gems.

Slowly, Hematite tapped his finger on his upper arm, not looking at Morgan.

".... I can't really. Share all the details. But."

A long sigh escaped him. The service gem tried to look Morganite in the eye, but ended up looking at the diamond insignia on his chest. He tapped his arm again. _Now if he could just be tactful about this, with other gems in earshot._

"When I first started working for White, it was made very clear that Yellow Diamond didn't, and still doesn't, trust me." He picked at the cloth of his sleeve. "She did some things that were... really questionable. When White found out, she was furious. I should have told someone flat out what was going on, but." Hematite glanced at the gems down at the end of the bar. Both of them were Yellow District gems, if the insignia on their outfits were anything to go by. "Well. I didn't think that one Diamond's methods of keeping a service gem in line was the business of another Diamond," he fibbed, glancing away.

–

Morganite continued to swirl his drink in his hand, placing his free palm onto his hip. With another sip of his drink, he let his expression relax, returning to its usual calm look. He slowly glanced over his shoulder at the two gems that were on the other side of the bar without turning his head.

"I see. I think I understand now."

He placed his glass on the counter and sighed heavily, crossing his arms. Still, with a soft smile, he looked back to the service gem. _Yes, all the pieces were coming together._ Up till now, he'd been working off of his own assumptions as well as the local gossip, but having experienced Hematite's personality all those nights that he did visit before his blow up, he knew there was more to it than just 'going rogue'.

"To be fair, it isn't the other's business, usually. Now, I'm certainly in no position myself to say what goes in the Diamond Authority, but from what I understand, the primary faction that said gem belongs to has priority over what happens to that gem. What they do, where they go, what their punishments are." He stopped for a moment, placing a finger curiously to his chin. "I suppose Yellow Diamond decided to take things into her own hands when it was really White's responsibility, hmmm?"

–

Hematite scoffed at Morgan's question.

"Take things into her own hands?" _Understatement of the decade._ The service gem fidgeted with his bangs again. "That's the thing that was getting to me." His voice was a bit more hushed now. He could feel the other gems looking at him. "There wasn't anything she _needed_ to take responsibility on. I... behaved well enough." Shrugging, he pursed his lips. "I mean, sure. I slacked off on work once or twice to come here, but I knew I could get those jobs done in less time than I was given. I don't know." Hematite sighed heavily, letting go of his hair. "I got fed up with her waiting for me to slip up. So. I guess maybe in some small way, I wanted to beat her to the punch... And. Maybe." Realization spread across Hematite's face as he put two and two together.

"Maybe that was my way of letting people know what was going on." He picked at his sleeve again. "Hah. What a way to make your problem known, huh?" A tired chuckle escaped him, though it died in his throat a moment later.

–

The taller gem leaned up against the counter, propping an elbow up on the side.

"Heh.... I see. Well, when you get fed up like that, it's easy to become lost in a sea of your own rage." He shrugged, closing his eyes for a moment. "I know the feeling, believe it or not... Not sayin' ya did it the right way, but I'm not saying I blame ya either... Still, you ought to be more careful. If you deal with that stuff again, don't let your emotions bottle up. There are lots of gems you can talk to. I'm sure White will let you speak your mind, given the circumstances... And I'm sure Blue would be more than willing to hear you out too." He tapped his fingers on the smooth counter surface, glancing down at it.

"Heck, come talk to me if you need to. I'd be happy to help in any way I can." he backed up from the counter, raising his arms in an almost showy, shrugging motion. “If you'd like.”

–

Hematite finally grabbed his drink and twisted it in place on the counter as he listened intently to Morgan's advice. It was true, things were certainly better now that White and Blue were fully aware of his and Yellow Diamond's 'working relationship', or _lack_ thereof. He certainly felt more comfortable bringing up problems to White, and with Blue, well. Hematite felt that at the very least, she could tell when something was bothering him even more than she could before.

"I'll try to be smarter about it from now on, yeah." He smiled awkwardly and looked down at his drink. "Thanks, Morgan." His tone was quiet but sincere. The service gem looked back up, more of his upbeat self returning. "I just hope you don't mind hearing about my weird missions, hah." A soft chuckle escaped him.

One of the gems at the end of the bar sneered and whispered something to her friend, glancing Hematite's way.

–

"Anytime baby." Morganite said with charismatic charm, his grin widening. He flicked his hair away from the side of his face, catching a small drift of the conversation at the end of the bar. His eyes sharpened, glancing quickly off to the side, but he cleared his throat and continued smiling.

"I find your tales to be quite refreshing, actually! Interesting? Ah, _adventurous_ , even!" He took a step forward, placing his hands on the front of his shirt, straightening it a bit. "Aaaah, reminds me of the days I used to have more adventures. Nowadays it seems the most excitement I get is the occasional spar at the coliseum. However, considering I run this fine establishment now, I don't have a lot of time to do even that." He shrugged, looking a little envious. "I have every seventh rotation off, though, and I don't work until the evenings, so I do still have some time. Just, not a lot."

–

The service gem also caught a little of the conversation down the bar, but he tried his best to pretend he hadn't. He was getting 'used' to gems gossiping about him. Not that it didn't bother him...

Hematite sipped his drink, his eyes widening for a moment. _Huh. This actually_ _ **was**_ _pretty good!_ Listening to Morgan reminisce, the service gem nodded and took another sip of his drink. At the mention of the Coliseum, Hematite blinked and glanced around.

"... You know," he started. "I know I said that my days at the arena were done, but..." Giving Morgan a small smile, Hematite finally met the pink-haired gem's eyes. "If you ever got the chance, and wanted that spar... I'd be up for it. At least you and Blue, and maybe Puff and Rubes still trust me enough to fight in the arena." Hematite hid his mouth behind his glass and once again glanced to the side. "I mean, if you want. You said you'd like to spar some time, so. If we went there when there weren't many gems...”

–

Morgan raised a brow and placed his palms together.

"I think that'd be a blast!" he answered with a hint of enthusiasm. "Blue says that you are full of surprises, and well... I'm always up for a new bit of excitement. Not much surprises ya when you own a bar and you've been around as long as I have, ya know. Besides, I think it would be rather... fun!" He picked his drink back up, giving it another sip as well. "I'd love to see what you can do!"

–

_Everyone always says that... Am I really **that** surprising?_

Hematite nodded and took a last sip of his drink, twirling the cup idly in his hands when he finished.

"I'll try to make it interesting. Maybe some time next month? Once my community service is done with."

At the words 'community service', the gems at the end of the bar scoffed again and began talking in hushed tones. Seemed knowing that Hematite's punishment was mere community hours was... displeasing.

–

Morgan's eyes narrowed at the condescending noise that came from the other end of the bar, but he kept smiling, acting as if he hadn't heard it.

"Sounds like a deal, doll. You're on!" He winked, motioning his cup forward, gesturing as though he wanted to clink against Hematite's glass. "But for now, you should take it easy. If you've got an entire month of community service ahead of you, then you should at least enjoy what peace and quiet you do get between now and the end." He nodded curtly.

–

The service gem subtly twitched at the word 'doll', but otherwise didn't say anything. Nodding, Hematite smiled and held his glass up, lightly clinking it against Morgan's before he set it down.

"Right, one day at a time. Thanks, Morgan." Hematite looked at the time and frowned slightly. "And while I'd love to stay and chat some more, I should go find Puff.. I have to report back in an hour." Giving Morganite another smile, the service gem hopped down from his seat and started heading to the dance floor, giving the bartender a wave. "I'll see you around."

The gems at the end of the bar ignored Hematite as he left and remained at their seats.

For now.

Squeezing into the crowd, Hema looked around for his guard in the mass of dancing gems. _How could anyone deal with this sort of atmosphere? It was suffocating!_ Not to mention every step he took, someone was bumping into him, giving him a look, or trying to get him to dance with them.

-

Morganite gave Hematite a wave and said his farewell, grabbing the service gem's glass and rinsing it in the sink. For a minute or so he hummed to himself, but as soon as he turned around, he stopped, noticing that the two gems at the other end of the bar disappeared.

"Hm..." His eyes narrowed again, his casual grin pursing into a more suspicious, curious smirk.

-

"Puuuuff! Jasperr!" The service gem's voice was drowned out by the music, and he struggled to find her in the crowd. He was shorter than most of the gems on the dance floor, which made it difficult to see anything.

Suddenly, someone bumped rather roughly into his side, nearly knocking him over. The gems from the bar had waited a minute or so before sneaking onto the dance floor to follow Hematite. They sneered at him, though they were masking their approach with some rather half-baked dancing.

"What's the matter, can't find your friend?~"

Standing up straight, Hematite frowned and tried to walk off, but was bumped back by the other gem that had been at the bar.

"Where ya goin? Don't you like to dance?" scoffed the first gem. "Or do you just like to terrorize gems and try to shatter their leaders?"

At that point, a few of the people on the dance floor started giving the trio suspicious looks. Hematite noticed, and glanced around, looking for Puff. The hair on the back of his neck slowly stood on end, anxiety rising in his chest.

"N-no. Hey, just. Leave me alone, alright?" He backed up, not taking his eyes off the two in front of him. The first gem grabbed his arm and smirked. By the way she was wobbling on her feet, Hema could tell she was tipsy, at the very least.

"Did I _say_ you could leave?"

–

After a few more minutes, the main part of the bar was empty, leaving Morganite alone to his thoughts. He was wiping a glass clean, still humming the same tune as before, but stopped suddenly. Looking down in the reflection of the glass, he bit his lip and sat it down. For a moment, he didn't take his hand off of the cup... as if he was contemplating something.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he turned around and decided to check on the club. He often did so when the bar wasn't quite as busy. He'd make his rounds and see if everyone was minding the rules. Every once in a while, he'd get a complaint and need to take care of it, but usually nothing too hectic happened. Sometimes he even found a gem passed out here or there, likely from too much drinking.

But there was something in the back of his mind that drove him to check on the lounge and dance hall. Something gave him a strange feeling, and was nagging at his core.

He slipped in quietly, nodding to one of the bouncers that stood near the door. They kept their arms crossed, leaned up against the wall. They nodded back. Glancing over the rowdy crowd, Morganite stood near the door and watched casually, scanning over the room just as he had done thousands of times before. But this time, he was looking for someone in particular.

–

Hematite tried to pull his arm away from the other gem, but her grip was tight, and he didn't want to cause a scene by forcing her off of him. He grit his teeth.

"Let. Go. I don't want any trouble."

"Says the freak who tried to trap everyone in the sky arena," she sneered, tugging him closer. "You shouldn't even be around after what you did. You probably have some secret plan to control the Diamonds, don't you."

Hematite stared at her, utterly bewildered. _How drunk_ _ **was**_ _this gem?_

"You're being ridiculous, back off. I'm about to leave anyways."

"No, you're not."

With that, the tipsy gem reeled back and kicked Hematite in the stomach, forcing him painfully to the ground. The crowd around him parted, making a circle around the three gems. Hematite sat up on his elbows and held his stomach, grimacing. He was bristling, and stared dangerously at the two in front of him. Slowly, he got back up to his feet.

–

The other drunk gem stepped closer, her arms crossed, a wide, venomous frown on her face.

"Looks like the Diamonds didn't give you a very fair punishment. We'll make sure you know your place." She growled lowly, reeling her arm back and swiftly punching the Hematite square in the head, knocking him back onto the floor. Some of the crowd gasped, but none of them made any attempt to interfere.

 

This act didn't go unnoticed.

 

The tall, pink gem standing near the door clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking as he did so. The guard that stood next to him unfolded her arms and went to make a move, but Morganite beat her to the punch, walking quickly into the fray. Weaving his way through a wave of the party goers, he found himself just outside of the ring. There were a few gems standing in the way of him and the 'pit' that was made, so he tapped politely on one of their shoulders. Whispering something with a soft smile, he got the other gem to step out of the way.

 

Morganite took one single step into the open space, staring down at the three smaller gems.

 

"Hello there! I hope everyone here is enjoying the party! Though, if I may ask.... Is there a problem here, ladies?~" he asked in a sing-song tone, placing his palms together with a genuine _smile_.

–

At this point, Puff made her way over to the commotion, but when she spotted Morgan among the fray, she stopped outside the ring of on watching gems and waited to see what he'd do.

The first of the two gems turned with a winsome smile and put her arms behind her back.

"No no, Morgan.~ This gem here just thought he could try to get us to leave the club with him."

"I did not!" Hematite was holding his head where he'd been punched, and glared daggers into the gem that had landed the blow.

"Yes he did, grabbed my arm and said we were leaving. I don't even know him!" She pretended to look distressed, and grabbed her friend's sleeve, her lip stuck out in a pout. "Thank you for coming over. I don't know what would have happened if he got us outside alone."

Hematite narrowed his eyes and rubbed his face in frustration.

"Like I'd ever go somewhere with _you_."

–

Morgan stifled the smallest of laughs; though a single, quiet chuckle did escape him.

"Oh really? I see." His smile grew unsettlingly wide, and his eyes narrowed. He tapped his fingers together patiently.

"So you come into my club, get yourselves wasted, gossip about a gem you've never met, strike said gem unprovoked, and you _**lie**_ to me?...." He smiled, standing tall. A few of the gems standing near him backed away, and the crowd fell silent.

"... I think it's time for you to leave." He said quietly, but loudly enough for the duo to hear. He kept on smiling, staring daggers into them.

 

The other gem spoke up, looking outraged.

"WHAT?! LIE?! He TOTALLY tried to get us alone! Look, Morganite! You don't understand! You weren't here, y-you didn't see what this THING did!" she hissed, directing her anger towards the smaller service gem.

–

Eyes widening, Hema grit his teeth together, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. His clawed fingers slowly scraped at the floor.

 

_Remember your rules._

_**Remember your rules.** _

 

Standing slowly to his feet, Hematite fixed his hair and took a deep breath as he stared at the two gems in front of him. The first of the two squealed and hid behind her friend.

"See, Morgan! Get this thing out of your club! He's the problem!"

 

He wanted to tell them off. He wanted to do something to get back at these two gems. But he had rules in place, he couldn't cause any conflict.

_Remember what White said._

"You know what, Morgan." Hematite gave the taller gem an unsettlingly 'friendly' smile, his eyes nearly shut. "I'm just gonna leave with my guard. I'll let you decide what to do with these two." He looked back at the two gems and gave them a 'polite' bow. "So sorry to bother you two. Thank you for knocking some sense into me. I'll be sure to... properly _thank_ you, should we ever meet again."

 

Oh it was _absolutely_ a threat. Subtle, _empty_. But a threat all the same.

–

The enraged shorter gem was the first to advance, using her masked anger to grab onto the service gem's arm quickly.

"Where do you think you're going, you _defective_ _**pebble**_?!" she slurred out, baring her teeth. She went to reel back for another punch, ready to snap. "How dare you talk to us like th-"

Her heckling was quickly interrupted by a loud **shrik** , and with blinding speed, Morganite rushed between the two and shoved the other gem off of Hematite. On one of his arms, there laid a huge blade with a cuff that wrapped around his sleeve. His entire forearm and the weapon itself were engulfed in flames. His smile had faded, leaving a rather dark, angry scowl in its wake.

"Enough!" he shouted, pointing the blade to the other gem. "Get. Out. Of my club. Lest I remove you by _**force,**_ " he said coldly, sending a wave of terror through the smaller gem's very being. She took a step back, holding her hands out to her sides.

"Y-you wouldn't hit a lady, Morgan!" she stuttered, half from the alcohol, half from the intimidation from the bigger gem's threat.

Morgan's eyes narrowed, his smile returning.

"I am a retired war veteran, I have cracked and even shattered hundreds in my days. If you think I won't take action to keep the peace in my establishment, you are **dead wrong**. You're breaking my rules and attacking gems that did nothing to you. If you think you won't be punished for that by _me_ , I'm sure your law-heavy leader would love to hear about all the rules you are breaking right now." He tilted his head a little, his neck cracking. "So go ahead. Try me. Or, you can leave, and never come back. I'll be sure to 'forget' this ever happened. Do I make myself clear?"

–

The first of the two gems was smart enough to know when she was in over her head. Between Hematite's threat and Morganite's fury, she was more than ready to leave.

"C-c'mon let's go." She tugged on her friend's sleeve and began to pull her away, her eyes never leaving Morgan. "Sorry, we'll just uh. We're gonna go."

Behind Morgan, Hematite was staring up at the warrior gem with wide eyes.

_War veteran. Check._

_Don't ever make him angry. Double check._

Suddenly the lack of security in such a busy part of the Blue District made more sense. Morgan didn't _need_ many guards.

–

After Morganite was sure the two gems had left, the flames snuffed out and the blade disappeared into a sparkling light. His peppy demeanor was quick to return, and he tossed one hand in the air.

"Carry on, folks! Nothing to see here, just taking out some trash." He smirked, glancing over to Hematite. The gems of the crowd started to talk and carry on with their dancing as if nothing had happened. Morganite, however, turned to fully face the service gem now. "So sorry about that, hun. I'll make sure they never bother you again. Now, did you need any help finding Puff? Perhaps I can be of assistance with that as well." He smiled warmly down at the gem and offered his hand.

–

Hematite watched Morgan a few moments longer, his eyepiece jotting a few things down. However, as soon as the taller gem turned to him, the gem tech chirped as it powered down, and he smiled awkwardly, taking the taller gem's hand as he stood up.

"S-sorry... about that. I didn't think they'd be so aggressive." He scratched his cheek and glanced away. "Thanks, Morgan. But uh..."

Puff came up behind Morganite and chuckled.

"It's been a while since I saw you kick someone out." She playfully 'punched' Morgan in the shoulder with a smirk. "Morganite taking out trash and taking down naaames." Her smile fading, Puff looked down at Hema, who was back to rubbing his forehead where he'd been punched.

"Hey, scrap. Sorry I didn't get over here in time... I didn't know you were done in the bar. You okay?" Hema frowned and sighed, but shrugged a shoulder casually.

"A little sore but I've taken worse beatings. She hits like a Peridot."

–

Morgan crossed his arms and chuckled.

"Well, I don't like for things to get to that point, really. Buuuut I can't say I didn't give them the option to leave peacefully." He shrugged, placing a palm on Hematite's shoulder for a moment. "You should probably be getting back to White, now,” he said, withdrawing his hand. "Aaaand I should be getting back to the bar, who knows who's shown up by now."

–

Looking at the time, Hematite nodded and sighed.

"Yeahh, we should be heading back. Puff, you ready?" The Jasper crossed her arms and nodded in reply.

"Whenever you are, Hematite." She looked at Morgan as Hema began to make his way out of the dance room. "Hey. Thanks, Mor'." With another friendly nudge to his arm, she followed after the service gem, her arms crossed behind her head. "Waaait up little guy~"

–

The bouncer standing guard gave the two gems a nod, opening the door for them. They too saw the entire ordeal, but knew not to interfere if Morganite wanted to step in. The pink gem stood still in the middle of the dance floor for a moment, waving to the two as they left. He figured it was about time to get back to work himself, and with that little fiasco solved, he wasn't going to dwell on it for much longer. A soft chuckle escaped him, and he cupped his hand near his mouth, calling after the two as they left.

"Stay safe, you two!"


	19. Peace Of Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend visits Yellow Diamond.

_Seven ships in the docking station._

_No, wait... **Eight**. Yes, eight._

Sighing heavily, Yellow pinched her fingers between her brow and placed the diamond pad that she held onto the desk. Leaning over and propping her elbows up on the table, she rubbed her temples. _Come on Yellow, it's a simple task, why are you so scatterbrained today? Focus._

Without warning, her Pearl came through the door, stepping swiftly in front of the desk and saluting. Tilting her chin up, she gazed up at her leader, eyes half lidded.

"Greetings, my Diamond. You have an important guest visiting. General Topaz would like to have a word with you, assuming you have time,” she stated in a snooty, nasally voice.

The Diamond's brows shot up in surprise. Curiously biting one of her nails for a moment, she blinked, humming a soft note to herself. She looked uncharacteristically intrigued.

"General Topaz? Hm.... Well, alright, I suppose I have time. Send her in," she ordered.

–

The smaller yellow gem nodded and scampered out of the room again. Soon after the Pearl left the office, the door hissed open once more. A huge, bulky figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the blinding light of the setting sun. They wore a half suit of armor on their torso. The suit bore a yellow diamond insignia and metallic 'pads' on the figure's hips and shoulders. It appeared to be made of gold, though the darker hues showed it was made of some sort of gem material. The gem's face was hidden by a rather impressive looking battle helmet of the same color. Before she entered the room completely, the huge figure removed said helmet, holding it under her arm as her long golden hair draped behind her shoulders. Her right eye was completely covered by her hair, leaving one piercing amber eye peeking out from her bangs. She tilted her head slightly, lifting her free hand in a subtle gesture of greetings.

"Evening, Yellow Diamond."

As she stepped inside, the massive gem poofed away her helmet in a brilliant show of yellow and white sparkles. She was far taller than any Jasper, despite being built much like one, and stood at least a head and a half taller than Yellow Diamond. The General stopped a respectful distance from her leader's desk and crouched down on one knee, saluting her respectfully as a warrior.

"Apologies..." Topaz smiled up at Yellow in a friendly, apologetic manner. She almost looked _embarrassed_. "For such late notice on my visit."

–

Yellow gave a brief nod to the warrior that entered her office. She clasped her hands together and got back to her senses quickly, trying to push away her frustration from earlier. With a short breath, she huffed, deciding to cut to the chase.

"What brings you to my tower, General Topaz?" She'd be quick and formal as ever, if she had a choice. The less time she spent chatting, the more time she could spend being productive with her work.

–

Topaz remained in her knelt position.

"Straight to business, as per usual." Her tone was good-natured. "But yes, you're a busy Diamond." Clearing her throat, the General dropped her friendly demeanor, her face serious. "I hear you had some trouble with a rogue service gem."

–

Yellow's eyes widened, but she kept her stony frown.

"So you've heard, hm?...." she stated under her breath, almost sounding annoyed. Rolling her eyes, she couldn't help but feel a small spark of anxiety rush through her, if even for a short moment. She averted her gaze past the taller gem, staring at a fixed spot on the wall.

"What makes you come all this way to bring that up?"

–

"I haven't come to question you, for one. I mean no disrespect, Yellow Diamond. I know you are _fully_ capable of controlling your subjects. Even those in other districts that think they are above your law." Topaz shook her head sadly. "No, I come here as a friend. An old ally." She looked up at her superior and brushed her hair back, revealing the other side of her face. "I merely wished to see if you were unharmed, myself. I do not trust the words of the common gem." Her face was dark with concern for her leader, and she quietly waited for a reply.

–

Yellow sat up straight, looking back to the gem knelt before her.

"I see... well... Relatively speaking, I am fine." She narrowed her eyes, looking down and off center. "Mmn... though if it were me, that gem would have gotten a more serious sentence than what he received in the end,” she grumbled crossly. "Buuut when it comes down to it... he is still White's gem, and White has the final say." She shrugged, noticeably still bothered. Her eyes betrayed the mix of different thoughts that ran through her head. Even speaking about Hematite spurred much unwanted inner turmoil. The whole situation was still fresh, despite it happening over a month ago.

The other Diamonds were frustrated and disappointed in her. She was having nightmares. She felt like there should have been more of a punishment for Hematite, and yet, she couldn't change White's mind.

 

 _How_ _**dare** _ _he make me look like a fool... How dare he, a petty service gem, attack me and practically get away with it?!_

–

Nodding slowly, Topaz hummed thoughtfully.

"White Diamond sure has created quite the _unique_ set of service gems, hasn't she? I've seen them carrying out missions back on my planet. Their methods are... interesting." She shrugged her shoulders dismissively. "I am not questioning White Diamond's authority in her choice. But it just doesn't make any sense to me," she said thoughtfully, looking up at her superior. "Why she would make such a niche gem so... _big_. They have no business being so huge. We Harvesters have gotten on just fine as normal gems. It's a shame White Diamond has created such an... _unstable_ class."

–

Yellow's eyes darted back to the Topaz, and her brows furrowed.

"… I agree completely. I just... wish they would understand where my position is right now. What was I supposed to do? How could I trust something that could easily overpower us when we least expect it? A gem that can tear apart towers, terrorize and even kill hundreds if not thousands of gems if they got out of hand! If they so much as..." She paused, narrowing her eyes in remembrance. "If they begin to realize just **how much power** they have." She almost shuddered at the thought, an mistrusting anger returning back to her ten fold. "I told White these gems were a bad idea. I'm just doing what's best for gemkind. What's best for the Diamond Authority. How can I trust these... these monstrosities?!" she snarled, slamming her fists on her desk in a fit of anger.

–

Nodding solemnly, Topaz sighed. She seemed completely unfazed by Yellow's rage.

"White always was one for her experiments and her research, wasn't she? Even at the expense of safety, order... Your approach to Harvesters was far more sensible. The red-eyes and tracking vessels are effective, efficient. You can trust gem tech. It does what it's told."

-

Yellow nodded in agreement, looking up formally to the warrior.

"Agreed. Gem tech doesn't argue. Gem tech doesn't betray you. **Gem tech doesn't try to kill you...** " she growled spitefully, looking away for a moment.

-

Shaking her head again, the General began to stand up. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, tilting her head up slightly.

"Indeed.” Standing straight, the warrior gem gazed down at her leader. “I came here to make an offer, Yellow Diamond."

–

Raising a brow, Yellow crossed her arms and pursed her lips, the faintest trace of curiosity in her eyes.

"… You have my attention."

–

Topaz gave a friendly smile before going back to her stoic demeanor.

"In light of these recent events, I would like to offer my best warriors to assist in keeping things in order. Specifically at the Sky Arena and Coliseum, and wherever else you see fit. They would be yours for a time until they are needed back on my planet. They are fully armed to deal with _any_ out of control gems.”

–

Yellow placed a finger to her lip, thinking for a moment. With narrowed eyes, she looked around the room, silent. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them back up again to stare right into Topaz's gaze.

"What's in it for you?..."

–

Meeting her superior's gaze evenly, Topaz paused for a moment, as if surprised by the question.

"... Peace of mind. To make sure that something like what happened to you _never_ takes place again. Homeworld can't lose another leader, Yellow.”

–

_Peace of mind._

She looked down, thinking for a moment. She remembered the horror she felt that day, in the Sky Arena. She remembered how incompetent her own guards had been. A cold prickle of dread rose in her core. She thought about the fear that still lingered within her, and the the nightmares that now haunted her.

 

_**Peace of mind....** _

 

Yellow looked up, and after a long pause, she smirked almost ominously.

 

"Deal."

–

Topaz smiled and nodded, giving another respectful salute.

"They will be stationed at your command by the end of the month." As she looked up, the General's hair fell over her right eye again. "It's been a long time. It'll be a pleasure working with you again, Yellow Diamond."


	20. Whom Do I Serve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone denies their loyalty to the Diamond Authority.

**Darkness.**

 

**Cold, dreadfully familiar darkness.**

 

Here she was again, walking tirelessly into the black abyss. She could tell that she had been here before, but she couldn't figure out _why_ she was here. No matter how hard she pried at her memory, couldn't recall what significance it held. The temperature was significantly lower than the 'last' time she was here... it felt colder than she remembered. Watching her feet as she walked, she crossed her arms to her, holding them close. With every breath, mist appeared in front of her face, what little warmth she still had fading away quickly.

–

This time, there were no shadows on her heels. There was no pressure in the air. Nothing was bearing down on her, watching her, tracking her. No, this time, there was an unbearable _emptiness_.

Far in the distance stood faded white outlines of the different districts. If one squinted, they could see the faintest outline of gems walking to and fro on their daily routines.

But they were far, far in the distance, never getting any closer. The immediate area around Yellow Diamond was empty, devoid of life or the comfort of familiar landmarks.

It was cold.

_So cold._

–

Yellow Diamond gasped quietly, recognizing the familiar landmark. She picked up pace, running as fast as she could to reach her destination. But no matter how much she ran, it seemed that the district was getting.... farther? After few long minutes of solid running, she stumbled to a stop, looking hopelessly into the distance.

 

She wasn't any closer.

 

The cold was unbearable, and to make things worse, there didn't seem to be anything but the district for miles; Though even the district seemed unreachable. If anything, the horizon was an empty promise, a figment of her imagination. There was no reaching it...

She turned to look for anything else, but she was only met with the same empty void that she had been so familiar with since she started wandering the area.

–

As Yellow Diamond came to a stop, a freezing wind blew past her, carrying the faintest of whispers. It wasn't the voice she was accustomed to hearing in these nightmares, nor was it her own. No, this one was different.

 

_**Peace of mind.** _

 

Quickly as it came, the voice faded away, along with the district that loomed in the distance. The lights flickered for a moment before dimming, though the buildings were still faintly visible.

–

Yellow looked up at the inky sky upon hearing the faint sound. Frantically turning around, she looked about, checking for someone behind her. She didn't see anything. No, no one was there... _W_ _here did that come from... was that in her head?_ Turning back to the direction that the district was in, she sighed heavily and continued to run for it. _No, surely you must be able to reach it. It's just very far away._

–

The silence continued. There were no more breezes; the air was still, biting, _eerily_ quiet. Soon, something began to replace the district on the horizon.

Pillars.

Rows and rows of pillars. The cityscape was gone, and the area around Yellow Diamond began filling with the familiar landscape of her last nightmare.

–

Yellow continued running, but her pace slowed down. Her eyes widened in horror upon the sudden change of scenery. _No, where did it go?!_ She bared her teeth, making her way towards the rows of pillars. At the very least, _they_ seemed to be getting closer. She should have known the district was a false hope.

–

Soon, Yellow Diamond was surrounded by the stark white outlines of the tall stone columns. They stretched on as far as the eye could see, creating a dizzying optical illusion. There appeared to be a 'path' through them, which the Diamond was running along, but as she continued on, the path became cracked, worn, _wrong_. As if her dream were a corrupted piece of data, some of the pillars and stones in the path had jagged, uneven outlines that flickered in and out of place.

There was a subtle tremor, and the outlines fixed themselves. Everything appeared to be back to normal.

 

Until...

_Crick_

Underfoot laid a small pile of gem shards, one having broken into smaller pieces under Yellow Diamond's weight.

–

This entire plane of existence unsettled her. The jagged pillars phasing back into a more 'stable' form didn't help her psyche. She slowed down at times, then walked quicker... until she jumped slightly at the sound.

She winced, gasping quietly as she was greeted with the shards that she had stepped on. _Did she do that?... or were they like that before?_

"Wh-what is this place?...." she whispered, paling in anxious horror.

–

_Another tremor._

The pile at Yellow Diamond's feet only consisted of about five or so gems worth of shards, but right outside of the Diamond's immediate view there seemed to be... more.

_**Many** more._

As Yellow Diamond raised her head to look around, she was greeted by a sea of gems and gem shards of all different colors, stretching on as far as the eye could see. They piled up between the pillars, some of them spilling over into the path Yellow was walking along.

There was the whisper again, but this time, the voice was far more familiar.

_**A gem that can tear apart towers, terrorize and even kill hundreds if not thousands of gems if they got out of hand!** _

–

Her eyes widened, a pang of sharp fear stabbing through her like a fiery blade. She clutched her own gem instinctively and stumbled backwards. Panting in a frantic panic, she held herself in a defensive stance, never taking her palm off of her gem.

 _This is terrible... this is monstrous. What... what kind of horrible creature would do such a thing?_ _ **Could**_ _do such a thing?_ She wanted to turn and run, to try and get out of here as quickly as possible.

 _But she decided against it._ Something in the back of her mind suddenly sharpened, telling her it wasn't a good idea to turn around. There was nothing back where she came from, and something was keeping her from looking over her shoulder. Her gut urged her to move forward, even if she dreaded the thought. She took a deep breath and continued to walk ahead, trying her best not to step on any of the broken gems.

–

Slowly, the air became denser. _Heavier_. The cold became stale and suffocating. As Yellow Diamond continued forward, the shards became more numerous, until she couldn't help but step on some. Soon enough, the piles took over the path completely, making it impossible to continue without climbing over the myriad of shattered and poofed gems.

–

Stepping on the shards was unavoidable. She mostly tried to evade them to avoid making noise, but now, she had no choice. She looked around, holding her arms over her chest and clutching them again. _Cold. Horrible, dense cold._ This place was the stuff of nightmares. She shuddered upon the realization of just _how_ many shards there were. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if she weren't in her current mindset... _Or maybe if she even knew what did this._ Slowly, she reached forward, grimacing in dread as she started climbing over the pile of gems to try and continue on her path. They slid out from under her feet, clattering to the ground as she slipped back to the floor. Gritting her teeth, she reached up again, but stopped, her body running stiff.

–

An eerie sound suddenly filled the room, piercing the silence. It sounded like broken glass being spilled out of a container, only to land on more glass.

 

It was the shards.

 

And they were being moved by _something_.

 

No, not something. **Someone**. Just behind Yellow Diamond, something was moving on the sea of gems, knocking them around, shattering them into smaller pieces as it moved.

**"Do you like what I've done with the place?~"**

–

Yellow inhaled sharply as soon as she heard the gems falling out of place. She went quiet, eyes widening as she glanced around without turning her head. She wasn't alone... _but she suddenly wished she was._ Slowly, she turned her head to look behind her, despite every part of her telling herself not to do that since she entered the room.

–

There was the visor. No more than twenty feet away, the huge, dark form of the nightmarish Hematite was slowly crawling down a massive pile of gems toward Yellow Diamond. He certainly looked the same, but this time there was something more animalistic in the way he moved. His head was low, his movements careful and measured, like a creature on the hunt.

"I thought you might be more comfortable surrounded by your comrades."

–

She turned fully to face him now, her palm still held defensively over her gem. Unsteadily, she moved back, using her free hand to feel the air behind her so she could make sure she didn't walk into anything and corner herself. Her eyes drifted over the looming figure who seemed cast in an unseen light and yet... he still looked dark. The faintest gray tones colored his suit, and yet as he stalked over the colored outlines of the gem shards, he looked more like a gem-shaped void than an actual figure.

"Hematite?...."

–

A soft chuckle escaped the dark form, and as he neared Yellow Diamond, he slowed.

"Hmm.~ So we're skipping the yelling and the threats this time, are we?" Instead of reaching for the tiny gem, as he would normally, Hematite slowly stretched and chuckled as he laid down on the gems in a rather leisurely manner, resting on his front.

"Wise choice."

–

She stopped moving as soon as he did, but never took her eyes off of him. To her horror and surprise, she didn't feel anger... she didn't feel disbelief... she felt nothing but **fear**. No matter how hard she tried to reach deep inside for it, no courage came. Nothing rose within her but a cold, biting chill. A dark, dreadful hollowness. _Why wasn't she angry? Why could she feel nothing but..._ _ **this?**_ She didn't understand it herself, but she knew one thing was for sure.

_She felt weak._

Every part of her wanted to question him, to ask what he was doing here, what the meaning of this was, what this whole place's _purpose_ was. But she thought better of it. _No, something about him was... dreadfully familiar._

She could feel it.

Something, she didn't know what, but something was crawling up her spine, nipping at the base of her neck and making her hair stand on end. Her memories felt as though they were cast in shadow, invisible to even her own mind. She couldn't figure out what was so terrible about this situation, but something deep within her was screaming at her to run, to get away, to escape what was about to happen, despite her not knowing what that 'thing' was. She only knew one thing.

 

Something dreadful was going to befall her.

–

Lazily, the huge gem picked up a few gemstones between his fingers, letting them fall from his grasp a few feet above the pile.

"Speechless, are we?~ That's unusual for you, Yellow Diamond." Hematite's face twisted into a cruel grin. "But I can hardly blame you." He lifted his other hand to the side of his face and propped his head on his palm. Lifting a few gems again, he looked them over before once more letting them fall back onto the pile with sharp, pitiful 'clinks'. Pausing for a long moment, he pursed his lips, running a single clawed tip of his finger through the sea of gems.

"Useless things, aren't they?"

–

She dared not turn. She dared not run. She dared not look away.

No matter how much her instincts screamed at her to get away, to run... she felt like it would lead to something terrible. Besides, she was stuck between a massive pile of gem shards, and a massive gem. There wasn't really anywhere she could go. Looking up at him, she shivered slightly, clutching at her gem a little tighter. She narrowed her eyes, but her lips parted, not in an expression of anger... but one of hurt confusion. Her features twisted in dark, horrified curiosity.

 

"… What do you mean?"

–

The target insignia on Hematite's visor flicked over to stare at Yellow Diamond, but the giant gem made no moves toward her. Instead, a cruel smile spread across his face.

"They think they lead such significant lives. As if their time in this world really matters."

Another shower of clinks filled the room as the giant gem picked up and dropped the gems. "When in truth alllll of them are so small, and no matter how much they think they're changing things... they truly mean nothing."

The insignia on the visor narrowed.

**"Even a Diamond such as yourself."**

–

Another horrified shudder shot through her body. She found herself trembling now, caught staring at the target on his visor. _That wasn't good._ Nervously, she took another slow step backwards, daring to look down at the pile of shards that Hematite was perched upon... but her eyes widened, brows furrowing if even a little at his last statement. Her attention shot back up to his face, the smallest spark of indignant anger rising within her.

"Y-You're wrong!... The Diamonds have been around for over 15,000 years! We've built up Homeworld and all of its glory, we've brought _meaning_ to gemkind, we've helped our empire grow! The Diamonds mean more to the world than you ever will! If not.... why would we be leaders? Why would we be so widely renown? Respected? F-feared?! We are the _rulers_ of gemkind... and you're... y-you're just a service gem! You've not even been alive for a hundred years!" she shouted up, pointing an incredulous finger at the giant gem. She mustered up what little courage she could to try and stand up to the shadowy harvester, but as the second ticked by, and the giant gem went silent, Yellow cringed, somewhat regretting what she had said.

–

Hematite drearily listened to Yellow Diamond go on her little rant, and at the end of it, he paused, staring her down. After what felt like an eternity, he finally cracked a smirk, chuckling eerily.

"A _service_ gem? Whom do I _serve_ , Yellow Diamond?"

He slowly turned to her, his smirk widening into a cruel grin.

"I am _**the Harvester.**_ I serve no-one but **myself**." The visor's target narrowed again, no more than a slit at this point. A hair-raising series of clicks filled the air, a high-pitched, mechanical whir following.

"All are forfeit. Not even the great Diamond Authority is safe from me. _And you_ _ **will**_ _learn to respect that."_

Crushing the gems he held between his clawed fingers, Hematite flicked his hand, tossing the pieces into his mouth without a second thought.  
_CRICK._

–

Her stomach dropping, Yellow backed up, eyes widening in horror. Whatever anger-driven courage she _did_ have a moment ago, which wasn't much, vanished in an instant. _How could he say that? How could he do this?_ At this point, the realization started to sink in and she was not going to stick around for the inevitable. Nervously, she smiled and started to turn away, her gaze never leaving the massive visor.

"Well it has... been a lovely chat, but IIIII really need to goooo..." Quickly, she turned away completely, stumbling forward a few steps to try and clamber over the gem pile in front of her.

–

 **SHINK**.

Within an instant, Yellow Diamond was surrounded on all sides by long, stark-black claws forming a cage around her. Hematite's palm loomed above, his fingers dug deep into the ground, through the pile of gems that laid below Yellow.

**"Did I _say_ you could leave?"**

Slowly, the claws began to close in, sending dozens of shattered gems tumbling to the diamond's feet.

–

Yellow cried out in horror, hunkering down low, jerking her head side to side to look for any escape. She kept her hand over her gem, trembling. Quickly, made a break for one of the openings between his fingers, just barely managing to squeeze through before his hand closed completely around her. Scurrying away in a panic, she tried her best to scramble up the ever-shifting hill of gems, but made little to no progress.

–

With a flick of his wrist, Hematite caught a claw on Yellow Diamond's shirt and quickly lifted her into the air, holding her above the pile of gem shards.

"Now now, Yellow Diamond. We were just getting to know each other.~" His voice slowly became louder as he brought her closer to his face.

–

The diamond thrashed about, swinging her arms and kicking her legs in a horrified frustration. She dared not answer him, or even acknowledge that he even spoke to her. Looking down at the shards below her, she felt her breath catch in her throat, realizing they were getting further away, and _quickly_. Slowly, she looked back up to the huge gem, her gaze drifting to the target on his visor.

–

Hematite chuckled grimly as he brought Yellow Diamond close to his visor, the target mere feet away from her. The insignia twisted and morphed into a more detailed diamond shape, perfectly mirroring her gemstone. The insignia was huge, this time, along with the rest of his nightmarish form. He'd at least tripled in size since she turned her back on him.

"Enough of the pleasantries. Let's move on to the fun part, shall we?" The huge gem slowly licked his teeth, the black and white void of his mouth a stark contrast to his light gray face.

–

Yellow's empty swings and kicks suddenly stopped, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. Baring her teeth, she looked down at the lower part of his face, a sharp cry of panic escaping her. Quickly, she re-covered her gemstone with her hands, sweat forming on her brow.

"W-wait, what are you doing?!" she cried out, eyes wide.

–

"Just settling a little unfinished business.~" A grin crossed the giant gem's face. "Covering that won't do you any good. But... do try not to die. It makes it more interesting for me."

Slowly, Hematite tilted his head back, dangling the tiny gem over his mouth, much like he'd done the last time he caught her. But this time, there was no build up, no slow letting go of her shirt.

He immediately let go.

Though the fall seemed to take forever, it wasn't long until Yellow Diamond landed on the giant gem's tongue. It was freezing to the touch, somehow even **colder** than the air outside.

–

She cried out in a panic, cut off abruptly as she landed on the frigid, deathly icy surface. Gasping in both shock and horror, she tried desperately to regain what footing she could, slipping around on the slick surface below her. Her limbs were shaking, fear biting down at her very core.

"NO! YOU CAN'T!" She yelled, flipping herself around and struggling to climb back out of his mouth. She crawled her way to the tip of his tongue, gripping at it. _Get out of here, let me out!_

–

Snap.

The area around Yellow Diamond was plunged into darkness, though the white outlines of the teeth around her were still very visible. Hematite had snapped his teeth shut, cutting off the gem's means of escape. Humming to himself, he reclined against the pile of shards behind him. He chuckled as he pressed his tongue to the front of his mouth, pinning Yellow Diamond against the back of his teeth. A chilling whisper filled Yellow's head, despite Hematite's mouth being closed.

_"It's not going to be that easy, Yellow Diamond.~"_

–

She let out a terrified squeak, pulling her arms in closer as the fangs snapped shut. She started to sweat harder, whimpering as the world around her shifted. Now pressed against his teeth, she shoved her arms into them, desperately trying to get away. _No, no no it can't end like this. Not THIS!_ She reluctantly grabbed for the roof of his mouth, finding some sort of footing and trying to pry his jaws open.

–

Chuckling, Hematite knocked Yellow Diamond's feet from under her, sending her onto his tongue again.

 _"Stop whining. You sound pathetic,”_ he growled in a low, familiar voice.

Just slightly, the giant gem parted his teeth, letting it the smallest bit of light. He rested his chin in his palm, laying down once more on his front. A cruel chuckle escaped him as he parted his teeth further, teasingly offering her a means of 'escape'.

–

The gem's all-too-familiar words send a heavy pang of nausea through her abdomen, filling her chest with an odd, gnawing emotion that she couldn't describe. Tears stung her eyes, forming at the corners despite her attempts to hold herself together. It was fear, remembrance, regret... but it was something else as well. Something she couldn't put a finger on. But, she didn't have much time to dwell on it.

Grunting pitifully, the diamond pushed herself up off of the giant gem's tongue again, eyes widening when she saw a way out. Quickly, she lurched forward best she could, getting a hold on both the top and bottom rows of his teeth, trying to part them further while also attempting to get out. She knew getting between his teeth like this was a huge risk, but it was the only option she had!

–

As soon as the tiny gem tried to make her escape, Hematite's teeth suddenly began to close. She was trapped between them, and her only option was to try and hold them open.

_Try._

"What did I just finish saying, Yellow Diamond?~"

His teeth slowly bore down on her with more force, his mouth closing painfully slowly.

–

Panic rushed through her making her gasp sharply. Her eyes shut tightly. Baring her teeth, she quickly placed her palms on the upper row of his fangs, her feet keeping the lower row down. She tried her best to keep his jaws held open, grunting weakly.

"Stop, STOP! NO, STOP!!" she cried out, her strength slowly failing on her. _No, you can't give up now... you can't let this happen... if you do, you'll-!_ She opened her eyes, still filled with tears, looking out to the void of a world beyond her reach. In the distance, she could swear she saw the district again... but the lights were beginning to dim. The faint figures of the gems flickered out, the outlines of the buildings fading away.

–

"Say goodbye to everything you've worked for."

The district in the distance looked glitched, corrupted. Soon enough, all the lights went out. "It too will follow your destruction. Not even you can protect it." His teeth were nearly shut, Yellow's form caught between them.

 

"Not from me."

_**SNAP** _

–

Gasping sharply, Yellow awoke to find herself in a cold sweat, alone in her dark room. The faint light of her gem that filled the room not moments ago flickered out as she woke up, the projection of her nightmare vanishing. She breathed heavily, staring at nothing on the wall in front of her.

An eerie silence filled the room. She didn't move for a few minutes, sitting, grasping the reality of what happened.

It was... _another_ nightmare.

She narrowed her eyes, her lips parting slightly. Every time she went to sleep, she had a nightmare. They were all the same thing, but every time... they got worse. Were these ever going to stop? She decided not to dwell on it. A little frustrated and shaken, she stood up, stretched, and made her way to her office. Her eyes were dark with thought and exhaustion, and as she walked through the silent tower, she mulled over what bits of the nightmare she could remember. It was fading fast, despite having just happened. She knew she shouldn't have slept, with two other nightmares having plagued her already, but work lately had been especially taxing, and there was little she could do in the later hours of the day. Sleeping every once in a while wasn't usually a problem. Or rather, it hadn't ever been before this incident with Hematite. Before, taking a rest now and then was the only time she truly took a break from work. When she wasn't asleep, she was always doing something. Maybe she should just stick to working until she absolutely _needed_ a rest. Surely she could find something to work on in the later hours. Paperwork, perhaps, or making sure old archives were in order.

 

_Stars, I really need to stop taking naps until these go away... Perhaps some tea will help wake me up instead._


	21. The Recording

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite's bodyguard catches wind of a concerning conversation.

At last, the two months of punishment were up. Hematite walked briskly alongside Puff as they headed down the Skybridge toward White's tower. It was a rather clear day, and Hema was enjoying the sunshine. The two of them hadn't said much to each other on their way back from the blue district. However, after some time, the taller orange gem looked over to her soon-to-be ex-assignment with a small smile. After a long, silent walk, she finally broke the quiet.

"You glad to almost be rid of me, scrap?" Puff chuckled, her arms crossed behind her head. "Not long now, and you won't have me breathing down your neck anymore." She was looking straight ahead, a smile on her face. The shorter gem looked up at his bodyguard with a curious stare. He frowned slightly.

"I wouldn't say 'glad', exactly. It's..." Hematite paused for a long moment, mulling over his words. He lifted a hand, twirling it at the wrist as he looked for the right thing to say. "It's at least been nice not to have to do these jobs by myself. After this I'll be right back to going solo. If nothing else, I could have had _worse_ bodyguards."

Puff's brows raised, and she looked at Hematite with an angry glare before she noticed that he was smiling at her. Her scowl vanished, only to be replaced by a slightly embarrassed look of surprise. Looking away, she blew her bangs away from her face with a 'huff' and crossed her arms. There was a smile on her lips.

"Yeah, well. I could have had worse people to guard, _Harvester_." With a coy grin, she uncrossed her arms and reached over to Hematite, ruffling his hair. "You're a lot more fun to be around when you're not wearing that creepy visor! We should hang out more often after this. I mean. If you waaant.~" She thumbed her nose with a chuckle. Hematite was busy fixing his hair back into place but still managed to give her a smile.

"So long as you're not too busy, sure."

"Aaah, I'm never really busy." Puff shrugged. "You've got my address, and Rubes'. If you ever want to crash after one of your crazy missions, come by," she offered in a friendly manner. Looking up at the taller gem, Hematite finally finished fixing his bangs and stood straight again.

"You sure? I don't want to be any trouble."

"We've got nothing going on, aside from Rubes' guarding missions. Besides, if anything, stop by to hit us up for a spar or something." She playfully clasped her fist in her hand. "We're always up for that.~"

Hematite gave a soft, good-natured laugh and nodded.

"Alright, will do."

\--

Finally stopping at the office doors, Hematite knocked, waited for the office to open, and stepped inside. He saluted promptly, Puff following suit.

"Hematite reporting, White Diamond."

"Jasper reporting, White Diamond."

–

White was sitting behind her desk with a cup of tea in hand. Looking up upon hearing the knock, she placed it down next to her and slid it to the side a little. As they entered the room at last, she stood.

"Good to see you both on time." She gave a slight nod, glancing over at Hematite in particular. "I trust there were no complications this past week? What is your final status?" she asked promptly, placing her fingertips together with a curious frown. It was around this time for the past eight rotations that Hematite had to report back to her since the start of his punishment, and today would be the final one. That was, assuming everything was in order.

–

Puff smiled, looking to her side as she rummaged through a subtle pocket on her suit. After a moment, she pulled out a small diamond pad. It wasn't nearly as advanced as the ones the Diamonds had on their person, and it seemed rather dated, but it did its job. Clearing her throat once, the Jasper flicked on the screen and began reading out the week's report. The first few days were uneventful, the usual. It wasn't until the second to last day that something went... awry.

"And then two rotations ago, Hematite broke his shifting limit,” she said professionally, though she couldn't hide the slightly apprehensive glance she gave the service gem beside her.

Hematite's foot began to nervously scuff the ground. He didn't take his eyes off the wall directly behind White.

–

White's attention seemed to perk up as the report progressed, but _not_ in a good way. Her eyes narrowed, gaze flicking between the two gems. She slowly looked back over to Hematite at Puff's last statement, holding up a finger to stop the Jasper from continuing.

"Is this so? And why, might I ask, did you do that?" she asked in a low tone, her eyes fixed sternly on the service gem.

–

Awkwardly, Puff looked at Hematite, whose hands were busy fidgeting behind his back. He was looking for the right words, but was trying to no avail to keep his eyes averted from White's gaze.

"I-I. It was unwilling. Mostly,” he stammered, the faintest bit of sweat forming on his brow. "I-I thought this would be a special circumstance, and-"

Quickly, Puff kept reading her report. If Hematite continued like that, he'd be poofed in minutes.

"There was an accident at one of the construction sites. A Peridot lost control of her pod and knocked into an unstable beam. This knocked into a deteriorating part of the wall that Hematite was trying to tear down, and it nearly crushed a group of worker gems. Hematite shifted to half his harvester size to push the wall back and collapse it safely in the other direction. Seven service gems were spared, and Hematite _immediately_ returned to his normal height. The service gems at the location can confirm this.”

–

White placed a finger to her chin, biting her fingertip slightly. Her expression didn't change for the majority of the explanation, but near the end she raised a brow.

"Hm...Well then, assuming you're reporting truthfully, I suppose I can let that slide... this time. However, Hematite, please try to refrain from breaking my rules in the future. I've been incredibly lenient with you, you know..." she said sternly. After a long moment, she shrugged, sighing softly. Her tension seemed to fade away gradually. She turned her gaze over to Puff, eyeing the diamond pad.

"Anything else to report, other than that, then?"

–

Hematite nodded in earnest, still not looking White directly in the eyes.

"Yes, I understand. It won't happen again, White. I swear it." His shoulders were tense, and only relaxed when White's own tension began to fade. Puff looked through her pad and read off a few other things that weren't of incredible importance, but stopped at the end. She seemed hesitant to read the last log. Giving a glance to Hematite, she sighed and nodded.

"There is one last thing."

–

White straightened her back and rolled her shoulders slowly, folding her arms behind her back. She glared down at Puff, pursing her lips. She didn't say anything in response.

–

Puff's poised stature faltered for a moment, but she recovered and continued to read.

"Yesterday at 13:50, while Hematite was on his final clean-up job, I was watching from a nearby building. At 13:55, I heard voices nearby mention 'the harvester'." Puff cast Hematite a quick glance, guilt apparent on her face.

"I was unable to find the source of the voices, but I did manage to catch a quick recording."

Quietly, Puff flicked the screen and held out the small diamond pad. There was a single voice on it, faint, muffled, and low. It was nearly impossible to make out the words. The voice sounded _odd_.

_"Harvester----traito---alone--------weak---mission----when he's----find----take him dow---size-----nst him--shatter"_

The recording fizzled out.

The Jasper sighed and looked back at White. She wanted to state her opinion on the exchange, but she kept it to herself.

"They made a break for it before I spotted them. That is all there is to report."

–

White's calmed anger turned into something of complete bafflement. She looked away for a minute, biting her nail once more.

"MMmmnnn. That is... peculiar." She turned, facing the service gem and sighing. "What do you two suppose this means then?..." she asked, half concerned and half deep in thought already.

–

Puff flicked the pad off and turned it over in her hand, idly. She seemed hesitant to say what was on her mind. Sparing Hematite a glance, she crossed her arms.

The service gem was no longer standing at attention. His hands were back in front of him, and his thumb and index finger were busy rubbing together. Though he was hiding it rather well, there was a stunned air about him. Frowning with concern, Puff looked back to White Diamond. She might as well say it.

"I believe someone may be looking to harm Hematite. Take 'justice' into their own hands. There were many gems in the districts that heard what happened two months ago that gave him dirty looks or avoided him, or heckled him in public places. But this sounded different. I've only heard bitter grumbling up to this point." She rubbed her cheek. "Whoever this gem was, I think they're serious."

–

White's brows furrowed. The air became oddly thick around her. She was silently seething for a moment, not really even looking at either of them. Without a word, she turned quickly, pacing to her desk. Looking in her drawer, she pulled out her own diamond pad, writing something down. A quiet, dense tension followed, filling the entire office. All the two gems standing by could hear was the sound of White furiously taking notes on something. Suddenly, she stopped, placing the diamond pad back onto the desk.

She inhaled deeply through her teeth for about ten seconds, and then...

 

**SLAM!**

 

Her hands came down on her desk violently, shaking the dish that the cup of tea had rested upon. Her eyes were widened, furious. She took another swift breath, pinching her fingers between her eyes and clenching her free hand.

"No one is taking any of these matters into their own hands. I will see to it myself that Hematite is not harmed by some spiteful, pitiful hoodlums!" she hissed, lifting her face to glare up at them. She fortunately didn't seemed angry _at_ them, but she _was_ angry nonetheless.

She growled lowly to herself, trying to keep herself calm. "I'll see to it that whoever is responsible for this is taken care of. In the mean time, Hematite, if you feel unsafe at any given point... we can discuss possible escorts on your future missions,” she stated promptly, glancing back over to Puff.

–

White's anger certainly made Hematite nervous, but he knew that it wasn't directed at him, and tried to keep his composure. Shakily, he nodded.

"Y-yes ma'am, White. Thank you..." The service gem looked at Puff, who was giving him a rather sympathetic frown. Pursing her lips, the Jasper looked back to White and cleared her throat.

"If I may, White Diamond. Would it be terribly inappropriate for me to suggest that I remain his unofficial guard? I understand his punishment is done, but if he so wishes, and if you would allow it, I wouldn't mind looking out for him in public places, when I have the time."

–

White sighed again, placing her palms against the back of her head, running her fingers through her hair in exasperation.

"Oooh, I don't see why not..." She groaned, looking down at her tea. Grabbing hold of the cup's handle, she brought it to her lips but held it there for a moment. Looking back up quickly, she lowered the cup slightly and frowned.

"If that's all then, I've got a lot to mull over now. Hematite, starting now, your punishment, aside from your restriction from tea, is complete. You may go on about your business as per usual." She took a quick sip, placing the cup on the saucer. "But remember, there is still work to be done. I shall give you the rest of the day to rest up, but tomorrow you're back on the job. Understood?"

–

Nodding, Hematite sighed and forced a smile.

"Understood, White Diamond. Thank you. I will report here tomorrow in the morning."

Puff crossed her arms again with a satisfied though cautious smile as she looked between him and White.

–

White nodded simply, gesturing her hand towards the door.

"Thank you both. You are dismissed. Just, stay out of trouble, alright?" she grumbled, closing her eyes and placing her hands together once more.

–

Hematite gave a respectful bow and walked out of the office with Puff. The door hissed closed behind them, and the service gem let out a huge sigh, leaning back against the entrance.

"Why didn't you tell me about that recording?"

The Jasper winced slightly and looked at the smaller gem, her expression guilty.

"I wanted to talk to White about it first. I didn't want you getting nervous."

Hematite was staring ahead of himself, lost in thought. His fingers rubbed together quietly.

"Tell me first, next time. Or at least tell me it happened. I need to know these things."

Puff looked away for a moment and scratched at her cheek. After an awkward pause, she nodded.

"Right. But hopefully it won't happen again." She paused again. "... Are you okay, scrap?"

"Yeah I'm fine that voice just sounded... weird."

"Well it is a rather low quality recording."

"No no. I don't know how to explain it." With a frustrated sigh, Hematite rubbed the back of his head and puffed his bangs away from his face. "Ah well, maybe it's just my imagination. Thanks for getting it on an audio file. Think you can give that to the Peridot down at the archives before you leave? I'd like to analyze it."

"Oh! Sure, kiddo." Puff pocketed the pad and crossed her arms. "So what are your plans for tonight?"

"Honestly? I think I'm going to lay down for a while. Catch up on some rest... I have a spar with Morgan in a couple weeks, I need to be caught up on sleep for that, and with the work I'll be doing in the next few days, hah. I'm going to need the rest while I can get it."

"Aaah, gotcha." Puff winked and gave Hema a smile. "Mind if I tag along around then? I'd love to see you and Mor' duke it out!" She smiled brightly, a hopeful gleam in her eyes. Hematite blinked and rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, uh. Sure! If you want..."

"I do! That'll be an interesting fight, heheh. You get some rest, scrap!" Puff headed off, toward the archives. "You're gonna need it~"


	22. Unprovoked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morganite and Hematite have a spar.

Back at the coliseum again... It'd been a while.

The huge structure loomed ahead, and Hematite had to crane his neck up to look toward the top of the stone walls. However, he didn't have to look quite as far as usual.

As Hematite passed by oncoming gems, he was given dirty or confused glances. He wasn't standing at his usual 5 or so feet today, no. The news a few weeks back that someone was planning to try and attack him had shaken the service gem, and since that day, he'd taken to walking around in public in a slightly larger form. It was only around 15 or so feet, give or take. Not huge, but it was certainly enough height to make average sized gems nervous or avoidant. The dirty looks he'd gotten bothered him at first, considering he was only doing this for his own safety! Over time, however, he came to value the comfort being taller provided him over the animosity some people looked at him with.

 

Approaching the gates to the arena, Hematite stopped in front of the two guards standing watch. One of them he knew to be a Jasper, but the other looked unfamiliar. He couldn't tell what kind of gem she was, but by the huge build and serious expression, he guessed she was a war-class. Her entire form was an odd, faded greenish color, and she wore a near full-suit of armor. She looked up at him with a nasty glare, but without saying a word, she and the other guard moved out of his way. The first guard, the one Hema recognized, mumbled a 'Don't cause any trouble' as he walked in. Hematite nodded in response and made his way into the entrance tunnel. He soon emerged from the other side, into the light of the arena, and gave a long stretch. While there _was_ a sense of tension being back in either of the sparring arenas, he was glad to be there. A few gems were scattered here and there in the stands, much like they had been the very first time Blue brought him there. He was glad for it, he didn't exactly want an audience these days. Hopefully nobody would make a fuss...

Hematite spotted Puff near one of the tunnels, speaking with another Jasper, by the looks of it, and he made his way over. He hadn't seen her since the afternoon she was discharged from being his guard.

Puff quickly noticed Hematite approaching, and stopped mid sentence, double taking.

"Whoaa, scrap! You're just walking around like that now?' A wide grin crossed her face, and she gave a little wave to the Jasper before she started to walk off. Seemed their conversation was already ending before Hematite spotted them. She looked back at the service gem and crossed her arms as he crouched down, his arms resting on his knees. "Or are you just like that for the spar, huh?" Hema gave a bashful smile and rubbed the back of his head.

"I've... started walking around like this in public. Feels a bit, you know. Safer."

Puff pursed her lips, but gave a nod.

"Fair enough. It's cool though, you seem more comfortable like that!"

Hematite blinked in surprise at the Jasper, tilting his head.

"W-what? ... Really?"

"Yeah, the way you walked in and such. It's hard to explain." She waved a hand dismissively. "You always seem to be less jumpy when you're not down at this level." Puff gestured a hand at her shoulder level, where Hema's head usually reached. "So I think you've got the right idea. If anything, should make this spar more even.~"

The service gem tilted his head slightly, taking Puff's words into consideration. He did feel less vulnerable at this size... But it wasn't so big that he was worried about hurting people.

"Well, we'll see if Morganite agrees with you, hahah." Hematite gave a bright smile and stood back up. He walked closer to the center of the arena to stretch and get warmed up. It'd been two months since he even properly used his skills, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to use them in this spar. Not correctly, anyways.

–

The guards at the gate carefully watched the service gem from afar. They stayed stoic, unmoving, the greenish gem especially. As the minutes ticked by, they parted to the side to allow the occasional gem to walk through. The stands weren't quite as bustling about as they used to be, but there was still a few folks here and there that craved excitement. Upon hearing of Hematite's reappearance in the Coliseum, they had to come see what it was all about. Some were nervous, some were distrustful, but others were eager to see the turnout. Most of the gems currently scattered along the Coliseum were in the stands, staying out of the way of the giant gem. Some didn't want to be close to Hematite, but some simply didn't have business on the field. There weren't too many around, perhaps a small handful of fifteen to twenty. It was few enough that the guards in front of the west entrance could keep an eye on everyone, easily.

Not long after Hematite's arrival, a familiar face showed up in the entrance way of the Coliseum. They were tall, svelte, and carried themselves well. He walked with his hand on his hip, eyes drifting upwards to meet with the much taller service gem that he had seen many times before. He was still some distance away, his back turned to him. Soon enough, he closed the distance between himself and Hema, standing a little ways from him. Seemed the service gem hadn't noticed his arrival.

Morganite smirked, raising a brow. With a stifled chuckle, he dug his heel into the dirt, lost in thought. He didn't say anything for a few long moments, curious if Hema would notice him on his own. Seemed he was too invested in his warmup. With a soft chuckle, he flicked his hair to the side, finally breaking his silence.

"Saaaaay shorty, did you get taller? Hmhmhm~!"

–

With a short, surprised gasp, Hematite turned on his heel to see Morganite standing behind him.

"Ah, Morgan- sorry, didn't see you come in!" Rolling his shoulder, Hema blinked and gave the pink-haired gem a slightly awkward smile. Though it changed to a genuine one a moment later. Now that his 'opponent' was here, his mood was already starting to pick up with the excitement of the match. "Oh yeah, I guess you haven't seen me like this before, huh?"

–

"Not at all! I mean I've heard from Blue you got huge during your missions, but, hah! I didn't think she meant literally. Partially I thought it was her drinks talkin'!" He smiled, crossing his arms. Looking to the Jasper that stood near the much taller gem, Morganite pointed charmingly and gave her a nod of greetings. "Hey fuzzball, here to watch the match? I'm sure it'll be a blaaaast!" He swayed his hand through his hair, winking to the side at Hematite.

–

Puff chuckled and grinned back at the pink-haired gem.

"You know it! Think I'd miss you two fighting? No way! This is gonna be an interesting one."

 

_The veteran vs the harvester, this would be something._

 

Hematite smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"It's not gonna be that great, I'm pretty rusty. Forgive me, Morgan..." He turned to the smaller gem and gave an awkward grin. "If this is a rather boring fight."

–

Morganite shot Hematite an amused glance, his lips curled into a confident, yet encouraging smile.

"I'm sure you'll do juuuust fine. If you fight Diamonds, surely you can take on a simple warrior gem like me. That being said, now...."

 

Morganite's eyes narrowed, his smile growing wider. He placed both of his arms out, clenching his fists. With a swift motion, he swayed his arms out, a pink glow forming over them and morphing into the long, silver blades that Hematite had seen once before.

Taking a proud stand, he placed one of his hands on his hips and motioned the other blade simply in a beckoning motion.

 

"Let's see what you've got!~"

–

At this point, Puff ran back to the stands with a wave to the both of them.

"Good luck you twooo~!" And with that, she was up the stairs and into the small 'crowd' of gems to watch.

 

_Right, okay. Blades and fire powers, those he knew about. Everything else?_

_**No clue.** _

 

Hematite stood at the ready as his eyepiece chirped to life. If he was going to stand a chance, he'd need to study how Morgan fought.

_Or **attempt** to study, anyways._

Sparks lit up the service gem's fists as he summoned his own weapons, and he took a defensive stance, staring Morgan down.

"Bring it on."

–

Morgan swiped his arm to the side quickly, darting back. He was seemingly bouncing up and down, antsy to get started... but he wasn't rushing right in immediately. He clenched his fists and laughed, beckoning Hematite to come forward. Oddly enough, Morgan seemed unphased by the fact that Hematite was significantly taller than him at the moment. He watched carefully, his eyes darting around Hematite's form. His arms, his legs, even his very stance. By the look in his eyes, he seemed to be picking him apart from afar. _He, too, was studying._

–

Frowning slightly, Hematite took a pace back as well. Seemed neither of them were too eager to start the fight. Narrowing his eyes, the service gem sighed and sprinted forward, his fists aglow with bright pink electricity. He'd go for a direct hit, then see what Morgan would do. If his luck was good, this would work out how he wanted.

–

Morganite's eyes widened, as did his smile. Instead of bolting to the side, or darting forwards, he widened his stance suddenly and, just as Hematite got within a few feet and went in for a direct punch, he crossed his blades together, the wide ends meeting the knuckledusters with an alarmingly loud _CLANG!_ The blunt strike forced him back, his heels digging into the dirt. Electricity surged through the blade, fizzling up his arms. He winced, but otherwise kept a straight gaze, glaring up into Hematite's eyes.

While the electricity stung, the abrupt stop gave him the chance to kick his leg up and whack Hematite's hand away with his foot. Bouncing back again, he smirked and darted forward, swiping a bladed arm towards the giant gem.

–

Hematite's eyes widened in surprise when Morgan took the hit, his blades taking the largest of the brunt, and he yelped in surprise as Morgan kicked his hand back. He winced and held his wrist, but barely had time to react as the pink-haired warrior came charging at him, blade readied. Quickly, Hema tried something he'd gotten good at with Yellow. Deflecting. Hematite's knuckle duster glanced off the weapon, but the service gem miscalculated, and the blade nicked his hand, earning another wince. The larger gem gritted his teeth and made a wild kick at Morgan's feet, hoping to knock him off balance while the warrior's attention was focused on his upper half.

–

The warrior took a surprising turn, his face never changing as he jumped up into the air as Hematite kicked. However, he timed it as best as he could, actually jumping onto Hematite's side and latching onto his suit. Quickly maneuvering himself around him, clinging to his outfit, he climbed up onto his back and grabbed hold. With a swift movement, he launched himself off with enough force to kick him away and send the service gem forward.

–

With an embarrassing yelp, Hematite attempted to pry Morgan off of his back, but soon found himself launched forward. Within a moment, he was face down on the dirt.

 

_Well. This isn't going to work._

 

Not a second later, Hematite's form began to glow, and he rolled quickly onto his side at the same moment, hopping up as his body took on its usual size. He now stood a few feet shorter than Morgan, but that was the plan. Skipping back, Hematite took a defensive stance, his steps much more agile at his smaller size. Once again, his fists began to glow with sparkling light.

–

Morgan bounced in place again, flicking his bangs away from his eyes with a charming wink. He shot him a confident grin, curling and uncurling his fingers rhythmically.

"Interestiiiiiing! Hahaha, So you can transform on a whim? That'll make for some exciting battles!" He chortled heartily, snapping one of his fingers.

He advanced forward quickly, blades out like he were going for a quick jab.

–

Hematite smiled in acknowledgment of Morgan's observation and gave a quick nod as he continued to pace back. It seemed he was trying to make more distance between the two of them, but as the warrior gem closed in, Hematite used his quick advancing as a mask to slow his own steps backwards. Morgan got to him far quicker than he should have.

In a flash, Hematite stopped hopping backwards and used his slowed retreat to shoot forward, darting to the side to avoid a possible strike. He looked like he was going in for a punch, his fists brightly glowing. However, the second he was within striking distance, there was a bright flash, and he seemed to 'vanish'. Within seconds, Hema shifted back up, now behind Morgan, and delivered a powerful blow between the shoulder blades, quickly stepping back afterward.

–

The force was enough to knock the wind out of him, mixed with both power and the element of surprise. He whirled around, skidding back as he was sent stumbling. He kept his footing however, and looked back at his opponent with a respectful, beaming smile.

"Very nice!~" He hummed out, swiping his arm up in the air. With a clenched fist, the blade suddenly ignited, bursting into a tower of red hot flames. Bringing it back down, he swayed the blade in front of him in a mesmerizing pattern.

"Time to turn up the heat."

–

Hematite's eyepiece surface was dancing with activity, notes being taken down during the whole fight. Morgan's fighting style, moves, his attack and retreat patterns, hell, even his banter. Underneath a little box that read 'Personality' in gemspeak, a new bullet point flickered onto the screen, only visible to Hematite.

_-Encouraging_

Hematite's eyes widened as Morgan's blades were sent ablaze. Sweat formed on his brow, and he swallowed hard as he paced back further.

_Alright, now things were going to get a bit dicier._

Hematite was worried Morgan would bring out the fire soon, and he honestly wasn't prepared for it, aside from _one_ defense he had.

_Alright, he's all melee with those blades on. I don't know if he can use that fire at range, but let's see how this pans out._

–

The lithe gem started to hum, swirling his flaming hand around, the blaze trailing behind his arm. Morganite took another bold move forward, this time reeling his flaming arm back. He shot Hematite a rather ominous glare, bolting forward and going in for a side hit. He seemed unphased, unwavering, and untiring. Things really _were_ just warming up.

–

The service gem gritted his teeth in surprise and stumbled backwards before he tried to dodge to the side. The blade tip caught his side, and he winced, making more of an effort to create some distance between them.

Those arm blades were not something that he wanted to tangle with right now.

Hematite's arms began to spark again, this time with more focus between the prongs of his knuckledusters.

–

Morganite cocked a brow, noticing the sparks beginning to charge up between the prongs. Shooting another quick glance to his opponent, he kept running forward, turning to joust towards him again; this time however, as he neared, he swung the blades up once more in a defensive position, the flames overtaking both of the blades now. His entire front, at least where his arms were, was now a flaming shield.

–

For once, Hematite had an opening. The service gem grinned widely as he swung his arms out, the sparks seeming to radiate away from his fists. But instead of the lightning striking the warrior gem, they snapped into two long electrical whips. In an instant, Hematite snapped his wrist toward his opponent, the whip quickly wrapping around his ankle. The service gem's form began to glow, and he pulled sharply on the whip, shifting back to the height he'd been at the start of the fight. With a loud yell of effort, the service gem yanked the warrior gem towards and over him, swinging him away and into the wall.

–

The flames dissipated quickly upon being grabbed by the whip. His smile, for a split moment, faded into a frown of regret, his body sent flying. With a resounding SLAM, he made a harsh contact with the wall, crumbling pieces of it where he had made impact. Shrapnel from the wall and dust came jutting out, the warrior staggering to his feet after a few long, agonizing moments. The crowd fell silent momentarily.

–

At first, Hematite let out a hearty laugh upon seeing that his attack hit its mark. But at the sudden cloud of dust, his confident smile vanished, replaced with a look of fear and regret.

_Oh no._

The service gem stood, frozen, staring at the wall where he'd launched the warrior gem. Flicking on his hunting visor, he stared hard into the dustclouds. _Please don't be cracked..._

_-_

"… Mhm. Mhahaaaaaha~”

 

From the cloud of dirt that was kicked up, Morganite walked forward, a noticeable singe mark on his leg. He straightened his back with a few subtle cricks. Coughing, he waved his still-bladed arm to shake the dust cloud away, shooting Hematite a very dark grin.

-

Hema finally let out his held breath when he heard Morganite's rather eerie chuckle from the still-settling dust. As the pink-haired gem walked forward, Hematite stared at him, still noticeably stuck in place, his eyes darting over his opponent with concern.

_Gem Located: Morganite. Status: No gem faults detected._

The whips at Hematite's hands fizzled out, and his hands stopped glowing, his visor vanishing from his face. _He didn't like that look Morgan was giving him._

–

Morganite motioned his fingers gradually, noticeably stricken by the massive blow he just took. However, despite all that, he kept moving forward... smiling. Laughing. And now... he had a glazed over, distant smile. Balling up his fists, his knuckles cracked, and he started to hum again. Emerging completely out of the cloud of dust, he summoned more blazing fire around both of his arms.

His gaze never averted from Hematite. He had an eerie calm about him, humming smoothly as if the fight were just a fun game to him.

Moving forward quickly, he seemed to 'trot' around, bounding from place to place swiftly and looking for an opening to land a solid hit on his opponent. However, the way his body moved had changed completely since the spar started. Now he spun around, gracefully lunging, almost as if _dancing_.

And then, from no-where, his humming turned into actual _singing_.

 

_"Come to me, oh dearest one! Together we shall see the sun! You and me, lets sail away; live to see another day!~"_

–

Still shaken by his moment of shock, Hematite took a few heavy paces back as Morganite approached. The humming and calm demeanor was putting him off. And now he was _singing_? Nervously, Hematite held up his hands in a defensive manner, but quickly balled them back up into fists when he saw that Morgan wasn't done yet.

Quickly, he advanced backwards, keeping his eyes on the warrior gem. He could tell he was looking for an opening, but this time, he wasn't giving him one. Hema met his moves one for one, always keeping him in front of him.

"M-morganite?" he stuttered, still not recovered from earlier. He didn't like this. This wasn't 'right', something about the warrior was _off_. And Hematite didn't like it one bit.

–

Morganite twisted around, seemingly putting on his own show as he advanced forward. The flames licked up his arms slowly, engulfing them with a bright pyre.

_"So take my hand, be not afraid! This beast before you shall be slayed, and when we're through, I'll say to you..."_

Skidding to a halt, Morganite turned on his heel to run directly towards Hema, closing some space between them.

_"... do not look so dismayed!~"_

He shot towards the service gem, his entire body now engulfed in a raging inferno. He was closing in quickly. His arms struck forward, blades pointed right for the larger gem.

–

He couldn't avoid him forever.

Hematite continued to try and keep Morgan in front and away from him, but as the warrior suddenly lunged forward, blades outstretched, the service gem knew he was out of options.

Moments before Morganite's weapons closed in, Hematite's entire form began to spark with bright pink electricity, his eyes wide.

 

_Flash_

 

_**WHAM!** _

 

In a split second, Hematite's now giant foot made heavy contact with the pink-haired warrior, sending him flying into the opposite wall, leaving another impressive crack. The now giant gem's form slowly stopped glowing, and he was left crouched close to the ground, his leg extended with a sweeping divet scooped out of the dirt behind it. It'd been a clean hit. Hematite's breathing was heavy, irregular, and his eyes were staring ahead of him at nothing in particular. Electricity was coursing through his whole body, sparking into the ground below him.

"AW YEAH THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" shouted Puff from the audience, her fists high in the air. She gave a hearty laugh, her eyes bright. Most of the audience around her did not share her enthusiasm. Puff looked around, confused why no-one else was cheering. However, the moment she saw Hematite's face clearly, she understood why, and her demeanor fell. _“Scrap?”_  
Images of Puff's first encounter with the giant gem flashed through her mind, and sweat began to form on her brow. She didn't like that distant look Hematite had.

–

With a heavy slam, Morganite's made contact with the wall, his weapons disappearing upon impact. However, his entire body remained coated in flames. Falling into the dirt below the crack, he found himself hunkered over, propped up by one of his arms. He coughed, but shakily got himself off of the ground.

 _"T.. Together...we can wait this out..."_ He was looking down, his face hidden by a messy arrangement of pink hair. _"You and me, without a doubt..."_ Another cough escaped him, and he slowly looked up, the grin still plastered across his face. _"They'll try and try to tear us down..."_

The flames licked further up his form, and he looked up at the huge gem before him, eyes widened in both excitement and minor surprise. He met Hematite's gaze, unwavering. Every lyric he sang grew quieter, until it was almost too quiet to be heard by anyone but Hema himself. He seemed to be, more than anything, singing it to _himself_.

_"But in the end we'll take the crown..."_

–

The giant gem stared at Morganite, his breathing still irregular. He didn't seem to be listening to the pink-haired warrior's song, though he was still _hearing_ it. He opened his mouth, as if about to say something.

 

But then a cry of agony escaped him instead. With a flash, Hematite suddenly shrank down ever so slightly. He hunched over, holding the back of his neck, inhaling sharply through his teeth.

The collected gems gasped in surprise, some gems pointing and standing up to see what had happened. A huge warrior class gem was standing some distance behind Hematite. It was the new guard from the gate. A huge spear, seemingly made of light energy, was currently clasped in her fist.

Another identical spear stuck out of the back of Hematite's neck, between his fingers. He was panting heavily, trying not to lose control of his form as electricity started to course through him and the ground below him.

–

Morganite stopped abruptly, clenching his fists, his smile fading.

_What?..._

Noticing what had happened, the flames from his body quickly died out. Concerned, he stepped forward slightly to try and see what was going on around Hematite. As soon as he noticed the guard, his brows furrowed.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" he shouted just loud enough for them to hear, crossing his arms. He started to walk a little quicker towards them, slowly glancing over at the distressed crowd. _This wasn't supposed to happen._

–

The guard, upon seeing that Morgan wasn't poofed or shattered, pointed her spear at the warrior class gem, glaring down at him. Her light yellow eyes bore straight through Morganite, a cruel sneer on her lips.

_**Stay. Out of this.** _

Morganite growled at the guards offending glare, his fists bursting into flames. _Like hell I'm gonna let you get away with this if I have anything to say about -_

**-**

The spear she was pointing at him flashed, now far longer and deadlier looking, and a smirk crossed her face. The smile quickly vanished, however, when the giant gem some distance from the two of them suddenly jerked, letting out another cry of pain. She looked over just in time to see Hematite yanking the spear out of his neck. He looked at it before promptly shattering it in his fist. His attention snapped to the two gems in the arena, his eyes wide, teeth bared. A low growl rumbled in his chest, and a few gems in the audience suddenly began to scramble from their seats, heading for the stairs. Puff was frozen in place, her hands tightly gripping the back of the seat in front of her.

–

Within an instant, Morganite backed up quickly, startled by the sudden change of demeanor. On one hand, he was glad to see Hema intact... on the other, he couldn't tell if the giant gem's anger was directed at them both, the guard, or if he was pissed off in general.

_-_

Without warning, Hematite launched forward with a feral battle cry. He landed on all fours near the gems with a ground-shuddering **thud** , one of his hands only feet away from Morgan. His other fist shot out toward the guard, violently knocking her away, across the arena floor.

–

He took another few steps away from Hematite's massive hand, watching in a surprised amusement as the other gem was sent flying. He shrugged with a dry, almost amused chuckle and the flames disappeared once more from his hands.

"Er, looks like ya got that covered then, big guy..." he whispered, smirking.

Still, he shot the other guard a condescending sneer.

–

At the pink-haired warriors words, Hematite's attention suddenly snapped down to him, his teeth still bared. The low growl was still in his chest, now even louder since he was so close.

The warrior landed heavily across the field, her spear vanishing into a show of sparks as she sat up, coughing up dust. She quickly sat up, glaring at the giant gem.

–

Morganite blinked, giving another heavy shrug. His expression faltered for an instant.

"Alright alright, sorry! Hah..." He chuckled softly, taking _quite a few_ steps back. "I'll just stay out of your way for the moment..." He bit his lip awkwardly, crossing his arms. There was _no_ way he was getting between Hema and the other gem with him in _this_ state.

–

As soon as Morganite backed off, the slightest bit of 'sense' returned to Hematite's expression, and he closed his mouth, quickly turning to the warrior across the arena. She drew a spear from a small, dark opening in the right side of her armor, which supposedly was where her gemstone was.

Quickly, Hematite barreled toward the armored gem, his clawed fingers outstretched, lightning coursing between them. The huge warrior took his moment of advancing to summon another, much larger spear. She chucked it powerfully at his neck, though Hematite caught the movement and was able to dodge it, getting nicked in the shoulder, tearing his suit. Snarling, the giant gem lashed out at the guard, leaving deep scratch marks in the dirt as she dodged back out of the way. She launched another spear at him, this time it hit him directly in the eye piece, making Hematite wince and recoil back, holding his face.

The Jasper in the audience stared in horror and appalled shock as the guard landed blow after blow on the giant gem. Why was she even attacking him in the first place?! And for that matter, why couldn't Hema land a hit on her?!

Leaping down from her seat, Puff grit her teeth and rushed over to Morganite, grabbing his sleeve as she rushed towards the two.

"Mor', we gotta do something! Who is this gem?!"

–

Morganite watched in disgust, clenching his fists together. His brows furrowed, ran alongside Puff, . Sweat formed on his brow, realization setting in the more he watched. At first, he thought Hema could handle this on his own, but now...

"Puff, that guard is aiming right for his gem. She's trying to KILL him!" He snarled, the sharp blades forming over his forearms yet again. "We have to stop her, Hematite didn't warrant this! This is illegal interference, and whatever reason she's attacking him for, it sure as hell doesn't warrant shattering!!" he continued, shooting a determined glare back at the Jasper.

–

Puff's eyes widened at the mention of 'shattering', and she felt a cold chill shoot up her spine.

_The recording..._

The Jasper turned her attention quickly to the fight as she summoned her battle ax. She stopped, eyes wide at the sight that welcomed her. She hadn't looked away for ten seconds, but now...

Hematite had shrunken again, only half of the size he'd been when he landed the 'final' hit on Morganite. He was still big, but not unmanageable now at only thirty or so feet tall. The warrior was relentlessly swiping a rather impressive spear at him as he retreated back, attempting to stand on his feet. But he failed as the guard shot another light spear at his neck, and he fell backwards, landing flat on his back. Without wasting a moment, the warrior ran along Hematite's leg, up to his knee, ready to use it as a vantage point to go in for her final strike.

Puff was already running toward the two, letting out a rather panicked, but fierce battle cry.

"HEMATITE!"

Eyes widening, the guard faltered at Puff's outburst, her steps uneven for a moment.

–

Morganite rushed forward. The world around him fell silent. The screams, Puff's yelling, the warriors cry... he heard _nothing_. He fell silent. His face was blank, glazed over, even. He wasn't all _there_ , suddenly. He sent himself barreling towards the guard, taking a mighty leap onto Hematite's chest. Without having much time to think, he stepped in front of Hema's gemstone and swung his arms into his X-shaped shield position and braced for impact.

–

Upon seeing Morganite jump in the way, the warrior stumbled just enough to throw off her leap. Instead of jumping for Hematite's neck, she landed clumsily onto his chest, in front of the pink haired gem. The impact knocked the wind out of Hematite, and he winced, still too out of it to process what was going on. Puff made it to Hematite's side and stared up at Morgan and the warrior, wondering if she should interfere or not. It wasn't wise to get between Morgan and his opponent, and she wasn't sure she could hop up there anyways. She looked at the giant gem on the floor, quickly checking his neck over for damage.

–

Morganite took the opportunity to jerk forward, grabbing onto the warrior's shoulders with flaming hands, gripping tightly. He met her gaze evenly with a deadpan, cold stare.

**WHAM!**

He jerked his knee upwards, spinning around and kicking them in the chest. He watched her land on the field, knocked completely off of Hematite's chest.

 _"GET AWAY FROM HIM._ You are interfering with a match you had no part in! This is the Coliseum, and Hematite did NOTHING wrong!" he roared down at her, holding up his arm which burst into a spiraling pyre of flames.

–

The blow to her chest caught her off guard, as did the powerful kick. She ungracefully stumbled back to the coliseum floor, and Hematite took the chance to scoot back a bit, sitting up just slightly. His hand reached up, cupping close to Morgan so he wouldn't slip off as he sat up. The giant gem stared down at the guard, all the anger gone from his face. There was nothing there now but numb fear and shock.

–

Morganite fell back into the gem's hand upon Hematite's sudden shifting. He was a little taken aback at first, but soon realized what was happening, and relaxed. He looked up at him quickly and nodded in a subtle thanks. Hopping back down onto the dirt, he snuffed out the flames around his blades, but kept them summoned. He wasn't going to take a chance with _this_ one.

–

The huge warrior gem slowly sat up, shaking her head. Puff walked over, her ax in her hand. She glared evenly at the gem and grit her teeth. The larger guard looked as if she'd reach for another spear, but she stopped when Puff growled at her. Instead, she flicked her hand over the small opening in her armor, closing it off with a soft click. Frowning deeply, the Jasper motioned subtly with her ax.

"Get up. We're taking this to Blue Diamond. You had no right attacking this gem."

Scoffing, the guard looked up and cracked her neck with a smirk. Puff grasped her weapon tighter, ready to strike, but the guard dropped her head again. She was quiet a long moment, but then sighed. A dark green battle helmet appeared on her head in a flash of light. Hematite thought for a moment she was going to get up and fight again, but the warrior made no move to do so. Instead, she slowly looked up, staring at nothing in particular.

"Let's go, then."

Hematite's eyes widened, his look of shock slowly being replaced by one of deep thought and slight confusion.

–

Morganite narrowed his eyes, staring daggers into the guard. He said nothing, slowly looking over to Puff and giving her a look that could only mean 'get on with it'.

–

Puff met Morgan's gaze and nodded in response. She turned to the warrior gem and snorted at her in disgust.

"C'mon then, get up."

Slowly, the guard stood to her feet and put her hands up in front of her in defeat. Her face was hidden by her helmet, her expression unknowable.

As Puff began to lead her away, Hematite finally spoke.

"Wait."

The Jasper turned in surprise, her eyes widening when she saw Hema's expression.

He was staring hard at the armored guard, his jaw set, his eyes wide.

"We're not taking her to Blue Diamond."

"What?! Hematite, did you see what she just did?!" The giant gem slowly looked at her, his brows furrowing.

"Yes. I did."

"Then-"

_"We're taking her to White."_


	23. Relieved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite gains a new escort for his next mission.

It was a long, silent walk to the warp pad, and then the White tower. Hematite was deep in thought. The guard said nothing on the way back, and kept her stoic demeanor even as the group of four gems approached White's office door. Hematite knocked, waiting as the entrance opened up, and walked inside. He saluted stiffly. 

"Hematite reporting, White Diamond."

–

White took a stand from her seat and gave the group a mildly suspicious look. It was brief, however. While she didn't appreciate Hematite bringing uninvited gems to her office, especially one she didn't recognize, she knew it was best not to jump to any negative conclusions. With that stiff demeanor and serious look... something was definitely up.

"Hello, Hematite. Is there something you need? Why do you bring this warrior to me, did something happen?" she asked, narrowing her eyes curiously.

–

The small service gem frowned deeply, his expression dark; not exactly something that White was used to seeing from him. He stepped out of the way as Puff ushered the warrior into the office. Standing beside Hematite, the guard kept her chin high and stared at White Diamond, her face obscured by her helmet.

"White Diamond,” she said flatly, her arms held stiffly at her sides.

Hematite's scowl deepened, and he crossed his arms tightly. Raising his head, the cuts along his neck and shoulders were revealed to his leader. 

"This gem attacked me in the arena in the midst of a spar with Morganite."

Quickly, the warrior scoffed and interrupted him.

"I was given direct orders by my General, under the order of Yellow Diamond, to guard the arena and subdue any gems that got out of hand. This gem has a record of causing trouble in his giant form AND directly attacking a Diamond in broad daylight, and I thought it prudent to stop him before anyone got hurt or _killed_. I was aiming to destabilize him, not shatter."

Puff rolled her eyes and stood back, standing beside Morganite in the doorway.

–

White widened her eyes, her lips parted in a confused horror at the sight of Hematite's scrapes and torn suit. She listened to both sides, occasionally looking back down at Hematite's gem. Before she could respond, Morganite stepped forward. 

"I can attest against that, White Diamond." he stepped next to Hematite, placing a hand on his shoulder. His smile was completely gone, and he looked far angrier than most gems were used to seeing him. White crossed her arms and stood up straight, glancing gradually between the two and the huge warrior that stood behind Hematite. Morganite continued.

"Hematite and I were sparring in the Coliseum, he wasn't disobeying any rules or anything. When he size shifted up, this guard attacked him unprovoked. Hematite did land a few strong hits on me, but it was all in sport. I knew he wasn't going to kill me, and even if he _was_ serious..." Morganite looked back, shooting the guard a rather nasty glare. "I could have handled it myself. Now..." 

He looked back at White and bowed his head respectively. 

"The guard here says that she aimed to poof him, not shatter. However that's not what I saw. On multiple occasions, she aimed right for his gem." Looking down, he looped one of his fingers into a rather sizable rip near Hema's gem, making sure not to make contact with the silvery stone. He gave a small tug against the collar of Hematite's shirt by the tear. 

"I'm sure I don't need to provide any more evidence than this to prove that..."

–

White stood wide eyed, speechless for a moment. Her brows furrowed, and slowly, she looked up to the guard behind the two gems. She said nothing, for the moment...

–

The service gem was silent as Morganite backed him up, and he thanked his lucky stars that the pink-haired warrior had his back, both in the arena and now. Hematite looked up at White, a scowl still on his face. The guard behind him spoke up defensively.

"I knew a Harvester could be a danger if he were to turn against the gems in the arena. I stand by the fact that I was not trying to shatter him."

  


_Harvester._

  


_**Harvester.** _

  


Hematite's attention snapped up to the warrior, realization and anger in his eyes.

_**"YOU!"** _

The huge gem took her eyes off of White and stared down at the small service gem, confused. Hematite's fists clenched, and he bared his teeth. A slow, deep inhale of breath hissed through his teeth as he pointed an accusatory finger up at the massive war-class gem.

"I knew I recognized your voice! You're the one on that recording!"

"Recording?" The warrior's shoulders tensed, and she shifted back half a pace.

"' _Shattered_ ', ' _ **Harvester**_ '! I knew there was something weird about the gem in that audio file, that something didn't sound right!" He took a step closer. "You were wearing your helmet then too, weren't you?!"

The guard stared, her eyes wide, though it was hidden by her helmet. She went dead silent, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end.

–

White's gaze shot up to the guard, eyes narrowing fiercely. She rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath. Without taking her eyes off of the guard, she spoke. 

"Puff. Do you still have that, by any chance?"

–

The Jasper walked forward, shouldering her way past the warrior. Rummaging through her pocket, she pulled out the same diamond pad she had weeks ago.

"I do, White." She gave the warrior an incredibly dirty look as she flicked on the screen.

The voice played.

"Harvester----traito---alone--------weak---mission----when he's----find----take him dow---size-----nst him--shatter"

While the rest of the message was harder to make out, 'Harvester' and 'shatter' especially were distinct.

It was hard to make out, but it _was_ the same voice.

The service gem roughly grasped at the cloth on his sleeve, his arms tightly crossed as he glared daggers up into the warrior's dumbstruck face.

"Maybe you should learn to keep your mouth _shut,”_ he hissed with spite, the hair on the back of his neck standing up in horrified anger.

–

As soon as white heard ' _Harvester',_ she heard nothing else.

That was all she needed.

The Diamond's face was hard with rage, her teeth baring ever so slightly. The hair on the back of her neck bristled much like Hematite's, and she glared daggers into the guard.

With venom in her words, she hissed loudly.

  


"Remove your helmet and state your name."

–

A chill ran up the warrior's spine, a sense of dread washing through her chest. Slowly, she took off her helmet, which vanished in a flash of light. She cracked her neck and glared right back at White, her eyes narrowed.

"Diaspore."

–

White had an odd composure about her, a rageful calm filling the air. There it was again, the density of the air thickened, making the pressure in the room increase. She was breathing heavily, but slowly. Her eyes never faltered from the guard's. 

"Morganite." White said sternly, but quietly. 

A chill went up the pink-haired warrior's spine. _He knew what was coming next._ Silently, he grabbed Hematite's arm and took him to the side, getting him away from the seething diamond. He glanced over at Puff, urging her to do the same.

  


White placed her fingertips together, her form still stiff and poised. Slowly, her fingers interlocked, and she motioned her hand forward, cracking her knuckles. A series of chilling cricks filled the air.

  


"State your mission and remove the rest of your armor."

–

The service gem's anger dissolved as the air in the office grew denser. He glanced at White, pale, and looked at Morgan as he lead him away. Puff backed out of the office and stood to the side, along the wall outside the door. She wasn't getting anywhere _near_ this.

Diaspore snorted contemptuously and clapped her hands, her armor vanishing.

  


_So this is it._

  


She cracked her neck again, moving her arms to reveal an oval-shaped gem on the right side of her chest. 

"Mission: Keep the peace at the Coliseum under orders of General Topaz."

–

Just as Dia finished her statement, White took a step forward, shifting into a rather eerie stance. She didn't even hear what Dia said, she was so engulfed with fury that pounded through her head. In all honesty, she didn't _care_ what this gem's mission was.

Within the blink of an eye, she swiped her hand over her face, pulling out a massive pole arm from her gem and slamming it onto the ground. The resounding CLACK echoed through the room, and the air thickened again with an almost worrying pressure. White heaved again, taking in another massive breath of air, gripping the pole arm even tighter. When she opened her mouth again, she spoke loudly, in a commanding tone that shook everyone in the room. 

  


**"You have BROKEN your code of conduct, stepped out of line, and attempted to take the life of a gem that was not yours to take! Meddled in the affairs of business that was NOT YOUR OWN, and took things into your own hands when you SHOULDN'T HAVE!"**

  


_**CRICK!!!** _

  


It was over, fast. Without so much as blinking, White swiped her pole arm and thrust it forward with an alarming force, sending the metallic tip straight through Diaspore's gem and out through her back. Before anyone had time to even comprehend what happened, the warrior gem exploded into a cloud of light green vapor, her shards splintering out onto the cold floor beneath where she once stood.

  


White held her spear still in the same place as the gem literally fell to pieces around it. Her anger subsided at least a little, now leaving the same calm rage as before. She took one last shuddering breath, teeth grit.

  


"You are relieved of duty."

–

Hematite's eyes were wide, his hands tightly grasping Morganite's shirt. He was trembling, though he tried to control it. 

  


_He knew she'd be shattered for what she did, but he didn't think..._

_That he would have to watch it happen right in front of him._

  


Looking away, the service gem focused on Morgan's arm. He tried to get control of his breathing, but was having a hard time with it.

  


_She deserved it. She tried to kill me. It was justified._

  


Still, seeing it first hand was... _there wasn't a word for it._ Terrifying, bone-chilling, hair raising, _nothing_ did it justice.

The service gem finally dared to look at the shattered pieces on the floor after a long, tense moment.

"..."

–

Morganite managed to stay stoic throughout the entire ordeal, placing his hand as comfortingly as he could on Hema's shoulder. Still, he couldn't look away from the shards himself, an odd look in his eyes. White leaned over, placing a bubble around the pieces and blipping them away quickly with a tap of her finger. Her pole arm dissipated, and she took another sharp breath. For a few moments, everyone was silent... The dense air faded away gradually, too slowly for anyone to notice right away. White stood tall again, looking over to the group that had stepped away from her. She didn't say a word, at first.

She placed her palms together, her calm returning. There may have still been some anger there, but at the very least it _significantly_ subsided. 

"… Are you alright, Hematite?...." she spoke, concern filling her tone. It seemed now that the problem was taken care of, at least in the short run, she was far more worried about him. After all... he didn't look well.

–

The service gem managed to look up at his leader, his eyes wide. Lifting his hand, he touched his gemstone, his gaze dropping. He was silent a long moment, almost as if he didn't hear her. His small form was still visibly shaking.

–

White's face now completely dropped into a look of sheer _worry_. As if all of her anger, all of what had happened suddenly didn't shake her. She clutched her hand tightly, lips parting slightly as she gazed down at the service gem.

"Hematite..." she said softly, walking towards him and the pink-haired warrior. Morganite's grip for a split second tightened, but he let go of Hema's shoulder and backed away from him. 

When she was just a few feet away from Hematite, the diamond stopped and leaned down to get a little more eye level with him. She looked almost _pained_.

  


"Please say something, Hematite. I need to know if you are okay. _I'm not going to hurt you..."_

–

The shorter gem didn't flinch away from her as she neared, but he did tense up. He finally looked up at her again, his hand still over his gemstone. Looking at White's face, his shock and fear was replaced by mild surprise. She looked so... _concerned_.

"I-I'm.... fine." Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. "Just. Shaken, is all. She-" Frowning, Hematite exhaled slowly, his trembling calming down. "She did a real number on me, I guess." Hema's fingers found their way to his torn collar, and he fidgeted with the fabric. _Stars, she'd really torn into him..._

"I think I'm okay..."

–

White sighed in relief, standing up straight once more. 

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." Her brows furrowed, her serious demeanor returning. She turned around and walked towards the window, gazing out to the city that it overlooked. Morganite turned to look at Puff, giving her a nod as if to ask if she were okay.

–

Watching her walk off, Hematite continued to fidget with his collar. Eventually, his hands folded in front of him, and he glanced at Morgan and Puff.

The Jasper that'd been outside the room was peering in the doorway now, and gave Morgan a nod. Thankfully she hadn't seen any of what transpired, and seemed rather okay. She walked over to the pink-haired gem and spared Hematite a concerned glance.

–

The Diamond across the room broke the silence.

  


"I will be having a word with Yellow Diamond about this... And Hematite." She turned her head, glaring from the side. "I will be joining you on your next mission. I want to make absolutely sure that you will be safe. After word gets out that this has happened, I'm sure that some won't take too kindly to it."

–

Hema wasn't paying attention to the other two now, but instead was watching White Diamond intently. At her statement, he swallowed and nodded.

"Y-yes ma'am. Understood." _A mission with White herself? That would certainly be something._

"What would you like me to do for today? I'm ready to return to work, should you need me to."

–

White placed her palms to the window sill and hunched over, sighing.

"As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, perhaps it is not in your best interest to get right back into working today. Especially not in your condition." She sighed, tapping her index finger on the glass idly. 

"Take the rest of the day to rest up. I'll see to it that this little guard problem is taken care of." She said, her voice dropping towards the end of her sentence.

  


"Morganite. Puff." 

  


The warrior tensed, straightened himself at the mention of his name and saluted. 

"Yes ma'am!"

  


"...Thank you both for looking after Hematite. I appreciate your cooperation. You are all dismissed."


	24. Cooperation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Diamond breaks some bad news to someone.

The following day, White stood in Yellow Diamond's office alongside Hematite. She'd already had her little chat with her fellow diamond. She explained everything about the situation with Diaspore as best as she could. At times she found it hard to contain her frustrations, but managed to talk it out over time. At first, Yellow didn't seem fazed, showing little to no reaction to the incident. However, as the explanation continued, she seemed disgusted... in more ways than one. While she wasn't happy with Hematite and would have been more than happy to see him shattered at any given point in time, what the Diaspore did was against the law. She couldn't deny that, and if it weren't _Hematite_ , she would have handled it professionally and unbiased... so even though she hated to help _him_ , she had to treat this like any other case. These guards were now deemed unpredictable, so she had to put a stop to it before anything else happened.

 

Now, they stood together in the same room. Standing next to White was Hematite, who accompanied her for the upcoming meeting. He hadn't said anything aside from when White Diamond asked him to confirm or deny certain facts of the situation back in the Coliseum.

At the moment, they were simply standing near Yellow's desk, watching the door. White finally broke the silence.

 

"General Topaz should be here soon, Yellow. It's about that time."

 

Yellow paced around the room quietly, turning to the other Diamond as she spoke up. Sighing, she glanced over to the door.

"I'm aware."

–

Needless to say, Hematite wasn't exactly... comfortable with being in Yellow's office. White had him tag along for the night, and he'd tried to prepare himself to interact with his rather distant superior, but nothing he did made him anymore ready than he was. The service gem's hands were constantly fidgeting, and he never once met Yellow Diamond's eyes. The two of them hadn't so much as spoken since the incident, and Hematite wasn't sure he knew how to start talking to her again.

All this business with 'General Topaz's' guards was a tad confusing to the service gem. He knew _of_ Topaz by name alone. After White's explanation about the Gem War, Hematite studied up on said events in his spare time and learned quite a bit more about important battles and generals. Specifically, General Topaz was mentioned quite a bit, and Hema now had a rather general overview of her legacy and her continued notable services she provided to the Diamond Authority. She was, and continued to be, one of Yellow Diamond's most feared, respected, and powerful military commanders. But why were her warriors here on Homeworld? Topaz was stationed on another colony planet entirely, aside from a visit here and there to the capital city.

 

Well, he supposed it wasn't any of his business. White and Yellow had discussed the full details and only told him what he needed to know. He just wanted this to be done and over with.

 

Soon enough, there was a light knock on the door, and the office entrance hissed open, revealing a huge, war-class gem. Hematite felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight, his eyes widening. As she entered the room, Topaz brushed her hair back from her face and revealed her right eye, staring at the group with a stoic, intelligent gaze. The small service gem stared up in awe at the General and couldn't help but note how she was built almost exactly the same as the guard who had attacked him. She was as tall as White Diamond, and was built much like a Jasper. A triangular yellow gem laid in the center of her chest, directly above a yellow diamond insignia. She was quite the sight to behold. The well-built gem made her way into the room and saluted as a warrior, bending on one knee and bowing her head.

"General Topaz reporting, White Diamond, Yellow Diamond."

–

White crossed her arms, her hands gripping tightly against her gloves. She said nothing, glaring down at the Topaz before her. Yellow stopped pacing, sighing heavily as she did so. She grabbed a hold of the wrist of her glove, snapping it quietly against her arm.

"Look, Topaz. I'm going to cut right to the chase, we need to talk about your guards." She took a deep breath, pursing her lips, clearly not amused.

–

The warrior gem blinked in surprise, her stoic demeanor cracking for a moment. She stood up straight and cleared her throat politely as her professional demeanor returned to her. Her hands clenched and unclenched once, and she crossed her arms, frowning. _She didn't look pleased._

"Did something happen?" she asked curiously, raising a brow.

Hematite watched quietly, trying not to fidget.

–

Yellow bit her lip, looking off to the side in barely disguised frustration.

"I appreciate your initial concern, Topaz. I really do, but I'm afraid these guards are just too unpredictable to keep around. One of them attacked Hematite yesterday, unprovoked, and tried to kill him. What if they were to turn on someone else? I just don't want any more of these incidents." She said sternly, unfolding her arms and placing her hands to her hips as she gazed up at the warrior.

 

"I'm going to respectfully ask you to remove your guards from all districts at once."

–

Topaz's face darkened as Yellow Diamond spoke, and her hands slowly clenched into fists, her knuckles cracking loudly. Her brows furrowed in indignant rage, and at first it seemed that she would speak in her guard's defense.

 

But then she opened her mouth.

 

"They did WHAT? Who was this, where are they?!" Her arms uncrossed, and she clenched her fists again, gritting her teeth. "They were under direct orders to only _subdue_ gems. And even then, it was only in emergency situations." Topaz growled and looked away, her anger not spent. It was clear she was going to continue.

–

White's brows raised in mild surprise, but she bit the end of her nail curiously. She didn't speak. Should she even tell her that the guard in question wouldn't be a problem anymore?... Yellow, too, had a look of surprise, but it quickly turned back into a simple frown. _Topaz was known to have a bit of a temper when it came to her soldiers and any... out of line behavior, so this wasn't too shocking to her._

"I believe their name was Diaspore, she was stationed in the Coliseum, but White... took care of her, already."

–

Hematite watched Topaz curiously. She was furious, wasn't she? He didn't exactly blame her, she seemed genuinely shocked that one of her guards did such a thing. At Yellow's statement, he winced slightly, the image of the shattered pieces flashing through his mind.

The huge General glanced at Yellow, but at the mention of Diaspore's name, a low growl rumbled in her chest. For a moment, Topaz glanced at Hematite with a suspicious frown.

"Diaspore, I should have known. She always was battle-starved and antsy, but I thought giving her a second chance would..." Gritting her teeth, Topaz aggressively rubbed her forehead in frustration.

"To think I had a rogue gem on my hands and I sent her here of all places. I thought I could trust them to follow orders!"

The General was livid at this point, but still made no move to direct it at the other gems in the room. At this point she was venting more than anything else.

"To attack a gem unprovoked and unthreatened, it's inexcuseable." She looked at White with a fierce stare. "You took care of her, then? I hope you shattered her. I have no patience for gems who can't follow simple orders, especially after I've given them multiple chances to do so.”

–

The diamonds listened to the Topaz's outburst, glancing to one another on occasion. White narrowed her eyes, but looked to Yellow as she spoke.

"On the spot...." she muttered rather darkly. Yellow continued messing with the wrist of her glove, snapping it again in its place. She sighed, looking to the warrior.

"Yes, well... This one rogue's actions could spark riots. Perhaps even encourage more of these guards to attack unsuspecting, non-threatening gems." She shot Hematite a quick glance, but it was unclear what she was thinking, since her face didn't really match what she was saying. For once, her frustration didn't seem to be aimed at him. If anything, she just looked exasperated with the whole situation.

 

"I'm afraid it's just too risky, Topaz. I understand your disappointment and outrage... hooooweverrr..." She continued looking at Hematite, her brows raising very slightly. "Hematite's punishment has been over for some time now. What's done is done, and though he's lucky to be alive for what he did... He has already been dealt with, and that is out of my control. White... knows how to handle her gems. I'm sure if this one has any sense about him, he won't do anything like what happened in the Sky Arena ever again."

She looked back up at Topaz with a more stern look now.

"So while I understand your concern with him, I don't believe the guards will be necessary from here on out. We can handle it from here."

–

Hematite blinked and looked at Yellow Diamond, finally meeting her eyes for a moment when she looked at him. His expression was unreadable, and he quickly returned to looking at the general. At this point, she had calmed down, and her hair had fallen back over her right eye. Slowly, she crossed her arms, nodding. Her hand lifted to move her bangs out of her face again as she lifted her gaze to White, Yellow, and Hematite. When she spoke again, her voice was back to its normal low, but surprisingly nonthreatening tone. She was shockingly soft-spoken for such a fierce looking official.

"I understand entirely. I do not wish to keep them here and cause you any further trouble. They will all be given a stern 'talking to' when we return home. This will not happen again, not here, nor back at our own colony." She rubbed her forehead again and let out a drawn out, exasperated sigh. There was a long pause. "They will be removed from the districts by the end of tomorrow, without incident. By the Diamond Authority, I swear it." She saluted respectfully, a look of resigned sorrow on her face as she tilted her head down toward the floor. Her voice lowered to a much softer tone.

"My sincerest apologies for this, Yellow Diamond. And... White Diamond, Hematite, I apologize for any additional stress this has caused _you_ two. I cannot imagine how you must have felt." She raised her gaze from the floor, up to the small service gem. "This will _not_ happen again. No harm shall come to you by my soldiers ever again, I swear it on my gem.”

–

Yellow gave a prompt nod, clasping her hands together, glad that Topaz was as understanding as she remembered.

"Thank you for your time, regardless, Topaz. We'll see to it your warriors are in order before your departure tomorrow." She said, tapping her fingertips against one another. White stepped forward a pace and nodded as well.

"And thank you for your cooperation," she stated, placing a hand on Hematite's shoulder.

At the very least, Yellow looked pleased that this meeting had gone as well as it did, and that it was over. Topaz seemed to take it well, and now she was getting Hematite out of her hair again, and at the very least maybe now she had gained some respect back from White after their ordeal after Hematite's little 'outburst' in the Arena.

 

And... who knew. Maybe finally being exposed to Hematite again would finally stop her nightmares and she could get some proper rest for the first time in months. She had a lot of projects that needed working on, as usual, and her lack of sleep was slowly starting to get to her. And it was all because of that damn nightmarish form...

 

But still. That was then, this was now.

 

Despite her lingering distrust of the service gem, she was still genuinely glad that this guard situation was taken care of before anyone else got hurt, and that General Topaz wasn't too cross aside from her outburst over Diaspore.

In the end, justice was justice, and fair was fair, no matter the circumstances.

–

Topaz nodded in understanding, her bangs falling back over her eye.

"Thank you, Yellow Diamond. I will begin rounding up my soldiers immediately. I appreciate you letting me know about this promptly." With that, she saluted the two Diamonds. "I will see myself out. Thank you."

Without another word, she turned and walked out the door, the entrance hissing shut behind her.

–

White's hand left Hematite's shoulder and she, too, made her way to the door.

"Thank you, Yellow Diamond, for your understanding. Hopefully that wasn't too uncomfortable for you, but it had to be done,” she said, turning her head a little.

Yellow shrugged, rolling her eyes.

"Mnnnn unfortunately it _was_ , but... hopefully this will keep things a bit more, ah..." Her yellow eyes drifted to the service gem, looking a little suspicious. ".... Peaceful." She raised her head up and dug her nails into her arms faintly. “Just make sure this one stays out of trouble."

 

And with that, she nodded, dismissing the two of them.

 

_She was glad that was over._


	25. Shaken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Diamond questions her choice to refuse help.

Nothing.

 

She had definitely been here before. She knew it. She knew this place, somehow... but she couldn't remember _why she did_. Normally, she couldn't tell what this odd void was in the slightest, but this time around she vaguely remembered it, and it was giving her a headache. She tried desperately to recall how she knew this nothingness, this seemingly endless abyss, but she couldn't figure it out. What did this place mean? What was here? What was this feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach? 

But aside from that, there was something else...

 

Something was _different._

 

It wasn't cold like it had been all the times before.

Nor was it hot.

_It felt like absolute nothingness. It was a numbing absence of any sort of sensation aside from the phantom feeling of a floor beneath her feet.  
_

 

The setting alone made her feel oddly disoriented and sent a chill through her spine. She felt nervous, as if for some reason she couldn't keep hold of her nerves. But why?... Nothing was here. Of all things, why was she afraid of _this_? _No, be brave. There's nothing here. It's just darkness._

Yellow Diamond continued walking out into the black abyss, grasping the side of her head as she tried to comprehend just why this place was so familiar to her. It felt as though some voice was calling at her from the back of her mind, but it was distant and muffled. She couldn't make out any clear words.

–

 

_**CRACK!** _

 

The ground gave a violent heave underneath Yellow Diamond's feet as a stark-white crack spider-webbed across the black surface. A deep, warped laugh echoed behind her, and the ground gave a shuddering tremble, as if something heavy had landed not too far behind her.

-

Yellow cried out in shock, backing up swiftly upon feeling the tremors.

_There it was... that laugh..._

It, too, was somehow familiar.. but she didn't know how... yet. She whipped around, staring in horror behind her. Her body ran cold. Upon looking down a system of newly formed chasms, she saw _him._

_-_

Crawling up from a bottomless hole in the ground, Hematite's roughly outlined form clawed its way up from the inky blackness of the floor. His claws dug into the ground, sending more and more cracks through it as he heaved his body out of the nothingness of the surrounding environment. The hunting visor on his face gave a loud, distorted 'chirp' as it locked onto Yellow Diamond, and the nightmarish hunter grinned in an unsettling, twisted manner. As he slammed his hands down again, towering rock faces shot up from the floor in various places, quickly surrounding the two with sheer black walls.

–

Her hair stood on end and she high-tailed it in the other direction, making her way for some of the cliffs behind her that jutted up out of the ground. She was trapped between a monster and a sheer rock face that only seemed to be climbing higher as the seconds ticked by.

 

The only option was to climb.

 

She looked behind her just in time to see Hematite's enormous figure slink its way up onto her current plane. Eyes widening, she gasped and backed up against the rock face. _Okay, time to go._ She turned to the wall and gripped at its surface, scrambling to get up as fast as she could, to get as far away from that _thing_ as possible.

–

Another tremor shook the cliff that Yellow Diamond was climbing up, though as the wall cracked and trembled, it only created more footholds. _How... terribly convenient._

The laugh grew far louder now. Quickly closing the distance between the two of them, Hematite launched himself at the cliffs, latching onto the vertical surface, his claws digging deep into the rock. It cracked loudly between his claws, bits of the black and white stone falling to the floor.

_**"Did you really think those guards could protect you?!"** _

–

She scrambled up the cliff's surface, clawing towards the top as quickly as she could. Her hair stood up on end as she felt the nightmarish creature's icy breath on her back. She dared not look behind her. Gritting her teeth upon hearing his voice, she let out a small, terrified gasp as his claws dug into the rocks beside her.

_Get a move on!!_

Hoisting herself up to level ground once more, she regained her footing and started running to the next cliff. She didn't bother trying to reason with him, it didn't look like that was going to do any good.

She had seen him before.

Somewhere.

Why was Hematite acting like this? Why was he so aggressive?!

If she ever found White, she'd be sure to bring it up to her... assuming she could get away, that was.

–

Cackling maniacally, the monstrous giant heaved himself up onto the cliff and barreled after his target. He was running on all fours at this point, half of his body constantly cast in shadows.

 **"YOU CAN'T OUTRUN ME, YELLOW DIAMOND!"** he roared after her, his very voice shaking the ground below Yellow's feet.

The giant gem pounced at his target again, landing mere feet behind her. A quick whiff of wind blew the tiny diamond forward a few feet as a loud SNAP of teeth echoed behind her.

–

She stumbled quickly forward with a sharp whimper, running as fast as her legs could take her. _Alright, there was definitely_ _ **no**_ _looking back_ _ **now**_ _._ Panting heavily, she latched onto the next wall face and started climbing even faster, sweat dripping from her brow.

 

"S-STOP!" she shouted back, her voice wavering in barely restrained fear.

–

For a moment it seemed that Hematite was going to give up the chase, as he stopped some distance back from the cliff as his target scrambled up to make her escape. He watched her silently, the whir of his visor piercing the air. The ground continued to heave and lurch, the cliffs Yellow climbed up ever-changing and shifting. By the time she clambered halfway up, Hematite still hadn't made a move.

But the calm was short lived. Silently, the monstrous gem shot forward and once again leapt for the rocky cliff side But _this_ time, he hit his mark.

Claws digging into the rock, Hematite's fingers surrounded Yellow Diamond, cutting off her escape like a grim, stark-black cage.

"Who will watch your back now?~" he crooned, leaning in close to his tiny captive. His breath washed over her trapped form, his teeth glinting in the nonexistent light.

–

She flinched and held herself close to the wall, stifling another cry of horror. Opening her eyes, she stared up at the monstrous fingers that surrounded her. Face going pale, she suddenly scrambled upwards, prying desperately at his ice-cold fingers. All the memories of the past nightmares came flooding back to her at once in a horrific, bone-chilling wave.

She knew what this meant.

What _he_ meant.

But it was too late to stop it.

–

Growling lowly, Hematite drew his hand away from the wall, grabbing the back of the diamond's shirt between his claws. Without a moment's hesitation, the giant gem tossed his target into his mouth, his teeth snapping shut behind her.

–

With how quickly things escalated around her, she hardly had time to react. She cried out in as much protest as she could, even though it wasn't going to do any good.

 

Suddenly, the freezing cold returned.

It took her breath away as she hit the all too familiar icy surface below her, the horrific flashbacks of her last dream coming back to her. Gasping, she quickly whipped around and sat up, facing the massive fangs in front of her that blocked her way out. Horrified, she punched at one of his teeth.

"NO! LET ME OUT, STOP!”

–

Hematite chuckled lowly at the tiny gem's pitiful attempts to escape. He quickly cocked his head to the side, his jaws parting momentarily. His tongue pushed Yellow Diamond between the pitch-black rows of teeth before...

 

 

**CRICK**

–

Yellow cried out in distress, kicking at the covers of the bed she rested upon, sitting herself up. Her eyes were wide, and her breathing was heavy. She could still feel the terror she felt moments ago in her dream. Her shocked expression slowly fell to something akin to confusion.

_Still? What on Homeworld... She thought for sure the first few dreams were a fluke, a coincidence._

Now, she was sure there was something up.

One nightmare, okay. Two? Sure, maybe.

_But four... even **after** she tried to defend Hematite? Well, that was peculiar._

 

Every time. Every time she went to sleep to try and rest up after work, this happened. It was always the same concept... and it always ended the same way.

Normally when she awoke the fear was quickly replaced with anger or frustration, but not this time. Something was different now. _Were they getting more aggressive? More violent? Maybe it was just her imagination. Were these ever going to stop? What if this was a sign... a sign that sending Topaz's soldiers away was a mistake? Was her intuition trying to tell her something? What if Hematite was up to something and **was** still a danger?  
_

_... No, stop. You're letting this get to your head._

She decided not to mull over it much longer. Solemnly, she got out of bed and made her way to her office door. _Might as well get some work done, now that she was awake._ After all, she wasn't going back to bed any time soon after _that_.

These nightmares now were starting to concern her. She wanted to try and think of some solution to make them stop, but. Unfortunately, she still had work to do, so it was probably best not to dwell on it for much longer.

She shook it off, trying to forget the odd phantom pain in her gemstone. _Maybe they need a bit more time to stop._ _It was just a dream. Move on, get back to work, forget about it. Just don't go back to sleep tonight, and you'll be fine._

 

_But even she knew she wasn't going to be able to brush it off so easily._


	26. Got Your Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> White Diamond and Hematite go on their first mission together.

Finally, time to properly get back to work...

A few weeks after the business with Topaz's rouge guard, Hematite finally stood at the warp that laid in the center of the Diamond tower clearing. He was scuffing his foot on the ground, patiently staring up towards the White tower. Standing at about 15 feet tall or so, he waited for White Diamond to meet him down at the warp pad.

This would be his first mission alongside her. Honestly, he was rather nervous. White hadn't been around to assess his skills since that first test he ever took, years ago. There had never been a real need for her to accompany him on a mission, let alone one for simple recon and harvesting. But with recent tension among the districts concerning himself, it seemed prudent that he have some sort of escort.

  


And who better to do so than White herself?

  


The service gem just hoped that this mission went smoothly so he could show that he was able to do his job properly, even with her watching. The last thing he needed was to get nervous or jittery, or for something to pop up that made his job more difficult than it needed to be.

–

Distant tapping echoed through the nearby area. They were footsteps, getting closer by the second, sounding off the smooth marble floor that surrounded the central warp pad station.. Soon, White turned the corner, her hands clasped behind her back, headed for the service gem. She looked rather distant, staring up at seemingly nothing. As soon as she came within earshot of Hematite, she looked up at him, the distant look leaving her eyes. 

"Good morning, Hematite. Are you ready to go?" she asked promptly, skipping their usual pleasantries. 

–

Hematite couldn't help but smile nervously at his approaching leader. He stood straighter and saluted respectfully before returning to his more relaxed stance. _Well, at least she seemed to be in a fair mood!_

"Yes ma'am. I've been briefed by the archival Peridot and everything's in order." His hands fidgeted behind his back, and he couldn't quite mask his nervous excitement.

–

White gave Hematite a small smirk, walking up to the warp pad. 

"Well then, we shouldn't waste time. I hope you don't mind me tagging along for this one. I want to make sure that you will be safe," she said half rhetorically, stepping onto the surface of the teleporter. Crossing her arms, she closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly upwards. It had been a very long time since she herself had gone out on any field missions, especially with another gem that wasn't a diamond. This would certainly be an interesting experience, even more so considering she'd never been along on a mission with one of her Hematites since that first test years ago. She was curious to see how they worked in person, rather than what she'd read about in their reports.

–

The service gem's shoulders raised, a smile spreading across his face as he quickly followed White Diamond onto the warp pad. 

"Not at all! I'm happy to have you come along... I just hope my job performance will be acceptable." Giving her a nervous grin, he folded his hands behind his back, imitating her pose. "Ready when you are."

–

With a bright flash, the warp pad sent them off to the Pink District. Upon their arrival, White opened her eyes slightly, looking from side to side. No-one was there, that she could tell. _Good_. She stepped off of the platform and stretched her arms out. 

"One moment," she said quickly, her back facing the Hematite. She held her arms out to the sides, her entire body encased in a white glow for a few seconds. Gleaming, her form soon shifted, and she returned back to her former color. However, this time, she was in a new outfit, and bore a new hairstyle with longer locks and bangs.. 

The outfit was all black, with a single White insignia on her chest, and on the tops of her sleeves. Instead of long gloves that reached to her upper arms, this new outfit bore long sleeves. None of her skin was even visible aside from her head and some of her fingers. Turning her head to Hematite, she placed a hand on her hip. 

"Alright. Ready when you are."

–

Hematite opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when White walked off the warp pad. He stared at her curiously, his eyes widening as her form began to glow. When her form returned to normal, he stared, wide-eyed, at the gem before him. In all his years serving White, he'd never seen her change her appearance, much less like this. It honestly threw him off a bit, and he couldn't quite place why she would suddenly change her form _now_. However, it was not his place to question her.

After a moment, he nodded and stepped off of the warp pad. His eyepiece chirped online, and he pulled up a map to where they would be headed, noting how far away it was. There were a few places he needed to check on for gem monsters, and each of them was quite some distance from the last. It was going to be a loooong day.

For a moment, Hematite hesitated. He rubbed the back of his head before he looked back at his leader.

–

The Diamond didn't notice Hematite's pause right away, too busy looking up at the sky. At least it was clear today, it always seemed so gray and dreary. It was rare to see such a crystal clear sky out here.

After a moment, she finally noticed that Hematite was looking at her, as if waiting for something.White raised a brow, turning to him completely now.

"Something wrong?..." she asked, sounding more than a little concerned. _Did he always pause like this when he went on missions? Or perhaps he was just gathering all the information he needed before setting off?_

–

The service gem blinked in surprise and scratched at his head again.

"No no, nothing's wrong. I was just wondering if you'd prefer to go on foot, or if you'd like me to carry you. I _do_ need to shift up so we can cover more ground, so." He smiled shyly. "I know you can keep up, but I figured I'd. You know. Give the option?"

–

She smiled, emitting the smallest of chuckles. 

"If you'd like to carry me, sure. It's probably easier that way anyway," she said reassuringly. Though it dawned on her, she'd never been carried by him before. She heard stories from Blue about when she had ridden on his shoulder, and she couldn't help but wonder what it was like. Normally she would have inquired about it by now, but she just never thought to ask.

–

Hematite smiled brightly and glanced behind him, taking a few steps back.

"Okay, just give me a second." Closing his eyes, the service gem took a deep breath. His form began to glow brightly, just as White's had, but the slightest wave of bright pink electricity flowed up from the ground, along his legs, up into the rest of his body. He clenched his fists as his form began to grow. Soon enough, he'd reached a little over half of his potential height, and the energy at his feet began to vanish. It slowly dissipated up his form, until the electricity fizzled out at his finger tips and the top of his head. His body returned to its normal colors, and he looked down at White with a smile. The giant gem knelt down to his knees, extending his palm to her.

"Escort for one White Diamond.~"

–

White watched in curious awe as the service gem shifted up. No matter how many times she saw it, and it wasn't as often as she'd liked personally, witnessing the Hematite's abilities always fascinated her. And it was especially spectacular when she witnessed said abilities so up close and personal. She smiled, stepping up to the Hematite's hand, grabbing a hold of his thumb and hoisting herself up into his palm. 

"Juuuust make sure you know what you're doing. I know Blue has done this before, but she's reckless and a bit sturdier than Yellow or I," she said, only _half_ seriously.

–

The service gem couldn't help but feel his breath catch slightly in his throat as White climbed up onto his palm. He carefully cupped his fingers behind her so she wouldn't fall, marveling at the odd sensation of a gem willingly climbing into his hand. Sure he'd felt it a few times before when picking up Blue, but it never failed to make his hair stand on end slightly. Not only that, but White carried herself differently, and holding her was a subtle change from holding Blue.

"Don't worry, I've got this." Slowly, as to not give her vertigo, Hematite raised his hand up and began to stand back on his feet. He made sure that the transition was smooth, and he soon stood straight, having barely jarred his hand on the way up. "If you feel your balance go off, grab onto my suit collar. It's the easiest thing to hold onto. Otherwise, let me know if you'd like to get down at any point." Carefully, Hematite moved his cupped hand to his right shoulder, allowing White to climb up.

–

White listened to Hematite's instructions, watching the ground below her become farther and farther away. She looked down in faint awe, brows raised.

"Ah, yes of course,” she responded to his final statement, finally turning to climb up onto his shoulder. , Settling into a crouch, the diamond lifted a hand to the side of Hema's face, steadying herself. When she finally felt that her balance was evened out, she lifted her head and looked up with the subtlest look of surprise. The Pink District suddenly felt so much smaller to her. Despite only being at a higher perspective, everything below seemed as though it'd shrunk. Rocks, paths, buildings... everything.

_Incredible..._

–

With a bright smile, Hematite lowered his hands again and turned his head forward. He sharply exhaled through his nose as he began walking toward their first destination. His steps were surprisingly even and measured, so as to keep his upper half as still as possible as he walked. He'd gotten surprisingly good at this with all the rides he'd given to Blue, and even as he picked up the pace to a running walk, he barely disturbed the gem on his shoulder.

He went quiet, expertly traversing through the half-destroyed Pink District toward his first objective.

–

White leaned forward as the much bigger gem advanced, putting herself against the wind. She was rather impressed with how steady he was. Was he always like this? Was this how Blue felt those times that she had ridden on his shoulder? _She could get used to this_. Smiling, she watched the District seemingly fly by her.

–

Soon enough, Hematite was in a full-out run. He still kept his upper half from jostling around too much, even as he avoided fallen buildings, rubble, and patches of overgrown plant life. Hopefully, with how much ground he could cover at this size, they'd be there within an hour or so.

–

–

Sure enough, the run took around forty five minutes, give or take. Hematite slowed as he approached their destination, and he wiped his brow as he stopped. _Running for that long always took it out of him..._

–

White gave Hematite a reassuring touch with her hand, placing her palm against his cheek for a moment. She looked down to the crumbling ruins before them. 

"I take it this is where we need to be,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

–

Hematite appreciated the little touch to his cheek and nodded. 

"Reports say there may be heightened gem monster activity around here. It could be a nest. However, they _could_ have just been passing through." Peering through a few columns, he furrowed his bows. "This does seem like a good place to settle down if you don't want to be found."

The giant gem placed a hand on a still-sturdy looking part of the wall. As Hematite craned his neck to see inside a rather large, empty room below, his eyepiece chirped and made a sharp clicking sound.

"... Hm."

–

White nodded, placing her palm to her gem. Within a flash, she summoned a long pole arm, swiftly jutting it into the ground far below. It hit its mark, wedging itself deep within the soft dirt. With a 'hup!' she jumped down, landing skillfully on the end of the weapon. Standing atop the pole, she looked up at the ruins. She didn't stay there long, hopping off and fizzling the weapon away in a flash of sparkles. 

She remained quiet, listening for signs of anything moving throughout the area.

–

Watching his leader leap down from his shoulder, Hematite raised his brows and smiled faintly. Sometimes he could forget how agile she was. He quickly turned back to the task at hand, his face serious once more. His eyepiece had picked up on a few gem signatures, but they were weak. Focusing on pinpointing the source, the giant gem slowly began to creep through the half-destroyed ruins, all his senses strained on his environment.

–

A blinding light enveloped White for a few seconds once more. Upon her reappearance, she now bore a black cape that draped down just below her calves. It was neatly cuffed around her neck, bearing another small diamond insignia on the front. The cape would help her blend in further if she needed to. Pulling the scarf-like cuff over her mouth, she followed Hematite inside.

–

At White's footsteps, Hematite glanced back momentarily to see her in her altered outfit. He took quick note of it, but turned his attention back to honing in on his targets. There were many weak signatures that seemed slightly off, and one larger one. Hematite took a deep breath.

"There's a mother around. I'm unsure how big, or how powerful, but it's there."

The giant gem felt around a crumbling wall that laid in shadow, checking for any hidden entrances. There didn't seem to be anything.

–

White nodded at the statement, looking around herself. She didn't really seem to find anything either, upon first glance. She grabbed a hold of her cape and swiped it in front of her, quietly darting into the shadows. She wasn't really supposed to be helping Hematite out on his mission, but she figured that she might as well, since she was here. 

  


**Click.**

  


White's attention snapped to the right. Something made a noise, and it wasn't Hematite. No, it was just a _little_ too far off, and nowhere near him. Narrowing her eyes, she stayed quiet She was sure that Hema would have heard it too.

–

The giant gem's head instantly snapped to where the click came from, and he quickly rolled aside a large piece of the wall, revealing a small, insect like creature. It hissed at him and tried to scurry away, but Hematite was too quick for it. He plucked it up by the end of its 'tail' and looked it over carefully. 

"Hmm." Swiping his free hand over his eyes, Hematite now wore his hunting visor, and a small white diamond target appeared on the screen. He began scanning the gem monster, getting specifics on its signature.

"Gem Located: Sphene copy. Status: Corrupted. Mission Objective: Eliminate." 

Already looking around for more copies, the giant gem slowly moved from his spot, his visor whirring quietly as it pinpointed a few more sources. He idly crushed the copy in his hand, and it vanished into a gemless cloud of smoke.

–

White stayed out of sight, following Hematite from the darker areas of the ruins. _One down, stars only knew how many more to go._ Glancing to the side, she noticed the faintest of marks on the ground. _Tracks, maybe?_ There was no sure way to tell, given the state of this decrepit place.

–

Hematite noticed the same thing that White did, and his eyes narrowed. He knocked aside a large bit of shrubbery, revealing a few more Sphene monsters. Frowning, he raised his arm and balled his hand into a fist, promptly crushing all the monsters at once. Shaking his hand off, he looked away, the strong mother signal slowly getting clearer as the distracting copies faded away.

Creeping along a higher level of the ruins, Hematite slowly crouched closer to the ground. His body language steadily grew more animalistic as he neared a rather large pile of rubble and overgrown plants. 

–

White quickly realized that this would be the perfect time to take notes. With a quick flick of her hand, her gem glowed for a moment. She took out a Diamond pad that she had stored. She clicked it on quietly, looking around to make sure the noise didn't disturb anything. Fortunately, these things were pretty quiet. She continued following Hematite, jotting down the occasional note every now and then. Multitasking, she was able to keep up still, at least.

–

Slowly, the giant gem's eyes widened as he began to circle the rather sizable 'pile' in the center of the huge clearing. The ruins were nearly _destroyed_ around this area, and most of the ground was covered by grass. About 200 or so feet across, the pile of junk that Hematite was circling was considerably high. It seemed bits of wall and pillars had been haphazardly piled into the center before plant life had grown over it. 

By the time he circled the pile a third time, Hematite was almost completely level with the ground, his eyes fixated on a certain point in the rubble.

–

The Diamond's steps became quieter and quieter, to the point where they could barely even be made out. She watched from afar, making sure that whatever happened, she wouldn't disturb Hematite. Any wrong move, any wrong sound and it could throw off his entire tracking. She too made her way down, occasionally looking up to the ceiling with a small frown of disdain. _Tch, this place is ancient... Looking over to Hema in the distance, the diamond settled down and watched, her diamond pad held at the ready._

–

There was a long, tense pause. The only sound that could be heard was Hematite's shallow, slow breathing, and a breeze that disturbed the plants outside the ruins. Minutes ticked by, and Hema seemed as though he were frozen in time.

_Suddenly, he struck._

The giant gem shoved his fist into the pile, his form suddenly aglow. Within a flash, he had 'vanished'. There was the faintest disturbance in the pit of junk, but then all went silent.

–

White blinked in minor surprise, scoping the area for any signs of Hematite. She wanted to call out to see if he was alright, but if this was one of his 'methods' then she didn't want to disturb it. She gripped her cape tighter and stayed low.

–

There was a long pause, and about a full minute stretched on in silence. At first, it seemed Hematite might have gotten himself into trouble, or stuck. 

_But then a piece of rubble shifted._

A loud, muffled, angry screech pierced the air, and suddenly there was a bright flash as Hematite burst from the debris and foliage, now tussling with a huge corrupted gem monster. Rocks and plants went flying away from the two as he struggled to get the monster into the open clearing instead of the cramped ruins nearby. It snapped and clawed at him, letting out more furious screeches. Though it got a few painful-looking licks in, Hematite managed to roll the two of them into a spacious clearing. He chucked it away from him and watched it writhe on the ground before quickly rolling to its 'feet'. 

The creature was suddenly set ablaze, the fur along its back bursting into unnatural yellowish flames. Hematite frowned deeply, baring his teeth at the creature as his fists lit up. In an instant, his knuckledusters were upon his hands, the prongs alight with electricity. 

"Bring it on you overgrown weevil."

Screeching indignantly, the gem monster launched at Hematite and whipped him in the side with its tail, singeing his side. This earned a wince from the giant gem, but he took the chance to land a solid left cross to the creature's 'face'. It reeled back and curled in on itself, the flames along its back flaring up.

–

White flinched upon the abrupt appearance of the monster. Her instincts told her to spring into action, but didn't budge. Instead, she took the diamond pad out and started to jot more notes down. Occasionally, she'd wonder if she should step in or not. It looked as though Hematite had it covered, but anything could change on a dime. She'd stand ready if anything got hairy. Still, this was great for her archives!

–

Hematite circled around the creature in an attempt to look for a part of it that wasn't currently on fire, but he had no such luck. The gem monster suddenly launched at him, catching the giant gem off guard. It snapped for his face, and for a moment, it seemed it would go for his neck. 

But then there was another flash of bright pink light, and Hematite was once again 'gone'. The creature stopped, looking around in confusion, before it was suddenly, and violently, launched into the air by an up-shifted Hematite. Flying a good 50 or so feet in the air, the monster writhed around before falling back to the clearing, winded and on its back.

–

The Diamond sat down now, intently watching the 'show' before her. Every now and then, she'd jot down a note. Something about Hematite, and something about the monster. _Interesting_...

–

The diamond insignia on Hematite's visor suddenly constricted as it locked onto the gem on the creature's underbelly. Quickly, Hematite made a daring dash for it, which earned him a painful swipe to the arm with the creature's barbed tail. Hematite continued through the pain, and with a sharp kick, he snapped the creature's neck. The flames instantly died out, and the monster poofed into an impressive cloud of greenish smoke. Hematite panted, leaning down to the now dormant gem. He promptly tapped his finger on it, creating a tiny bubble.

–

White's eyes widened, looking on in wonder. She had never gotten to see Hematite _really_ on the job, aside from the first time she watched him hunt down the Agate all those years ago when they first met. Now that he had experience, it only impressed her more. She was more than happy to take notes. Standing up, she placed the diamond pad back into her gem and hopped down from where she previously resided. 

"Good work, Hematite."

–

Looking to his leader, Hematite smiled, almost bashful, and poofed away his visor. 

"Thank you, White." His eyes were gleaming with pride, and he turned to his target, bringing it near his gem. The silvery stone flashed, and the bubble was gone, stored away in his pocket dimension. Moving his hand up to his face, Hematite winced at the scratch he'd taken. There were faint singe marks along the wound, but it didn't seem too terrible.

"That thing was a lot bigger than I expected."

–

"Well, it _was_ a mother." She chuckled, brushing the ground with her foot. She started to pace slowly, looking all around the room now. _Amazing_. She didn't even recognize this place... "What is your next objective, then?" she asked promptly, still looking away from him.

–

Hematite joined her in looking around. 

"I have to do a final scan of the area to make sure there aren't anymore remaining infestations." 

He began scanning the area, slowly pacing along the ruins. After a few long, silent minutes, Hematite suddenly spoke up. "White? ... Is there truly no way to fix those things?"

–

Following alongside the service gem, she stayed a few feet behind at any given time. There were vines starting to cover the walls, even more so than before. It would seem that the deeper they got, the more plant life there was.

Hematite's words shook her from her thoughts.

Her heart sank. She knew _why_ he brought that up, but she'd wished he hadn't.

"Unfortunately, there's no known way to heal corrupted gems. We've tried at times to find a cure, but to no avail." She paused for a few moments, but continued hesitantly. "It hasn't been very high priority though, it never has been... We still study it as much as we do other things, but it's not something that gem-kind is very focused on at the moment.”

–

A heavy sigh escaped the gem, and he stopped in his tracks, his lips pursed.

"Yeah. Right... right. Of course." Turning to his leader, he quickly changed the subject, though there was a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach now. He did his best to ignore it. "It seems the coast around here is clear. We can move onto the next destination.” Kneeling down, Hematite offered his hand again. "It's gonna be another long walk."

–

She honestly regretted saying anything, but she couldn't _not_ tell him. Sighing quietly, she stepped up into the Hematite's hand again. However, this time, she avoided looking at him directly. 

"Take us there, then."

–

Noticing her avoidant gaze, Hematite frowned just slightly and carefully lifted his leader up to his shoulder again. Once she was situated, he started the long trek further into the district.

–

White hopped up onto Hematite's shoulder and looked forward. Perhaps that brief awkwardness would just pass. She sat down this time, the cape flowing behind her as they advanced towards their destination.

–

Hematite, exhausted from his previous run and his fight with the gem monster, took a much more leisurely walk to the next location on his map. This was how he often worked, and why his missions sometimes would take days at a time to complete. He'd finish an objective, rest, and then move on to the next one. Complete, rest, move, repeat. However, with White tagging along, and with the moment of... well, awkwardness earlier, he didn't want to lay about and risk the conversation going places it shouldn't. 

So for the time being, he ignored his dwindling energy and pressed on.

\----

The sun had begun to set when Hematite reached his first recon location. He took notes silently, his eyepiece chirping away as it jotted down data. Seemed everything was fine here, no monsters or rebels detected. Another thirty minute walk later, and he arrived at the second recon point. Same results. Hm, at this rate, he and White would be back at the towers by tomorrow!

\----

Hematite stood straight as he finished checking over a rather decrepit building. He'd had to 'take care of' a small gem monster, but it was bubbled and put away with ease. Taking a deep breath, the giant gem finally broke the silence.

"One last location left."

Walking off, Hematite headed toward a city block in the distance. It had been a long time since they saw a proper section of city. However, despite the towering buildings and what appeared to be miles and miles of what was once an urban section of the Pink District, all around the city were miles of open field. Hematite thought he could see an impressive forest out in the distance. 

"There's another possible monster infestation there, and I need to check for a rebel faction that was once stationed in the center of the city."

–

White stayed pretty quiet throughout Hematite's recon. She figured it was best to let him do his job with as little of interference as possible. However, she couldn't help but dwell on the subject from before. It had been bothering her for quite some time and she just couldn't shake it. Corrupted gems were a pretty common issue, why _didn't_ they research it more? On top of this, she wondered just what she did wrong to create another batch of doomed gems. _What was she missing?..._ She was certain that she had the components and numbers right this time around.

She was shaken from her thoughts when the service gem spoke up. She, too, looked out to the city. This was as urban as the Pink District really got. She thought for a moment of just how underdeveloped it was. _Incredible what a difference that 5000 years made for society and gem-tech._

"Right."

–

The walk to the city took about thirty minutes or so, as Hematite picked up the pace this time around. As soon as he walked into the city block, the giant gem felt his shoulders reflexively begin to tense up. There was something... wrong here. Something stagnant in the air that was making Hema's skin crawl. He felt like he was being watched.

Continuing deeper into the city, Hematite took note that none of his kin had been through here. There were no tell-tale cracks in the ground of giant feet, not many destroyed buildings... This place seemed rather untouched by demolition gems. Idly, the service gem wondered if he would be sent here in the future to take care of some of the buildings. 

Trekking on, Hematite soon was towered over as the city structures got taller and taller. While the city certainly was developed, something that was unusual for the Pink District, the architecture was definitely dated. The other three districts, Yellow's, most notably, were completely different in tone and aesthetic. The Pink district felt more 'rounded', antique, and ornate. The buildings on the outside of the block were far more overgrown with plant life to the point of being unrecognizable, but the deeper the two gems went, the less the plant life seemed to permeate. That was, until Hematite began to near the center.

An eerie creak echoed through the huge, ancient looking city. Ducking underneath a half-destroyed bridge that connected two sections of the city that were divided by a small river, Hematite looked up to see a rather impressive, and unnerving, sight. Stretched out in front of him was the center of the city block, which was about a mile or so wide. The buildings on any side of the mile-wide expanse were arranged in a large, oval-like shape, leaving a rather wide, park-like area in the middle. There was a large building in the center that appeared to be some sort of medical wing, perhaps? It was hard to tell, as it was almost completely grown over with gorse, thorns, and shrubbery. It stood about fifty feet tall or so, and reached Hematite's waist. The buildings surrounding the clearing were also overgrown with plant life that seemed to emanate from the center structure. 

However, of all the details that Hematite's eyepiece noted, nothing unnerved him more than what loomed above, black against a reddening sky. Casting a huge red shadow on the clearing below, an impressive sky tower was leaning dangerously over, seemingly held up by reams of vines and huge, woody thorn branches. Hematite couldn't help but marvel at how such a huge structure was being held up by seemingly nothing but plant life. From what he could see, the base of the building was completely destroyed apart from a tiny section that was, perhaps, still holding it up to some degree. The tower dwarfed Hematite, despite being around 100 feet tall at the moment, and the sight of it made his stomach knot up. He didn't like feeling this small.

–

White marveled at the city around her; a thousand memories rushing back at once. She remembered this place, despite having not seen it in thousands of years. She sighed quietly and shrugged it off. It was best if she didn't think about it, or what this place used to be, too much. Instead, she focused on how much the wildlife had taken over this part of the city. It was enchanting, in some way or another. Incredible how after all these years, nature was taking back its stage. _How invasive_. Some thousands of years later once the Pink District was completely cleared up, she'd have this place looking better in no time.

–

Hematite's eyepiece chirped a few times, and he frowned, tapping the surface of it. It clicked in response, making a static-like hiss. The service gem frowned in frustration.

"Hmmm... There's interference around here." _Must be all the plant life.. it's giving off a weird signal._ Turning back to the bridge, the giant gem looked to his leader. "White, it'd be best if you stayed here while I do recon."

–

White gave Hematite a tap with one of her hands, hopping onto a piece of broken pillar that had fallen stars only knew how long ago. 

"Alright, I'll wait here."

She grabbed a hold of the hood of her cape, pulling it down a little to uncover her mouth. This place felt so abandoned... so lonely. So ancient. She pulled out her diamond pad and took a few quick notes on the area around her.

–

Giving the diamond a curt nod, he turned away and trudged his way out of the shallow river. He climbed up the small rise into the clearing and stopped at the edge, looking around. The closer he got to the center, the more his eyepiece freaked out. This didn't feel right.

Index finger and thumb rubbing together, Hematite cautiously ventured closer to the overgrown building in the center of the clearing. The walk was short. Crouching down, Hematite placed a hand on the roof of the structure. It still seemed rather solid, despite being completely riddled with plant life. Silently, the service gem wondered if the spike of signal interference was purely from the plants that covered the town hall. There seemed to be something else there, but he couldn't hone in on it. 

With a deep frown, Hematite flicked on his hunting visor and crouched low, peering into whatever windows he could. The insignia-less target on his visor screen darted around, checking for any signal it could pinpoint. 

**Creak**

Hematite tensed for a moment, looking up, but relaxed when he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Looking back down, he reached his hand into a hole in the wall, feeling around.

–

White hopped off of the massive chunk of rubble, wandering slowly on her own. The whole feel of this place made her cringe a little. She jotted down a few more notes before placing the pad back into her gem. Occasionally, she'd turn to look at Hematite, but soon found herself peering over the rest of the city. Well, as much as she could make out, anyway. She turned slightly, looking back down the path they had taken to get here.

–

Down the path where White turned to, the smallest flicker of movement could be seen down the street. Something was hiding between the buildings.

The giant gem in the clearing gave a growl of frustration, and he slowly made his way around to another side of the building. He made himself busy feeling around and peering into the various windows.

But in his focused state, he didn't notice even more movement at the top of a few of the taller buildings surrounding the clearing.

–

White caught a glimpse of the movement for a moment, narrowing her eyes. She tensed. They weren't alone. She hunkered down low and pulled her cape back over her mouth, ducking back behind the chunk of rubble. Whoever or whatever it was, they didn't seem to be making any attempts to advance yet. She started to back up, keeping her eye on the spot where she had last seen movement. She figured if she saw it, maybe Hematite would notice soon, too. She dared not to say a word.

–

He hadn't noticed a thing.

The giant gem suddenly gave a sharp 'Aha!' and rummaged around in the building. Soon, he pulled out a small, rather angry green gem monster. It screeched and snapped at him, attempting to claw at his hand. Hematite winced at the loud screeching and grimaced, covering one of his ears with his free hand. The horrid sound echoed off the walls around the clearing.

Which masked the faintest 'snap'.

Hematite held up the small monster and began to scan it as it panicked and bit at his hand, earning a few mild winces.

"Just stay still so I can do my job."

–

White looked over at Hematite for a split second, noticing he'd caught something. That was good, at least. She eased up slightly. Maybe it was just another gem monster. She probably shouldn't think too much into it. She turned back to the entrance, backing up very slowly. She felt an eerie calm wash over her. Right, Hematite would probably be done soon. They'd be back at the towers in no time. She'd have to send out a deconstruction gem to this place sometime, considering it had been untouched.

–

As Hematite finished scanning the creature, it bit onto his finger aggressively. The giant gem shouted in frustrated pain, trying to shake off the thing as his visor read 'Gem Found: Emerald Status: Corrupt. Mission: Harvest.'

_**SNAP** _

_**CREAK** _

Hematite's eyes widened as he looked around. _What was that_. He quickly poofed the monster in his hand and bubbled it. Nervously, he transferred the bubble to his gem. His eyes were darting around the clearing, looking for more gem monsters.

Snap, SNAP, SNAP came the sounds of cut vines and thorn branches from above.

–

White turned sharply, frantically looking around for the source of the sound. She definitely heard it too. Upon hearing the progression of noises, her own eyes widened and she looked up. What she saw gave her little time to react. 

"HEMATITE!!"

–

A group of rebel gems were spread out across the rooftops with their weapons drawn, hacking away at the vines and woody branches that were holding up the suspended skyscraper. Hematite looked sharply at White and followed her gaze to see the gems.

But it was too late.

The sky scraper gave a sickening _**lurch**_ as a final vine was cut. With a sharp yelp, Hematite attempted to scramble to his feet, but the building was coming down, and coming down _fast_.

–

White found herself cast in the building's shadow, and no matter which way she went, she wasn't going to be able to outrun it by the time it hit the ground. Her lips parted in a brief moment of horror, her entire body seizing up. She quickly regained her thoughts enough to make a speedy run towards the side. She could at the very least _try_ to move out of the way in time. Brushing her hand over her gem, she summoned a pole arm, reeling her hand back and throwing it violently up at the rebels, attempting to land any sort of hit.

"HEMATITE, GET MOVING!"

–

_There was no time._

A violent **CRACK** shook the ground as the sky scraper's top hit one of the neighboring buildings, sending it lurching to the side. The last of the vestigial vines that were holding it up snapped under the momentum.

Time seemed to slow down. Hematite's visor quickly caught the outline of the building's shadow. He realized with a stab of horror that it wasn't just him that was in danger.

_It was going to crush White._

–

White seized up again, her legs coming to a stop. She wasn't going to be able to outrun it. She gasped quietly, flinching. Falling to her knees, she held her hands over her head and closed her eyes. This was it.

–

Moving with unnatural speed, Hematite's now glowing form shot forward toward his leader. He grabbed her in his fist, a pained expression clear as day on his face as his body stopped gleaming.

  


He'd shifted to his full height.

  


The giant gem collapsed to his knees and clutched White close to his chest, his entire form bent over her.

  


  


  


  


  


_**C R A S H!** _

  


  


  


  


–

  


White stayed huddled in Hematite's hand, only vaguely aware that he'd even snatched her up. Her entire body was numb and tense, a deafening ringing in her head. The ground-shuddering impact of the building sent a massive cloud of dust, rubble, and other debris flying every which way as the wave of sound from the crash echoed throughout the city.

Slowly, the diamond relaxed, the softest exhale of disbelief escaping her. She couldn't speak, and she didn't dare open her eyes. She already knew what'd happened.

–

As the echoes of the crash died down, the dust began to settle. The rebels made their quick ways down the buildings, and stood among the rubble proudly, congratulating one another. They wouldn't be seeing that monstrosity of a gem again. Their operation in this city was safe.

And, if one of the gems wasn't mistaken, they'd gotten the oh-so-powerful White Diamond as well.

The scouts collected on a broken chunk of the building as they began to discuss their next course of action, chatting quietly among one another. 

  


Until a large pile of the skyscraper rubble began to move.

  


With a shuddering **CRACK** , a huge fist punched its way through the debris and plant life. Chunks of wall went flying in different directions, a few landing dangerously close to the collected rebels, who quickly took to hiding behind a large partition of rock. 

  


_Oh no._

  


A wheezing cough escaped the huge huddled form that slowly rose from the debris. Rock, vines, and bits of carbonite beams slid off of Hematite's back as he sat up shakily, his hand clutched close to his chest. His entire form was trembling.

Slowly, carefully, he pulled his hand away from himself. He uncurled his fingers, now holding White in his palm. The giant gem's visor chirped, and Hematite coughed quietly, his voice low and breathless.

"Gem Located, White Diamond. Status...." A cracked, relieved smile crossed his face. "No gem faults detected."

–

White moved her arms away from her head, staring up at Hematite in both shock and amazement. _Oh my stars, they weren't dead._ She hardly heard his words, still trying to comprehend everything that just happened. She placed her palm down briefly to his hand, getting up to her feet. Eyes wide, she continued staring up at him, more or less baffled by how he was _still standing,_ relatively speaking. That blow _must_ have taken a toll on him! She had at least expected for him to be _poofed_ by such an impact... A chill went up her spine.

  


"Hematite..... are you... alright?" she asked, eyes wide, tone full of concern.

–

Hematite gave a weak, breathless laugh. Carefully, he lowered White to the ground. As soon as he placed her down, his hand made heavy contact with the dirt. He attempted to hold himself up, but his shaking worsened. His free arm wrapped around his abdomen, and he gave a deep, shuddering cough as his physical form flickered in and out of view. The edges of his projection glitched unevenly, making a faint fizzling sound. His hunting visor fell from his eyes.

Lifting his head, Hematite gave White a pained, reassuring smile. There were tears in his eyes.

"I-I'll be fine. As long as... y-”

  


  


_**POFF!** _

–

A massive cloud of gray smoke exploded out from the gem's form, filling the immediate area. White gasped and scrambled to catch the falling gemstone, grabbing it before it hit the ground. She stared at it in horror, a single breath escaping her. There were a few moments of ominous quiet. A stillness. She carefully ran her finger over the stone, searching for any damages. It was unharmed. 

_Vwip!_

In the blink of an eye, White summoned a bubble over the gray gem and tapped it. It disappeared out of sight in an array of white sparkles. She would have to retrieve him later, but for now, she wanted to make sure his gem was in a safe place. Now that he was taken care of, she straightened her back and rolled her shoulders. 

She had something _else_ to take care of.

–

_Warm..._

_He felt warm._

A soft groan escaped the ivory haired gem as he opened his eyes. Rich orange sunlight shone down on his face, making him wince and cover his eyes with his arm. 

"Mnn."

Hematite was lying on his back. One of his feet shifted as he drew his leg up, bending it at the knee. Attempting to sit up, the service gem rubbed his face, quickly noticing that his eyepiece was gone. 

_What happened?_

The gem moved his hand from his eyes and gasped softly at the sight before him. He was reclined in a huge field of light-gray grass. Rolling hills rose here and there in the distance. Hematite stood up slowly and looked around. Most of the grass seemed to be about waist level with him, but some patches in the distance seemed to be much taller. Judging by the height, Hematite could tell he'd be in over his head if he ventured into those patches.

Even further in the distance, Hematite could see, silhouetted against a setting sun, a patch of floating islands. A path of smaller islands seemed to lead up to it, but it was impossible to judge from here if anyone could traverse said path. 

_This place was so familiar... But why?_

Scratching the back of his head, Hematite frowned and turned around to look behind him. His eyes widened, and he took a step back. No more than a mile away stood a huge, dark gray tower. Windows both big and small dotted the side of the building, and the architecture tapered off towards the top. 

  


_He knew that tower._

  


"Oh... D-... Did I destabilize?" Hematite scratched the back of his head. "Guess I must have." His hands found their way to his back, and he rubbed at it, wincing. "I did take a pretty heavy hit..." Sighing, he dropped his arms, pursing his lips as he stared at the looming tower.

"At least White's okay." There was a pause, and Hematite's eyes widened. _Wait, there were still rebels there!_

Looking around frantically, Hematite clenched his fists. He tried to reform, but got no reaction from his gem. Frowning, he tried again. _Nothing_. He was either in someone's fist right now, or in a bubble... He hoped it was the second option.

A wave of panic rushed through the service gem, and he ran his hands through his hair, eyes wide. 

_Alright, alright. Don't freak out. White can handle herself. She'll be fine. You made sure she was safe, that's all that matters._

Looking up, Hematite set his jaw and stared at the dark tower in the distance. 

_Well... might as well check on everything while he had the time._

–

**SNAP!**

  


Small, red shards fell into the Diamond's hand, soon encased in a bubble and sent away. 

"Blast you all, you damn.... mmnnghrh." She brushed her bangs away from her eyes, muttering something crossly under her breath. White sighed heavily and rubbed her arm. She only managed to catch three of the seemingly factionless rebels that ambushed them. _Oh well, three was better than none._ The rest had escaped, but she would be sure to send someone out for them later, if she had anything to say about it; and she had a _lot_ to say about it.

  


She decided it was time to head back. With Hematite out of the picture, she was in for a very long walk. Grumbling, she pulled the hood of her cape up over her head again and took off. It was a good thing Gems had as much tireless energy as they did, otherwise it could take her days if not weeks to get back. Fortunately, it should only take the rest of the night if she did her calculations right...and assuming she didn't run into any complications along the way.

–

Hematite was unsure how long it took him to walk to the tower. It felt like a long time, but it also didn't. He soon found himself standing at the huge doors. _Why did this place have doors? There was no need for them, really..._

A soft breeze ruffled the gem's hair, and he looked out behind him. The tower rested on a hilltop, and the view from there was breathtaking. From where he stood, Hematite could see far more of the environment around him. The floating islands still hovered far, far in the distance, but he could now see over the rolling fields of gray grass. Far beyond what he could previously see, there was a tall cliff face that surrounded the huge grassy field on all sides. From what he could see, it completely encapsulated the tower and the hills. Beyond the cliffs were expanses of forest. Trees from all different planets that he'd visited or read about mixed together to create a wide, wild looking woodland area. Some trees towered over the woods, while others only seemed to be a few feet tall. 

Beyond that, Hematite could just make out the faintest outline of a... city. 

The three districts, Yellow, White, and Blue, all dotted the horizon. Their colors were exaggerated, accented, and it was clear, even miles and miles away, which was which. Oddly enough, however, the Yellow district seemed to be the _biggest by a large margin_. 

Hematite huffed quietly to himself and looked up at the tower again. After scuffing his foot on the ground, he made his way inside, closing the door behind him.

–

Clouds drifted overhead, creating breaks in the sunlight. Alone with her thoughts, White kept up a steady jog. It had been 2 hours since she had left the site, but it felt as though she wasn't making much distance at all. _Just keep going, you'll be there soon enough._ She couldn't help but wonder what Hematite was thinking back inside his gem. Was this his first time having gotten poofed? No, it'd happened one other time...

She frowned deeply, a guilty look in her eyes.

_This was her fault._ She should have just stayed back at the tower, let him do his own thing. 

She glared down at the ground she ran across, becoming lost in her own thoughts. She felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Sighing, she tugged at her cape again, tightening it. _No, she couldn't think about that._ She had to get back to the city so that she could free him and make sure he was alright. 

_Would that have gone any smoother if she wasn't with him?..._

–

Drawing his hand along the wall, Hematite noted that the stone was smooth and warm to the touch. A small smile crossed his face, and he made his way through the hall, into the main chamber of the tower. He'd only physically been here once before, a long time ago. Hematite scratched the back of his head in remembrance.

_Right, no long hair when he reformed. Never again._

The service gem's hand fell away from the wall as he left the hall and stepped into the largest 'room' of the tower. He looked up. 

The middle of the tower was completely hollowed into a main room with a spiral staircase leading around the walls. Warm light was filtering in through the open roof of the tower and various large windows that dotted the walls. Between the windows, completely lining the inner walls, were small cube-shaped cubbies. Many of them contained bubbles, and each occupied one had a bright, visor-like pane of glass sealing it off. Each cube was about two by two feet. There were at least a thousand lining the interior of the tower. 

However, down below was a completely different story. The floor _appeared_ to be a mirrored surface that reflected the tower above, but it looked slightly _off_. No, down below the 'mirror' floor was an entirely different section of the tower, buried deep in the ground. Instead of being lined with small bubble-filled cavities, the walls of the tower below were scattered with sealed off prison cells. All of them were currently empty. The area below was far darker, nearly black from the lack of sunlight. It wasn't a fun place to be in.

Hematite began walking up the staircase and carefully checked on each bubbled gem that he passed. Most of them were whole, a few were cracked, and about three or so were bubbles filled with shards. The service gem gently touched the 'screen' in front of each cell, lighting it up. Little boxes of gemspeak and data popped up, giving him diagnostics on each one. Stability, date of capture, temperament. He tapped them again, turning them back off. Seemed everything was still in order.

Unsure of how long the trek had taken, Hematite soon found himself atop the tower. There was a large guard rail along the upper most landing of the structure. Hematite sighed and leaned his arms on the rail, looking out over the landscape. The Blue, Yellow, and White districts glimmered faintly in the distance, and the service gem idly wondered if he'd have time to visit there if he started walking now. No, probably not. White would let him out of his bubble soon, if that's truly where he was.

Another warm breeze blew through the air, disturbing the grassy fields far below. Hematite closed his eyes contentedly.

_If it hadn't been for White warning me, I might not have gotten so lucky. I'm glad she was there, but..._ A small frown crossed his face. _I hope she's alright._

–

Just as she figured, it was well beyond nightfall before White managed to make her way back to the Pink District warp pad. She slowed, trotting up onto the surface, teleporting away.

  


However, it wasn't the White district that she went to. 

  


She found herself in the Blue District, hurrying as fast as she could through the streets. By now, a lot of the common gems had retired to their homes for the evening, but there were still a few bustling here and there. As White rushed past, her cape still pulled over half of her face, a few gems had to do a few double takes in confusion.

It took another entire hour of flat-out running, but she finally came to a halt in front of an absolutely massive building. She took a deep breath, looking up at the doors and making her way through.

Within the building, there were two staircases right off the bat. One going up to the right, and one going down to the left. She went down, twisting and turning around a countless number of flights before she got to the bottom. There, she was greeted with more doors and a holo-screen. Next to the screen on the wall was some kind of security system. White stepped up, punching in a rather long, tedious code. 

_Kzzt_!!

The screen shut down, and the doors slowly hissed open. White walked through, grabbing a hold of her cape and making it disappear completely in a flash of light. Her footsteps echoed ominously through the room. Looking up, she eyed the room, which was filled with thousands upon thousands of bubbled gems. Even more unsettling was the fact that well over half of them were shattered into pieces. Some were yellow bubbles, some were blue, and some were white. 

She searched thoroughly through the white bubbles in a specific area. Many more minutes passed before she placed a finger to her chin inquisitively. _It has to be here somewhere, this is definitely where I sent it..._

  


Then, she spotted it. 

Hematite's bubble was nestled behind a few other bubbles in the far right corner of the room. Rushing over, she carefully placed her hands around the sides of the clear sphere, pulling it closer. She stepped back a few feet, and with a tap of her finger...

  


_Plip!_

–

A startled gasp escaped Hematite as his gem glowed for a moment. He looked around. The air around him suddenly cooled slightly, and it felt clearer. With a small, hopeful smile, the service gem looked down and gave his gemstone a tap. Closing his eyes, he focused on his innermost energies, and finally was able to get a reaction.

  


Looks like he was free to reform.

  


With a long, deep breath, Hematite stood straight, his feet slightly spread apart. He held his fists at his sides, but then slowly raised them in front of him, his elbows slightly bent. Fists uncurling, he held his pose for a moment. His gem began to glow brightly.

–

The gem in White's hand suddenly began to glow, and quickly lifted itself a little ways into the air. Hematite's small form grew from the center of the silvery stone, and the glowing silhouette quickly shuffled past his first, long-haired form, then his second, and finally stopped. 

–

White held her breath for a long moment, watching the gem reform carefully. She held her hands clasped together up to her chest, eyes wide. _Moment of truth..._

–

It didn't appear to change much at all now. Slowly, Hematite landed down on his feet, and his body stopped glowing. From the front, he looked exactly the same. His hair may have looked slightly more... fluffy? Scruffy? It was hard to tell. But other than that, he looked as he had before.

–

_Thank the stars._ She was relieved to see that his reformation went smoothly. 

Holding her hands up a bit closer, she smiled faintly. 

"Hematite! Are you alright?" she asked promptly, taking a step forward, her palms squeezed a little tighter. _At first glance at least, he seemed to be fine._

–

Looking up at White Diamond, the service gem smiled in relief. He had noticed the bubbles, but felt it was best not to ask about it right now. 

"I think so? I feel alright..." The small gem took a look at himself, raising his leg in the air before setting it down. He took a look at his arms. "Hm. Well." He looked behind himself, turning around. "I don't seem to have sprouted a tail, so everything appears to be in order." He gave a bright smile.

  


Clearly, he couldn't see the new insignia on his back. There, between his shoulder blades, laid a new white diamond insignia that stretched across where the skyscraper had hit him the hardest.

–

White stared at the smaller service gem for a few, awkwardly quiet moments. She blinked, looking over him for any possible things he might have missed. _He was fine.... he hadn't shown any signs yet of corruption._ Without warning, she rushed forward and turned him around, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She held him close to her. Her bangs drooped over her eyes. She stared at nothing on the floor.

As quickly as she had embraced him, she let go and took a few steps back, looking both relieved and shocked at the same time for a moment. It quickly faded, along with her smile.

"I... forgive me, that was a little unprofessional," she said awkwardly, looking to the side, wide eyed and expressionless.

–

Letting out a small squeak of surprise, Hematite stared behind White Diamond as she hugged him. He went to return the embrace, but stopped himself as she quickly stepped back. He blinked in confusion at her, but a small smile crossed his face.

"There's nothing to 'forgive'." His smile brightened, and he clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm just.... happy that you're okay."

–

White gave another relieved smile and sighed. She blinked again, stepping back another few steps and holding her arms out. Her form glowed white for a few moments, and soon she reappeared as she normally was. Her hair was back up, and her outfit had returned to normal. She placed her hand on her neck and rubbed the back of it, shaking her head.   
"There we go. Ah, we should...probably head back to the tower. Come, Hematite,” she said professionally with a nod. _Ah, there she was._

She turned for the door and headed out. The less time they spent in this room, the better...

–

The service gem's smile relaxed a little. 

_Back to the usual White._

Nodding, Hematite followed after her. He glanced about the room of bubbled gems, and bit his tongue as the urge to ask where they were arose. _No, he didn't want to know. Not right now._ Surely White would explain it some day when he was ready... She always did.

Quietly following behind his leader, Hematite remained silent. They'd both had quite the long day, and he was ready for a long rest back at the tower.

–

It took them another hour or so to get back to the White district. White paced down the hall as they exited the tower elevator, heading for her office. She hadn't said anything since they had left the bubble dungeon. Stars gleamed overhead, the light beaming through the more open sections of the hall and casting shadows where the arcs were along the sides of the path. Soon enough, they stood in front of her office. Opening the door, she entered the room hesitantly, but sighed in heavy relief upon stepping inside. _Warmth. Familiar, safe warmth._ She made her way over to her desk, but did not sit down. She gestured for Hematite to come in.

–

With his own sigh of relief, Hematite strolled into the office, letting the doors shut behind him. He always felt secure in White's office. It was warm, familiar, bright but not too bright, and always smelled faintly of tea and books. Smiling brightly, the service gem walked closer and stood straight, a few feet away from White's desk.

–

White stood for a few moments without saying a word. She seemed more content to just be here, more than anything. She frowned, deep in thought for a few long moments. Then she had an idea. Turning to Hematite, holding up a finger, she walked into one of the back rooms, disappearing behind the door.

–

Hematite blinked in surprise as White left the room. Curiously, he put his hands on her desk, which was about eye level with him, and stood on his tiptoes, peering around. He knew he shouldn't snoop, but a quick glance wouldn't hurt. Not seeing anything interesting, he returned to his previous pose, hands clasped behind his back. He rocked on his heels silently as he looked around. It was nice to be back.

–

White returned a good 10 minutes or so later with a tray in hand. Upon it rested her teapot. 

"Much better." She said, taking a seat and placing the tray down. She took the handle of the pot and poured the piping hot liquid into her cup, grinning warmly.

And then she poured it into another cup.

She placed the pot down and took the other saucer, sliding it slowly towards Hematite. 

"Don't tell Yellow about this." She said with a rather devious smirk.

–

As soon as he spotted the teapot, his eyes lit up, but he quickly righted himself and returned to his professional stance. _Right, he was still being punished._ It'd only been a few months, no tea for him. He watched her pour herself a cup, the faintest of pouts on his face.

And then she poured the other.

Hematite's eyes widened, and he looked at her in disbelief as she slid the cup over to him. He wanted to protest, and his expression said it all. But after a moment, he looked at the tea and picked it up with a bright, thankful smile. 

"I won't tell a soul." He chuckled and took a sip, his eyes shut contentedly. _Stars, how he missed this._

–

She stifled a small chuckle and took a sip of her own. 

"Now I'm not one to bend my own rules, but... at least for tonight I think you've earned yourself a cup. But unfortunately you'll still have to wait out the rest of your punishment with no tea,” she said firmly, but with a good natured tone, her eyes closed. After a few moments, she opened them again, but looked off to the side solemnly. She placed her cup down on the tiny plate.

"Listen, Hematite." 

She placed her elbows on her desk, pressing her fingers together. Her expression was more serious now, but at least it wasn't in a stern fashion. There was another long, drawn out pause. She couldn't find the words she was looking for, so she went with the next best thing.

"Thank you...."

–

The service gem quietly enjoyed his tea during the moment of silence. When White spoke up, he lifted his head and fidgeted with his cup idly. She paused again, and Hematite took another quiet sip.

_Thank you._

Blinking, Hematite lowered his cup in surprise. 

"I-I was...." The service gem paused and glanced to the side. "I was just doing my job."

–

White smiled again, taking another sip. 

"Yes, but this was also the first time you've ever actually done anything bodyguard related. You really saved my gem out there. I don't normally get to thank people for this kind of thing, nor do people _expect_ me to..." She placed her cup down again, rubbing her thumb against its warm surface. 

"But I figured you should hear it at least once."

–

Hematite listened silently, his eyes fixated on White's face. His mouth parted for a moment at her last statement, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. Looking away, he fidgeted with his cup.

"..."

Quietly, he cleared his throat, much in the way you did when trying to keep back tears.

"W-well. Uhm. Th-thank you for thanking me, White." He awkwardly smiled at her, wiping his eyes.

–

She noticed his moment of sentiment, but didn't acknowledge it. She gave him a wink and finished off her tea. _What a day..._ Perhaps it _was_ a good thing that she tagged along. She smiled softly, staring at nothing on the wall behind Hematite. Perhaps she too would have a rest tonight. She blinked once and turned her head to the service gem, tapping her finger on the desk.

"Alright Hematite, you should go and get some rest. You're back on the job tomorrow." She grinned, waving her hand to dismiss him. "But don't worry, I'll make sure it's not too complicated."


	27. Disturbed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite has a mission in the Yellow District.

"Are you certain that they arrived this morning? It says on file they arrived here last night,” stated a firm, well-carrying voice.

"Yes ma'am, though to be fair it was before dawn. The sun hadn't risen yet,” replied a much softer voice, one that bore an odd accent. They sounded like they belonged to the White District.

 

"I see. What's the status of the ship and its crew?"

"Well, they all made it here alive. And that's a miracle, considering they lost two power cells. The hull also has sustained major damage. Somehow, despite how wrecked the ship is, they still managed to land relatively safely with minimal damage to the sky port.”

"Go figure. Well, I'll see what I can do.”

 

The voices drifted on the afternoon breeze. Two gems walked alongside each other, matching each other in speed, though the shorter gem had to take significantly larger steps to keep up with his superior. One of them was Yellow Diamond herself, but the other was a white gem with a silver and yellow outfit. He looked intelligent, with a short and lithe build. Worker class, probably. The two were making their way towards a massive hangar that sat out in the middle of one of the Yellow District's impressive shipyards. This particular vessel belonged to a squad of explorers that had a rather nasty run-in with a rebel fleet. Yellow came all the way out here to take a look at it herself and see if she could recharge the main power cores.

Soon enough, the two arrived at the docking hangar that laid on the outskirts of the ship yards and entered a code into a small pad near the entrance. With a clank and a heavy rattle, a large door slid open. Inside, half-sunken into a ravine-like groove in the ground laid the vessel. It was a standard Peridot ship, one that was shaped like a massive hand. Its hull was dented all different ways, scratched, scuffed, and even showed early signs of peeling away in some areas. The Diamond looked up with a small frown, pursing her lips.

"Thank you Danburite, I can take it from here. You know what to do." Yellow stood in front of the hangar, looking up at the ship that was docked in the station. _Yikes, it_ _ **was**_ _in pretty bad shape. Nothing she couldn't handle, though. Once she got the power cores back up, they could get this to a repair station and get it fixed up._

Motioning for the service gem to follow her inside, Yellow Diamond stepped through the gaping hangar entrance, her shoes clacking against the grayish stone of the building. The sound echoed through the near-cavernous structure. With a soft sigh through her nose, Yellow made her way up the stairs that led up to a small, rail-guarded path that ran alongside the docked ship. Danburite followed after his leader, swiping his hand over a rectangular gemstone that laid in the middle of his forehead. He wasn't wearing a white visor like many of his kind did, on and off, but felt he didn't need it today since he wouldn't be doing the heavy work. It was his job to observe and keep track of numbers, really. Trailing after the diamond, the short service gem pulled a professional-grade diamond pad from his gemstone and powered it on. A soft chime drifted through the stale air of the hangar as the device glowed to life, a Yellow Diamond insignia appearing on the screen. Pursing his lips, Danburite hurried up the steps, looking down at his diamond pad. With half-gloved fingers, he flicked through a few different folders, muttering to himself. Yellow went silent as she analyzed the damages.

_Stars, this was going to be a long day._

–

 

_Click._

 

Nearby, behind a neighboring hangar, something lithe, silent, and huge was creeping through the shadows of the building. It moved with purpose, slowly inching its way around the wall of the structure. It wasn't the one Yellow Diamond was currently in, but it was nearby. The huge form peered into a window, its brightly glowing visor scanning the dormant interior.

_Nothing._

Sitting up, the giant gem looked around before slowly lowering himself to the ground again. It was Hematite.

Pursing his lips for a moment, Hema tapped his visor and gave a silent order for it to check again for gem signatures within two or so miles. It was tracking Spinel signatures, and _only_ Spinel signatures.

Quietly, he crept around the side of the building. He carefully began lifting and turning over spare ship parts and repair equipment that were lying around the sides of the hangars.

–

Yellow and Danburite were too busy talking to notice anything out of the ordinary outside their hangar. Yellow was transfixed on the ship's exterior. _It looked as though it'd been through an asteroid belt._ Muttering something under her breath, she squinted and scratched her cheek. The Danburite looked at the diamond pad in his hands, quickly tapping through a few different pages of data. He was recording and organizing the ship's damages and status as Yellow rambled off different details for him to note down. At one point, she stopped and sighed, putting her hands on her hips as she stared up at the side of the vessel.

"Well on the bright side, at least it made it back to Homeworld. It's a miracle that it didn't fall apart re-entering the atmosphere." Yellow shrugged, taking a few steps forward around the huge ship to take a look at the bow.

–

Hematite frowned as he attempted to pick up a rather stubborn carbonite beam. It was jammed under some old, broken pieces of ship, and wouldn't budge. The giant gem growled lowly in frustration, forcing it up. With a loud 'CLANG', the damaged ship hull chunk was removed from the end of the carbonite girder. Smiling faintly, Hematite set aside the beam, making sure not to damage it. A small gem monster scurried out from under the scrap metal, and Hematite's attention snapped to it. The small, sharp-looking creature made a mad dash for the hangar across the way, the very same one that Yellow Diamond and Danburite were currently in. The giant gem's hunting visor gave a loud chirp as it locked onto the Spinel monster copy. Not wasting another moment, he darted after the creature, in hot pursuit.

–

Blinking, Danburite frowned and turned to look out the hangar door upon hearing the loud 'clang' across the way. It was some distance off, but it sounded like a piece of equipment crashed or malfunctioned.

But no, that was far from the case.  
Not a second later, a tiny gem monster skidded to a stop in front of the open hangar door, hissing and growling at the gems within the building. Seems it'd expected its possible hiding place to be unoccupied. It bristled angrily, bright eyes narrowing up at the two. Danburite cocked a brow with a small frown, starting to reach for his gemstone. There was an odd, cautious look in his eyes, his gaze thoughtful. Just before his hand reached his forehead, he froze, a distant but rapid thudding approaching the building.  
_Wait a moment._

"Umm, Y-Yellow Diamond-"

 

"Not now."

She narrowed her eyes, taking another few steps forward, practically upon the underbelly of the ship. Frowning faintly, she placed her hand to the hull. It was _still_ cooling off, apparently. She was jerked from her attention upon hearing the hissing of a gem monster behind her. Turning sharply, she glared at the small red creature, starting to lift her hand as sparks emanated from it. However, she stopped in her tracks as soon as she heard the tell-tale sound of footsteps...

_**Giant** footsteps._

_And they were quickly getting closer._

Before she had a proper chance to react, a massive, looming form pounced in front of the hangar door, landing directly on his target. She couldn't see his face, but she very well knew who it was within an instant.

 

_NO, why was HE here?!_

 

Her jaw parted, and with a terrified, half-stifled yell she stumbled back and hid behind one of the support beams near the ship. Danburite watched Hematite for a few moments, but looked back in to say something to his superior. Needless to say, upon seeing her current state, he closed his mouth and said nothing.

–

The huge gem sat up and carefully lifted the gem creature out of sight of the two within the hangar. Slowly, Hematite stood up straight, his feet the only thing within view of the gems in the building now, and held the Spinel copy close to his visor. It chirped and clicked, scanning the hissing monster. He hadn't noticed the two in the hangar, too focused on his hunt. _This gem mother had to be found soon._ It was _huge_ , and for once, his harvesting job held a potent sense of urgency that it didn't have when he hunted in the Pink district. This monster was close, and from what he could tell, it was moving toward civilization. If it was allowed to move much further, it'd cause massive damage to the Yellow District.

–

Danburite snuck his way back towards the ship as Hematite stood up. _Well, might as well ignore him and get back to work._ However _,_ Yellow remained hidden behind one of the beams. She stared up in barely masked apprehension at the giant gem, or rather, what she could see of him currently. Cocking his head, the technician gem walked a little closer, a look of confusion plastered on his face.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" Dan whispered quietly, a few feet from his leader. Still staring up at Hema, she didn't respond. She _heard_ him, but she dared not say a word in reply. As soon as he stepped forward another pace, she grabbed him by the front of his suit, tugging him behind the support beam as well. This earned a sharp yelp from the short gem, his eyes wide as he stumbled beside his superior. Yellow glanced at him.

"Be quiet you idiot!!" she hissed quietly, sweat forming on her brow. She peeked again from behind her hiding spot. _Well, maybe he hadn't noticed them yet? What was he doing out here?! Why of all places, why_ _ **now**_ _of all times? To her knowledge she hadn't sent him on any missions out here or even authorized his presence in the ship yards!_

–

The flicker of movement from Danburite and the muffled yelp hadn't gone unnoticed. Turning his head just slightly, the hunter glanced down at the hangar entrance.

"Hm?"

Over the hissing and 'barking' of the gem monster in his hand, Hematite heard the faintest sound of... voices? The giant gem frowned deeply. If this creature was heading for that building, then perhaps....

With a flick of his wrist, Hematite formed an appropriate sized bubble around the gem creature, silencing its outbursts. He tapped his gem and placed the bubble beside it, quickly putting it away. One down, a few more samples to go.

_So..._

Slowly, Hematite knelt down on one knee next to the hangar entrance. Leaning over, he peered into the huge open doors at the ship inside. The white diamond insignia on his visor darted around, checking for anything. No Spinels... maybe if he let it scan without focusing on his target signature? With a sharp whir, his visor radar brightened up and flooded with color a few moments later. Narrowing his eyes, he checked over the list of signatures alongside the newly refreshed radar.

He stopped.

Hematite caught a strong signal from behind one of the beams, and the target on his visor narrowed as it identified the signatures. Grimacing, the giant gem leaned back subtly. A sigh escaped his nose.

 

_Oh nooo, why **her**._

–

Yellow remained frozen, biting her lip. Silently, she stared dead ahead of her. Time seemed to stop.

She felt it. She felt _him_. The fear came crawling back, the nightmares creeping up her spine, filling her with a sense of dread. Every inch of her form felt cold. Danburite peeked out from behind the beam, immediately greeted with the sight of Hematite. His eyes widened slightly, but he managed to keep his cool.

"Oh, u-um.... Hellooooo!" he called up as casually as he could. He stepped out nervously, waving his hand at Hematite. "I trust you're doing a bit of uh...work, here? And not causing trouble, right?" He chuckled heartily, glancing sidelong at the beam his superior was hidden behind. Maybe he could distract him for a little bit. Between the gossip of Peridots, working in the Kindergarten on and off himself, and working closely with Yellow Diamond here and there, he was _very_ aware of the situation between his leader and this Hematite. Though, despite knowing the gist of things, he had no idea just how _bad_ it had gotten.

Yellow remained unmoving behind the beam, holding her breath. _Good thing gems didn't_ _ **need**_ _to breathe._

–

Blinking in surprise, Hema smiled back and waved. After a moment, he lifted his visor, glancing around the inside of the hangar awkwardly.

"S-sorry, hi. Yeah, I'm on a job right now, orders from Blue. No, uh. No trouble from me!" He nervously glanced toward where Yellow was hiding.

"Sorry to disturb you two. There aren't any gem monsters in here, are there? Any Spinels running around?"

–

A massive spike of anxiety rushed through her upon his words. _He knew she was here_. Baring her teeth, she swallowed nervously and grabbed the beam, finally removing her back from the cold carbonite. She quickly peeked around it, giving Hematite a wide, awkward smile.

"OH hiiiii, Hematite.... Ahhhh,... mmmm nope! No uh, nooooo Spinels in here," she said loudly, sweat dripping from her brow. She stared up at him, holding her wrist with her opposite hand and tugging at her glove. She looked over to the side without turning her head, not losing her seemingly out-of-character grin. After a few moments of silence, she looked back and bit her lip again, stifling an anxious chuckle. "No we're uh, just.... working on this ship! Eheheh!" She gestured towards the massive beat up vessel, not taking her eyes off of him as she patted the hull.

Danburite blinked and ran his fingers through his hair, slowly looking down to his diamond pad. _Should.... should he report this, or....?_

–

Hematite stared at Yellow Diamond, utterly _baffled_ by her behavior. He glanced to the side a few times, visibly uncomfortable. Eventually, when she stopped talking and gestured to the ship, he offered an awkward, lopsided grin.

"Ooookayyy? Well you... have fun with that.. don't hurt yourselves. And keep a look out for-"

A sharp hiss sounded outside, behind the giant gem, and without looking behind him, he stiffened. His expression instantly changed into something more akin to a teeth-bared snarl, and he spun around to see a small group of Spinel copies fleeing the hangar behind him. Without another word, he flicked his hunting visor back down and darted after the creatures, a low growl in his chest.

–

Yellow's skin crawled, another flare of anxiety hitting her like a ton of bricks. Her hair stood on end, and she found her legs taking her back behind the beam. She threw her arms over her head and flinched, grunting between her teeth in a fearful frustration. Her body seemed to be reacting on its own, the waves of terror from her nightmares making her act irrationally. _Dammit, this was just degrading._ She glanced over at the Danburite, who was staring at her shocked confusion. Angrily, she glared daggers into his very core, giving him a look that said a thousand words. Danburite frowned and looked away quickly. _He didn't see this._

However, what he DID see was Hematite some ways in the distance, in a scrap field that laid a few hundred yards from the hangars. It was filled with old bits and pieces of vessels, most of which would be re-purposed into other, newer pieces. Hematite was currently pursuing the small, badger-like creatures through the metal chunks and bits. Sighing softly through his nose, Danburite looked away, going back to taking notes on the ship.

–

About thirty seconds passed. It almost seemed like Hema's job would take him back away from the hangars, until a terrible noise filled the air.

 

_**CRASH** _

_**SCREEECH!** _

 

Horrible sounds of metal scraping metal echoed through the hangar, and a faint sound of yelling followed.

Hematite was suddenly tussling with a huge, yellow, dog-like gem monster as it snapped at his face. It had pounced him out of no-where in his pursuit for the Spinel copies.

_It certainly **wasn't** a Spinel mother._

–

Hide. Just stay hidden. Maybe if you stay back here, he'll...

Tch, oh, what the hell. What was she doing? She knew this was useless, he already knew she was here... what good would staying behind some carbonite support do? Frowning, she peeked out from behind the beam, watching Hematite fight the gem monster in the distance. _**This**_ _certainly wasn't helping her anxiety. Stars, what was that thing, and what was it doing in her ship yards?!_

–

The creature growled and snapped at Hematite with huge, drooling jaws. Holding it away from his face with his arm, the giant gem sat up with a loud shout of effort, quickly forcing the creature back. He struggled with it for a good moment, eyes wide as he looked around his immediate area. If he didn't take care of this thing _now_ , it was very likely going to land a heavy bite to his neck, and consequently, his gemstone. Gasping sharply, the service gem spotted something nearby and glared up at the creature, pushing it forward with a loud cry. With a sickening SHINK, the wolfish gem monster let out a loud, pained screech before a huge puff of yellowish smoke filled the air around Hematite.

The giant hunter deftly snatched the gemstone mid-air and looked it over before turning to what had ended the beast. A large, sharp slab of metal rested on the ground, the tip of it twisted into a gnarled point that faced the sky. Hematite grimaced underneath his visor. _At least it was quick._

Quickly bubbling the gem, the hunter turned his attention back to where he'd seen the Spinels hide, and started turning over pieces of broken ship hull. He swiftly grabbed the three miniature monsters and held them up, scanning them.

–

Danburite watched Hematite fight off the gem monster, unphased for the most part. There was a moment or two, as he looked at the corrupted yellow gem, when his expression would change to something akin to horror and remembrance before going back to normal.

 _Well, at least he was handling it better than Yellow Diamond._ She gripped at the beam, shuddering upon hearing the monster's agonizing yelp. _He was ruthless..._ Normally she wouldn't blink an eye at stuff like this, but it was _him_. It was different. Unknowingly, she started trembling, stepping a little further behind the beam. She didn't want to watch this. Turning around, she placed her hands to her head and dug her fingertips into her hair. _It'll be over soon, he's just doing his job, just ignore it..._

–

Hematite stood up again, poofing the Spinel copies in his fist. His visor's insignia changed to a dark red, round gem, and the giant hunter looked around, scanning the horizon. After pacing around a bit, he stopped by a particularly large pile of scrap and knelt down, moving things out of the way.

After a few minutes of rummaging around in the junk pile, Hematite stopped. Turning to the hangar, he cupped a hand over his mouth.

"....... Yellow Diamond? You might want to come see this,” he called over, brows furrowed.

–

The diamond's heart sank sharply, and she looked back behind her. _Oh_ _ **great**_ _... wonderful. Outstanding!_ She bit her lip and took a deep breath. _Might as well get this over with._ Putting on a brave face as best as she could, she walked out of the hangar, not even bothering to even glance at the Danburite that was obviously trying to stay out of trouble. It took her a minute or so to make her way over, and she kept her gaze locked on him the entire time. Being out in the open like this was even worse than standing back in the hangar. Stopping some distance from Hematite, she made sure she stood as far away as acceptably possible from him. The fear from before rose up in her chest, yelling at her to get far away from him. With a firm frown, she shook her head, forcing the urge down. Seeing him this close at his full size was even worse than she thought it'd be. Regardless, she held her chin high, a deep frown on her face.

"What is it?..."

–

Moving a piece of ship hull, the giant gem stood back and put on hand on his hip, the other moving up to his visor. He lifted it away from his eyes before motioning to a now very visible and _very_ large tunnel in the ground.

"Is this supposed to be here?” he asked half rhetorically, gazing down at his tiny superior.

–

Yellow's eyes drifted from the giant gem to the huge hole in the ground. _Wait, what?... How did these idiots MISS that?!_ Her lips parted to say something, but her brows furrowed for a moment in silence. Daring to step forward a few paces, she peered over a small rise into the tunnel below.

"I... uh... No? I don't think so. Th-this is a shipyard, there's not supposed to be caves here," she said, pushing her anxiety to the side enough to at _least_ give him some kind of coherent response. Her gaze flicked up to him for a moment again, eyes dark with thought and recollection.

 

_Please stop talking to me..._

–

Frowning, Hematite nodded and looked to the cave, flipping his visor back down.

"The Spinel mother is down here, I'm sure of it. I'm going in to take care of it. You and Danburite should probably get somewhere safe if it seems it's going to emerge anywhere,” he instructed.

He still wasn't looking at her.

"This thing's been avoiding me for hours. If it's digging tunnels, well. Now I know _how_." The giant gem shifted down slightly so he could descend into the freshly dug tunnel. Before she was out of sight, Hematite turned to Yellow, lifting his visor again. From where he stood, he was about eye level with her.

"If I'm not out in an hour, please tell White Diamond,” he asked politely, brows furrowing. “These things are rather aggressive, and I might need backup.”

–

Yellow eyed the entrance of the cave intently. Hematite's size shifting didn't do much to help ease her mind, whether he was smaller or not. However, his final statement caught her attention. _Tell White Diamond?...._

 

_... And why should she? Why **would** she? She could pretend she never saw him. Accidents happened all the time._

Nodding, she promptly looked to the side, averting her eyes from him. She crossed her arms. _Oh well, at least he was getting away from her for a little bit_. _Hopefully she'd be gone before he got back, if he ever_ _ **did**_ _get back._

–

The service gem smiled at Yellow Diamond's nod of agreement, and he flipped his visor back down, heading further into the tunnel. Within a few moments, his steps were too distant to hear, and he was gone.

–

Huffing heavily, Yellow uncrossed her arms and stepped back to the hangar. _Good, he was gone._ Now maybe she could get back to work. She stopped next to Danburite, looking back up to the beaten up ship. Slowly, she looked at him, eyes narrowed.

"And yes, for the record...I'm _fine,_ " she grumbled, placing a hand on her hip. The white gem shrugged and looked away sheepishly.

"I don't know whaaat you're talking about,” he said quietly, whistling casually afterwards. Frowning, Yellow groaned in exasperation and walked forward. Just like Hematite, she too had a job to do. Might as well get it over with. She opened the door to the ship and stepped inside. _Now where was that power core..._

-

Slowly, Hematite made his way through the dark tunnels that crisscrossed deep under the ship yards. No wonder he couldn't track this thing if it was this far under the ground... Spinels were naturally good diggers, and this one didn't seem to be an exception to that trend. He just hoped he wouldn't find forty plus in here.

It took him a considerable amount of time, but eventually, he reached a part of the dark corridors that flattened out, leaving him with a confusing room with about ten plus paths leading off in every direction. The service gem grimaced, looking around as he used his visor to light his way.

_**G r r r ggh...** _

Stiffening in horror, Hematite turned to his left, staring wide-eyed at a creature that lumbered its way into the room. With glowing reddish eyes and yellow slit pupils, the massive beast lifted its chin and bared its huge fangs at the harvester. His body running cold, Hema put up his fists, a prickle of dread crawling up his spine. He glanced around, eyeing the tunnels in case he needed to run.

This thing was far bigger than he anticipated...

_And it did not look happy to see him._

 

–

...

–

 

An hour and a half later, the junkyard was suddenly filled with the sound of shifting scrap metal. Hematite was slowly moving ship parts back over the hole, exhaustion clear on his face. This time, he made no effort to check if Yellow Diamond was still around. He finished placing pieces over the tunnel and turned away with a heavy, pained sigh. He was covered in scratches that had cut through his suit, and his hair was messed in all directions. There even appeared to be bite marks here and there on his form, deep and painful looking. From the looks of things, he'd been through hell.

–

Danburite, upon hearing the commotion, gave a knock on the ship's underbelly where one of the power cores sat. He was hoping that Yellow would hear it.

Sure enough, she stirred and came out of the doorway, her hair in a mess with sparks fizzling around her arms. She looked charred in a few places, and _not_ very happy.

"What?" she asked sharply. As Dan gestured outside the hangar, Yellow turned her head slightly, noticing Hematite standing outside in the distance.

Danburite put his hand behind his neck and rubbed it awkwardly.

"You uh, gonna go talk to him?" he asked nervously. She shot him a rather nasty glare that said everything. He looked away quickly, throwing his hands up a little in defense. "Alriiiight alright, sorry!"

 

Yellow hopped down and took a few steps forward, silently looking up at the service gem. He looked to be in pretty rough condition. Her nervousness returned, but she didn't make any attempt to say anything. She stopped just shy of the hangar exit, watching him from afar.

–

The gem was looking up at the sun, seeming to mutter something to himself. His brows furrowed, and he looked off to the side, as if doing some math in his head. At last, he signed heavily and rubbed the back of his head. He glanced at the hangar, noticing Yellow. Giving a weak, tired smile, he waved at her a little.

"Sorry again for disturbing your work, Yellow Diamond. I'll be going. White's probably worried about me,” he called over, his voice carrying easily across the way. His eyes were filled with an unreadable mix of emotions, his tired but polite expression faltering.

 

_She probably just forgot... she looks busy. It's fine, I got the job done anyways._

 

With that, he turned in the opposite direction of the hangar and walked off toward the Blue district. As he paced away, his shoulders drooped. It was subtle, but it was there.

–

Something about what he said struck her. She couldn't figure out what it was, but she felt... _something_ flare up in her core. It was probably nothing, just the anxiety of seeing him again, she presumed. Nodding, she turned away from him and crossed her arms, glaring up at the hangar. Except this time, she wasn't really paying attention it. Her gaze looked distant, distracted.

 

_Finally, I thought he'd never leave. Tch, he should have just stayed down there._

 

Her face twisted into a pained look suddenly, eyes widening for a split second.

 

_Did she regret thinking that, just now?_

_.... No, that probably wasn't it._

 

She grunted, placing her palm swiftly to her forehead and baring her teeth. Opening her eyes, she glared at the Danburite and sighed.

"I've fixed the primary power core. I'll send someone out later to fix the other..." she muttered, waving her hand dismissively and turning away. Danburite saluted the Diamond with a bit of confusion. He decided not to ask any questions, not this time.

"Right, I'll be seeing you later, Yellow Diamond!" he called respectfully as she left.

 

Yellow made her way towards the nearby warp pad, staring blankly and solemnly at the ground in front of her.

 

This entire ordeal wasn't sitting well _already_. At first, she was frustrated. Angry. Annoyed.

Now that Hematite was gone?

 

She felt... blank. She felt something indescribable, something foreign to her, or at the very least something she couldn't place a finger on. _No, she was upset with him! It was his fault she felt like this! All her fear, her dread, the constant feeling that she was being watched or tracked... all of it was his fault. She wanted to pin it all on him, and rightfully so! How could she_ _ **not**_ _be angry after what he did to her?!_

 

 

_So then if he was truly to blame, why did she feel like **this?**_


	28. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone notices something might be wrong with Yellow Diamond.

_**Cold.** _

  


_**Dark.** _

  


_**... But not alone.** _

  


Why was she here?! She hadn't even closed her eyes, had she? Wasn't she just in her living quarters a moment ago?

  


No, not here again. She _absolutely_ remembered this place. She knew what it meant, she knew what it brought, she knew _everything_.

  


This time... she remembered. And she knew that _**he**_ was here as well. Without taking a single step forward,Yellow sat down on her knees, holding her upper arms with her hands. She stared blankly into the abyss ahead of her. If she moved forward, she knew what would happen. All the memories of the previous nightmares were at the forefront of her mind, no longer shrouded by mental fog. Wandering around got her nowhere, and it always brought him closer. _No, she just had to wait it out._ Surely she'd be safe if she just stayed put. She looked around nervously, closing her eyes on occasion and clutching her arms tighter. 

  


_Stay away from me..._

–

At first, it seemed as if staying still was a wise choice. There were no tremors, no cracks in the floor, no ominous laughter. Nothing was happening.

_But the air was still cold._

_And heavy._

_**He was there.** _

Silence. Unnerving, unwavering silence filled the air.

–

Yellow felt everything. She knew he was there this time. She could feel it. However, she dared not look around to find him. Every time she looked behind her, he seemed to be there. So this time, she wouldn't give him that chance. She picked a single spot on the 'floor' and stared hard at it. She could tell he was coming for her.... should she run? 

_... No.... Don't move._

–

The darkness began to move in. Lazily, sluggishly, it crept up on her. A freezing 'breeze' blew across her back, and the air behind her became dense. 

_"Evening, Yellow Diamond.~ What's the matter, too tired to run?"_

–

Beads of sweat formed on her face. Her brows furrowed, her gaze faltering slightly from the spot that she was staring at. She didn't move an inch. As she'd feared, he was there. She hoped this would work. The only times he ever really went after her was when she put up a fight or ran. So, why not take the fun out of it? Maybe if she waited it out, she'd wake up or snap out of whatever state she was in.

_Please stop talking to me..._

–

Another, stronger breath blew against the diamond's back, disturbing her hair. The giant gem behind her felt as if he were mere feet away.

"Ohhh, what's this now? Finally decided to make this easy?"

A soft chuckle made the ground tremble underneath Yellow Diamond, and the air over her grew heavy. He was looming.

–

She gripped her arms tighter, nails digging into her skin. She held her breath, sweat dripping down her face. _Don't talk to him. Don't run...don't move. Don't acknowledge him. He isn't there. He isn't real. This is all just a horrible nightmare._

–

Slowly, Hematite's clawed hands came into view at Yellow Diamond's sides. They rested on the ground, holding the giant gem up.

"Come now, Yellow. It's rude to ignore people~"

The gem licked his teeth, a single drop of drool landing directly beside the diamond. 

His visor made an all too familiar clicking sound as it locked onto her.

–

Yellow's eyes widened, the faintest of whimpers escaping her. She started trembling somewhat. The cold was unbearable. _Go away!!_ She clawed at her arms, nervously trying to keep her mind off of him, to no avail. A sharp shudder rang through her upon hearing the mechanical clicking. 

_He's toying with you. Don't play his games._

–

For a moment, nothing changed. The giant gem didn't move his hands, nor did he snap down on Yellow Diamond. There was nothing but the whirring sound of the hunting visor.

_Which suddenly sounded like it was getting closer._

The nightmarish Hematite leaned down, his jaws parted above the tiny diamond. Teeth quickly filled the upper half of her view, and another freezing breath washed over her trembling form.

–

Yellow gasped and shut her eyes tightly, clawing into her skin. _NO! Don't look! Don't move! GO AWAY!_ She shivered, leaning down a little lower and bracing herself. Terror swept over her, and now even if she wanted to move, she couldn't. She went numb.

–

The giant gem paused. Slowly, he sat back up, a coy smirk on his face. There was an eerie sense of calm for a moment before the smirk widened into a grin.

_Thwip!_

Thin, stark-white wires wrapped around Yellow Diamond's wrists, quickly working their way up her arms. The other ends were firmly wrapped around the ends of Hematite's clawed fingers.

–

Yellow's eyes shot open upon feeling something around her wrists. She let go of her arms and held her hands in front of her face. _What!? What is this?!_ Her lips parted like she was going to yell, but nothing came out. She quietly stuttered, hands trembling. She tried to pick off the strings with her hands, pulling and picking at the little white threads. They were _really_ on there. She hadn't even noticed where they came from.

–

"Hahaha ha ha...."

The strings tightened. Slowly, Yellow Diamond was pulled backwards. 

"Did you really think that would work? Do you think there are _**rules**_ here that I must abide by?"

Hematite's visor clicked ominously, the sound slowly getting louder.

"Who do you think is pulling the strings around here?~"

–

Her shoe tips dug against the ground, her knees dragging as she was pulled backwards. Panic risen, she started to pull her arms in the opposite directions, grunting and writhing. She had to get these things off. quick. Baring her teeth, she pulled one of her arms up to her face and started to bite desperately down on the strings. They wouldn't cut.... _No, why aren't they breaking?! What is this?!_

–

_Bump._

Yellow Diamond's back came in contact with something solid... the giant gem's face. Hematite grinned, pulling the strings tighter to keep his victim still. Teeth parting, his ice-cold tongue drug itself across her back, striking a chill through her.

_"I am the one in control."_

An ominous laugh escaped the hunter, and he began to pull her back.

–

Her heart stopped, eyes widening. She stopped breathing, stopped moving. 

Then the cold hit her. Freezing, deathly cold. 

A flood of terror and panic rushed through her like a ship crashing violently down onto a planet's surface. She opened her mouth to scream out in horror...

But nothing came out. She inaudibly whimpered, sweat pouring from her brow. Her lip quivered. She mouthed words, but no sound was heard. _She was silenced._ No matter what she did, she couldn't speak. She couldn't scream. She couldn't make any noise, any protest, nothing. 

Yellow looked forward with a thousand mile stare, and suddenly dug her heels into the ground. She attempted to stand, tried to run. But the strings kept her in place. Her feet drug against the ground, skidding and slipping against the black surface. The strings that were still wrapped tightly around her arms pulled her back, causing more panic. She'd _wanted_ to do nothing, now she was _forced_ to do nothing.

–

Slowly lifting the diamond off the ground, Hematite dangled her in front of his face, a wicked grin spread across it.

"You want to break the 'rules' of this place? Fine. Let's mix things up a bit." 

Slowly, the giant gem lifted Yellow Diamond over his mouth as he tilted his head back. 

_Snap_

The strings on the tiny gem's right arm suddenly broke, leaving her dangling over Hematite's slowly opening mouth.

One by one, the strings on her other arm began to snap.

–

She wanted to cry out, but she couldn't make any noise whatsoever. Even if she wanted to beg, plead, she couldn't. Looking up to her arm again, she felt the air around her shift. _Oh sure,_ _ **now**_ _the threads were snapping!_ She went to grab onto some of the strings, frantically using them to climb up. Maybe she could get onto his hand before the final strings snapped.

–

Closing his mouth, the giant gem arched a brow and smirked. With an amused chuckle, he swung his hand just slightly, a few strings still holding onto Yellow Diamond's arm. 

_"Where are you going?~"_

–

She grabbed desperately at the strings, her destination in sight. _Don't look down, just keep climbing up._ She was shaking with fear, but her grip on the strings was firm. _Why are you still talking to me?!_

–

Hematite watched in grim delight as Yellow neared his hand. When she was within a few inches of reaching her goal, he suddenly snapped his wrist up, the rest of the strings breaking off and sending her flying into the air. His clawed hand opened up below her.

An agonizingly long moment later, she fell onto his palm. This time, he didn't curl his fingers around her, but instead began lifting her toward his face.

"You thought you could escape like that?~ Come now! Do you really believe you have a chance?"

With an amused snicker, he pinched her between two fingers, turning her around, as if looking her over.

_"You're **adorable** , Yellow Diamond.~"_

–

She silently yelled as she was thrown violently into the air, landing on his palm with a thud. Shivering, she propped herself up with her arms, back on her knees. Yellow Diamond didn't have much time to react before she was picked up yet again. She squirmed in his grasp, shoving against his fingers with her hands. Mouthing something desperately, she realized she was still muted, and clawed at his massive fingers even more aggressively.

–

"I can't blame you for being speechless.~ Here, we'll skip the formalities."

Tilting his head back, Hematite opened his mouth, quickly dropping Yellow Diamond in.

_Snap_

His teeth clicked shut behind her, leaving her in freezing darkness. But he wasn't going to make it quick this time. He pinned the diamond to the roof of his mouth, leaving her no room for escape.

_Ohhh no, he wasn't going to make this easy._

–

Yellow cried out again with no sound. She called out for help, but she couldn't even do that. Landing once more on his tongue, the memories from previous nightmares came flooding back. _No, No! Not like this! Not again!!_ She let out a pitiful gasp as she was shoved against the roof of his mouth. Struggling to grab a hold of anything, she wrapped her hands around his tongue desperately. Here she was.... and in any given second, he was going to bite down and shatter her again. She knew it was coming.

_\--_

With a long, contented sigh, the giant gem stretched and reclined back, folding his arms behind his head. He suddenly pulled away his tongue, letting gravity do its job.

–

Everything shifted. Yellow's eyes widened in panic. _Wait, what's going on?! What is he doing?_ Confusion and terror drove her to move forward, gripping at the freezing, slippery surface. Her whole body trembled. _She had to get out!_

–

Hematite chuckled and tilted his head back further, sending the tiny diamond to the back of his mouth. Without hesitation, the giant gem smirked and swallowed easily, plummeting Yellow Diamond into constricting, suffocating cold.

–

_Wait, NO!!_

She slipped over his tongue, crying out to no avail. Even if she did make a sound, it would have fallen on deaf ears. She shut her eyes tightly, pulled down into a frozen cold abyss. Suddenly, the black void that she had been familiar with seemed far more welcoming. A few more long, agonizing moments and she found her arms unpinned, in a momentary free fall before landing on a solid, icy cold surface. It felt oddly dry for where she'd been not moments ago. In fact, it almost felt as though she'd fallen back into the plane from before...

But she couldn't see anything. She held her hands out in front of her quickly. She couldn't see them either.

–

The moment Yellow fell into the pitch black 'pit', everything went silent.

There was no laughing. There were no tremors. No cold breaths. Not a single click of a hunting visor.

Silence.

  


_He'd finally stopped talking to her._

–

She wrapped her arms around her in a panic. _Was she... dead? Was she going to wake up? Was he even there? Where was she?!_ She couldn't even tell that much. She went to stand, but had no idea where she was. She could only guess she was inside another void, inside _him_. She reluctantly started walking. The surface she stepped on felt like nothing, as if she wasn't making contact with anything. The air around her was cold, and it was deathly still. Her skin felt numb, as if nothing where making contact with it. She tried to say something, to ask if anyone was there. _Nothing_. 

  


Then it hit her.

  


_**She** felt like nothing. _

  


She looked up, breath catching in her throat. _Nothing_... She was stuck here. She was stuck here _alone_ , cold, who knows for how long. Was this even a dream anymore? Would she ever wake up? Was she going to be stuck here forever? She didn't even remember going to sleep!

It seemed like an eternity passed, and she kept calling out silently, her panic increasing; but the more her panic increased, the more her hope of escape drained from her. How long had it been... hours, days? Weeks? There was no sense of time here... and yet she knew she should have woken up by now! She eventually fell back to her knees, exhausted mentally. She felt physically _weak_. All her energy was gone. She looked down at the dark nothingness. She wanted to be alone, and now she was... But she was now left to wonder if that was what she really wanted in the first place. 

  


She sat down, folding her arms over and embracing herself in the deathly cold air. Was it even possible to freeze to death? No, she'd be stuck here forever. She was sure of it. No one to talk to, no one to hear her, _no one to remember her._ She closed her eyes and gripped her arms tighter, shivering. She didn't want this. She didn't want any of this. And now, she was going to be stuck here and forgotten about. And no one would ever find her.

  


  


  


  


**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!!**

  


"Yellow, open the door! I know you're in there! Wake up!" 

  


Yellow Diamond's eyes shot open, the light of her room greeting her with a familiar warmth. 

However, she still felt cold. 

Sitting up quickly, she stared wide eyed at the door. There were tears in her eyes. She was _awake_. She was finally awake. Regaining her composure, she wiped at her eyes, getting up off the bed. It seemed she'd passed out without meaning to. The bed was undisturbed, and a diamond pad laid next to her. Yellow sighed and made her way for the door, opening it and looking up without a word. 

White stood there, her arms crossed. She looked both confused and concerned. 

"Are you alright? Normally you don't sleep in this long. It's late in the afternoon, Yellow Diamond. You said you were going to send reports this morning, so I came over when I didn't get them. You really must have been drained!" She smirked, placing a hand on her hip. 

Yellow held a palm on the wall next to her, half-heartedly leaning against it. She stared with a blank expression up at the taller diamond and listened to her words. After she was done, she looked somberly to the side. White looked at her in suspicion, wondering why she hadn't responded. 

Yellow parted her lips, making a small noise. _She was audible._ Eyes wide, she stared ahead, not looking directly at White.

  


"… Do you think that if you dream about something enough, it can find its way into the waking world?" 

  


White's eyes widened, and she looked like she wanted to say something in reply... but she didn't. Raising her brows in an even deeper concern, she held up one of her hands just in time for Yellow to turn around. 

"Sorry, I'll have those reports to you as soon as possible. You can go now,” she said monotonously. White bit her tongue and decided not to pry. _That certainly...wasn't like her._ She nodded her head and shrugged. 

"Alright Yellow. If you need anything, you know where to find me!" She turned away, leaving her to her thoughts. Yellow stood still, silent, for a few prolonged moments after hearing the door behind her shut. 

Her eyes narrowed, and she started heaving. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she started to spark violently. She opened her mouth and screamed out in violent anger, reeling her fist back and punching dresser that sat next to her bed. Splinters flew everywhere, cutting deep into her hand. She breathed heavily, hissing through her teeth. Her arm trembled, pulling it from the now broken hardwood. 

  


She grasped her hand painfully, glove torn to shreds. Sobbing, she fell to her knees. _Fear...frustration...anger....horrific sadness. Guilt. Pain._ So many emotions flooded over her, bearing down on her like the weight of the entire planet. She grasped weakly at the side of her head, staring down at the floor. Tears dripped onto the smooth surface, spattering lightly. Slowly, Yellow's expression turned from dismay to _anger_.

  


_Look at yourself._

_What is this..._

_What have you been reduced to?_

_You're Yellow Diamond._

_You can't be afraid of some foolish nightmares!_

_But they won't stop... I can't sleep. I can't even rest my eyes for a moment. The terror in those dreams is too real._

_They aren't going to end, are they?_

  


…

  


  


_Fine._

  


_If it was going to be like this, then so be it. She would stay awake. She would work 10 times as hard. She would stay away from **him**. Everyone... she had to stay away from everyone. No, no one could see her like this! She had to keep her mind off of it. These nightmares weren't going to stop. The fact that she was **afraid** only fueled her anger more. No, she would put a stop to this. This fear wasn't going to get the better of her. She'd show them. She'd show herself. She was stronger than this. No matter what, nobody could know how much this was getting to her. If she had anything to say about it..._

  


_No one would ever find out._


	29. Do Not Look So Dismayed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morganite tells Hematite a story.

Finally, after weeks and weeks of work, Hematite finally had the next few days to do whatever he wanted. There was a strange lull in missions soon after his Spinel hunt, and White allowed him two whole days to do whatever he wanted. He hadn't had a full day off in months, and he was glad to spend it with some friends.

 

_More specifically, Blue._

 

Ever since the 'incident' at the Sky Arena, Hematite had rarely seen the chipper Diamond, and he was starting to miss talking with her. Sure, dropping into Morgan's bar now and then was fun, but it wasn't nearly as nice without his drinking buddy.

 

Hands folded behind his back, Hematite looked around as he headed down a staircase that lead to a lower part of the Blue district. He was heading for Morganite's bar, where Blue Diamond was supposed to meet him. Looking up at the reddening sky, a content smile crossed Hematite's face. It was a nice evening.

The service gem passed a few civilians and gave them a polite nod as he passed, which one returned, and one did not. People in the Blue district were slowly easing up on the dirty looks and avoidant paths, and Hematite was glad for it. It made walking about a lot less stressful. Though it helped when he stayed at his normal, smaller height like he was now.

Turning a corner, Hematite perked up as Morganite's bar came into view.

–

The bar was quiet this evening, at least for now. Morganite's Club just opened about half an hour ago, so not many people were hanging about outside. Normally, one could hear the music from the front door, but such was not the case at the moment. A familiar blue gem sat upon the bench outside the club, looking up to the sky. She didn't even notice at first that anyone was coming near her. She looked mesmerized, dazed even. Stars were already starting to come out, despite the early hour. _Man, she really loved the sky in this area..._

–

With an almost devious smile, Hematite noted that Blue didn't seem to see him yet. He stopped and tapped his chin, quietly hiding behind a wall for a moment. Looking around, he checked to see if there was anyone on the street. There were a few gems out past Blue, but nobody nearby.

_I wonder..._

Keeping hidden, Hematite glowed for a moment before the light quickly went out. A now tiny service gem snickered to himself as he scurried down the street, keeping to the red shadows of the darkening city block.

_Don't look over here._

To his delight, Blue was too busy watching the stars to notice his near silent approach. Tiny feet patting along the sidewalk, Hematite slowed to a stop behind the bench.

He stifled a snerk before stepping back and suddenly size-shifting back up behind the bench.

"AHA!" He laughed, playfully grabbing Blue around the shoulders. "I gotcha!"

–

Jolted quickly from her peace and quiet, Blue's instincts kicked in lightning fast and she grabbed the mystery gem's wrists. With a powerful swing, she yanked him over her head and slammed him into the ground in front of her.

"HYYYAH!" She placed a hand to her gem, baring her teeth fiercely, but soon her expression was one of confusion. Then realization. Then joy!

She burst out into laughter, swinging her arms up into the air and cackling heartily. She regained her composure quickly, looking down at the gem laying on the ground.

–

 **Regret**. **He had much regret.**

Hematite let out a surprised yelp as Blue tossed him over her head and into the ground. He laid there in a daze, a weak, pained groan escaping him.

"N-nice to see you too Blue...."

–

"Oh stars, sorry about that Hema! I didn't know it was you! Ya really had me goin' there!" she said, pointing her fingers at him in a joking manner.

Without warning, she leaned over and picked him up, hugging him tightly. _Yep, there she was. Hadn't changed a bit_. "OOooooh I missed ya bud! How have you been, ay? We've got a lot to catch up on!" She squeezed him excitedly.

\--

The service gem grunted in surprise as the diamond picked him up and squeezed him tight. His cheeks puffed out, and he winced slightly, despite there being a smile on his face. Breathlessly, he chuckled.

"I missed you too. Y-yeah we do, uh. Can yo-U PUT ME DOWN," he wheezed as the diamond hugged him tighter. His legs kicked in the air. "Blue I can't breathe."

–

She continued hugging him, still shaking off the laughter.

"You silly thing, gems don't have to breathe!" she said with a wide grin. Her grip loosened and she dropped the service gem back onto his feet, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm messin' with ya!" She waved her hand, turning to the door. She gestured for him to follow behind her.

–

The smaller gem sighed thankfully as he was put back down, and he adjusted his suit as Blue ushered him into the bar. He smiled brightly and strolled in behind her.

"Remind me never to sneak up on you again," he joked good-naturedly, snickering. He looked around the bar with a content smile. He always liked when it was calmer this time of night. Morgan's lounge had become a sort of comfort to him, and it was far more relaxing when there were fewer people.

–

The door chimed as it was opened, the softer music was the only sound filling the air. The club in the back had yet to be opened, and a few people were sitting in the lounge asleep. They were probably waiting for the later hours when it would open. Morganite waved to the both of them, a towel in his hands.

"Evenin'!" he said charmingly, raising a brow.

Blue waved back cheekily and hopped up into her usual seat. Morganite turned to grab something from the shelf. "Haven't seen you in a few weeks, Blue! You been busy?" He asked idly. She propped her elbows up on the counter top and crossed her fingers.

"Yeeeaah, just catching up on some work! Man, I needed this!" she said endearingly. She sighed with content. She, too, was comfortable here.

–

Hematite hopped up in his own seat next to Blue and smiled brightly at the pink-haired gem behind the counter.

"Hey Morgan. How've things been? I haven't seen you in a while..."

The service gem swung his legs quietly, his hands holding the sides of his seat.

–

Morganite was pouring drinks behind the counter, smiling warmly. He was glad to see them both again. "I've been alright! I'm certainly better now that you two are here!~" he cooed, turning to them with two drinks in hand. That was fast! He slid them both the glasses. One of them was Blue's usual, and the other was a familiar, bright drink. It looked a lot like the one that Hematite had the last time he was here. Blue smiled and immediately took a drink, smacking her lips.

"AAaawww yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!" She eyed the cup deviously.

–

At the sight of the brightly colored drink, Hematite's eyes lit up, and he pulled it over, taking a sip.

"Thanks, Morgan!"

After a few quiet moments, Hematite put down his glass. He reached up to his face, removing his eyepiece. Placing it down on the counter, he smiled and picked up his drink again, idly resting his mouth on the glass. Listening to the soft lounge music, the service gem sighed and swung his feet lazily below his chair.

–

Blue swirled her drink in her hand before taking another sip. It was peaceful here. She was among friends. She had her favorite drink in hand. How much better could it get? Morgan turned his back to them and started rinsing a few dishes, humming too quietly for anyone to hear. Blue turned to the smaller gem and raised her glass up.

"So? You gonna tell me what's been going on? I haven't really seen ya since the whole... um... Ordeal, with Sparky." She looked away with an awkward grin, still swirling her drink.

–

Drawn from his peaceful quiet by Blue's question, Hematite raised his brows and looked at the gem to his right. It was true, he'd barely seen her since, well, that little 'incident'. Putting his cup back on the counter, Hematite idly twisted the glass between his hands.

"Well, I've mostly been doing stuff around the districts... Construction, deconstruction, clean-up." He sipped his drink. "A little recon, lots of patrolling. Though, before all that, I was being bossed around by a bunch of Peridots." A soft chuckle escaped the service gem, but it faded prematurely as he looked up at Morganite. Something akin to anxiety flared up in his expression, and Hematite had to look back at Blue to ignore it. Right, something _else_ had happened.

"And, well... recently. Morganite and I had a spar."

–

Morganite felt a twinge of surprise rise up at Hematite's mention of the spar. Though, he didn't show any signs of hearing it. He gave a quick glance to Blue and turned to look at something else on the shelf behind him. Placing his hands on his hips, he stood with his back to them, looking up and down the shelves. Blue caught herself frowning, abruptly looking back at the Service gem with shock.

 

"WHAAAAT? You two had a spar AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"

–

Hematite flinched with a bashful smile and shook his head.

"No no, it wasn't that. You were busy, I think you were out of the city that week." The service gem fidgeted with his glass. "... You wouldn't have wanted to be there anyways. It wasn't pretty." One of the gem's hands slowly reached to the back of his neck, and he rubbed at it in remembrance.

–

Blue's eyes narrowed for a moment, and she propped her elbow onto the counter top She looked as though she were about to say something serious, but she smirked.

"Alright, who do I gotta beat up?" she said, her grin widening. It would seem that was more of a joke. Well, _half_ of a joke, anyway. Morganite still stood in the same place, eyeing the shelves. With a sigh too quiet to hear, he started to hum the same eerily familiar tune he had many times before, including back during his spar with Hematite.

–

At Blue's question, Hema let out the weakest laugh he could have managed. His fingers grasped at the cloth on his neck. The service gem's voice dropped just slightly.

"You don't have to worry about it." He looked at her with a strangely _haunted_ look in his eyes. "They're gone now. White took care of them."

As Morgan began to hum, Hematite tensed up ever so slightly, sparing the warrior gem a glance.

–

Blue's eyes widened, looking back at her drink for a second. She seemed concerned, but, didn't say anything. White took care of them. They're gone. Something really bad must have happened. She gave Hema a nod and took a sip of her drink.

"Hah, well... uh, I mean..." she paused awkwardly, trying to change the subject. "Ah, how did Morgan fare then?"

_Graceful, Blue. That wasn't much of a subject change._

The pink haired gem kept humming and closed his eyes upon the mention of his name again. His hands moved up to his hair, brushing through it for a moment. They soon found themselves rested on his shoulders.

–

The service gem dropped his gaze back to his own drink. He stared for a long moment before giving Morganite another glance. If Hematite wasn't mistaken, the warrior seemed... off. He couldn't tell exactly how, but something was up with him.

"Honestly, he probably would have handed my gem to me if the fight hadn't gotten sour." The service gem sipped his drink. A nervous chuckle escaped him, and he looked fully to the pink-haired gem.

"H-huh Morganite?"

–

Blue gave a grin, glancing from Hema to Morgan. Morganite's gaze drifted to the floor as he continued smiling and humming softly. He stopped for a second, lowering his hands and placing them close to each other. He ran his thumb over his gem slowly.

He let out a soft, quiet chuckle that broke the silence.

 

"No."

–

Hematite's brows raised after a few seconds, as if it'd taken the gem a moment to process what Morgan said. His nervous smile faded, only to be replaced with a look of genuine confusion.

Mixed with... _apprehension?_

"What do you mean? I-I was clearly going to lose once you got back on your feet, before Diaspore interrupted." His tone was faintly insistent, as if something about Morgan's answer was troubling him.

–

Morganite started to sway side to side on his heels, holding his hand close to his chest. He was still clutching at his gem gently. He started to him a little louder, opening his mouth now to let the sound carry melodiously throughout the bar.

He didn't hear anything that Hematite said.

Blue placed a finger to her lip. _Diaspore, huh? I'll have to ask White about that._ She glanced over at the bartender and frowned. She quickly looked away, as if...disheartened.

Morganite moved as charmingly as he did sing, and waved his hands away. He still wasn't facing either of them.

 

Blue took a long, drawn out sip of her drink and muttered something under her breath.

"Ah, this one again..."

–

Hematite's heart sank, and he felt the same eerie chill that he did back during his match with the pink haired gem. Blue's quiet mumbling didn't help matters. _What's going on. Why are you ignoring me? Morgan... answer me._ The service gem's eyes didn't leave Morgan, and Hematite felt his expression slowly harden into a frown. With a sudden 'thud', Hematite put his drink back on the counter.

 _"Morganite,"_ he said firmly, the nervousness completely gone from his tone. There was the faintest hint of irritation there. It wasn't often he sounded like this.

–

Blue placed a palm on Hematite's shoulder and shook her head quickly, eyes widened. She mouthed _**don't.**_ Morganite, however, seemed completely unphased by his sudden change of demeanor. No, he continued... but now, he started to move along with the tune, as if he had entered a slow dance with himself. Chillingly, he stopped humming, and started to _sing_.

 

 

_"Come to me, Oh Dearest one! Together we shall see the sun!"_

 

Blue bit her lip, her palm still on Hema's shoulder. She avoided eye contact with him.

 

_"You and me, let's sail away, live to see another day!"_

–

The service gem looked at Blue in slightly indignant surprise, but then glanced at Morgan again. _Something was wrong._

Slowly, he reached for his eyepiece that still laid on the counter. He returned it to his face silently. Hematite's shoulders were tense, and he glanced between Blue and Morgan. _What on Homeworld was going on... and why this song again?_

–

He started to move quicker, his movements more erratic and fight-like. However, he remained graceful, not bumping into or hitting anything behind the counters.

 

_"So take my hand, be not afraid! The beast before you shall be slayed!"_

 

He turned, his bangs falling over his eyes, smile twisted into a confident sneer.

 

_"And when we're through, I'll say to you..."_

 

His movements slowed down, placing his arms out as if he were about to take someone's hands, and his smile eased up into a much more soft grin. His gem began to glow faintly.

 

_"Do not look so dismayed..."_

–

Hematite looked visibly uncomfortable, and his hand moved to hold Blue's arm. He glanced at her, still unable to meet her eyes, as she wasn't looking at him.

The service gem forced himself to look back at Morganite, and he glanced at his now glowing gem. Hematite's lips parted, and though no sound came out at first, he eventually managed a soft, _"Morgan?"_

–

Morgan stopped suddenly, shaken for some reason. It looked as though he had been stabbed in the heart. His eyes widened under his bangs, smile cringing into a small frown. His gemstone stopped glowing. He cleared his throat and stood up straight again, placing his hand over his gem and covering it completely. For a few long, agonizing moments, he continued to stay silent.

Blue sighed quietly and took her hand off Hematite, looking away.

 

"You still miss her, don't you?" she said quietly. Morgan didn't look at her, parting his bangs away from his face. There were tears in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away.

 

"Every day."

 

He quickly regained his composure and turned away again, awkwardly shifting on his heel.

"Ah, forgive me... I can get carried away, sometimes!" He laughed weakly, though it was obviously fake. There was another pause. He turned his head, staring at the door to the other room where a few gems were dancing. "Thinking back to that fight... No, I got a little too into that. I was overzealous, far too eager to defeat you. I felt something, that day... during that fight. Like an old fire had reignited in me for some reason." A small grin returned to him. He finally turned to face the two. "It reminded me of how she and I used to spar."

–

Hematite stared at the warrior gem, his shoulders now relaxed, his face an expression of undisguised concern and confusion. He looked between Morgan and Blue, utterly lost. The service gem crossed his arms, his right hand grasping at his sleeve.

"Who?"

 

Morganite looked away, placing a palm to his cheek. A distant, bereft look befell him.

 

"Her name was Cinnabar..."

 

Blue felt a small chill go up her spine. She made a small noise, clutching her drink and putting it to her lips. She didn't like this story...

–

Hematite slowly sat back in his seat. He clutched his drink close to his face, his lips hid behind the glass.

_Alright, Morgan. Let's hear it._

–

"Long ago before the thousand year gem war, Cinnabar and I were both of the Pink District, under the rule of Pink Diamond. I used to sit out in the gardens and watch the days go by. It was peaceful, then..." He looked envious, remembering better days. Crossing his arms, he continued. "But one day, I overheard a commotion near one of the fountains. Curiously, I went and checked it out. There was a small, red and white gem that was bickering with a much larger gem. A Clinohumite, I believe. Just as I had snuck around to hear what they were saying, the Clinohumite struck the smaller gem with their fist and stormed off. I rushed over to see if the smaller gem was alright, but she was pretty shaken." He stopped, frowning.

Blue took a look down at her drink uncomfortably as he continued.

"I told her that I knew a place she could stay if she didn't feel safe. She seemed a little reluctant, but she followed me back to the outer cities. I took her back to my home and gave her tea... Then asked her what happened. Understandably, she didn't want to give me too many details, but basically told me that she had just had a relationship end badly." He sighed, tapping his fingers on his arms.

"I told her she could stay as long as she needed... so she did. We became far more acquainted in those few short weeks, and eventually she told me that she had to leave. I asked her if I'd ever see her again." He paused, smiling again faintly. "She said yes."

–

Sparing Blue a quick glance, Hematite fidgeted with his glass and listened to Morganite's story. Though he didn't show it, he was silently taking notes. As much as he felt like he didn't want to hear the rest of this tale, he knew it was his duty to himself to take heed of whatever the warrior said.

–

"We really hit it off, after that! And, well... to make a long story short... we ended up together, practically inseparable. Turns out, we were both a lot alike in more ways than we could ever have imagined! I taught her how to fight and stand up for herself, so sparring was a common thing that we did together. She was small, and many would think that she wasn't very strong..." He closed his eyes, grinning.

"But they were so wrong. Through thick and thin, she persevered, Pushed through. She gave it her all. She had such passion, such spirit! No matter what, she'd do what it would take to win!" He looked over at Hematite, opening his eyes. "A lot like you, honestly."

Blue shot a small smile to Hema, even if it was half-hearted. Morganite chuckled, lifting his hand to his face.

"She was a dreamer, alright. So fierce, determined, and eager to face her future. She wanted to go places, see places..." He looked around the bar, lowering his hand slowly. "We even wanted to open our own shop! Much like this place here, but... bigger! Better! And _together_." His solemn look quickly returned. "… And then the war happened."

Blue noticeably tensed up, her brows furrowing. She gripped her glass and set it down, glancing away without a word. Morgan continued.

"It split apart the districts. It threw Homeworld into chaos. It created anarchy and mayhem among it's people... including us. We were forced to choose sides..."

–

The faintest smile crossed Hematite's face, but it faded as Morgan continued.

 

 _Right... the war._ Pink Diamond caused so much suffering with her choice. Every time Hematite found out more about the effects the ex-diamond's betrayal caused, the more he hated her, the more he felt justified tearing down the Pink District, or harvesting those still wanting to cause trouble in her name.

The service gem sipped his drink. He was getting close to the last of it.

"... What happened?"

–

"We chose to fight for Homeworld... we didn't... really want to fight, but with me being a warrior, and both of us being loyal to Homeworld, we didn't have much of a choice," he stated, placing his palm to the center of his chest. Blue gave a curt nod, frowning.

"And they both chose to follow me, more specifically,” the Diamond butted in, swirling her almost empty glass. Morganite nodded and turned back to the shelf for a moment.

"Yes, so we fought... we fought for Homeworld, mostly here on our own planet against the rebels that rose up in the name of Pink Diamond. We fought for our own lives together, we fought for our future! Together, we came through... there were many rough spots, often times accepting the fact that we might be killed... but we always pulled through. Heh... she was so hopeful, so optimistic. We were a force to be reckoned with, she and I..." He stopped, his face becoming cold and blank.

 

"We were going to spend our lives together. We were going to go places, see places.... But one day..."

 

He looked up at nothing, a thousand yard stare taking over his gaze.

 

"Something terrible happened."

–

Hematite's body went cold, and he felt a shiver go up his spine. Looking away, he braced himself for whatever was coming. He remained silent, not wanting to interrupt.

–

Blue put her glass on the counter and crossed her arms. _She hated this part of the story._

"One night, I went to go scope out a rebel base. I told Cin not to follow me... but she didn't listen." He cringed, clutching the fabric of his shirt where the diamond insignia was. There was an awful, pained look in his eyes. He bared his teeth and fought back tears, but forced himself to smile.

"Someone snuck up on me... So I acted quickly."

Another pause followed, his palms trembling slightly.

"But by the time I reacted..."

–

Looking at Blue for a moment, Hematite frowned and turned his gaze to the pink haired warrior. He wanted to say something, but he could tell Morgan was still talking, and he bit his tongue.

–

It took him a moment to regain his composure enough to say the next words. It was ominous, seeing such a normally calm and collected gem so rattled by something.

"It was too late to notice who had snuck up on me."

He pulled his hand away from his shirt, his arms going limp beside him. He sighed heavily, staring at the floor. "I always had such... precise accuracy." He scowled, as if disgusted with himself. "Before either of us could do anything... before we could say a word... My own careless, rash decisions and reactions got the best of me... And I shattered her."

–

At Morgan's last words, Hematite felt the lounge around him go silent. He couldn't tell if it had actually gone quiet, or if it was inside his own head, but it unnerved him all the same. His breathing stopped, and he stared wide-eyed at the warrior.

Hematite suddenly felt something pricking at the inside of his mouth, a strange phantom feeling that made his skin crawl. It felt as though his tongue was covered in glass. He closed his eyes tightly, willing the feeling to go away.

There was an agonizingly long pause.

"... You didn't mean to."

–

He looked up, eyes wide. Turning to Hematite at last, Morgan stared at him, the tears flowing from his eyes freely. He parted his lips, shocked by his statement somehow. However, he quickly shook himself back. _No, the story wasn't quite over..._

 

"Distraught... I took her shards and bubbled them away. I still know where they are, in hopes that one day, one day far in the future, I could bring her back..." He felt the last words hard to get out, emitting a shuddering breath. "Even if that may never happen... Even if..."

Blue gave Morganite an understanding nod, meeting his gaze.

"Even if she can't forgive me if or when she returns... If I could just see her, one last time. Tell her I'm sorry." He took one of the cloths from the shelf and wiped his eyes, reaching for a bottle that sat nearby.

"I cherished her dearly. Of all of my mistakes, that one to this day still haunts me." He poured the drink into a glass and slid it over to Blue, finally. "The song that I sing was the song I sang to her during the war... a song that kept our spirits up. A song that inspired us. It was... our song. Heh... I wrote it myself." He seemed as though he was slowly coming back, having gotten over the worst of the story.

Sighing, he looked down again at his gem.

"It's still my favorite song..."

–

Slowly, Hematite put his empty glass down and fidgeted with it, turning it in his hands. He was quiet as he listened to Morganite finish his story. After a long, silent pause, he looked up. The prickling in his mouth had thankfully ceased. An unreadable expression crossed the service gem's face, and he took a long, steadying breath.

"I'm so sorry, Morgan." His tone was genuine, and there was a heaviness to it. "Neither of you deserved that. Terrible things happen to people that don't deserve it." Looking at his glass, Hematite blinked thoughtfully. When he spoke again, his voice was softer. "I think you'll be together again some day. Maybe not some time soon. But... Nothing's unfixable."

Hematite's fingers twitched a moment.

"There's a way out there, somewhere." A small, sad smile crossed his face. Hematite suddenly looked up to the pink haired warrior, a bright grin on his face.

"And when we find it, you can sing that lovely song to her again."

–

Morgan's eyes widened, tears welling up in them once more. He shook his head, forcing them away. A genuine smile found its way back to him.

"Hematite, thank you..." he said simply, shrugging his shoulders. Blue blinked a few times, sipping her drink between Hematite's words. _Wise... truly wise_. That was a nice thing to see from him. Morganite looked at his hand and clenched his fist. Warmth and calm had returned back to him. He began humming again, a longing look in his distant eyes.

"Do not fear the war my dear... I promise I shall be right here. And when the battle's said and done..." he turned away from the two again and held his hand close to his chest.

 

_"You will be my only one.~"_

–

\------

Hours later, Hematite was the only one left at the bar as closing time approached. Blue left some time ago. The service gem retired to one of the lounges for the night, quietly enjoying the club's calmer hours. Eventually the revelry and loud music faded, and dawn light began to filter through the front windows of the bar.

Hematite noticed that Morgan was beginning to wrap things up, and he wondered if the pink haired gem noticed he was still around. Getting up, he walked out of the lounge he'd rested in and made his way to the front. Seemed Morgan was getting ready to head out and lock up.

–

Morganite was wiping down the bar with a cloth, humming a different tune than from earlier. He sighed softly, thinking back to earlier in the night. That was a bit of an unprofessional outburst, but he had work to do nonetheless, after the fact. At least there weren't that many people around, that time. Business was business. And now, business was over for the night. Walking out from behind the counter, the pink haired gem stretched and yawned. _Time to head out._

He started for the door, but didn't get very far before he noticed Hematite. Blinking curiously, he spared him a grin.

"Oh, you're still here? I thought you would have headed out long before now!" he said, placing a hand on his hip. Everyone else had left already, so it was a good thing Hematite showed up when he did, or he would have probably been locked in all day. "What, did you decide to go dancing or something?" he joked.

–

Hematite smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, looking away as he approached the warrior gem.

"Hah, no. I'd rather not get punched out by another angry club patron. And I'm not that great at dancing." Stopping a few feet away, Hematite took to messing with his hair. He finally looked directly at Morganite. "And I... wanted to say thank you."

–

Morganite raised a brow, tapping his fingers on his hips. He motioned his head to the side a little bit, his hair falling over his shoulder.

"For what?..."

–

The service gem looked to the side, shrugging his shoulders and pursing his lips.

"For, you know. Saving me back at the coliseum. I never did properly tell you thanks." He scuffed the ground with his foot, his gaze returning to Morgan's face.

–

The taller gem blinked a few times, looking a little surprised.

"Hah, well... you know... they ruined our match, and all!... And she tried to kill you. For no reason... I couldn't stand by and just watch her do that to you." He frowned, biting at his lip from the inside. He looked away and smiled. "Anytime, though..."

–

Hematite watched the taller gem intently. He stopped fidgeting with the hair on the back of his head and let his arms drop to his sides. His thumb and index finger brushed together.

The smaller gem suddenly stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Morganite's waist, giving him a tight hug.

–

Morganite was jumped from his calm for a split second, looking down at the service gem. That was a little unexpected, to say the least! He took a deep breath, lifting his hand and placing it on Hematite's shoulder softly. While Morganite felt like he didn't really need to be thanked, the gesture wasn't unwelcome

_And thank **you** , 'harvester'._


	30. Waking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite brings tea to Yellow Diamond.

Days flowed easily into months. The districts stayed relatively the same throughout their rotations. The White district was ever-learning, peaceful, and chatty, brimming with culture and entertainment. The Blue district was still bustling with life, rowdy as ever. The Yellow district was progressing further as well, and in fact started to become even more productive than ever! That is, until the recent last couple of weeks. Things started slowing down, people were stirred into confusion, and advancements and research found themselves stopping and starting at random. Managers were without orders and schedules from Yellow Diamond, worker gems had no jobs to do day to day, and construction and research facilities received jumbled and confusing orders.

  


_This wasn't normal at all._

  


White peered out of her window, overlooking the city beyond her tower. She sighed heavily to herself, her arms folded behind her back. _What's going on over there?... Whats going on with_ _ **her**_ _?_ She had to do something. Ever since she saw Yellow Diamond that afternoon, walking in on whatever _that_ was, she knew something was up. She didn't know _what_ for sure, but she had a feeling she at least had a hunch.

–

For Hematite, the last few months or so passed uneventfully. Go on a mission, take a few days off, go on another mission, do some recon, go to Morgan's bar, have a little spar at the arena. Nothing unusual. 

The service gem walked down the sky bridge toward White Diamond's office with his hands neatly tucked behind his back. He looked around idly, his steps echoing down the empty hall. Hematite's mind began to wander.

White called him in to report to her for something important. He wasn't sure what it was, but a tad of anxiety settled in his stomach because of it. White seemed a little distracted lately, as if she were troubled by something, but whatever it was, she wasn't mentioning it. She rarely sounded like that, and it always worried him when she refuse to tell him what was on her mind.

He hoped he wasn't in trouble.

Stopping at White's door, Hematite knocked twice and stepped inside once the doors hissed open. They shut behind him, and he saluted respectfully.

"Hematite reporting, White Diamond."

–

White turned and bowed her head to Hematite, beckoning him in with her hand without a word. A moment later, as he stepped inside, she finally spoke.

"There's something I need to discuss with you, Hematite,” she said promptly and sternly. She walked over to one of her shelves and picked up a small box, bringing it over to her desk. It was uncertain what the box was holding. It was made of a rare hardwood that had deposits of a strange, iridescent mineral in the veins. The corners were adorned with white insignia and a little clasp sat on the front. Sitting down, White sighed softly. It was odd to see that she didn't have any tea set out for herself.

–

The sight of his leader without any tea, for once, only solidified Hematite's gut feeling that something was wrong. This wasn't just a normal report, and he knew it. Swallowing quietly, the service gem walked over to White's desk. He peered at the box curiously, but said nothing.

–

White bit her lip for a moment and sighed again. She didn't want to do this, but it was the only way to make something happen. Anything... Anything other than this. 

"Hematite, something is wrong with Yellow Diamond. And, I have a feeling that I might know what it is." She glanced to the side, staring at the door behind him for a few seconds before looking back at him. "I... saw something _off_ with her many months ago, but at the time I brushed it off... now...." She placed a single finger on the box, tapping it nervously. "I wish I hadn't."

–

Arching a brow, Hematite frowned nervously. He couldn't help but glance away from his leader. It took all his effort to keep his arms folded neatly behind his back instead of crossing them in front of him. Defensive body language was the last thing he needed right now.

"What sort of 'off'?"

–

"She's been losing a lot of progress. Talking a lot less to us. She's been really slipping on her work, which is... not like her at all. I mean, it's Yellow... she lives for her work!" She frowned, shrugging her shoulders. "Look, I think it... might have something to do with the incident that you two had. Ever since that happened, something seemed off with her in general, but not quite this bad. I could be wrong, but. I just want to make sure. You haven't made up with her yet, have you?” she asked, placing her palms together.

–

A guilty frown found its way to the smaller gem's face, and he scuffed his foot on the floor. It was true, Yellow hadn't seemed 'right' ever since the stunt he pulled at the Arena almost a year ago. He'd hardly seen her around, aside from the incident with Diaspore and the one afternoon at the hangars in the Yellow District. And even then, Hematite knew something just wasn't the same about her. She was jumpy, nervous, acting completely out of character...

But that couldn't have been his fault, right? Surely this wasn't because of the incident in the Sky Arena. It was all an _act_ , a facade, hell, it was a mean-spirited _joke_. She was a diamond that'd faced plenty of horrors in her day. Why would it still be effecting her?

"No, I haven't. She hasn't exactly been talking to me. I probably would have apologized, or something, had she given me the chance. But she's kind of shut me out entirely since that spar."

–

White pursed her lip and interlocked her fingers.

"She hasn't really fancied seeing you too much. Do you really blame her, after that?" She said, blinking for a second. "Don't answer that. Anyway, look... I think it's time you two clear the air, regardless of if that is what's going on or not. If this doesn't change anything, I'll have to start prying at her. Yellow isn't one to talk about her feelings or anything, so she'll be hard to crack..." Unclasping her hands, she placed her hand on the box again and slid it towards Hematite. "But for now, I'd like you to take this to her. It's her favorite tea. And I want you to apologize genuinely for what you did." She narrowed her eyes sternly, crossing her arms. "Do I make myself clear? I won't follow you or ask a report on this. It's not a job, it's just." She made a small 'mmm' noise as if trying to find the right words. "It's the right thing to do."

–

Nodding, Hematite picked up the box and looked over it curiously. _Right... right._

_Apologize._

Looking up to his leader, he bit his lip and nodded.

"Yes ma'am. I'll uh... get right on that." He saluted her with the tea box in hand and turned around, heading out of the office.

_This wasn't going to be fun._

–

White waved her hand for the door. 

"Remember, don't be surprised if she seems really off!" she called out just before the door hissed shut behind Hematite. It was sunset now, and things were quiet. At least the skies were clear tonight in the White district.

–

Hematite's walk along the bridge seemed to last forever. The setting sun bathed the stone walls in warm red light, casting dark blue shadows in the city. The longer the service gem walked, the further the clear skies of the White district became.

In the distance, dark storm clouds loomed, lightning arcing between them. It seemed the entire Yellow District was covered by a vicious electrical storm. Hematite swallowed nervously and continued walking.

–

The skies were near black, the only light was coming from the lightning and the city itself. It wasn't long now before Hematite would reach Yellow's Diamond Tower. This place didn't just look different, it _felt_ different.

–

Hematite's anxiety steadily worsened the closer he got to Yellow's office, until his entire body was yelling at him to stop and turn back.

_He could lie._

_He could say he spoke with her._

_White wasn't expecting a report._

_He could say he apologized, and never speak a word to Yellow._

But as he stood in front of the tall office doors, he couldn't bring himself to turn back. No, this was wrong. Something was seriously off. He'd never seen the yellow district like this. 

And if he really was the cause of whatever was going on... he had to set it right.

Staring at the door, the service gem swallowed nervously.

  


_Just go in. Apologize._

_It's easy._

_Just go in._

  


Hematite's feet were planted to the floor. He couldn't move.

The boiling knot in his stomach ached.

  


_**Just go in.** _

  


Shakily, Hematite reached up to the door and knocked.

–

There was no answer for an entire minute. However, eventually the door hissed slightly open to reveal Yellow's pearl standing behind it. Peeking through, she narrowed her eyes at Hematite. 

“Oh, it's just you... She doesn't want to see anyone right now," the pearl spoke in a snooty, overly professional tone.

–

Hematite's brows furrowed, and he did his best to stand straight, making eye contact with the Pearl.

"I've been sent directly by White Diamond. Please open the door." As if to make his point, he held up the little box in his hands. "I've brought something for her."

–

Pearl looked down at the small box, then back up to meet Hematite's eyes. She didn't look amused, but she closed her eyes and shrugged. She couldn't argue with that. She backed up and opened the door fully, gesturing for him to come in. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty. 

Yellow's office looked a mess. The room was in shambles, documents and different utensils strewn about all over the floor. Nothing looked organized, Diamond pads lay broken here and there, and there was an overturned teacup on her desk. Her room was dark, only one of the lights working. 

She sat at her desk hunched over, holding her head up with both of her hands, both of which were digging into her hair. She looked awful. She looked distant...she looked tired.

Her gaze drifted slowly upwards and as if taking a moment to register who had walked in, after a second or two, she seemed to jump a little. Slamming her palms down on her desk and baring her teeth, she glared wide eyed at him.

"WHAT are YOU doing here?!" she hissed.

–

_Stars, it was worse than he could have imagined..._

Hematite flinched heavily at Yellow's harsh 'welcome', and he held the box in front of him defensively.

"Wh-white sent me." Swallowing, he glanced away, trying not to make eye contact with the angry Diamond. "I'm just here to talk..."

–

She narrowed her eyes and eased her shoulders a little. 

"Tch....I should have known White would be behind this..." She averted her gaze, scowling. Crossing her arms, she tapped her fingers on her skin. "There's nothing **to** talk about..."

–

The service gem slowly lowered the box away from his face, and he stood at attention. Nervously, he bit his lip, the smallest frown on his face. _C'mon, don't make this difficult._

"... You're right, there _is_ nothing to _talk_ _about_." A pause followed. "But. I have something I need to _say_. About the incident, last year..."

An anxious flare in the pit of his stomach made him wince just slightly, but he swallowed again and took a deep breath. There was a long moment of silence.

"I'm sorry."

–

Yellow's eye twitched, and there was a long, awkward silence. The pearl went wide eyed and stepped back, walking back into the corner to stay away from whatever was about to happen. Yellow's eyes widened. Her breathing became heavier, hissing through her teeth.

"Sorry? You're SORRY?... Do you have ANY IDEA WHAT THIS HAS DONE TO ME?!" she snarled, raising her hands up, fingers curled in anger. Her eyes widened, a faint glow of sparks fizzling around her. She found herself standing, sizing up the smaller service gem. At least.... as much as she could. She looked both pained and furious, more so the latter.

–

Hematite's eyes widened, and he took a single step back. If Yellow went off on him, he wasn't sure how far he could get. His legs began to shake, but it was subtle.

"N-no, I don't! I've barely seen you since that day... I thought you were just... angry." And evidently, she was. "I-I never got a chance to apologize..."

–

Yellow gripped the table again, digging her nails across the smooth surface. 

"I don't WANT your apology! NOTHING you can say will ever excuse what you did! It wont change who you are, it wont change _me_ , it won't change anything that's happening now! You're just going to make everything worse!! I... It's just better off if you leave me **ALONE**!" she growled, seething in anger.

–

Brows furrowing indignantly, Hematite took a single step forward, the box of tea now at his side.

"I'm not trying to excuse what I did! I was wrong, _it_ was wrong! I shouldn't have lashed out, I was angry..." He clenched his fist. "But I'm not making anything worse! I haven't done anything since that day! I've continued to not do anything! I've been trying to leave you alone, and look at this! If **I'm** the reason you're like this now, then we need to talk about it!" He motioned around the room.

–

Yellow scowled and clutched her arms close to her chest again. She looked at him with burning hatred. 

"I don't need to hear anything you have to say. I don't HAVE to! And I don't want you anywhere near me." She said venomously. Her eyes narrowed, piercing through him... but something faltered, and she blinked, flinching almost. She gripped the sleeve of her glove and pulled at it, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

–

"Why?"

Shaking his head with a deep frown, Hematite looked to the side. He suddenly turned to stare Yellow straight in the eyes, something he hadn't done up till now. When her expression faltered, Hema suddenly put the pieces together. That one moment, that little twinge of hesitation, worry... that was _fear_.

  


_She was scared of him._

  


The service gem's breathing hitched. The incident was still effecting her. But...

"I'm not a threat to you! I wasn't trying to hurt you back at the arena, and I don't ever _plan_ on hurting you!" The hatred in her stare made something in his chest seize up. He remembered how Yellow Diamond had looked when he held her in his fist back at the arena. He remembered the fear, the desperation. But there was no reason for it anymore... his anger was spent. He'd made his point. There was no cause for her to be in such a **state**.

"What are you so afraid of?!"

–

Her eyes widened in horror, the last words ringing through her head... but that wasn't what stopped her. No, she noticed something _else_. Her lips parted as if she were going to yell, but she did nothing. Her reaction didn't match what Hematite said at all. It looked more like she was terrified of something for a moment. There Hema stood in the dark room, but he didn't stand alone anymore. No, from the shadows it crept in; a black looming figure wisped its way into shape behind him. _An all too eerily familiar presence._ As the dark figure became more apparent, it seemed to float behind and over Hematite, looming its sharp claws over the smaller service gem.

  


**Whiirrrrr... click.**

  


The grimly glowing yellow target appeared on its face, features quickly coming into view... and it bore a twisted, sharp-toothed smile. Yellow jumped, gritting her teeth, sweat forming on her brow. 

_**No, what?! HERE?! No... Was she dreaming? Surely that was it! This was another nightmare!** _

She closed her eyes and furrowed her brows, panicked, desperate and angry. 

**"GET AWAY FROM ME! GET OUT!"**

–

Hematite's eyes widened in shock, and he dropped the box of tea he was holding at his side. 

"Y-yellow?" he stammered, surprised at her reaction. He took a few steps back, closer to the unseen black figure.

The nightmarish shadow's grin widened, the diamond-shaped target on its visor narrowing. 

With a laugh that only _she_ could hear, the black form loomed its claws around the small service gem.

  


**What are you so afraid of?~**

–

**"I SAID GET OUT!" s** he screamed, hand lighting up and blasting a huge bolt of electricity into the wall just behind Hematite. In that split second, the form vanished, leaving only Yellow, Hematite, and the Pearl standing in the room. Yellow breathed heavily, panicked and shaken. She lowered her arms slowly, the anger returning to her face. It was gone... Good. But also, _not_ good...

Looking down, unsure of what to say next, she sat in an ungraceful and exhausted way. She seemed both distant, angry, and _shocked_. 

"I... you should go now."

–

The wall behind Hematite smoked quietly, the lightning having left a large scorch mark along with a small hole Eyes wide, the service gem was standing with his hands in front of him. His entire form was shaking, his lips parted slightly in shock. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.

"A-... As you wish." His tone was quiet, defeated, scared. Without taking his eyes off of his superior, the service gem shakily walked back toward the door. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but his voice was failing him. The door behind him hissed open. 

Hematite gave her one last apologetic and hurt look before he turned tail and bolted down the hall.

–

The pearl said nothing through the whole ordeal, holding her hands together patiently. She was used to seeing Yellow angry, so this really wasn't a shock to her... but what was shocking was to see her so _horrified_. She didn't delve into it. That wasn't her job anyway. Yellow dug her nails into the side of her head and stared down, wide eyed at the sheen on her desk. _She saw him... he was there. She_ _ **heard**_ _him. There was no mistaking he'd been in the office._

  


_She was starting to see him again, after months of avoiding him..._

  


_**And she wasn't even asleep.** _


	31. Dioptase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite attends a special event at the Coliseum.

Oh yes, everyone had been waiting for this!

 

A few times a year, four to be exact, the Blue District's coliseum held a very special event that civilians of all districts were always eager to get to. Blue herself set aside that particular week to have more lenient working hours across the board for her district's gems so they could attend the spectacle. White and Yellow did not do the same, but regardless, gems from all three districts flocked to this quarterly spectacle.

Certainly this particular week of fights was a sight to see. New challengers, illustrious displays of power, synchronization, agility, wit! They were fast paced, unpredictable, always new and exciting! Regular matches were fine and all, and a lot of fun to watch, but nothing could quite measure up...

 

**To the Fusion Fights.**

 

Though Homeworld generally frowned upon fusion as a concept since the war, this and a few other particular events were set aside to let gems fuse under strict supervision. This was the main one. Gems from all over the districts flocked to this event, both as challengers and watchers alike. Aristocrats, entertainers, worker gems, warriors, managers! Many who loved to fuse but could not under normal circumstances would set aside their week specifically to cash in on such a wonderful opportunity, even if they weren't particularly built for fighting. Some were better suited for civilian life, but would still go to the fusion fights to spend time _together_. There were smaller events throughout the week such as shows of precision, speed, strength, and even endurance that the less battle-ready fusions would take part in. Some gems preferred to only participate in those, much calmer events. But some... well.

There were many gems that had made names for themselves as fusion fighters. Any Fusion Fight regulars could spot them a mile away. There was a handful of fusions that made appearances every year, some even for hundreds of years in a row! They were crowd pleasers, their skills and powers were a sight to behold and always a treat for faithful Coliseum goers to see.

 

And speaking of recognized crowd pleasers...

 

Down in one of the side-tunnels leading from the stands to the arena, Hematite was leaning against the stone wall, looking over his knuckledusters. They glinted subtly in the low light as he turned his hand one way, then the other. His expression was hard to read, but he at least seemed vaguely excited. He listened quietly to the distant sounds of already-battling gems outside the currently closed-off tunnel he stood in.

 

_This was going to be... something._

 

Blue personally invited him to this event, and seemed extremely chuffed by the possibility of seeing him fight some rough and tough fusions. Honestly, he was both excited and nervous. He'd fought fusions in the field before, and they were always incredibly... tricky. A singular gem was one thing, but fusions, well. Unless the gems were identical, every single fusion was unique, and had a different set of powers and a different personality. It kept him on his feet and made it difficult to do his job, with such unpredictable variables.

But here, in the coliseum? It was even worse. He wouldn't even have time to study his opponent. He could guess what kind of gem the fusion would be, both in personality and abilities, but he had no way of really preparing himself.

Anything could happen.

That being said, he did still feel optimistic anticipation coursing through him, filling his chest with a vague sense of determination. It had been a long time since he'd been in front of such an audience, and he could already feel the rush of the upcoming battle starting to hit him.

"This should be interesting,” he said out loud to himself.

–

There were many gems standing around in the tunnels alone. A distant uproar could be heard filling the air within the Coliseum itself. It was more crowded than it had been in a very long time. Some of the gems were stretching, others had their weapons out and pretending to swing a few hits, practice sparring. Others seemed to be moving around and dancing! There were gems everywhere all focused on something.

Well, all gems except a few that were standing near the front gate. One of them stood between two guards, her palms placed on the carbonite bars.

"YEEEEEEAAAAAHHH!! That's what I'm talking about, wooOOOOoo!" she called out excitedly. The two guards flinched at her sudden outburst, but went back to standing normally.

Cackling, the gem watched through the gate eagerly, getting _way_ too into what she was watching. Suddenly, she shouted zealously, swinging her arm abruptly and giving one of the guards a punch straight in the side, sending them flying in the other direction. With another cheer as though she hadn't done anything, she threw her hands up in the air and whirled around. "'ATTA GEM!! Give em' a show!" She balled her hands up into fists. The other guard stood at attention, glanced at their downed fellow guard, and took a few steps to the side away from Blue without her noticing.

"Uh... Blue Diamond, ma'am? Are you alright-" a voice asked from inside the armor, but just as the gem finished speaking, Blue grabbed onto their arm with a fire in her eyes.

"ALRIGHT? I'm FANTASTIC! This is like... one of my favorite events! Have you ever fought in one of these?! Have you ever watched them? I mean like, REALLY watched them!? They're incredible! Exciting! Unpredictable!" She finally let go of the baffled guard, turning away from them and grinning ear to ear, eyes wide.

"I LOVE IT!"

–

Hematite winced with a smile as Blue punched the guard, and he noted to keep his distance until she calmed down. Though, with how hyped up she was getting over the current match, he didn't see that happening any time soon. Instead of approaching her, he smiled and called down the tunnel to her.

"C'mon Blue, if you keep that up you'll be too worn out to fight later!" The service gem stood straight and poofed away his knuckledusters. He flexed his fingers, clenching and unclenching his fists.

The match outside the gated tunnel seemed to be drawing to a close, as a smaller yellowish fusion was sent skidding across the arena floor. Hematite let out a sympathetic 'oooooooh' as the opposing fusion kicked them away. _That_ fight was going to finish soon.

Rolling his shoulders, Hematite wondered who he and Blue would be fighting, or if he would be going solo for a while. Blue told him that he'd be doing the fight on his own at _first_ , but he wasn't sure if that meant she'd be joining him only if it was needed, or if there was some signal she'd wait for. She'd honestly been rather vague about the whole thing.

–

The blue gem turned quickly to Hematite, the fire still lit up in her eyes.  
"HEMAAAAA! I was hoping you'd show up! Oh stars, you're gonna love this! It's right up your alley I think! Excitement, action, UNPREDICTABLE CHAOS!" She cackled again, throwing her hands up in the air dramatically. She calmed for a moment, grinning impishly. "I can't wait to see you take on these guys, boy that'll be a show!!" Cracking her knuckles, she turned back to the gate. "I often participate in these myself, hehe! Even if the fighters never really want me to for some reason! Or, rather, _advise_ me not to... BUUUUT I do anywaaaay! Kehehehe!" She snickered, wrapping her fingers firmly around the bars. "Whadda ya say, kid? You ready to rock this place?" she asked deviously, turning to look at Hema over her shoulder.

–

With a bright smile, Hematite felt Blue's zealous vigor starting to get to him. He briskly strolled over to the gate and watched the fight going on outside as he placed his own hands on the bars.

"I mean, it should be quite the show but-" He winced as the yellow fusion sent their opponent flying. "Do you think I should- oooooh." Inhaling through his teeth, he watched the smaller fusion get hit by a direct projectile attack from their opponent. "Should I tone down the uh... you know. The harvester aspect. I feel like it might be wise to keep that under control in front of such a large crowd. I'd hate to cause a panic." He looked to his superior, raising a brow. "What do you think?"

–

Blue continued watching, cackling whenever the yellow gem had been sent flying.

"Aaaah, I don't think that'll be necessary! Well, as long as ya don't go all full sized anyway! It's all for fun, and since these fusions are all less than three gems, you shouldn't have to shift up all the way. Now on the other hand, if you were on the battlefield... I'd say go for it!" She grinned. "Buuuuut.... if ya waaaanted..." she started, biting her lip with an unreadable, devious look in her eyes. The guard looked down and gave Blue a concerned cough. She rolled her eyes at the warrior gem and wiggled her fingers at them dismissively. "What? Don't make me punch you too." She looked up at them. They twitched and turned away quickly.

Blue spun around and stretched, giving her gem a tap.

"I'd say give it your all, but play it safe _if_ ya can help it. But I personally won't bat an eye if ya get carried away! Juuuust don't... uh, ya know." She shrugged, biting her lip with an awkward smile. "Harvest anyone?"

–

Hematite blinked curiously as the guard gave Blue a rather obvious cough, but he didn't think much of it as she turned away again. He looked at Blue as she stretched, and he nodded.

"Right, play it safe-" At her last statement, he stopped mid sentence and felt his face darken slightly with a purplish tint. He looked away with a pout. Puffing his bangs away from his face, he glanced at her. "Yeahhh yeah I won't harvest anyone." Slowly, Hematite felt the dark color fade from his cheeks. "I just meant from a size aspect, that's all." He trailed off as he watched the fight. The yellow fusion had just been split apart, and the two exhausted gems laid on the ground, completely worn out. Soon enough, the remaining fusion split apart, and the four gems made their way into one of the other tunnels. The match was over.

–

"Aw yeeeeahhh! It's our go! I can't WAIT to pound these roughhousers into the DIRT!" she shouted, far too caught up in the moment. The gate loudly rattled open, slowly lowering into the ground. The opponents closest to the door shakily made their ways in, one of them cracking their back as they passed by. None of them really seemed to pay Blue and Hematite much mind. Seems as though they had other things to focus on, like recovering from getting their projections kicked into next week.

Blue was quick to make a move, but instead of walking out herself, she grabbed Hematite and gave him a hearty push, forcing him outside. "Go get em! Hehehehee! Show em whatcha got!"

–

Hematite stumbled forward with a surprised yelp as Blue shoved him out the gate, and he very nearly fell over before regaining his balance. Looking around, he jogged toward the center of the ring. Other opponents were making their own ways out of the tunnels, but those gems were far from where he stood. No, Hematite's opponent hadn't appeared yet.

The small service gem looked around at the crowd and gave a nervous wave. He certainly hoped they wouldn't be a rough crowd.

Granted there weren't _too_ many gems that were still bitter about the incident a while ago.

Unbeknownst to Hematite, directly across from the entrance he'd just come from, another gate opened up. The bars slid down with a 'clang', and the part of the arena where the service gem stood went quiet. There was a long pause until...

_Two gems began to glow in the dark of the tunnel entrance._

–

Blue snuck out of the tunnel, but stayed along the sidelines near the wall. Leaning against it, she gave Hematite an encouraging wave. She was honestly just excited to see him fight again! Spotting the glow in the distant tunnel, she quirked a brow and crossed her arms. _This was gonna be fun to watch!_

–

Hematite looked at Blue and gave her a smile, but it faded when the glowing gems caught his eye.

One of them was rushing down the tunnel.

The service gem took a hesitant step back as the first, larger gem came barreling toward him out of the dark, her gem brightly shining.

"PUFF?!"

Not slowing her approach, the Jasper grinned widely, her expression devious. Hematite took a few more steps back as she neared, but as soon as she got within about ten feet of him, she stopped abruptly, standing up straight. In that same moment, a much smaller gem skidded underneath her, hopping up in front of her. Rubes gave Hematite her own confident smirk as Puff quickly took her hand, stopping her skidding momentum. The Jasper pulled her partner up with one arm and quickly held her close. Giving Hematite a sidelong, playful glare, the two gems chuckled in unison. The chuckle turned into a joyous laugh as the two gems touched their foreheads together, closing their eyes. Puff opened hers, and without so much as a warning, gracefully spun and tossed Rubes up above her. Spinning effortlessly in the air, the Ruby sent out a small flurry of flames around her. In an instant, Puff gave a powerful leap and met Rubes as she came back down, embracing her. Their forms glowed brightly, and as they came crashing back down, Hematite stumbled back.

With a flare of bright red flames, a large, medium-built gem landed heavily on the arena floor, her fist planted firmly on the ground. The embers around her died down, and she cracked her neck as she stood straight. She had vibrant orange skin and a few dark red stripes. Long red gloves rested on her arms, reaching up past her elbows. Her outfit bore a resemblance to both Puff and Rubes', and both of their gemstones sat alongside each other on her chest, an orangeish red tinge to each of them. A long, dark-haired ponytail blew in the breeze behind the fusion, and she grinned down at her opponent.

"Okay, **tough guy!** You've fought Rubes and Puff, but let's see if you're gem enough to take on **Citrine!"**

–

Blue raised her arms in the air and cheered with the crowd around the stadium. The Harvester had returned to the ring yet again, and this time was to fight a fusion? This would be entertaining indeed!Despite there being a few gems here and there shooting Hema leery looks, most of the crowd either didn't know this gem or were excited to see him. They were eager, they were ready, and they were more than happy to see the Harvester back in action!

–

The service gem blinked in amazement at the fusion in front of him, and he couldn't help but smile warmly. Of all the fusions to face in the ring... he was glad it was two friends! Seeing them so happy...

This was going to be an interesting spar!

Summoning his knuckledusters, Hematite smiled, his demeanor much more confident now that he heard the crowd cheering behind him. He size shifted up just slightly, to match Citrine's size. She was a few heads taller than White, and was more than twice Hema's size. _He wanted it to be even.~_

Rolling his shoulder, Hematite crouched into a fighting stance and grinned.

"Alright, **Citrine**! Give me your best shot!"

Citrine laughed and shrugged confidently as she took a step back.

"Okay but you asked for it!"

The gem's face suddenly fell, and her grin turned into a focused frown. She took a deep breath, placing a hand over both her gems. They glowed brightly. Citrine's eyes shot open, her brows furrowed. Giving a loud battle cry, she pulled her hand away from her gem, whipping out what appeared to be a thick, handle-like, long pole with two rather small hooks at the end. There was a gem at both ends of the pole, and two long slots along the top half of it.

Was _that_ her weapon?

Hematite cocked a brow at his opponent. _What was she playing at?_

The fusion gem smirked, her focused expression breaking. She suddenly shot forward, reeling the hooked pole back. Hematite yelped in surprise and jumped back, but he misjudged the distance between himself and his opponent, and Citrine landed a solid **SMACK** to his side, sending him flying.

–

Blue hissed through her teeth, cringing at Citrine's massive blow. _Thaaaat was gonna hurt later!_

"Come on Hematite, get with it! You can take her!" she called out, clenching her fists. The crowd was in an uproar already, and the match had only just started!

–

Landing rather ungracefully, Hematite groaned and stumbled back to his feet. Shaking his head to clear it, he frowned and faced his opponent, who was quickly closing in. Alright, so she hit hard and her weapon had good reach. Fine.

Sparks coursed up the service gem's arms, and he lashed his arms out, two electrical whips forming quickly from his fists.

As Citrine went in for another heavy hit, he dodged to the side and lashed at her arm, landing a solid hit. The fusion made a rather amusing face as she stumbled back, trying to shake off the shock. Such a mild glance didn't exactly _hurt_ , but it didn't feel nice.

The two gems locked in a tense battle for a few minutes. Citrine would land a few good hits, but Hematite's speed made up for her lack of agility. He never passed her up in height, though he was highly tempted to at various moments.

The service gem tumbled away after landing a solid blow to Citrine's back, and the fusion stumbled forward with a startled cough. All of a sudden, she stopped attacking.

–

The crowd died down a little, watching intently. Blue poked out her lower lip curiously and squinted. She couldn't have been worn out that fast!

"Come ooooon! You both got this!" she encouraged, her wide smile returning.

–

Hematite was breathing heavily, and he watched his opponent curiously. After a long pause, he tilted his head.

_Was she done?_

 

A low, amused chuckle escaped the fusion gem. She slowly stood straight and rolled her shoulders, then her neck.

"Alright, tough guy. You wanna get _serious?"_

Slowly, Citrine turned her head to her opponent and tapped her weapon against her palm. Hematite tensed as he stared at the gem's grinning face.

There were not one, but _two_ pairs of eyes now glaring at him. Citrine's '''brows''', which Hema now understood were a previously shut pair of eyes, were staring right through him. A shudder went up his spine.

The fusion grinned and clutched her weapon tightly as she turned around, her gems glowing. Her hands slowly began to shine.

Suddenly, the gem's arms were set ablaze, and the gemstones adorning her weapon glowed brightly. The bright light rushed through the pole-like weapon before suddenly shooting out of the two 'slots' on the side. The fire glowed brightly before it died down just slightly, revealing a double-bladed fire ax.

"Let's turn up the heat.~"

–

The crowd erupted into cheers, and so did Blue. Swinging her fist up into the air, she cheered out as the fusion pulled out her _true_ weapon. This was what she loved the most about this. _It was incredible how unpredictable and intense these could get!_

–

Hema stopped cold, eyes widening as his mouth fell ajar.

"Oh that's gonna hurt."

Hematite leapt back as Citrine went in for an immediate attack, and as she bore the ax down on him, he grimaced at the intense heat he felt coming off of it in waves. The weapon crashed into the ground, leaving a deep scorched score in the floor.

Bolting away, Hematite tried to make some distance between himself and the fusion, and the fight continued. But now, Hema was on the defensive. Citrine slowly got closer and closer to landing a direct hit, and while she couldn't get her one final strike on him, she managed many smaller ones. The service gem was slowing.

 

With a loud grunt, Hematite was sent flying back. His form shrank down to his usual height mid-air before he landed heavily near Blue. Sitting up, he coughed, spitting out bits of dirt as he shook his head. His suit was singed in places, and his breathing was heavy.

–

Blue winced again, the service gem landing harshly nearby. Crossing her arms, she shook her head with a cocky grin.

"Awwww come on Hema..." She knealt down, offering him a hand with a gleam in her eye. "That isn't how you give these people a show! _Need I remind you?"_

–

Hematite looked up at his superior and took her hand shakily.

"I'm doing my best, Blue! Those two have fought me before, they know all my tricks. And without my size shifting, well."

He stood straight, glancing at Citrine. She was swinging her ax around idly, watching the two with barely disguised confidence.

–

Blue cracked her knuckles and swung her arms in a circle, stretching down to touch one of her toes. "Well now, Hema! You know the best way to fight a fusion..." She stood up straight and faced him with her arms on her hips, suddenly chuckling.

"Is with a **fusion! "**

–

Hematite blinked in confusion as Blue stretched, and he crossed his arms, looking to the side.

"Well, yes it is, but I didn't bring a partner to fu-"

The service gem's mouth snapped shut, his eyes wide. He stared at nothing in particular for a long moment before slowly raising his gaze back to Blue, his lips drawn into a tight line.

"You're not serious."

–

"YEEEEAAAHHH! COME ON KID, You and me! Lets ROCK THIS PLACE!" she said boisterously. The fire in her eyes reignited, and her legs started to shuffle in place in a start of some sort of 'dance'. "Just for them! Just cuz it'll be fun! Just cuz you may never have this opportunity again! Come on kid, live a little! Diamonds don't fuse with just anyone, let alone service gems for that matter! It'll be a BLAST!" she crowed, an near crazed and excited demeanor about her.

–

The service gem's eyes widened further, and he glanced around him in shock. He had an opportunity... to fuse.

Fuse...

_With Blue Diamond._

_Fuse with Blue Diamond._

Hematite puffed out his cheeks for a moment before he suddenly took a deep breath, closing his eyes. His arms quickly uncrossed, his hands balling into fists in front of him. He grinned, a fire in his own eyes.

"Alright, YEAH! Absolutely!" The smaller gem let out a laugh of his own, Blue's infectious energy getting to him.

–

"ALRIGHT YEEEAAAHH! HAHAHAA!" She burst into a cheering laughter, swinging her arms behind her head and her gem began to glow. She stood up taller, making a locking movement and arching her arm. She looked back into Hematite's eyes with a passionate glare. "Ready when you are, kid!”

Some of the crowd started to wonder what Blue Diamond was shouting about, but others actually _heard her._ Murmurs erupted into the crowd and soon a quick rumor began to spread.

_What?_

_Really?_

_Blue was going to fuse with a service gem?_

_Naaaah, that couldn't be right._

–

Hematite's own grin widened, and he stood up straighter himself, giving Blue a polite sort of curtsy before he shifted his feet, standing with his arms partially up and held similar to his sparring position. His own gem began to glow.

"Let's do this.~"

–

The people of the crowd, at least in the front, watched intently. Blue closed her eyes and began moving rhythmically, yet erratically. Shuffling her feet, she spun around and pumped her arms to her front, then to the sides, then above her. She swung them back down and spun back around, swinging her hip to one side. She was constantly moving on and off, as if she were locking parts of her body when she stopped her motions. She opened an eye and watched Hematite, intrigued. It was rare that she had fused with anyone other than one of the the other diamonds. There were gems out there that she did fuse with, but they were few and far between.

There didn't seem to be a single part of her that wasn't involved in the dance somehow. Her legs, hips, arms, her whole upper body! Even her head bobbed from side to side every now and then. With another quick spin, she turned rapidly with another locking motion. She brought down her arm, clenching her fist and touching the top of her forearm to Hematite, who had met her's perfectly. Locking eyes with him at last, she never once lost that cheeky grin that she had since the start of the dance.

 

**Lets give them a real show.**

–

Hematite's eyes closed almost as soon as he began to dance, his hips swaying from side to side. His arms swung down as his body swayed, and he slowly began to take measured steps to the side and forward, gradually moving closer to Blue. Though he'd never danced in front of anyone on Homeworld, he seemed to be rather... good at it.

That was all thanks to Smoky Quartz and Celestite.

The service gem's dancing was similar to how gems danced at clubs, but there was something slightly different about it. A smile slowly spread across Hematite's face until it grew into a contented grin. He opened his eyes, watching Blue's own dance movements. His style suddenly shifted as he adapted part of her moves to his own, and he did a final spin before clenching his fist and bringing it up to meet Blue's in perfect sync, their forearms pressed against each other, the backs of their fists touching. He grinned back at his superior before he looked to the side at Citrine, not moving his head.

His form began to glow.

**Show time.~**

–

The two gems became enveloped in a bright light, their gems floating around the glowing, formless being before twisting and growing into something _much bigger._ The crowd gasped, some cheering and some yelling in surprise. Other fighters from nearby, though not close enough to get involved, turned to see what all the commotion was about. With a thunderous cackle, the form stopped morphing, their gems settling into place. They stopped glowing.  
With features of varying blues and teals, the fusion strongly resembled Blue's colors. She had a build similar to Hema's though her top half strongly resembled the diamond she was partially comprised of. Her hair was done up in a poofy, pompadour-like fashion and dark teal in color, almost navy blue. It matched her thick eyebrows, which furrowed together as a small smirk found its way to her face. Her outfit was near identical to Blue Diamond's, aside from some dark gloves that went up to her elbows. A teal-blue gem laid on her neck and forehead, slightly smaller in proportion to the rest of her than Blue or Hema's gems were normally. It was subtle, though.

–

Citrine's eyes slowly widened as she looked up at the taller fusion, the end of her ax meeting the dirt as her grip slacked. Her top pair of eyes slowly closed as she tilted her head back. This fusion was twice her size! And yet it was still only two gems?! _Guess that was a perk of being half diamond..._

-

The towering teal gem motioned her fingers around, as if getting a feel for the air around her. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and peered down on the much smaller fusion. Her smile slowly grew wider, rounded fangs glinting in the bright afternoon sun.

"Pleased to **beat** you, Citrine!" She beamed, slamming her fist into her opposite palm. "Let's have some fun.~"

–

Citrine puffed her bangs away from her face as she gripped her ax again.

"Fun, huh? Alright! Bring it on!" she shouted up at the teal fusion, her eyes narrowing.

 

The taller fusion grinned, cracking the knuckles on the fist that she held in her hand. Her arm suddenly reached up to her face, and she snapped her fingers over her left eye, an oval-shaped, monocle-like teal eyepiece appearing over it. The visor gave a high-pitched trill as it came online, and the fusion chuckled quietly to herself.

_So this is what being a fusion feels like... But I wonder._

Giving her eyepiece a glance, the fusion gem narrowed her eyes, still grinning. A few words popped up momentarily on the screen.

 

**Dioptase, huh?**

 

As quickly as the teal fusion moved her hand away from her eyes, she whipped her hand back up to her gemstones, a trail of bright electricity trailing behind the motion. Her gemstones began to glow.

_Let's see what we've got._

–

The electrical string pulled from the gemstones, a bright white bar trailing between the current. At the end, an absolutely massive mace ball formed, spikes jutting out sharply as it shaped itself out, falling to the ground with an alarming thud. The sheer weight of the massive mace ball created a sizable dent in the dirt below. Dio raised a brow, their lip curling into an even more inquisitive grin. The bar that connected to the mace exploded into shards of light, leaving only the trail of electricity between the spiked sphere and Dio's palm. The current flowed around the mace ball itself, surrounding it with an electrified aura.

" **Nicccceee**." she hissed out with amusement.

* * *

 

-

_"Hey, Hema! Can you hear me?" Blue's voice called out from seemingly nowhere in a wide, teal abyss. The dark azure surface of the watery-looking floor met the horizon of a glowing blue-green sky, clear and without clouds. However, above in the most vibrant parts of the sky were millions of glimmering stars._

–

_Hematite looked around as he stepped onto the rich blue, watery floor. His eyes were wide with wonder, and his mouth was parted slightly. Was that Blue calling to him?_

_"Blue?" As he turned his head, Hematite suddenly spotted the azure gem and smiled, rushing over. "Blue! This is incredible!" The service gem was beaming, feelings of excitement, pride, and a warm fondness coming off of him in waves. He was absolutely **over the moon**._

–

_Blue looked gleeful herself, her hands sprawled out to her sides._

_"Ya did it kid!! Isn't this great?! How do you feel?" She said, eager for his response. The water around her feet seemed to illuminate just a little bit, small flecks of glowing sea foam gently floating upwards from the bright ripples. They both were bathed in a hue of a cool teal, lit up by the light of the fading day and stars above._

–

_The service gem glanced at the ripples underneath both of their feet before he looked back up at her, his fists balled up in front of him._

_"I'm great, this feels... **amazing**!" Hematite's eyes shut as he gave an excited leap into the air, his feet quickly touching back down. "I feel so energized! So... I don't know how to describe it! I feel like I could spar for hours like this!" He gave her a wide-eyed, bright grin. "Is this how you always feel? I've never had so much energy!"_

–

_Blue nodded eagerly and looked up to the stars. She pointed, glancing back down at Hematite._

_"Do you recognize any of those? This whole place is a construct of our own minds merged into one being! This whole place can change on a dime, too! Look!" She said, and suddenly the light from below glowed brighter. The Diamond, without changing expression, fell abruptly beneath the surface of the water with a loud splash. For a few seconds, she was gone completely! Though, it wasn't long before she hopped back up out of the water behind Hematite, throwing her arms in the air excitedly. "YEEEAaaahh! This is awesome! Oh man, I've never seen a plane like this before!" She stared up at the sky again, wide eyed. "It's beautiful here!"_

–

_Hematite had jumped in surprise as Blue vanished below the water, and jumped again when she appeared behind him. He spun around with a laugh as he looked up at the stars. His eyes widened, his mouth opening silently._

_"... I **do** recognize them." Touching his gemstone, Hematite smiled in disbelief. "They look like the stars in my gemstone's dimension..." As he spoke, a few of the glimmering lights above sparkled brighter. Hema let out a faint, shallow exhale. "But I rarely see them so clearly... And there's so **many**."_

-

_Blue sat down on the water, the glowing flecks still rippling beneath her. She took a deep breath and chuckled._

_"Welcome to the fusion plane, kid! It's a lot like a pocket dimension, buuuut it's also not! Heheh, hey... wanna see somethin' neat?" She said, placing a palm to the surface of the water. As her hand touched the waves, they rippled out and started to create a strange 'window' on the surface. On the face of the water, they could now see what Dioptase was seeing!_

–

* * *

 

 

"HYAAAH!!" The electrified mace came plummeting down mere feet from the quick-footed fusion. With a crazed look of satisfaction, Dio remained confident and collected. She clutched the tangible energy and gave it a heave, pulling the massive mace ball back.

"Come on Citriiiiine! LET'S GO LET'S GO! GIMME YOUR ALL!" she cackled, swinging the weapon violently towards her opponent once more.

* * *

 

–

 

_Hematite blinked in wonder and sat down next to his superior, his eyes locked on the 'window' she'd created. This was so bizarre... He could feel them both controlling Dioptase's actions, and yet it was like the fusion itself was another personality with its own will. It was a strange feeling to him, and yet he couldn't help but smile. His smile quickly turned into a grin when he realized Dio was winning her fight._

–

Citrine barely leapt out of the way of the crashing mace, though she felt a few stray sparks of electricity hit her legs. Thinking on her feet, the shorter fusion spun around and swung her ax at Dio's mace 'chain'. Her expression sank as her ax passed right through it, some of the electricity shooting up her weapon and into her arms. She winced and stumbled back, but kept moving. She couldn't stay in one place for long with this gem. If she got hit hard enough with that weapon, she'd be poofed for sure.

But she was honestly running out of ideas.

_Then it hit her._

 

**Dioptase couldn't use that mace at close range.**

 

Suddenly chucking her ax at the bigger fusion, Citrine rushed forward without warning, her fists bursting into bright red flames.

–

Dio gave a shrug of her shoulder, clutching onto the energy string. She swayed to the left, narrowly avoiding the flinging ax. With a cocky chuckle, Dio let go of the ball and chain completely and clenched her fists.

"C'mon fireball! **Don't make Dioptase have to cool you down!"** she roared, throwing her hands up in the air. The crowd took a stand, shouting and cheering in excitement. Blue and Hematite both knew how to put on a show, but now? _Together? That was something to behold!_

* * *

 

–

_Hematite tossed his arms up, giving an energetic cheer._

_"This is amazing! The crowd loves it!" He looked at his superior, his face beaming._

-

_Blue placed her hands close to her, still clenching her fists and grinning ear to ear._

_"Hell yeah, kid! You always knew how to steal the show!" she said, giving him a hearty nudge with one of her palms._

_-_

* * *

 

Citrine had gone completely silent at this point, the grin gone from her face. Her second pair of eyes was now wide open, and her gaze never left Dioptase. Getting in close, she started throwing punches, keeping her arms close to her body between them, should Dio try to land a hit.

The taller fusion grinned and blocked the strikes as they were delivered, and while they certainly hurt, she didn't back down. Dio's fists sparked with electricity, and she suddenly began throwing punches back, Hematite's experience with close quarters combat coming quite in handy. Citrine winced at any of the hits the taller fusion landed, her body flinching involuntarily at the electricity. Dioptase suddenly gave a hearty laugh as she landed a direct hit to Citrine's abdomen, sending her backwards some distance.

–

The crowd hadn't been this wild in a long time. Gems from across the stadium, both in the crowd further away as well as other fighters had stopped and gotten closer to the end of the Coliseum to watch this particular display. They looked on in awe, eagerly awaiting for every hit to land.

"Fire, fire!~ Are you _tiiiiired?!_ " Dio taunted in a sing-song manner, placing a foot on the spiked ball. With a cheeky grin, she waited for Citrine to make a move. Holding out one of her hands, she cocked her head up a little and motioned for the other fusion to come at her.

–

Citrine glared angrily at the taller fusion as she stumbled backwards. The fusion retreated back quite a distance, trying to get away from any possible attacks from Dio after being launched so far. To her relief, the teal gem didn't come after her. Glowering, Citrine stopped some distance away from her opponent. Her fists clenched, her knuckles cracking. Despite the fury that burned in her eyes, she still remained silent. Gemstones glowing, Citrine suddenly rushed forward, pulling out _two_ fire axes from her gems. She swung them around once before clenching them tightly in her fists, going in for a heavy hit. The axes suddenly burst into bright flames, _completely_ on fire now.

Dioptase felt an eerie grin creep across her face as she watched the angry fusion rush across the field toward her. She didn't budge an inch at first.

–

But then as Citrine closed in, Dioptase got into a more defensive position, holding out her hands as the smaller fusion advanced upon her quickly. Narrowing her eyes, she gnashed her teeth together and chuckled, ducking low and grabbing a _direct_ hold of the hilts of Citrine's axes. With a dark, pained sneer, Dio lifted up and brought the two axes and Citrine off the ground 10 feet or so. Her eye twitched as she stifled the pain and glared right at the smaller fusion, face to face.

* * *

 

-

_Blue blinked a time or two, looking over to Hematite and laughing nervously._

_"AH probably not my brightest idea, eh?!" She joked, waving her hands a little with a smiling grimace._

-

* * *

 

Citrine's eyes widened in shock, and as she came face to face with the larger fusion, she grinned nervously. She hadn't let go of the axes. For a moment, she glanced down at her dangling feet, noting how far off the ground she was. Her eyes as she looked back into the bigger fusion's gaze.

"Hhheeyyy. Diooooo. Dioptaaaase. Your hands are on fire," she said in a rather rushed, 'friendly' manner, her nervous grin widening slightly.

* * *

 

-

_Whatever Blue said, Hematite didn't hear her. He suddenly leapt to his feet, his fists balled up above his head._

_"DID YOU SEE THAT?! WE JUST GRABBED TWO FIRE AXES LIKE IT WAS NO BIG DEAL, OH MY STARS WE'RE AWESOME!" The service gem hopped around in place, throwing his arms into the air with an energetic flurry of cheers. He let out a hearty, confident laugh, joyous waves of energy coming off of him and filling the fusion plane._

-

* * *

 

Dioptase grinned widely, narrowing her eyes. She chuckled lowly before suddenly breaking out into a full-on laugh that mirrored Hematite's. She suddenly stood straighter and reeled her head back before aggressively headbutting Citrine toward the ground. She was sure to tilt her head just slightly so she didn't hit 'Blue's' gemstone with the strike. The smaller fusion immediately lost her grip on her weapons with a loud 'OOPH' before she hit the ground, _**hard**_. A cloud of orange dust appeared shortly, leaving Puff and Rubes on the ground, dazed.

Dioptase was dizzy for a short moment, but she quickly recovered and tossed the now dormant axes aside.

* * *

 

-

_The service gem stopped jumping around, and stared at the 'window' with wide eyes, a smile still on his face. There was a long pause. Without changing expression, he inhaled slowly through his nose, staring at the Jasper and Ruby now on the ground._

_"... Oops."_

–

_Blue erupted into laughter, swinging her arms around the service gem and spinning him around._

_"WE DID IT, KID! I TOLD YA IT'D BE A BLAST! Man, we WRECKED em!" she cheered, dropping him back down, pumping her fists up in the air._

–

* * *

 

Dio raised her hands high as soon as she shook herself back from her little stunt. Nodding to the crowd, she grinned, relishing in the praise. The abundance of gems that had gathered roared in a mix of emotions, most of them positive it seemed!

 **"DIIIIO! DIIIIO! DIIIIO!"** The crowd chanted, and Dio's expression shifted to one of endearment, no longer looking quite as cocky as she did before. No, now she just seemed to be enjoying the sound of so many excited gems. Gems that were happy to see her fight, gems that were happy to see her win!

In the midst of all the commotion, a familiar pink gem made his way casually over to the group, brushing a hand through his messy hair. He looked as though he'd been roughed up himself, but carried a smile nonetheless. He stopped near the Jasper and the Ruby, cocking a brow.

"Heeeeeeey, fuzzball! Lil' red! I see you're having fuuuun,” the sultry voice called down jokingly, looming over the two that lay on the ground. He spared them a cheeky grin of his own.

* * *

 

–

_Hematite laughed and clung onto Blue as she spun him around, a bright grin on his face._

_"Haha, yeah we did! That was **amazing**!" The service gem leapt up into the air with a cheer when Blue put him down. The sounds of the crowd filled the plane around the two of them, and Hematite stopped jumping around and closed his eyes, holding himself tightly. His cheering had stopped. _

_A wide smile was on his face, and his head was tilted down just slightly as he took in the cheers of the audience. A strong mix of emotions was radiating from the small gem, and they suddenly focused into one, almost **audible** thought. Hematite's lips parted as he mouthed the words,_

_**Stars, I missed this...** _

–

* * *

 

Rubes was laying face-first on the dirt floor, her arms out in front of her. Slowly, she turned one of her hands over, giving Morganite a silent thumbs-up. Puff on the other hand was laying flat on her back, staring up at the pink-haired warrior, sparing Dio a glance.

"Yeaaaaah. Fun. Hoooo." She exhaled deeply, the end of her breath coming out as a laugh. "Those two make one heck of a fusion."

* * *

 

–

_Blue felt a warmth around her, her smile becoming less excited and more of a calmed contentment. He was happy. He was genuinely happy. She enjoyed seeing him like this, knowing that he was free from worry, at least for the extent of today. She sighed, nodding to him with a proud sense of joy._

_**You did good today, kid.** _

–

* * *

 

Dio placed her hands on her hips and looked down smugly on the group. Leaning down, the much taller fusion gave Morganite a curious smirk.

"Good evening, I do believe you're a familiar face!" she joked, Morganite raised a brow, the comment going over his head at first.

"Oh, you must be this... Dio?" he said, looking up. Suddenly, he looked bewildered, noticing the gem placements _and_ shapes. "Hey, wait a second..."

–

Dio chuckled in amusement at the warrior gem as she waved a hand.

"What, you haven't figured it out yet?~" She placed her hands on her knees as she leaned a little closer to Morgan. "I don't blame you, I am rather new around here." A cheeky grin plastered itself to her face, as if she _knew_ the pink-haired warrior was putting the pieces together.

Dioptase spared Puff and Rubes a glance, paused for a moment as if looking the two over, and then returned to smirking at Morgan. To anyone watching, she just seemed to check her two opponents over.

* * *

 

–

_Hematite could feel Blue's pride, and he looked at her warmly, the smallest tears in the corners of his eyes._

_"We should do this again some time. We make a great team... And maybe next time, who knows... we might find out more about this fusion." He stood up straight again, his arms falling back to his sides, relaxed. The service gem turned to the window where he could see what Dioptase was seeing, and as he gazed at Rubes and Puff on the ground, his expression faltered for a moment at the sight of his two defeated opponents_

_Something within the fusion flared for a few seconds, and Hematite was unable to repress it fast enough to make sure it went unnoticed. A sharp, deep-seeded instinct had honed in on Rubes before Hema pushed it deep down. Sparing Blue a nervous glance, he tried to keep smiling, as if the feeling had never happened. But he **knew** she'd notice it. He couldn't hide that while fused._

_His harvester instincts were piqued for a moment._

–

_Curiously, Blue's own expression twitched for a second, but she soon found herself giving Hematite a rather mischievous look. Placing a palm on his shoulder, she looked down at the window slowly._

_"I wouldn't do that nnnoooowww if I were you.~" She chuckled, still watching the water._

–

* * *

 

Morganite smiled up at the taller fusion, crossing his arms in amusement.

"Well I'll be... What on Homeworld made you two decide to do this?! Juuuust couldn't help yourself, huh Blue?" he laughed as the fusion stood up tall again.

"Weeeeell you could say that! Blue figured, why do theeeey get to have all the fun? Surely she and Hema could try it out! You know they both love a good fight here!" she said with a small hint of sass. Glancing back down at the two on the ground, she shifted her weight and looked them over. "Ey. You two okay?"

* * *

 

–

_Hematite's face turned a darker shade of grayish purple, and he looked away in embarrassment._

_"I-I'm not going to do anything! That just. Happens sometimes." He coughed. "Okay it happens a lot," he muttered. "No big deal."_

–

* * *

 

Rubes slowly lifted her face, giving Dio a hard stare. She was silent a long moment.

"Remind me never to fight you two like this again."

Puff on the other hand chuckled, running her hands through her hair.

"Don't listen to her, she's just grumpy cuz we lost." The orange gem gave Dioptase a wide grin and a thumbs up. "That was an awesome fight, you two."

–

A familiar light enveloped the fusion for a few short seconds, before it phased out and dropped both Blue and Hematite onto the ground. Blue, landing on her feet, threw her arms up in the air and cheered loudly, which the crowd followed up with. Morganite offered a hand to the duo on the ground, smirking with amusement.

"You all sure showed this place how to fusion fight! I was off fighting one myself when the big guy stopped suddenly to see what was going on over here. Heh, if only I saw it from the beginning!" he said almost enviously.

–

Hematite was also able to land on his feet, and looked out at the crowd with a bright smile and a wave. In the back of his mind, he already pined for the feeling of being fused again, but he kept the thought to himself. Fusion had a time and place, and for now, he and Blue were done, and Dioptase would have to wait for another day.

Puff gratefully took Morganite's hand and hoisted herself up with a slightly pained groan. She stood straight and placed her hands on her lower back, popping it as she did so.

"Aaah man. Citrine really took a beating. I'm exhausted." The Jasper looked down at Rubes, who was already standing up on her own and dusting herself off. Puff smiled playfully and knelt down, scooping up the Ruby in her arms. "C'mere you, let me help.~" With a chuckle, the larger gem started dusting her partner off, fixing her hair afterward. Rubes' sour expression softened, and she leaned against Puff's shoulder with a faint smile.

"Thanks, Puff." Rubes relaxed in the Jasper's arms and closed her eyes as she continued cleaning her up best she could.

Puff placed a quick peck to Rubes' forehead before she turned to Hematite and Blue with a chuckle. The gem in her arms opened her eyes to look at the duo as well. Puff used her free hand to snub her nose with her thumb.

"You two owe us a rematch one day! I'm sure Citrine would love to have another go at it."

Rubes nodded with a quiet noise of agreement, despite her earlier comment.

Hematite turned and smiled at the two of them before giving Blue a warm grin.

"Well that's up to Blue Diamond here," he teased, gently nudging her with his elbow.

–

Blue winked at the group, crossing her arms with a small smile.

"Oh, I'm sure that can be arranged sometime. Besides, Diooooo needs an encoreeee!" she said in a sing-song tone, spinning around confidently. She was honestly glad to see that Hematite was happy again, at least for the day. Perhaps things were turning around for him, finally! She looked over to Morganite, but her eyes widened suddenly, the smile fading from her face. Morganite's brow raised, having noticed Blue's expression change.

"Hey, you alright ma'am?" he said with a nervous grin.

–

Puff blinked at Blue's sudden change in demeanor and turned to the pink haired gem to her side. Hematite turned as well, tilting his head curiously.

"Hm?"

–

Just out of view, Blue spotted a figure hopping down from the wall. Tall, sleek, and making their way quickly towards them, the form slowed their approach as they neared. Blue tried looking away with a stifled grin, awkwardly putting her hand to her chin. Morganite turned to see what was behind him, and quickly stepped out of the way upon realization, saluting.

 

"Having fusion fights with my Hematite I see?..."

–

Puff's eyes widened, and she stepped back a few paces, saluting respectfully as best she could while holding her partner. Rubes did the same, bowing her head just slightly.

Hematite, on the other hand, was frozen in place. His smile faded, and he stood at attention, his arms folded behind him.

"Wh-white Diamond. I uh." He glanced to the side, biting his lip. "I can explain."

–

"No need, Hematite." She held up her hand, and raised a brow at Blue.

"..... And why wasn't **I** invited?" She smirked, and Blue crossed her arms indignantly. She muttered something under her breath and a deep blush spread across her cheeks. White smirked faintly. "Come on, Blue! He's never fused before! .... At least to my knowledge." She glanced over at Hema, narrowing her eyes a little. At least she kept her smile! Returning her gaze to Blue, she furrowed a brow. "I knew Hematite would be here today, but I didn't know he'd be fusing! I just thought he'd be fighting, like _**you**_ **told** me he would,” she said, tapping her foot. Blue spread out her arms defensively and looked up at White.

"Baaaaah I wasn't lying! He did fight! Just... he... also fused! ....With me. I thought it'd be fun." She looked away, shrugging her shoulders.

White chuckled and placed her hands on her hips, taking a few steps forward.

"No need to get so riled up. Neither of you are in trouble, I'm just... a little surprised, is all!" She looked at Hematite and placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning down at him.

"So? What did you think? Blue doesn't let just anyone fuse with her, and you haven't even fused before. Was it hard? How did you fare while dancing? Was the fusion plane intimidating to you? Did you sync well? You must tell me everything over tea tonight-!" She caught herself, placing a hand to her mouth and looking away. Right, Hematite's ban on tea was still in place. "Er, well.... You didn't hear that, Blue."

Blue sneered good-naturedly and chuckled through her teeth.

"Suuuuuuure thing, White! I didn't hear aaaanything."

–

Hematite's eyes widened as White listed off all her questions, and he stared up at her with undisguised wonder. She was so curious about how his fusion had gone, she _cared_ , she wanted to know everything. The service gem's shoulders slowly relaxed as he gazed up at his leader, and slowly, a bright smile spread across his face.

"R-right! I'll tell you all about it then."

Rubes felt the smallest of smiles tug at her mouth. She looked up at Puff and leaned on her shoulder before turning her attention back to the group. Puff held the small red gem a little closer, a warm smile on her own face.

–

White smiled again and looked out to the crowd.

"They really seem to like you. And they seem to like... ah, what was her name? Dioptase? Yes, Dioptase." She paused, eyeing the service gem. "It's good to see you smile, you know. To know you have something that you can do on your off time that makes you happy. I didn't get to see all of your fight, just the end parts of it... but you did well, from what I could see. No falters, no mess ups, no incidents." She placed a hand on her hip and looked at Blue, who was averting her gaze from White. After a moment, she returned to looking down at the ivory-haired gem. "I'm proud of you, Hematite,” she said softly. Morganite's brows raised, and he looked over at Rubes and Puff with a look of genuine joy.

–

_It's good to see you smile._

_It's good to know you have something that you can do in your off time that makes you happy._

 

The service gem felt the arena around him go quiet.

 

_**I'm proud of you, Hematite.** _

 

Hema's eyes brimmed with tears, and though his face momentarily looked like he'd been hurt, it quickly turned into a smile, and he wiped at his eyes with his sleeve.

Puff and Rubes' smiles grew, and they returned Morgan's joyful look with warm grins of their own. They'd never seen Hematite this happy, ever since meeting him. It was _nice_ , to say the least.

–

Blue turned quickly and gave Hematite a nudge with her elbow, peering up at White.

"Aw come on, I'm pretty proud of em' too! He did great, White. _Really_..." She smiled, giving White a hopeful nod, which the taller Diamond responded to with a faint look of intrigue.

"Well then, unless you'd like to stay for another match, Hematite, perhaps you'd like to go back and talk. It's up to you, really. If you stay, I might just stick around and watch this time," she said, waving her hand.

\--

The shorter service gem smiled at Blue as she nudged him, and he playfully nudged her back with a sniffle. He looked up at White and pursed his lips. Turning his head, he stared at the crowd. At the sight of the audience, his breathing hitched just slightly, an anticipatory tightness in his chest.

 

… _Why leave now ..._

 

Hematite turned back to his leader and gave her a look that said a thousand words before he respectfully stepped away and turned to the crowd, putting his arms out at his sides.

"Who else would like to take on The Harvester!" He called out in a powerful voice, the crowd rising in a new swell of cheers in response. The small service gem grinned from ear to ear, his eyes bright and filled with life. He turned back to the group behind him, the joyous gleam still in his eyes. "Sorry, White. I'm afraid our talk will have to wait a little longer." His head turned back to the crowd, and he inhaled deeply through his nose, eyes shining.

**"I've got a show to put on!"**


	32. Bottled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite reports to Blue Diamond after a harvesting mission.

A faint pinkish-silver bubble hovered just over Hematite's hand as he walked down the hall toward Blue Diamond's office. Some time had passed since their spar as Dioptase, and the service gem had barely seen her since then. He received a mission from White to harvest a gem for his blue superior, and he was all too happy to comply. The Amethyst in the bubble had put up quite a fight, but thankfully the job had gone off without too much of a hitch.

But this was his first harvesting job since his little blowup with Yellow Diamond, and being back in the field cropped up rather... conflicting feelings. All he could think about during his mission was how Yellow had stared at him back in her office, how terrified she'd been, how much she _hated_ him. He still had a job to do, that hadn't changed.

But it still troubled him.

The service gem couldn't help but remember Morganite's advice. He couldn't let this get bottled up, not again. He didn't want a repeat of the incident at the Sky Arena, and if that meant having an uncomfortable conversation with Blue, then so be it.

Stopping at the office, Hematite knocked on the door and waited to be let in.

–

The door hissed open quickly. Standing in the opening was a semi-familiar blue-tinted gem with messy hair that laid over her eyes. Blue's pearl bowed her head politely to the service gem and stepped aside, allowing him in. Blue was, for once, working on something on one of the diamond pads. She seemed serious, but as soon as she looked up and saw Hematite enter the room, she immediately perked up with her usual grin.

"Heeeey Hematite! Got somethin' for me?" she said, eyeing the bubble in his palm.

–

Hematite gave the Pearl a polite nod back with a smile. He stepped inside the office and folded his free arm behind him.

"I found that Amethyst you were having trouble with. I can see why your guard gems had issues. She was hiding out well, and seemed used to avoiding authority. Thankfully she slipped up." He looked at the bubble with a slightly guilty frown. "I wish she hadn't been poofed, but her gem is undamaged."

–

"Ah, excellent!" Blue said, taking the bubble. She peered in at the gem inside curiously, narrowing her eyes for just a moment. "Yep, it's fine. She'll be rehabilitated soon enough, I'm sure." She said, sitting back down in her seat. Tapping the bubble once or twice, she pressed her finger against its surface gently. She placed it on the table next to her for a moment and crossed her arms. "Thank you, Hema!" she spoke at least semi-professionally.

–

Hematite nodded and smiled to himself as Blue thanked him. He folded his arms behind him, and after a moment, he scuffed his foot on the ground. His smile faltered.

–

His motions didn't go unnoticed, and she leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed.

"I know that look." She said, her smile fading. She looked over to the pearl and gave her a motion with her head. The pearl quickly saluted and left the room. Blue's eyes glanced back at Hematite and she gave him a curt nod. "Alright, what's on your mind?..."

–

The service gem's professional stance faded, and he rubbed the back of his head. He seemed nervous.

"Sorry, I know you're busy. But." Sighing, he walked over to the desk and stood nearby. "I can't talk to Morganite about this sort of thing, and White, well... She'd be disappointed that something she told me to do didn't go right." He paused for a moment. "I'm sure you've noticed Yellow Diamond has been off lately."

–

Blue seemed momentarily taken aback, her eyes widening.

"Er, yeah... Sparky's not been doin' too hot..." She frowned, looking away. "What do you mean though, what didn't go right?" she asked, looking back at him.

–

Sighing, Hematite dropped his hand from his hair.

"Well, a while ago, White asked me... to apologize. You know, for what I did last year." He coughed and avoided Blue's eyes. Hematite didn't like thinking about what he did, especially after seeing the effects it had. "But even though I said sorry... well." The service gem sighed and frowned. "I should start back before that." Clearing his throat, Hema gathered his thoughts.

"I went on a mission in the blue district, but it led into the yellow district. I was tracking a rather dangerous gem monster that'd been tunneling underground and avoiding detection. It got worryingly close to the residential areas, but thankfully I stopped it near some ship hangars... But Yellow was there with another gem. She was so jumpy and irritable, I thought it was just because, you know. She doesn't like me." Hematite's fingers rubbed together. "And before I went down into this tunnel that I'd tracked the monster into, I asked her to tell White if I wasn't back in an hour...." He looked away.

–

Blue leaned on the desk, placing her elbows on the surface and resting her head on her palms. She squinted, huffing with frustration.

"She didn't say anything, did she?..." She rolled her eyes. _Typical Yellow..._

–

Hematite shrugged with a shake of his head.

"No, she didn't. I handled the mission just fine, but. I don't know. It still hurt." There was another pause. "I thought she did it to be spiteful, and only for that reason. I thought she was just angry about what I did. But when I tried to apologize to her..." The service gem sighed and looked helplessly at Blue. "She refused to accept it. She was scared of me, she _**is**_ scared of me. I went in there to say sorry, and she shot lightning at me out of nowhere!"

–

Blue raised a brow, but tapped her fingers on her cheek.

"Hah! Naaaah that can't be right, Sparky ain't afraid of anyth-" She stopped, looking right through Hematite.

_Wait... really?...._

"Ah, I mean...uh, ya know... Wait.... What?" She moved her hands down and on the top of her desk, looking at Hematite with legitimate confusion. "You really think she's afraid of you?" She looked away, deep in thought.

_Maybe it was **possible**? I mean, he DID make it seem like he was gonna kill her. Still, that was done and over with almost a year ago! Nothing shook Yellow Diamond! Hell, she prided herself on her fearlessness! Surely **Hematite** of all things wouldn't have her shaking in her boots like this! .... **Right**?_

–

With a confused shrug, the service gem looked away.

"It sure seemed like it. You didn't see the look she gave me. Yellow looked like I was about to shatter her right then and there in her office. She's... not all _there_ right now." There was a long moment of silence, and Hematite's face slowly scrunched into a guilty frown. "And I think it's my fault."

–

Not all there? That seemed to be an understatement.  
"Man, I'll say...” She frowned at Hematite's last statement. “... If what you're saying is true, hmm..." She found herself staring at the training dummies in her room. They were beat up, probably stitched together a thousand times over. "What do you suppose you should do? I mean, White and I can't fix this... It sounds like you're gonna need to try and talk to her again. As much as that sucks..." She frowned.

–

Hematite couldn't help but wince.

"Do you have any lightning proof armor laying around?" he joked weakly, giving a single, breathless laugh. Rubbing his fingers together, he sighed. "I'll try. I don't think it'll do anything, but. I'll do my best."

–

For a moment, Blue thought he was serious, but shot him a soft smile when he laughed.

"Hah... Don't ever change, Hema." She reached across the table, standing up to ruffle his hair. "So what are you gonna do now?..."

–

As Blue ruffled his hair, Hematite's eyes widened before he relaxed, slightly leaning into the contact. A small smile crossed his face. He seemed to zone out for a moment, but then quickly regained his composure at his superior's question.

"O-oh right." He cleared his throat. "I have another mission to get to. It _should_ be shorter, though... I'll go talk to Yellow after that."

–

Blue sat back down in her seat and crossed her arms behind her head.

"Alright then, Hematite. Stay optimistic, alright? You got this!" she encouraged warmly.

–

Hema nodded with a smile and regained his professional stance.

"Will do, Blue!" He saluted and turned around. "Good luck with your work today!" With that, he walked out of the office, the door hissing shut behind him.


	33. Balancing Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Diamond relives an old memory from a new perspective.

_Ugh, come on, focus. It's simple paperwork. Now, let's see. The Weather Station needs to be inspected next month- no, wait. This month? What month is it... 10? No, that can't be right. I'll have to double check on that. Then again I suppose two inspections can't hurt._

 

A deep, frustrated sigh carried throughout Yellow Diamond's office. Flickering quietly above was her broken light. Yellow had haphazardly tried to fix it a few days ago, but in her less-than-composed state, she hadn't done a very good job. Papers laid across her desk along with a few diamond pads. The floors were a bit cleaner than the last time anyone visited her, namely Hematite, but they were still far messier than usual.

For the moment, Yellow's Pearl was out of the room, off running some errands for her in the White District. Yellow didn't want to risk running into _him_ while she was out and about, so, as of late, she had her Pearl fetching most of what she needed from the other two districts. She couldn't let anyone see her like this. Dull, unfocused, with little to no proper poise and professionalism; she was a terrible sight. But she had to power through. She'd been through worse; she'd worked through Pink Diamond's betrayal, over time. This would be no different.

 

Except... it was. It _was_ different, and _she knew it._

 

With Pink Diamond... none of what happened was Yellow's fault. Neither she nor White nor Blue could have seen what happened with her coming, even if they wished they could have _stopped it_. They all grieved the war and their losses, both in a dear friend and a member of the Diamond Authority, on top of all the death and destruction her betrayal caused. Each of them took their time with getting over Pink's traitorous acts, and each dealt with it in their own way. And over time, they each recovered, more or less. It wasn't their fault, they couldn't have known Pink would turn on them. That, and they never had to deal with Pink Diamond again, so the wounds had their chance to heal.

But this? She had to see Hematite on a regular basis, either in passing or directly. _His_ behavior, she could have seen coming. She _**did**_ see it coming. The Hematite gems before him were horrid, why would he be any different? She had to do what she did that night, she couldn't think of any other solution to scare him into behaving. There was nothing else she could think of to put him in his place in an effective enough way.

But even her 'best' idea backfired. It made things worse, and now she was stuck with these horrid nightmares and hallucinations, if they could even be called that, and what shred of damaged respect White and Blue had left for her. On top of all that, now every time she saw Hematite, she felt...

Strange.

Just the mere sight of him sent chills up her spine and made a heavy knot settle in her stomach. She always felt as though she needed to talk to him, that she needed to say something, but her fear and anger towards him _always_ stopped her. This was _his_ fault, _he_ was the untrustworthy one, _he_ was the gem that attacked her in broad daylight, upset or not.

So what was this foreign feeling that kept cropping up as of late when she saw him, especially the time she ran into him out in the hangars? She hadn't experienced it when Pink Diamond betrayed her and her fellow diamonds... so why was this different?

 

With a frustrated frown, Yellow leaned up from her desk and put down her stylus to her diamond pad. Lifting her hands, she pushed back her seat slightly and moved her fingers to her temples, rubbing them in small circles. She had to focus, this work needed to be done. Her paperwork was backed up a few days, this was unacceptable. Why was this still bothering her? Why couldn't she get Hematite's voice out of her head? Why did the afternoon he tried to apologize to her keep playing back in her mind? He wasn't truly sorry, and she knew it! White was probably suspicious of her behavior and told him to come put on some act for her. That had to be it.

It had to be.

Yellow Diamond huffed through her teeth and narrowed her eyes down at nothing in particular. _Right, Weather Station inspection. Danburites, perhaps a few Alabasters? Mmm._ Squinting her eyes even more, the diamond rubbed at her forehead. She finally let her eyelids drift closed for a moment. _Stars, it felt nice to rest them._ After a few seconds, she let herself relax, all the tension leaving her form. Her eyelids were heavy, and she kept them shut for what felt like minutes. But, she still had work to do. No time for a nap, even if she wanted one.

 

_Which she certainly did not._

 

With a soft, near inaudible grunt, the yellow gem cracked open her eyes, staring vaguely ahead. The faintest image of her office laid deep in shadow all around her. She was still in her chair, her desk littered with papers as it had been before. Brows furrowing, Yellow groggily blinked, frowning faintly in confusion. _Wait... why was it suddenly so dark?_

 

_Tap._

_Tap._

_**Tap.** _

 

The temperature slowly dropped.

 

For the moment, time froze. Yellow couldn't move or speak; she could only look around. Her mind silently cried out in vain to try and get her body to budge, but every part of her felt numb and locked into place. Her breathing slowed involuntarily, and she felt her nonexistent heart _sink_. Glancing down, Yellow Diamond spotted her gemstone glimmering faintly. The image of her office slowly faded in and out until everything finally went black... and she began to fall.

Down she went, plummeting for what both felt like an eternity, and at the same time, barely a second. She landed heavily on a hard, flat surface, the air being knocked quickly out of her. She sat up and groaned, holding her head as she looked down at the surface she landed on. It was solid black. But something around the diamond felt _off_. As if her field of vision outside of fifty feet or so was fogged up with shadows, she could no longer see her office around her. _Oh. Oh stars, no, had she fallen asleep?!_ In a panic, Yellow looked down at her hands. Oddly, her color was nearly gone this time, while in the other nightmares, she'd looked perfectly normal. The diamond looked up, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes flicked to and fro around the black abyss surrounding her.

 

It was eerily quiet.

–

Yellow staggered to her feet, coughing and clutching her hands to her arms. A shuddering breath fogged up in the air in front of her face. Looking down at her feet, she noticed the change of color. Odd... But here she was again. Why did she start in her office? Why was she here _now_? She hadn't gone to sleep, had she? Why were things different this time?

She started to move, the anxiety already prickling in her chest. _He's coming. I know he is. He always does. It's just a matter of when, and how..._

–

_Tap._

_Tap._

_Tap._

_**T a p.** _

Something was making the ground tremble, as if being sharply struck with a hammer. It wasn't like the tremors from the previous nightmares. It was intermittent, more aggressive, but also... not. It didn't seem to be getting any closer.

As Yellow walked, the area ahead of her started to feel emptier. All of a sudden, she found herself nearly walking off of what appeared to be a sheer drop. Thankfully, a stark-white line showed the edge of whatever platform she was on.

–

Yellow looked nervously at the white line. Leaning down, she waved her hand over it. Yep, it was a drop. Sighing, she clenched her hands nervously and took a step back. She didn't want to know what would happen if she jumped, but she definitely didn't want to look behind her either. _Nothing good ever happened when she did that_. Looking around, she bit her lip, the faintest of sweat forming on her brow. If she couldn't jump, and this edge led infinitely in either direction... She tensed up, realizing she was left with only one real option. Slowly, hesitantly, she turned around.

–

Nothing.

There was nothing there.

_Nothing and no-one._

The distant tapping stopped.

There was a long stretch of silence, until...

 

_"Yellow? Yellow Diamond, are you there?!"_

It was Hematite's voice.

–

Blinking, Yellow felt her heart drop. Daring to turn her head again, she looked around desperately. Wait, that was _his_ voice! Not that THING'S voice! But where was he? Why was _he_ here suddenly?!

 

"Hematite!" she called out in worry, gritting her teeth as she looked around.

–

The sound of distant approaching footsteps filled the icy air, and out of the shadows came the service gem's black and white form. Oddly enough, he seemed to be his normal size. He had even less color to him than his nightmarish self, with only a blackened form and a white outline. The only things on him that had any color were his eyes. They stood out starkly against the darkness, bright pink among the void of black. Stopping a significant distance from the Diamond, Hematite stood at attention and saluted.

_"H-hematite reporting, Yellow Diamond!"_

–

Yellow stared in shock at the service gem now faced before her. She flinched, but regained a more calm stance soon after. She found it amazing that something different was happening, were things finally starting to get better? Or maybe this was a trap. Maybe it _was_ him.... but... No, it couldn't be. _Could it?_ She stared back into his pink eyes, unable to look away.

"Hematite, what are you doing here?!"

–

The service gem smiled weakly, visibly nervous. He took his hands from his back, holding out a diamond pad. When the gem opened his mouth, he spoke with a voice that almost sounded... distant. Eerily far away and... small?

_"I brought something from White Diamond!"_

–

Her eyes widened in horror. She took a few steps back, shakily moving her hand up to her mouth. Her lips parted, she was unable to look away. It was starting to dawn on her what was going on... _No, no this can't be, not this!_

"H-Hematite, can you hear me?!"

–

Blinking, Hematite lowered the diamond pad just slightly. He cocked his head to the side, frowning in confusion.

"Yes, why?"

Tap.

_Tap._

–

She stopped, feeling the anxiety spike again as the ground beneath her feet trembled faintly.

"I-I.... Um, no reason,” she said, lowering her hand and fidgeting with her glove. She stared nervously down at the diamond pad, then back up to him. "Er... thank you. You can just leave it here!"

–

The smaller gem blinked curiously, but then smiled brightly and put the diamond pad on the ground in front of him. He stood back up, saluting her politely.

"Is there anything else you needed?"

–

She looked down at the device, her stress easing off slightly. Her expression dropped, as did her gaze. It rested on the floor, her eyes distant.

"Ah, no, there's not," she said, not looking back up at him. Her brows furrowed in pain, her lips drawing into a tight line.

 

_Was that how easy that night could have been, all those years ago?_

–

Tap.

_**Tap.** _

Giving another smile, the gem relaxed slightly. When he opened his mouth again, his voice returned to its eerily distant sound.

_"Well, if that is all, I should be getting back to White Diamond's office."_

 

**Scraaaape**

 

The air was suddenly heavy. **Oppressive**. Even colder than it was before. There was some presence there now, and it wasn't _just_ Hematite. It slowly closed in, until the air around the two was near suffocating.

Slowly, from the shadows behind the service gem, a huge, clawed hand reached out toward him.

–

Yellow looked up, eyes widening again as she gasped out in horror. **No... NO!**

"H-H-..." she stammered, taking a shaky step back. "S-STOP!" she cried out in panic. She reached forward, but found her legs locked in place.

–

Hematite's eyes widened in surprise, and he tilted his head slightly.

"What?"

The service gem let out a startled gasp as something hooked onto the back of his suit. Slowly dragging him back, the clawed hand began to lift the tiny gem off the black surface, into the shadows.

From the place where the hand had emerged, a voice suddenly rumbled through the cold air, as if whoever was talking was huge and _very_ close by.

_But that wasn't the worst part._

 

No, it wasn't _**his**_ voice. Nor was it Hematite's.

**It was Yellow's.**

 

 **"Not so fast, now."** The tone was dark, low, and malicious.

–

Once again the anxiety struck, this time worse than ever. She took a step forward, eyes widened in horror.

"Wh-what's going on?! What is this?!" she called out to no-one in particular. She recognized that voice. She absolutely did... _And she knew_ _ **what this was.**_

–

As she took a step forward, the shadows hiding what was ahead retreated just slightly. For a moment, she could see Hematite being lifted away before he vanished again into the dark.

**"I'm sure White can wait a little while. Besides, it's such a long walk back you know."**

–

The gem blinked in shock and terrified realization, panic rising steadily.

"No, STOP!" She took another few steps forward, her legs heavy and trembling. She didn't _want_ to go forward. She didn't _want_ to see what was on the other side of the darkness. But she had to, she couldn't just let him get carried off like that! _Not a second time, he didn't warrant it!_

–

The further she went, the more the shadows around her retreated.

**"Especially at your..."**

A dark chuckle, all too familiar, rang out around Yellow Diamond. The dark fog that had been obscuring everything from view suddenly vanished, revealing _all_.

**"Puny size."**

The 'ground' underneath the diamond's feet appeared to be a huge desk, papers scattered around the edges. The faintest features of Yellow's office were just barely visible through the blackness that filled the place.

But most importantly...

There, no more than a hundred feet away, sitting behind the huge black desk, was the familiar nightmarish form. His chin was propped in his free hand, and he was dangling Hematite in front of his face. The bright yellow target on his visor was looking over the tiny gem, clicking and whirring away.

–

Yellow placed her palms to her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.

"NO! STOP! Put him down!" she shouted, daring to take another step forward. She knew all of this was some weird, horrible trap, but she couldn't stop. Chasing her down was one thing, but this? _How could her nightmares turn into something like this??!_

–

If he'd noticed her by now, the nightmarish harvester wasn't making any show of it. An eerie, twisted grin crossed his face as he turned Hematite over in his clawed hands. The tiny gem protested quietly, the sound still far-off. Broken sentences echoed in the distance, all in his voice.

 

_Of course you're too busy!_

_I-I didn't-!_

_Yeah, it is... were you considering giving me a lift back?_

_I didn't mean anything by it!_

_I apologize!_

_I would never!_

 

Teeth parting ominously, the huge gem behind the desk brought Hematite just slightly closer to his face.

 

_I would never question my position!_

_I'm sorry!_

_I'm sorry!_

 

 

“ _ **I'm sorry...”**_

The last sentence came out different than all the others. It was closer, clearer, calm and **sad**. It still sounded like a memory... but it was far more recent.

–

Yellow froze in place, staring up in horror. Why was this happening? What sort of game was the nightmare playing? Why did this make her feel worse than _any_ of her nightmares before? The tears that stung her eyes now flowed freely down her cheeks, but she could do nothing to make any difference now. She stood, slowly lifting her palm to her gem and covering it.

–

Slowly, the dark form lowered his free hand to the desk, resting his clawed fingers on the surface.

 

Tap.

_Tap._

_**Tap.** _

 

The desk trembled as the huge gem drummed a single claw on the surface, the insignia on his visor darting over the tiny form in his hand. A low chuckle escaped the nightmarish hunter as he slowly licked his teeth.

**"You're so used to being big..."**

Suddenly, the target on the monstrous gem's visor clicked aggressively, locking onto the diamond on the desk, though the hunter didn't turn his head.

**"You forget how small you really are."**

–

A sharp shudder rang through her body, and she fell to her knees, unable to look away from the target now fixated on her. Holding her arms to her chest, she kept stammering and muttering something quietly, but no discernible words came out. In fact, it almost sounded like _shivering_.

–

The target returned to staring at Hematite, and the tiny gem let out a sharp cry as he was brought closer to the monstrous form's face. His voice still sounded distant.

_"Y-yellow diamond, what are you doing?! I have to get back to White!"_

The harvester's teeth parted, and he slowly lowered the trembling gem closer to his face, earning a chorus of echoing, terrified cries. Among them, only one sentence could be heard. But just barely.

_Somebody, help!_

–

Yellow couldn't watch much further; her eyes screwed shut and she threw her arms over her head so she wouldn't have to watch what played out. _She_ _ **couldn't**_ _..._

The noises, the words, every single sound rang through her and sent more stabbing anxiety through her very core. She couldn't take this. This was unbearable. Why did she feel this way?! It wasn't just fear, it was horror! It was sorrow! It was anger! Small drops of tears dripped onto the desk.

"PLEASE, STOP!"

–

**Poff**

 

The cries stopped abruptly at Yellow's outburst, and the space around her went eerily quiet again. A gray cloud of smoke slowly disappeared near the giant gem's face. Leaning his chin on his hands, the nightmarish harvester grinned down at the tiny diamond, his teeth just slightly parted. It looked like there was something glinting between them.

–

Shaking violently, Yellow opened her eyes at the sound of the smoke, lifting her head and staring in horror at his teeth. She felt a breath catch in her throat, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

"H-... Hematite?"

–

Yellow's voice rumbled around the room once more.

**"Don't forget where you stand... or else."**

 

**CRICK**

 

The sound of Hematite's shattering gem filled the icy air, unbearably loud. Closing his mouth, the huge gem smirked and tilted his head back just slightly, making quick work of the shattered gem.

He lowered his gaze again to the tiny diamond before him, and when he spoke, it was the same, warped, familiar voice as it usually was.

"Service gems can be so troublesome.~"

–

She was frozen. Completely and utterly frozen. She couldn't even make the terrified whimpers that she made before. Suddenly, with trembling arms, she pushed herself up to get to her feet and backed up quickly.

"Y-Y-YOU... WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! WHY _HIM?_ WHY THIS?!" she cried out, the flow of tears still dripping down her cheeks.

–

"Why him? Yellow Diamond, I'm _surprised_. **He's nothing. He's worthless."**

The nightmarish Hematite tapped his finger again on the desk. A stark white line suddenly stretched out from the tip of his claw, right underneath Yellow's feet.

 

**Isn't it better if he leaves you alone?~**

 

The desk underneath the diamond unexpectedly fell away, leaving only the singular line under her feet. Suddenly going a bit slack, the white marking morphed into a thin wire that stretched out over a black abyss.

The huge harvester vanished with a dark chuckle.

–

She didn't have much time to register fully what he had said before she found herself gasping in surprise, wobbling to regain her balance. _Oh stars, this wasn't good._ Steadying herself, she froze in place and dared not to look down. Her eyes drifted around the room steadily, the horrific black void returned once more.

 

_Oh, fantastic.... she knew it wasn't over._

 

She swallowed nervously and took a step forward. Best probably not to just stand there, right? One step after the other, she had to force herself to stay calm. One, two, three... Was she even making progress? She couldn't tell, she couldn't see where the line ended.

–

**We'll be waiting.**

**Waiting for you to slip up.**

**If you ever even think of turning on us.**

 

_**Whirrrrr. Click.** _

 

The glowing yellow target loomed far below the white wire, watching Yellow's every move. A stark-white grin slowly revealed itself as the nightmarish harvester slowly lifted his head closer. He was still rather far below her, but he looked absolutely massive this time. Bigger than he'd been in any of the nightmares so far.

–

Upon seeing the huge gem below her, she shook for a moment, wobbling before soon setting herself straight again. Her eyes widened, choking back new tears. She kept going, sweat dripping down her brow. _Just don't look down, right?_ Well....that didn't really help, he was hard to miss.

"Where is the end of this?!" she called out, as if expecting some sort of answer. She kept looking forward into the endless blackness, hoping against hope that she'd wake up or this nightmare, or, whatever it was, would end soon.

–

"The end?"

A low chuckle rumbled below Yellow Diamond's feet before it grew into a maniacal laugh that shook her very form.

"There is no end. Not unless you **make** one."

–

–

_"Yellow? Yellow Diamond, are you there?"_

Hematite tapped his foot. He'd been standing outside Yellow's office for a good minute or so with no reply. At first, he thought Yellow was just ignoring him, but as the seconds ticked by, he could have sworn he heard... voices. Specifically, Yellow's rather distressed voice.

“ _PLEASE, STOP!”_

Hematite tensed up and bristled, quickly putting in a manual code on the gem pad next to the office entrance. _Oh stars, was someone in there with her?!_ After a moment, the device gave a beep, and the doors quietly hissed open. The sight that met the service gem made him freeze in his tracks. Yellow was sitting in the dim lighting of her office at her desk, yes, but that wasn't what caught his attention. From her gemstone, an image was being projected out in front of her. She'd fallen asleep sitting up in her chair, her hands resting on her temples.

Hematite's eyes widened at the muffled sound of a warped laugh.

_**It sounded eerily familiar.** _

–

–

Slowly, the huge form below Yellow's feet reached his clawed hand up, hovering it just next to the wire.

"So let's do that, shall we?"

–

She stopped and gasped, her balance being off-put yet again.

"WAIT, NO!"

She shot her arms out to the side, regaining her balance one last time. She started to breathe heavier, staring helplessly at the clawed finger. She couldn't move, or she'd fall. And if she did move, well, it wouldn't matter... she was about to fall anyway.

–

**Snap.**

With a quick snap of his wrist, the nightmarish Hematite clipped the wire, watching Yellow plummet down toward him. The target on his visor narrowed ominously, his grin unsettlingly wide.

–

–

Watching with wide eyes, Hematite slowly lifted his hands to his mouth, his lips parted in a silent gasp of horror.

**Wh... What on Homeworld was Yellow dreaming about?**

A few beads of sweat began to form on his brow, and Hematite took a single step back, anxiety boiling in his stomach.

**No.... no.**

–

–

Yellow screamed out in horror, flailing her arms violently to grab hold of the snapped white wire. Fortunately or not, she managed to snag one of the paces. She whimpered sharply as she clung to it. Wrapping her arms and legs around it, she closed her eyes for a moment, shivering. After regaining her composure, she looked up. The wire seemed to extend up into the ceiling now, still endlessly. Half defeated, she knew she couldn't give up. She dared not look down... and instead, she started to climb.

–

–

Hematite winced heavily at Yellow's cries of terror, but he found himself unable to look away. He felt as if he were frozen in place, unable to stop what was happening. His voice caught in his throat. As Yellow began to climb, Hematite could do no more than silently cheer her on.

–

–

Inching ever closer, the harvester slowly opened his mouth, extending his tongue.

**"You're slippiiiiiing.~"**

The creature suddenly lunged forward, his teeth glinting brightly.

–

–

Eyes widening in horror, Hematite felt his voice find itself again, though it wavered as he finally spoke up.

"YELLOW!"

He took a few quick steps forward, waving his hands at the hologram in the hopes that he could stop it.

–

The Diamond slowly looked down in horror, faced with the monster's open mouth waiting below. Before she had time to process his words, She cried out and flinched again, shutting her eyes. _Here we go again! It's over!_

 

_"YELLOW!"_

 

Gasping sharply, Yellow straightened up, eyes shooting open. She was breathing heavily. Sweat dripped from her brow, and it took her a few seconds to come back to reality. Her eyes were wide and horrified, staring at nothing in particular. The groggy hold on her mind lifted, leaving her face to face directly with _him_. Slowly, she went from horrified to livid, her lip quivering into a snarl. She clenched her hands and slammed them on the desk, standing up over him.

"What do you think you're doing in here?! Who let you in?!" she shouted angrily, the hair on the back of her neck bristling.

–

Hematite's expression went from panicked concern to fear within an instant, and he took a few steps back, remembering the last time she'd been like this. He raised his hands up in front of him defensively.

"I-it's okay, I'm sorry, you weren't answering, and I wanted to talk... but, then I heard you yelling and I thought someone was in here so I used the emergency code." His own lip quivered, and he hesitated before swallowing nervously. "Are you alright?"

–

"NO! I'M NOT! ESPECIALLY NOT WITH **YOU** AROUND!" she hissed out, piercing yellow eyes staring daggers into him. But something faltered again, much like before. _No, this time it was stronger._ Her face twisted into pain, the odd, foreign feeling returning to her. She gripped the desk with her clawed fingers. "I... I don't want to hear anything you have to say. I told you this already," she said, half angry and half exasperated. "I am **exhausted** and you are not supposed to be in here. **Leave immediately,”** she ordered, sitting back down in her chair and running her fingers through her hair. She looked away from him, furrowing her brows.

It was taking everything she had not to explode at him. If he stayed much longer though, there was no telling what she'd do. She just wanted him out of here. She needed time to calm down.

–

Hematite continued to back away toward the still open door. His eyes never left Yellow. He stood in the doorway before pausing, opening his mouth.

"..."

Though he wanted to ask her something, he slowly backed out of the office, the doors hissing shut in front of him.

–

Yellow blinked once and sighed heavily. Her arm fell onto the desk, followed by her head. Now face down on the surface, she groaned in agony. Something was biting at her now, and it wasn't just the stress of the nightmares. No, now there was even more of something on top of that. _Was it guilt? Regret maybe? No, maybe not? She couldn't tell._ All she knew was that Hematite needed to stay away from her. She needed to stay awake. She _needed_ to relax.... but she couldn't. She was exhausted. Now, she was starting to see things, hear things, even. Even in her waking moments, she couldn't escape it, couldn't escape him.

She'd just have to wait it out... it surely couldn't keep up forever. After all, it had only been a year or so.

–

His back against the door, Hematite stood, eyes wide, staring at nothing. Mouth parted slightly, the service gem let out a shaken exhale of disbelief.

 

_**You're slipping.~** _

 

_**That** was what was shaking her so bad._

 

_**That was the problem... She hadn't gotten over the incident. It was haunting her.** _

 

Covering his face with his hands, Hematite tried to keep himself from shaking, but had no such luck. A trembling sob escaped him.

 

That _creature_ was how she saw him. _That monstrous combination of teeth and a visor was all she saw when she looked at him,_ _ **wasn't it?**_

 

This **was** his fault. _He_ had done this to her. Before, he thought maybe something else was bothering her, perhaps he was simply looking too deeply into things. But now.

_There was no denying it any longer._

Glancing back at the door, teary-eyed, Hematite rushed away from the yellow tower, quickly making his way back to White's. He couldn't tell her what he'd seen. He couldn't tell _anyone_. If Yellow ever found out he shared what he witnessed... he'd be a dead gem.

So he would hide it. Nobody had to know.

He and Yellow were through, there was no fixing this.

They were too far gone to ever move past this.

Yellow would stay 'broken'.

_**And it was all his fault.** _


	34. Warm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morganite and Puff receive a proper thanks from Hematite.

Days turned into weeks, and Hematite fell into his usual routine. Do a mission, come back to the towers, do a mission, report to White, do a mission. Not much changed, and nothing groundbreaking happened in the capital. Life went on normally, and jobs came and went at a good pace.

Until suddenly, there was a lull.

There were no jobs for Hema, no harvesting missions, nothing for _him_ specifically to destroy that the other of his kin couldn't do. The other Hematites had taken all the current jobs, and Hema was left to his own devices for three days. At first he didn't know what to do with himself. He tried hanging about the towers, wandering around the Blue and White districts, but that only entertained him for a day. White suggested that he try out something new, a possible side job she wanted him to try out.

 

Patrolling.

 

She'd given him a route to try, should he get the time. It led around the Blue district, to the outer walls, and then to the area outside the capital. Hematite accepted his leader's offer. The service gem planned on patrolling part of the route... if his 'guests' he was going to pick up were willing. He'd called two gems up that afternoon to make sure they had the night off for a special surprise. White's route led right to one of his favorite places in the Blue District, so why not knock out two things at once? After all...

 

He still had to properly thank Puff and Morganite for what they did back at the coliseum when Diaspore attacked him.

 

Currently at his normal height of five and a half feet, Hematite strolled down the streets leading to Morganite's bar. He looked up at the sky with a contented, faintly eager expression. The sun was just approaching the horizon. Soon enough, it would set, and the skies of the Blue District would be set aglow with its brilliant display of stars it was so well known for. _I hope both of them showed up,_ he thought to himself. _We won't have long to wait around if we want to get there at just the right time._ With a new pep in his step, and an even stronger drive to get to Morgan's than before, Hema hurried down the street, turning the corner to the next road.

–

Puff stretched with a long sigh and a smile. She was sitting on the hover-bench outside of Morgan's bar. Looking around, she raised a brow, wondering when Hematite would be there to pick her up. Seemed he still wasn't around, just yet... Ah well. Leaning back, the Jasper crossed her arms behind her head and stared up at the sky with a contented look on her face. She crossed one leg over the other, bobbing it in place.

–

It wasn't long before Morganite showed up around the corner, quickly noticing the gem in front of his bar. He smiled brightly, waving his hand to the Jasper sitting near his establishment.

"Heeey fuzzball! What are you doin' here? You know we're not open tonight, right?" he said with a curious grin, making his way down to her. He'd expected to see Hematite there by now, not the familiar Jasper.

–

The Jasper smiled with a chuckle as she turned to the approaching gem. She uncrossed her legs, scooting over in case Morgan wanted to join her on the bench.

"Yeahhh, I know! I'm meeting Hematite here. He said this was the best place to meet him, so." Shrugging, she looked around. "What are _you_ doing here?" she asked with an inquisitive smile of her own. "If you're not open, then what? Going for a walk?"

–

Morgan raised a brow in surprise, grinning even wider.

"Is that so? No, actually Hematite is supposed to meet _me_ here as well! Looks like he wanted us both here at the same time then," he said, placing a hand on his hip. Glancing out to the streets, he took note that a lot of gems were pacing around the streets today, more than usual. Despite that, he hadn't spotted the service gem yet. He hoped he didn't get lost in the droves of civilians.

–

Puff blinked at his response before smiling to herself.

"Really? Hah... Weird. I wonder what for." The Jasper joined the pink-haired warrior in looking around. Alive with the bustle of busy gems, the streets were particularly crowded tonight. Idly, Puff wondered if Hematite was among the passerby, or if he'd be in one of his 'taller' forms so they could see him easier. Surely it couldn't have been easy getting around at his normal size while the streets were this busy.

 

Trying to avoid bumping into anyone, Hematite smiled awkwardly as he weaved through the dense crowds of gems flocking the streets.. Everyone was either heading home or walking to their late-night jobs. The sun would be setting in an hour or two, and this was the busiest time of the evening. Clouds drifting by, the sky was painted a gentle shade of pinkish orange. Looking up at the horizon, Hematite silently hoped the weather would be clear by the time they arrived at their destination.

After wading through a sea of busy civilians, the service gem soon saw Morgan's club come into view, and he smiled brightly at the sight of the two in front of it. A tad carelessly, he rushed over, bumping into a few gems here and there. He lifted his arm up and waved to the two as he neared.

"Morganite, Puff!"

–

Morganite turned his head, spotting Hematite down the street. Raising his hand for a wave in return, he called out to him.

"Hematiiiite! Evenin'!" he said eagerly, just loud enough for him to hear. The gems wading past him moved quickly out of the way, giving him enough space to walk. "What brings you here tonight? You were pretty vague on the communicator! You didn't tell me Puff was tagging along! What surpriiiises are you planning?" he hummed out.

–

Puff stood from the bench and crossed her arms as she looked to Hematite.

"Yeah, Scrap, what's all this about. You didn't tell me either that Morgan was coming." She chuckled and grinned at the warrior beside her. "Not that I mind."

The service gem gave the two a warm, though faintly nervous smile as he stumbled to a halt in front of them.

"Sorry, it sort of slipped my mind.~" He gave them a look that said that was _clearly_ a fib. "I wanted you two to both be surprised. I hope you've got the rest of the night off." He folded his arms behind him and rocked on his heels. "We're going on a little field trip."

–

Morgan looked curiously between Puff and Hematite with a suspicious grin.

"Well I don't work today, so you're in luck. What kind of 'trip' have you got planned, big guy?" he asked, looking back down at Hema. He shifted his weight to the opposite and wondered what the ivory haired gem could possibly mean. He'd need to be back before tomorrow night, so he knew he shouldn't head out too far. Hopefully Hema was keeping that in mind.

–

Puff seemed just as clueless as Morgan on the matter, and she arched a brow at the shorter gem.

"Field trip? Don't you have work to do?" For a moment, Puff's expression faltered, but she attempted to shrug it off. "I hope you're not dragging us along for one of your _jobs_."

Hematite's brows raised, and he looked away in shy surprise before turning back to the two.

"No, no. Well." He looked up, pursing his lips. " _Yes_ , but not one of _those_ jobs. I can't tell you what it is, but..." The service gem rubbed his index finger and thumb together behind his back. His expression changed into something expectant, hopeful. "I think you two will like it."

With that, he unfolded his arms and motioned for the two to follow after him. He made his way through the bustling gems, heading further into the Blue District, toward the coliseum.

Puff looked at Morgan with an amused smile before she followed after Hematite.

–

Morganite gave her a shrug and stayed quiet. Whatever Hema had planned, he didn't mind following along. He was pretty open minded, after all. Still, it was a little strange for Hematite to just show up like this and want to take him and Puff somewhere. His interest was piqued when he noticed the direction they were headed in, but he tried not to jump to any conclusions _just_ yet. _What was he planning?_

–

The closer the group got to the coliseum, the more the city began to thin out, and the further the bustle of busy gems became. Soon enough, they were all walking in silence toward the arena. Hematite hadn't said another word since they left the bar.

And if either Puff or Morgan paid attention, they'd see that the service gem was busy brushing his fingers together as he walked, one wrist held in the other.

Though it had been about twenty minutes or so, the sky was just now beginning to darken. Hematite looked up and smiled thankfully. The clouds had thankfully cleared away since they began walking..

The group was still some distance from the arena when the service gem stopped in his tracks. He turned around with a nervous smile at the two. Puff was glad she'd been paying attention, or she would have run right into him. She stopped when Hema did, and put her arms down at her sides. Giving him a curious stare, she narrowed her eyes just slightly.

"What's up, Scrap? Something the matter?"

–

The pink haired warrior looked up at the coliseum that laid in the distance, and smirked to himself. _Did he really want to spar_ _ **now**_ _? No, that probably wasn't it. Still, if that wasn't the case, why were they headed towards the coliseum?_

"Alright, I'm with Puff on this one. I simply can't figure this out," he chuckled a little awkwardly, reaching up and placing a palm on his own shoulder. He rubbed at it quietly, keeping his smile.

–

"Yeah, are we going to the arena, or what? I'm pretty sure it's not available tonight..." Puff pointed out simply. Hematite took a deep breath to try and quell the anxiety rising in the pit of his stomach. He gave the two taller gems a shy smile.

"W-well. We're not going to the coliseum." He crossed his arms, his right hand gripping his left sleeve. "There's something I really wanted to show you two, tonight... I do have a little patrolling to do for White, but it's on the way." The smaller gem's hand clenched subtly, the fabric of his suit bunching between his fingers. "But it's a long walk. A _really_ long walk, if we go by foot like this." Glancing away, he took a deep breath. Puff's brows raised, and she glanced at Morganite. Hematite continued. "If you two would be willing, I'd... Like to give you a 'lift' to where we're going."

–

Morgan curiously ran his hand down his arm and grazed over his gem before letting go of his hand. "You mean like, carry us while you're big or something?" he said, raising a brow and returning Puff's glance. "Well, I mean...I wouldn't mind, as long as we're back before tomorrow of course!" He grinned warmly at the smaller gem.

–

At Morgan's response, the ivory-haired gem brightened, though his expression was still bashful.

"Y-yes. I know it's a little odd, but. Blue and I travel that way sometimes, and she seems to enjoy it... So I figured that'd be a good way for us to walk there and get you back before morning." Looking away from Morgan, the service gem turned to Puff. The Jasper drummed her fingers on her arm as she gazed at Hematite. Her expression was unreadable. The smaller service gem's smile faded ever so slightly.

_Would she say no?_

Puff pursed her lips slightly before she gave a thoughtful hum.

"Mmm I don't know, Scrap..."

Hematite's hand gripped tighter at his sleeve. The Jasper looked back at the shorter gem and suddenly gave him a devious smirk.

"Do you think you can manage to carry both of us?~"

Blinking in surprise, Hematite paused for a moment. His smile suddenly returned, and he gave a soft, genuine laugh.

"Well, I don't know, Puff! You never let me carry you around when you were my bodyguard!"

Puff gave her own hearty chuckle and thumbed her nose.

"Cuz I couldn't have you distracting me! That _was_ a job you know." She reached forward and ruffled the smaller gem's hair. He snickered and gently pushed her arm away. He looked up at the two with a bright smile.

"Okay, just give me one second!" With that, he turned and scurried away a little distance, giving himself room.

–

Morganite crossed his arms and chuckled at the scene before him. He was honestly glad that Puff was so well spirited about this whole thing. He had a vague idea of Puff and Hema's history, so he knew the idea of being carried around by the service gem had to have brought up some conflicting emotions. Still, he was left to wonder where they would be headed that was so far. If the Coliseum was out of the question, then he had absolutely no idea whatsoever what the service gem had in store for them both. _Oh well, at least he'd get to ride on a harvester! That was pretty neat, right? At least in theory, anyway._

–

The service gem took a deep breath and closed his eyes as soon as he was a good distance away. His fists slowly clenched as his form began to glow. As he shifted up, he didn't take as much time as he did when he was with White. The change was far less dramatic, as he didn't want to unnerve the two smaller gems anymore than they probably would be. Oddly enough, as his form shifted size, he didn't seem to be standing anymore. The service gem took to a casual crouch, and remained in the pose as his body stopped glowing. He looked far less intimidating when he wasn't standing straight up.It looked as if he was about half his potential size. Big enough to travel quickly, but not _too_ big.

Hematite nervously smiled and reached out his hand, low enough for the two to climb up. He remembered White's words when he'd done the same with her.

_Just make sure you know what you're doing._

"Don't worry, I've done this before," he assured before either of them could say anything.

Puff stared up a the huge gem, the smallest twinge of nervousness keeping her in place. Her arms crossed while she watched him size shift, and her fingers now drummed on her skin. She hesitated, expression unreadable.

–

Morgan had watched in awe as Hematite shifted up, and grinned with wonder as the gem completed the change and reached down his hand. Admittedly, it was _quite_ the sight to see when it wasn't in the heat of battle. Giving a hearty chuckle, Morgan patted Puff on the shoulder, and without a second thought, he trotted up to Hematite's hand, placing his palm on one of his fingers. Staring into Hematite's palm, he felt something strange flutter in his chest for a moment, but he quickly brushed it off. Standing so near to the gem's hand, he suddenly felt far _smaller_. _Ah, but that was to be expected, yes? No need to be nervous._ This was _exciting!_

–

Puff watched Morgan walk over to the gem's hand, and her eyes widened slightly.

_C'mon, Jasper, you can do this. It's just Scrap. He's not going to pull anything._

Taking a deep breath, the orange gem forced her arms to uncross as she walked over behind the pink haired warrior and stood on her tiptoes to peer into Hema's palm.

Noticing his hand was still a little too high, Hematite lowered it entirely onto the ground.

"Sorry, here!"

Puff stepped back ever so slightly when Hema's hand moved, but she smiled faintly when she saw he was just lowering it. Carefully, she stepped closer to his palm. It seemed Hematite was just big enough to hold both her and Morgan comfortably,

–

Using Hema's finger to hoist himself up, Morganite stepped up into the giant gem's palm, easily steadying himself. He felt a small rush of excitement flare up within him. This was all so new to him; in all his years of being a warrior, he'd never experienced anything like this. _And Blue Diamond got to do this all the time?_ Admittedly, he wasn't sure how he'd fare once they were higher up, but it was worth checking out at least _once,_ nonetheless. He looked quickly back at Puff as she stepped up to his hand and gave her a nod of encouragement.

–

Swallowing with a sigh, the Jasper finally stepped onto Hematite's hand. She was a tad unsteady at first, and stumbled slightly on the oddly soft surface. Hematite's brows raised, and he carefully curled his fingers behind her, catching her before she fell.

"It uh, might take a little getting used to."

Puff leaned on Hema's fingers for a moment before she righted herself and stood straight, one of her hands holding onto his ring finger for support.

"Right, right. Okay. I'm good now!" She chuckled and gave a thumbs up with her free hand.

Hematite smiled warmly at the two smaller gems.

"Okay, so this might be the worst part,” he warned softly, starting to shift in place. Carefully, Hema moved his free hand to cup close to the one Morgan and Puff were in, in case they stumbled. Slowly, he began to lift the two up, closer to his face. Though Puff did make a face at the slowly changing gravity, she noted it didn't feel _too_ much different from a tower-lift back in the Yellow District. _Heck, this was even slower than that, now that she thought about it._

–

Morgan clutched Hematite's finger and watched the world around him shift, the ground soon becoming further away. His eyes widened slowly, and he grinned ear to ear. He looked to the side at the Jasper with excitement, almost _unnervingly_ so. He didn't get to see much that surprised him anymore these days, but this was different. This was new. He looked almost childlike in demeanor as he quickly looked back down and around. This wasn't nearly as alarming as he'd first thought it'd be! _Actually, it was pretty fun so far!_

–

Hematite smiled brightly at Morgan's reaction to the whole situation. Puff seemed a little bit more on the nervous side, but he could absolutely understand that. The last time he had her in his hands wasn't exactly on good terms. Nonetheless, she seemed to be holding it together rather well. The service gem stopped lifting the two closer, as they were now level with his chest, and he began standing up straight. He held his palm close to his chest and cupped his free hand in front of the two so if they stumbled, they'd land against his hand or him. Thankfully, he went slow enough that balance wasn't much of a problem. The huge gem soon stood straight and moved his free hand down again so the two could look out over the city.

Though Hematite was still dwarfed by some of the distant district buildings, he stood tall over many of them. The lights were just starting to flicker on in the various homes and businesses as the sun began to set. A few stars had already appeared, faint and far away in the darkest part of the sky. In the distance, at this height, the White district could be seen glimmering on the horizon, and the Diamond Towers stood tall just past the bulk of the Blue District.

Puff let out a soft, breathless gasp, grasping Hema's finger a little tighter.

–

Morgan soon followed Puff's reaction, completely taken aback by the scenery. Though he'd seen Homeworld and many of its cities thousands of times, he'd never quite seen it like _this_. Sure, maybe he'd stood out and looked out from a roof, but something about where he was now provided a new perspective. A new _feeling_ to it all. It was breathtaking.

–

Puff couldn't take her eyes off of the city. She could see the Diamond towers far in the distance, dark against a soft pink sky. The gentlest breeze blew by, making the Jasper brush her hair aside.

"Hematite..." she started, breathless. "Is this... Is this what you get to see all the time?" She looked up at him, a curious gleam in her eyes. The giant gem smiled brightly, nodding with undisguised enthusiasm.

"When I'm like this, yeah!" His voice was soft, even at his changed size. It seemed he was used to adjusting it for this sort of thing. "Isn't it amazing? Blue loves seeing the city like this..." He looked out over the area around him and gave a content sigh.

–

Morganite felt a warmth fall over him, and he relaxed, sighing to himself. He leaned into Hematite's finger and stared out into the city, watching all the seemingly tiny gems go about their business far below. Slowly, his gaze drifted upwards to the deep sky. Since they were so high up, the lights from the cities didn't block out the view quite as much as they normally would have. The stars in the Blue District already looked amazing, even at this hour, but now... Well, he didn't think they could look anymore beautiful than they already did.

–

There was a long pause as Hematite gazed out at the sight before him, but he soon let out a quick exhale through his nose as he nodded.

"Well, we've still got places to go!" With that, the service gem turned from the main part of the Blue district and continued on toward the coliseum. He didn't walk directly toward it, but instead made his way past it.

Puff let out a quiet _"Wow..."_ as Hema began to walk, and she narrowed her eyes contentedly against the wind. Moving forward at such a 'speed' and such a height caused the air to pass by more noticeably than it would at a normal pace. It gently brushed back Morgan and Puff's hair, and the Jasper found herself leaning into it just slightly.

"Hmm. Guess Blue's been holding out, huh Mor'?" Puff spared the warrior a mischievous smile.

–

Morgan kept looking up at the sky. While the ground beneath them passed by quickly, the sky above remained stationary and beautiful as ever. He was quiet, for a few moments, he didn't say anything to Puff in reply. It took him a long pause to realize she'd even asked him anything.

"Hm? Oh, yeah..." he said quietly, closing his eyes for a second. He took a deep breath and looked back down as soon as he opened his eyes. A faint chill ran up his spine as he stared at the ground 'racing' by below, despite Hema walking at a seemingly normal pace.

–

Hematite made sure to walk with measured, even steps, just as he'd done with White. At a slower pace, it was far easier to keep his gait steady and smooth. A warm smile had found its way to the giant gem's face. Puff chuckled and leaned back against Hematite's chest, her arms crossed.

"Gotta say, this sure does beat walking. Heyyy, maybe you Hematites should quit your day jobs and become escorts, huh?" she snickered. Hematite glanced down and gave a soft 'hm' in reply.

"I don't know about that, I've never seen the other Hematites doing stuff like this."

–

"That's quite a shame, you know. I bet lots of gems would kill for an experience like this," Morganite muttered, sitting down, still holding his hand to Hematite's finger. "I would have never expected to have a friend like you, you know. Not many can say they got carried through a city by a huge gem, much less a harvester." A small chuckle followed.

–

Blinking at Morgan, Hematite felt something in his chest tighten. _A friend?_ Sure, Morganite had referred to him as such before, back in the bar, but that had seemed... different. The two of them barely knew each other back then, and it was more that the pink-haired gem knew Hematite was Blue's friend. He supposed that counted by extension, but Hema just thought Morgan meant it in a casual, general sort of way. But...

_For him to say that directly._

He managed to nod quietly.

"W-well, unless any of the others like me have done this... it's just you two, Blue, and White..."

Scoffing in happy disbelief, Puff nudged Hema with her elbow.

"Aaah, this is some special treatment then, huh? That's certainly something to brag about." She balled a hand into a fist before clutching it in her other palm. "I'm sooo gonna tell Rubes all about this when I see her next, heheh.”

Hematite smiled shyly down at the two gems.

"W-well I wouldn't say it's anything to brag about, this is just... an easier way to travel. No big deal."

–

Sitting back a little bit, he placed his free hand down on Hematite's palm and kept himself steady. He found himself looking up to the stars again, a familiar warmth flowing over him. The further they got away from the city, and the later it got, the more the stars sparkled into view. Despite only being about seventy or so feet from the ground, Morgan felt as though he might as well be in space. Somewhere, deep inside, he felt a tightness well up. This reminded him of something... something important to him. No, not just something, _someone_.

"Hm..." He grinned, his hand tightening around Hema's finger. "I dunno, I mean... Rubes can't say she's had a ride on a Harvester before, can she?" he remarked.

–

At Morgan's comment, Hematite glanced up to the side thoughtfully.

"Well, I mean. I guess not." He shrugged. "I'd give her a lift if she needed one, but. I'm not sure she'd be too crazy about it." An uncomfortable chuckle escaped him. Puff laughed before stretching and folding her arms back behind her head. She was fully leaning against Hema's chest now, much more at ease than a few minutes ago.

"Pfff, don't sweat it buddy. Rubes likes you well enough. She just doesn't say it much. She's gotten over the whole. You know. _Thing_." The Jasper shrugged. "She's not mad or anything. I'm sure she'd be all over something like this. She loves looking at the city from rooftops and stuff. Who knows. You two might be able to, you know."

Hematite looked down at her curiously.

"Might be able to what?"

Puff chuckled and shrugged again. _Bond, completely clear the air, talk?_ She wasn't sure where she was going with that.

"I dunno." A sly smile crossed her face, but she said nothing else.

The giant gem looked forward again as he continued to walk. A protective warmth settled in Hematite's chest, and he sighed contently as he passed by a few individual buildings. The city was really starting to thin out now, and the urban parts of the district became fewer and further between.

–

Morgan listened to the conversation, but didn't contribute much as it went on. He was still enjoying the view, tranquil memories filling his thoughts. Though, after a while, he noticed that they were heading a while away from the main city. He still wondered where Hematite was taking them, really. At this point however, he didn't really seem to care.

–

\--

Within an hour or two, Hematite brought the three of them to the 'wilder' part of the Blue district. They'd traveled an impressive distance with the giant gem's help, and now stood far outside the main city. Hematite made sure to stop by a few checkpoints that marked his patrol route. But, thankfully, unlike most nights in the Blue District, things were peaceful, and the citizens were behaving themselves well. No riots, no crime, no gem monsters. Everything was lining up perfectly.

 

In the distance, an odd hilly area rose up from a rather flat field. There were plants here and there in this area, but they were sparse and seemed to collect closer to the hills. As Hematite neared, the ground became less even, and more covered with surprisingly lush greenery. Slowly, the giant gem made his way through taller and taller rock formations that seemed to have been cut straight out of the 'hills' by jagged machines. Rocks and rubble laid below the thick layer of plants, though some cropped up into view here and there. The sheer walls soon loomed above Hematite's head, but he continued on. It seemed as though the three of them were heading down _into_ the ground, into a large chasm, but the ground never sloped downward. The faintest sound of rushing water echoed off the rock walls.

–

Morganite felt an odd chill go through him, though it wasn't entirely a _bad_ chill. He hadn't seen wilds like these in thousands of years. After all, he'd had no reason to wander this far out of the main city, with his bar being so close to the center. He peered down carefully, observing the changes in landscape. Incredible; he often-times forgot that there still _were_ natural places on Homeworld much like this. They weren't common outside of the Pink District, making them quite a sight to behold.

–

Puff was looking around as well, her eyes wide. It'd been years since she'd been somewhere like this. The last time she could remember was back when she and Rubes would travel with- … _Well_.

Shaking her head to try and dislodge the old memories, Puff opened her mouth as if she would say something, but Hematite broke the silence first.

"I found this place while I was on a recon mission. There's something... well. There's something really special about it." He smiled brightly and glanced up at the stars. They were out in full at this point, filling the sky with brilliant points of light. So far out from the city, it was like entire galaxies could be seen now. "I just hope it works like it did last time."

–

Morganite felt the tingle up his back return, his mouth parting open. Slowly, he took a stand and stared at the sky, transfixed by its beauty. He hadn't seen it like this since the days of the war, when he and Cinnabar would camp out in the open fields of the Blue District between battles. This was... incredible to see it again. He never went out into space himself, but he had heard stories of what the sky was like out in the open cosmos. Stars, planets, cosmic arrays as far as the eye could see, he'd heard it all. This was the closest he believed he would ever get to seeing such things. He felt a faint stinging in his eyes, but promptly placed his palm to his cheek. The burning went away as quickly as it came.

 

"Hematite... This is amazing."

–

The service gem looked down at Morganite with a warm smile on his face. Excitement slowly started to rise in his chest. _They weren't even at the best part!_

"It's breathtaking, isn't it? But that's not what I wanted to show you two..."

Puff pulled her gaze away from the stars to look at Hematite's face.

"What do you mean, what else is there?"

"Well..."

Suddenly, the giant gem rounded a corner, the sound of rushing water growing louder. There, stretched out in front of the three gems, was a huge, cavernous room with no ceiling. The stars shone brightly overhead, no longer obscured by the closed-in walls that Hematite had been walking through moments ago. A thin, but tall waterfall cascaded down the opposite wall from the gems, leading down into a deep azure pool that covered about a fourth of the room's floor. The rest of the ground was blanketed by a thick layer of plant life that partially climbed up the walls. Deep green in color, with pale little highlights dotting their leaves, the blanket of plant life appeared to be some sort of Homeworld-native clover.

Puff's eyes widened, and another breathless exhale escaped her. She put a hand to her mouth.

–

Morganite stood speechless, staring wide-eyed at the scene in front of him. _Was this real? Was he dreaming? Surely something this amazing couldn't exist here on Homeworld anymore! Especially not so close to the main city!_

He found himself at a loss for words, tears stinging again at the corners of his eyes.

–

With a soft sigh, Hematite suddenly started lowering the two gems in his hand to the floor. He carefully placed them down beside him.

"This is the place." As he stood straight, the service gem closed his eyes, his form starting to glow. But instead of shifting up, he began to get smaller. Puff watched curiously as the giant gem shrank. She was surprised when he stopped around 15 feet or so, the same size he'd taken to using around the city. Hematite's form stopped shining, and he took another deep breath. "Alright, let's see..."

Tentatively, the ivory-haired gem took a step forward. The greenery at his feet was easily disturbed, and as soon as he placed his foot down, the plants around him began to _shimmer_.

Bright, greenish-blue 'dots' rose from the plants and flitted away from the service gem, setting off an enchanting light show. The other plant life was soon set aglow with similar lights. As a few of the dots flitted closer, Puff blinked in surprise. They appeared to be tiny gem... creatures? They didn't exactly look _monster_ -like... She lifted a hand up and turned her palm over, eyes widening as a few flitted closer. One of the tiny things landed on her palm, two little tendril-like 'legs' wrapping around her finger. The minuscule creature bore three pairs of glowing, crystalline wings and a line of shimmering round gems on its front and belly. It stared up at the giant gem with four, deep-blue eyes set among light green fur. Its muzzle was pointed and delicate, its head almost a teardrop shape. A tiny, fluffy 'tail' swayed out behind the creature, flicking to the side every once in a while. The Jasper stood up a bit straighter at the light, foreign sensation, a flash of remembrance flickering across her face. _Oh, wait... she recognized these!_

Hematite looked up and around, gazing at the glowing critters as they flew away from him.

"They're Jadewings. I studied up on them a while back... They live wherever there's lots of water, and they often flock around any place where there's greenery to hide in.”

–

Morgan's eyes widened, and he stepped forward without a word. He mouthed something akin to ' _wow_ ' but no sound came out at all. Lifting his hand slowly, he gently held up his palm around the glowing creatures. They fluttered about, floating away from his hand quickly, though some weren't as shy. Turning his hand gradually, Morganite smiled as one landed on top of his gem and flickered softly. His eyes held tears, but he felt warm. He felt a kind of happiness in his chest that he didn't get to feel anymore. It was a deep sort of peace, contentment from beauty, something he hadn't fully felt since leaving his home in the Pink District.

–

Hematite continued to carefully walk toward the pool of water at the other end of the room. He held his arms out at his sides, as if balancing. A soft laugh escaped him.

"They only come out at night... so I figured, you know. Since you were both free tonight. Maybe you'd like to see them.”

Puff looked at Morganite with a surprised, warm grin. She stepped forward, humming a soft note as the Jadewing on her palm fluttered away with a soft chirp.

"Hematite, this is beautiful! Do you always find places like this?"

"Mm, not always. This one kinda happened by accident." The service gem raised his gaze from the plants in front of him to the pool ahead. The light from the moon glimmered off of the waterfall and dark pool, sending little spots of light on the surface of the rocks surrounding them. For a moment, the ivory-haired gem paused. His eyes widened in surprise. Deep in the shadows near the waterfall, he could swear he saw three particularly bright .... _eyes_ staring at him. At first he thought they were Jadewings, but the gem creatures weren't that big _or_ bright, nor did their eyes glow. As soon as he'd spotted the lights, they flickered, as if 'blinking', and vanished. Hematite's eyes widened as they locked onto a flash of movement a second later. There was a blur of pale green before whatever he'd just seen was gone. Frowning, Hematite took note of it. Whatever it was, it wasn't large enough to be a threat to him or his companions, so he tried to put the momentary disturbance aside.

Hematite forced himself to smile again, and he turned his attention back to the pool as he stopped in front of it. "Come over here, there's one last thing you gotta see!" Puff glanced at Morgan again before following after Hematite.

–

Morgan was too busy messing around with the Jadewings to pay much attention to anything else around him. The air here felt odd, humid, far cooler than the light outside. He certainly wasn't used to the new sights, smells, and sounds. And yet, it was certainly not unwelcome. As soon as he realized Hema called him over, Morgan bounced back into reality, smiling and making his way over to the other two.

–

Hematite waited for his companions to walk to the pool, and he leaned over as Morganite stopped beside him. Picking up a rock, he smiled.

"You know... the Blue district's aquarium is missing... a few specimens."

Standing straight again, the service gem bounced the small stone in his hand. Carefully, he judged the distance, and dropped the rock just over the edge of the pool. It splashed into the water with a soft 'plop' before tumbling down the side of the craggy wall.

As soon as the stone began to sink, the waters were suddenly set aglow with bright, white-ish light. Slowly moving aquatic gem creatures darted away from the rock, their bodies aglow with a sparkling shine. The light revealed more of the creatures, all swimming about lazily or darting to and fro. Crystalline rocks jutted out from the walls of the pool, which was now revealed to be deceivingly deep. The end was finally revealed as the rock came to a stop and settled in the sand at the bottom of the pool. The entire body of water was aglow with the light of its inhabitants.

Between that, and the light of the Jadewings... the cavernous room was quite the sight to behold.

–

Morganite's eyes widened again, unable to hide his glee. He got to his knees and watched the pool, a bright light illuminating the gems that watched on in admiration. Slowly, he reached out and touched the water, flinching at its cool touch. He dipped his entire hand in, the rush of cold water sending another chill up his spine. He was in awe.

–

Kneeling down, Hematite dipped his own hand in and shivered at the cold water.

"I did the same thing the first time I came here." He chuckled softly. Puff stared in undisguised wonder at the deep pool. Slowly, she knelt down and stared into the waters, eyeing the slowly moving aquatic life below. The three were quiet for a long moment. Hematite didn't say another word, but watched the creatures swimming about. One or two of them even swam up to his fingers, inspecting them. There was a warm smile on the service gem's face.

–

Morgan closed his mouth and sighed through his nose.

"Thank you, Hematite..." he said, moving his hand around slowly in the water. He'd never been somewhere this mesmerizing before. Or at least, not for a long, long time. He was happy that of all the things he could have done on his day off, he decided to come with him.

–

The service gem turned his attention to Morgan.

"... You're welcome. But.." Looking back at the water, his expression faltered for a moment. It was impossible to tell why. "I brought you two here to thank you. I never... properly was able to, you know." He shrugged. "Let you know how grateful I am for what you both did back at the coliseum."

Puff's brows raised, and she turned to look up at the ivory-haired gem.

–

Morgan's attention quickly changed from the pool to Hematite, looking at him with an unmistakable confusion. _But... didn't he already thank me at the bar a while ago?._.. He didn't think about it too much. But, nonetheless, he gave Hematite a warm, genuine smile.

“It's incredible, thank you, Hematite.” He didn't really feel like he needed to say much else, not that he could think of anything more. _This was amazing!_ The ride here, the scenery, the experience... everything was _incredible_.

–

Sighing softly, Hematite withdrew his hand from the water.

"I'm glad. I thought at the very least, I could show you this place. Maybe show you something new." He looked to the two gems by his side. "I hope it was worth the trip here."

Puff gave the gem a huge smile and nodded enthusiastically.

" **More** than worth it. Thanks, Scrap. We should do this again some time, huh Morgan?” she said, looking over at the pink-haired gem.

–

Morgan blinked and placed his palm to the dirt next to him. Glancing at Puff briefly, he looked back to Hematite with a look of new found joy, his eyes bright and filled with a new light. A soft, content sigh escaped him as he took in the atmosphere around him. _Was it worth it? Would he do this again? Hah... there was no other answer._

 

"Absolutely."


	35. Haven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> White Diamond makes some renovations to Hematite's room.

Weeks passed without anything special happening. Missions, recon, sparring, etc. Nothing changed, nothing unusual occurred. Yellow was quiet and reclusive as she had been as of late, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Well, that is until Hematite arrived back at the White tower from a rather strenuous two-week mission. He was tired, battered, and _tiny_.

It seemed he'd overdone it again, like he did so many years ago. Such a thing had happened a few other times, but usually it happened on missions where he didn't have to immediately report to White. So the small service gem almost always had a chance to retreat to his living quarters in the tower to rest and return to normal. Though, now that he thought about it, he hadn't even BEEN to his room in over a month, which was the _last_ time he shrank down and needed to relax before reporting to his superior. However, this time, he had to go straight to White's office. No time for resting and recovering.

 

No time to return to normal.

 

The doors to the White Diamond tower elevator hissed open, and the tiny service gem scurried out past a confused looking common Pearl. They sighed through their nose and turned their attention away from Hematite. _Best not to pay him any mind._

Little footsteps echoing down the hall, the ivory haired gem quickly made his way to his superior's office. Stopping at the door, he looked up.

"Mmm." He frowned slightly, a faint prickle of anxiety starting to rise in his chest.

_C'mon, it's just White. Calm down._

_But why specify I come directly to her this time? She can't possibly know I overdid it..._

_It's alright, it's probably unrelated to this._

_But what if it's not?_

_Well, only one way to find out._

Giving the lightest of knocks, Hematite stood at attention and waited for the doors to open.

–

The door hissed open, revealing the familiar warmth of White's room. The soothing smell of tea filled the air, warm hues painting the room in a colorful array of light pinks, oranges, and reds.

"Hello Hematite," a voice called calmly from across the room. White sat at her desk, holding a fresh tray of tea in her hands. _She must have just settled down, no wonder the smell was so alluring._ "You took longer than usual... and you are small again. Is everything alright?" she asked, placing the tray down and grabbing the teapot to pour her drink.

–

Hematite smiled faintly at the sight of White's office, and he gave a silent sigh of relief. _Good, he wasn't unlucky enough to catch her at a bad time._ He saluted politely and scurried into the room further, the doors behind him shutting.

"Sorry, there was a bit of a hangup toward the end. The target I was after had unexpected backup." _Well, that was certainly evident by all the scuffs and tears in his outfit._ "They got the jump on me."

He had stopped close to White's desk, but he remained far enough that she could see him over the surface of it without leaning forward.

–

White poured her tea into her glass, steam rising in graceful wisps from the liquid that filled the porcelain.

"I see. I'm glad you have returned intact, then! There is something important I wanted to show you, and what better time than now." She closed her eyes with a soft smile, bringing the cup to her lips and taking a long, quiet sip.

–

Hematite tilted his head curiously.

_Something important? What could she show him at this size that she would prefer to his normal height?_

The tiny gem crossed his arms, subtly grabbing at the fabric on his sleeve.

"May I ask what that is?"

–

White sat her cup down gently and took a stand without a word. _This wouldn't take long, she could finish her tea later._ Moving out from behind her desk, she walked over to the small service gem and knelt down a few feet from him, so as to not spook him

"Oh, it's just a little surprise that I've been working on since your most recent departure." She held out her hand slowly, uncurling her fingers to allow Hematite to step up into her palm.

–

The tiny gem took a single step back as White approached him, but he quickly recovered as her hand opened up in front of him. He looked up, brows raised, and uncrossed his arms.

White had never let him climb onto her hand on his own... But, now that he thought about it, in all reality, he'd never willingly climbed into someone's hand... _at all._

Swallowing, Hematite took a quick breath and tentatively stepped forward. He lifted a foot onto her palm and hoisted himself up, grabbing her thumb to steady himself just as he'd seen Morganite do some weeks ago. The surface of her hand was both solid _and_ soft, and it messed with his sense of balance. The tiny gem let out a soft, curious noise as he tried to stand straight, both his hands holding firmly to White's thumb.

–

White carefully curled her fingers behind him, keeping him steady as she stood slowly. She was careful not to make a sudden movement at the risk of him losing his balance and falling out of her hand. Cupping her other palm under him as soon as she stood up straight, she started heading towards the door.

"Do let me know if you'd rather walk. I do not wish to make you feel afraid or uncomfortable by carrying you," she said simply.

–

As White lifted him off the ground, Hematite clung tighter to her thumb, all but hugging it at this point. When gravity evened out again, his grip loosened. He peered over her fingers at the ground below curiously. _Being picked up by his own will was far less stressful...._ He looked up at his superior and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine. This works!" He turned himself forward and took a step toward White's fingers. Carefully placing his palms on them, he peered around as she walked. He was reminded of Puff and Morgan's reactions to being carried. _Huh... this_ _ **was**_ _rather nice! No wonder they and Blue seemed to enjoy this so much!_

–

White made her way out of the door and took a left. Occasionally, she would glance down to make sure that Hematite seemed alright. After pressing a button to open the small lift, White stepped into the elevator located at the end of the curved wall, pressing a button again to go down to a lower floor.

"I've taken it upon myself to do some... minor renovations to your room. I hope that you will find it suitable to your needs," she said, holding Hematite a little closer to her. Gravity started to shift, and the elevator went down. For a few moments, White seemed to stare ahead at nothing. She was remaining as professional as she could, but it seemed like she was definitely hiding something.

–

As the two stepped into the elevator, and White held him a bit closer, Hematite looked up at her with a sudden curious gleam in his eyes.

"Renovations? What sort of renovations?" He smiled widely, narrowing his eyes slightly. The tiny gem wanted to pry, his impatience getting the best of him, but he managed to bite his tongue. After all, he was sure he'd see soon enough.

Silently, Hematite let his eyes half lid, still smiling, and turned forward again. His tiny, half-gloved hands patted idly against White's fingers as he hummed quietly to himself.

–

White looked down briefly without a word to Hematite, stepping out of the elevator as it let out a whimsical beep. The diamond kept her hand steady as she walked, keeping the movements of her gait in a way that it wouldn't sway side to side as she took steps. It wasn't long now before they'd be reaching Hematite's room. The light of sunset was beaming warmly through the pillars that lined the outer wall. Walking in a spiral, she passed many doors, looking idly at each one.

"Ah, here we are," she said after a few long, silent minutes. White typed in a code to a little pad , the security system beeped and the doorway to Hematite's room slid open.

–

As the door opened, Hematite looked around at his living quarters.

The room was fairly large, and very open. It had high ceilings on one half of the room, and lower, normal-height ones on the other. Directly across from the doorway was the main section of the room, against the furthest wall. Half of the wall was a tall, wide window that was currently letting in warm, setting sunlight that shone off of the pale, off-white surfaces of the room. It seemed the window was open, as there was the slightest draft. Gossamer white curtains hung down from the huge open pane, blowing subtly in the gentle breeze. There was a large, couch-like piece of furniture beneath the window. It was divided into two parts in an 'L' shape that hugged the corner of the room. Large, soft-looking pillows were scattered about the cushions, though it seemed they'd been tidied since he last came here.

On the opposite side of the room, there laid a small table next to a large bookshelf. This was under the regular-height ceiling. Rows upon rows of archives, books, and gem pads laid on the shelves, seemingly put in a rather neat order. Some were color coded, while others were stacked in order of size. A few trinkets and baubles decorated the shelves; different souvenirs of Hematite's missions that he'd gotten to keep. Around the room, there were a few other places to relax or read. A nightstand there, books scattered among the different pieces of furniture, a diamond pad on a table here and there, the whole room seemed rather lived-in, despite Hema not coming here too often.

It was a very study and rest-inclined space. Just looking at it would make one want to relax or nap. Though, there didn't seem to be a proper bedroom, or bed for that matter.

Hematite didn't see anything that had changed.

–

White walked in and glanced around the room. _Good, the construction workers left everything else alone._ With a grin, she made her way over to a bookshelf to the left of the door and knelt down.

"Apologies, it's nothing too major, but... I figured it might be something you could enjoy at least, if even a little." She looked over the small cubby areas and stopped on one, smirking suddenly. Reaching her hand through, her fingertips touched the back panel of the cubby, but she didn't move it. She lowered her hand slowly to let Hematite down out of her palm.

"Step in here, please."

–

The tiny gem tilted his head in confusion. _Did she... change something with one of the shelves?_ Just to the side of the door, Hematite's room had a second smaller set of cubbies and shelves that held much the same items as the other. Archives, books, trinkets... It was just a tad smaller, and this one was built _into_ the wall.

As White stopped at one of the box-shaped shelving units, Hematite blinked in curiosity. Did she have a present for him?

The tiny gem clutched White's finger as she lowered him closer to the smooth surface of the shelf, and he quickly hopped down. He looked around.

_Yup... It was. Definitely a shelf._

Hematite arched a brow at his leader.

–

"Hmhmhm! Yes, it certainly doesn't look like much..." She chuckled warmly, maneuvering her hand in next to Hematite. She pressed her fingers on the back panel again, but this time she slid it a little to the side. A small light peered through as the back panel moved away, revealing what seemed tiny hallway.

"… Until you look a little closer."

–

Hematite's eyes widened as a small section of the 'wall' was slid aside. What was revealed appeared to be a long, narrow hallway that lead into the wall, with some sort of room at the end. Glancing at White, the tiny gem smiled excitedly and rushed inside, heading down the narrow hall. It seemed it ran parallel with the wall. Hematite looked around in awe at the room that opened up to him at the end of the passage. It had the same tone as the main room. Well-lit, warm, somewhere that'd be perfect for studying...

There was a long, couch-like cushion against one of the walls. It looked rather soft. To Hematite's left, there was a noticeably blank looking wall with nothing on it or along it. Though, he found it odd that it seemed to be partially made of a glass-like material, and there was what appeared to be a small speaker on the corner of the wall beside it.

But the thing that caught the gem's attention the most was the farthest corner from him. Nestled near the wall was a large teacup, filled nearly to the brim with a soft-looking material. He walked over curiously. Beside the teacup was a small nightstand with a cubby to store things in. On the other side, propped up against the wall, was a normal-sized diamond pad. Hematite tapped the screen and smiled when it chirped on. He tapped it again, shutting it off. Looking around, he walked along the room idly. It was so... secure, warm, quiet. It seemed there was even a dial on one of the walls to adjust the lights, should he need to rest.

–

White leaned down to get a better look inside of the cubby hole. Biting the inside of her cheek, she waited eagerly for any response from the tiny gem. Peering inside, she started wondering if she should have added more stuff in there for him.

"I know it's not much, but... I thought it would give you a little more of a safe haven when you felt... well, small. It could give you a place to rest easier, should you feel uncomfortable anywhere else." She tapped her finger on the edge of the shelf, frowning faintly and looking away. The slightest twinge of doubt rose in her core. _Did he not like it?_

–

Hematite could hear White's muffled voice down the narrow hallway he'd gone through, and he turned around. Because of the angle, he could _just_ see White's face.

The tiny gem smiled brightly and rushed down the hall, back onto the shelf with the hidden entryway. His eyes were shining, and his hands were balled up into fists in front of him.

"Not much? It's incredible! I never thought of having a place like that for when I'm, well." He motioned to himself, but kept his enthusiastic energy. "I love it! It's just as cozy as my main room!"

–

White felt something welling up in her chest. Wide eyed, she smiled again and clenched her hands against the 'floor' of the cubby.

"Oh that's such a relief! I'm glad to hear that you like it!" she said, raising a single finger slightly, tapping it back onto the shelf.

"I know that you can get a little stressed out and overwhelmed sometimes, so, I thought maybe you would enjoy having a smaller place tucked away where no-one can bother you. Well....except me, of course." She chuckled.

–

Hematite's smile faltered just slightly, but not entirely in a bad way.

The more time he spent with White, the more he began to question why he was ever afraid of her.

Back when he first was working for her... he thought she was just as intimidating and threatening as Yellow Diamond. As the years went by, however, he started to see another side to her... And especially after the past year or so, Hematite was starting to understand that perhaps, there was more going on in his leader's mind than she let on. She _cared_ , she genuinely was proud of him and the things he'd done, at least as of late. White was fair and wise, and Hematite would even venture to say that she had a rather nurturing side to her he'd never fully noticed before. But the more he reflected on it, the more obvious it became to him.

This was a gem that truly cared for his well being, that saw worth in keeping him safe, comfortable, happy. Sure, she had to step her foot down when he messed up... but that was her job.

_And he wouldn't have it any other way._

 

"Thank you, White... It's amazing. I'm sure I'll put it to good use, should this happen again." He glanced at himself again with a quirky smile. His expression changed to something a bit more confused after a moment.

"Oh, but. It's not really... easy to see into there." He tapped his chin. "What if I'm asleep in a more hidden part of the room, how will you know?"

Hematite knew he had a tendency to pass out for long periods of time. It was part of how his powers worked. If he used up all his energy, he had to sleep, or be completely at peace for hours before he could take on his regular size. There were many times when White found him passed out on his couch, or in one of his chairs. How would she know if he was in there, if she could only see the tiniest sliver of the room from the shelf's hallway?

–

It was heartwarming, to say the least, to see him so pleased. She was honestly worried he wouldn't be too enthralled.

"Oh, right! You see, the number pad on your door..." She looked up briefly, away from the smaller gem. "If I put in a separate code, it will move a panel of the wall and allow me to see into the room. I can also speak to you if necessary! Fortunately, only I know the code. So I wouldn't worry too much about people barging in on you." She said, moving her hands closer to each other. She placed one hand on top of the other and shifted herself more comfortably.

–

Hematite listened intently and nodded at White's explanation. Ahh, so that glass-like wall made far more sense now... If it was a hidden panel that turned into a window... well! That was certainly a smart way to go about that problem!

"That sounds good to me." He chuckled sheepishly. Yes, he wasn't too fond of the idea of certain gems being privy to such a secure place for him, especially if he'd be sleeping there. Nobody needed to know where to find a tired, tiny gem.

Hematite gazed up at his leader with a warm smile. He thought about all the times he'd shrunken down like this after a job, or because of being over stressed. All the fear and uncertainty being this size caused... it was terrible. And before now, he'd had to find different areas to run and hide until he returned to normal...

But now.

She'd given him a safe place. Somewhere he could call his second home and relax and hide away when he wasn't on the job. White had made this for _him_.

The tiny gem felt his chest tighten slightly, and his warm smile faltered. Hematite suddenly rushed forward a few paces, hopping up onto White's folded hands that were rested on the shelf. The little bit of extra height was all he needed. With a soft hum, Hema wrapped his arms best he could around the diamond's cheek, giving her a tiny 'hug'.

"Thank you, White."

–

White jumped a little, her eyes widen. For a moment, she said nothing. She was a little surprised that he had made such a bold move, especially considering the rule against making any unauthorized physical contact with a Diamond. And yet... she relaxed, her mouth opened subtly as though she were going to speak. Nothing came out. Gently, she raised her hand closer and cupped the small gem closer to her face, as if she were returning the affectionate gesture. She felt content, no... She felt _happy_ that he was so grateful. She felt as though she had done something _right_. Looking somewhere in front of her, she avoided eye contact with the service gem, still gently holding him close to her face. Warmly, she sighed and half shut her eyes, staring at nothing in particular.

 

"It's the least I can do for you."


	36. A Long Week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite chases one of his targets into a local business.

It was a particularly busy night at Morgan's club, and gems made their ways in and out of the club at a steady pace. The stars were out in full, and the night was going strong in the inner city. Gems bustled and chatted throughout the lounge or danced among one another in the dimly lit half of the club that was filled with the sounds of thumping techno music. Yes, the air was alive with the buzz of anecdotes and laughter, but even so... there hung a heavy air near the bar. A single azure gem was hunched over towards the end of the counter, out of the way of most other customers. Nobody was sitting near her, nor was anyone foolish enough to wander close to her, even in passing.

 

"Gimme another, Morg," a gruff yet feminine voice growled out from behind the counter. It was Blue, who seemed to have been drinking heavily throughout the night. Sliding the Diamond another glass of some kind of alcoholic beverage, Morganite grinned and turned to his next customer. Unfortunately, he didn't have a ton of time for talk tonight. Even if he did, Blue didn't seem to be in the mood for much talking herself. _He knew better than to bother her when she was like this._

She looked grim, yet held a dark grin on her face. Eyes narrowed, she stared at nothing, the world around her seeming to move more sluggishly than normal. The drink wasn't her usual. No, this was something stronger, and from the looks of it she had downed quite a few. She was quiet, and seemed distant. Wrapping her hand around her drink slowly, it seemed as though she were going to bust the glass. One would even say she looked angry. However, that wasn't the case.

–

_Run, run, don't stop, don't look back, don't trip._

Panting heavily, a small-set, dusty-brown gem skidded around the corner of a building. He very nearly lost his footing, his feet skidding out from under him for an instant. _It was the Axinite from years ago that Hema caught._ Quickly recovering, he sprinted down the street, bumping into a few passerby.

 

_There were heavy footsteps following behind him._

 

Looking around, the small gem desperately searched for a place he could hide in that would be hard to be spotted. Somewhere crowded, somewhere _**that thing**_ wouldn't think to look. He shot off down the road again, shoving gems of all shapes and sizes out of his path. Skidding around another corner, the fleeing gem spotted the brightly colored sign of Morganite's bar. From the looks of it, that place was the busiest one on this street!

_Perfect!_

The gem scurried over to the building, pushing a few people out of the way, slipping right past the bouncer that stood near the door. She frowned and sharply looked over, lifting a hand as if to stop the small gem. But, a short moment later, she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms again. _Ah well, she'd take care of that one if he started causing trouble._ Axinite looked over his shoulder at the massive bouncer, narrowing his eyes.

_Good, she wasn't following him. He didn't have time for security._

Hiding in a corner, the short gem pressed himself up against the wall, partially hiding behind a small partition in the wall. He peered around the corner, looking out the windows of the bar.

–

The smaller gem's sudden entry had not gone unnoticed. A few gems peered over to stare, one of them being the owner himself. From behind the counter, Morganite grinned and stepped back to get a better look at the gem.

"Hey!" he called out in an amused tone. "You alright there?"

Blue was the only one nearby who didn't turn her head to look at the gem. She stayed perfectly still, lifting up her glass to take a sip. She wasn't particularly interested in whatever was going on.

–

Chest heaving, the smaller gem shot Morgan a dirty look, holding his index finger up to his lip.

"SHH. He's gonna hear you," he hissed quietly, going back to looking out the windows.

The footsteps were getting closer.

The dusty brown gem grimaced and pressed himself further against the wall, holding his breath.

Within view of the bar, a _certain_ service gem's feet came into view. They weren't terribly big at the moment, but it was enough to make a few gems get out of his way with unsettled murmurs. Suddenly stopping, the gem turned toward the bar.

Axinite gasped softly, but bit his tongue immediately afterward.

–

Morganite grinned, glancing out the window. He grabbed a hold of the cup he'd been reaching for before and chuckled too quietly to hear. _Great, another troublemaker._ He'd have to keep his eye on this one. As long as he stayed out of _serious_ trouble here, he didn't really care if he stayed. If that was who he thought it was outside, the dusty brown gem would be taken care of soon anyways. Turning away to pour a glass for another gem, he swirled a colorful drink in the bottle and hummed to himself.

–

After a long, tense moment, the service gem outside the club turned away and continued down the street, his footsteps fading down the path.

Heaving a huge sigh, the small gem looked around and frowned grumpily. He almost seemed to sneer.

Stepping away from the wall, the dusty White District gem walked over to the bar and managed to hop up into a chair. He was looking around suspiciously, as if his pursuer would show up at any second. Despite being so on-edge, he didn't even seem to notice that the Blue District's leader was sitting right at the bar. Looking at the pink-haired warrior behind the counter, Axi huffed.

"I assume you're the owner of this place, huh? 'Morganite', was it?" he said in a nasally, almost bratty tone.

–

The pink haired gem twirled on his heel to face the newcomer, holding out his palms with a warm smile.

"That would be me, yes! Welcome." He raised a brow, a bit more of a devious look on his face now. "I trust you're going to stay out of trouble here, hm? You wouldn't want to make the mistake of breaking any rules here, just a fair piece of advice!" A strand of hair fell between his eyes, and without really changing expression he slowly parted it away again. "Now... care for a drink?~"

–

The shorter gem frowned and narrowed his eyes at the faintly masked threat. At least, he was pretty sure it was a threat.

"I won't make trouble so long as _he_ doesn't follow me in here." Glancing at the window again, the gem grit his sharp teeth. "Lousy pebble walking around like he's so great," he muttered, just loud enough for those at the bar to hear.

–

Morganite frowned and turned away. _Alright fine, no drinks for you._ He walked off, starting to serve a few other customers. But, he wasn't the _only_ one that heard the smaller gem's snide remark. The blue gem that was hunched over the bar felt her grin grow wider, and she slowly looked towards the gem beside her without moving her head at all.

 

"What was that, now?"

–

The gem blinked in confusion as he stared at the window. _Did someone just speak to him?_

Turning his head, the dusty brown gem gasped with a start, his eyes widening.

"B-blue Diamond!" _Of all the lousy luck!_ "I-I uh. Uhhh. Gooood evening?" he said with an awkward, wide grin.

–

She never turned her head to face him. No, she just lifted her drink up again and took a sip, placing it down on the table with a loud _clack_. Morganite looked over his shoulder for a brief moment, but quickly turned his head and walked to the other side of the counter. Maybe someone over _there_ needed another drink. Blue's eerie, dark tone drifted on the air once more as she glared sidelong at the smaller gem.

"Who are you runnin' from, _clod_?"

–

The smaller gem fidgeted nervously, his eyes darting around the room. _Well, Morganite was gone, great. No help from him._ Grinning so widely that his cheeks hurt, the dusty brown gem gave a forced laugh through his teeth.

"Oooh, pff. Nobodyyyy." He shrugged and twirled his hand at the wrist as he made an amusing, but not too convincing face. "Haha, nobody at all. Who's running? I'm not running! Nope! I'mmm just. You know. I like the music here. Yup,” he said quickly, eyes wide and glancing around anxiously.

–

Blue slowly twisted the drink in her hands, running her fingers alongside the rim of her glass. Her lips were curled into a twisted, closed smile. There was an almost primal look in her eyes.

"You lying to a _Diamond_ , kid? You suuuuure have a lot of nerve." She propped her foot up onto the bar of her chair.

–

The gem glanced away for a moment, small beads of sweat starting to form on his brow. _Ohh, he didn't like how she was acting._ He'd only seen Blue Diamond a handful of times, but it was enough to know that this wasn't normal. Keeping his smile, the smaller gem scooted back in his chair just slightly.

"Alright alright you caught me, my buddy and I are playing a little game. I didn't want him finding me so I hid in here. He thinks he's just the beeeeest at finding me so I wanted to actually beat him for once." This time, the gem's tone was far less nervous, more casual. He propped one elbow up on the bar, as if relaxed. His grin softened into a confident, though vaguely skeevy smirk.

–

Blue picked up the drink and downed the rest of it. Looking into the empty glass, she idly wondered when Morgan would bring her the next one.

"I see. Is that so?..." Placing the glass on the countertop, the azure gem sat up slightly in her seat. Morgan quickly stopped by and nabbed the cup, not making any sort of eye contact with the diamond before once more walking off.

 

_Creak._

 

Blue turned in her seat now, glaring down at the small gem furiously, her brows furrowed, a wicked smile on her face.

"Listen, dirtball. I've had a veeery long week, and I'm not here to listen to your petty little _bullshit_ lies," she hissed, grinning ominously. "So I have some advice for you. No matter what that Hematite is after you for, they will find you eventually. If you're looking for safety in here, you sure as hell won't find it. And so help you stars if you ruin my peace and quiet tonight, _I'll crack you myself._ You got that, _speck_?"

 

About that time, Morganite reluctantly placed another drink down for Blue, quickly stepping away without a word. The diamond leaned up and, without looking away from Axinite, grabbed the new drink.

–

Axinite felt the corner of his eye twitch, though the rest of his expression didn't change.

 

_Ooookay it's time to leave._

 

The dusty brown gem smacked his lips, his eyes wide. He kept a rather unreadable, but vaguely horrified expression as he rose out of his seat and took a step back.

"Well. I can see that there are. Better places to hide. So I'm just." He started backing away, his hands behind his back. "I'm just gonna go. And. I hope you have a good night, Blue Diamond,” he said in a friendly, disarming tone.

_Thud._

Just behind the small gem, a very large, very _perturbed_ face appeared in the window. Hematite's eyepiece was glowing in the low light, and he squinted into the window, spotting his target gem rather quickly.

–

Blue watched the smaller gem with undisguised annoyance. Suddenly catching a glimpse of something in the window, she frowned and looked up. _Oh, it was..._ _ **that**_ _Hematite?_ She quickly turned away, giving a nod to Morganite. Morgan slid her another drink, even though she just got a fresh one not minutes ago. He raised a brow, figuring things were about to get interesting.

–

Hematite frowned deeply and tapped on the window.

The small gem jumped with a start and turned around, letting out a rather undignified yelp at the sight of the giant gem. He turned his head to look rapidly between Blue and Hematite, and suddenly realized he couldn't figure out which was worse. _He was between a rock and, well. A bigger rock._

The service gem behind the glass slowly drummed his fingers on the pavement, his eyes narrowed.

–

"Best get going,~" Blue said connivingly. Snickering, she took a sip of her drink again. Morgan looked over, furrowing his brows for a moment. _Stars, she was really hammering these down._ A few of the gems standing near the door backed away upon realization of who was standing outside. They muttered among themselves, moving out of the way. _Best not to get in the middle of this one._

–

Axi frowned deeply and looked back at Hematite again. There was no getting out of this one, was there? _Well, unless..._

His eyes darting toward the dance club part of the bar, the dusty brown gem grinned deviously and made a break for it, sprinting as fast as he could.

Hematite, though it was inaudible from behind the window, let out a half startled, half annoyed _'Hey!'._

–

Morgan and Blue glanced at the Axinite as he ran into the club. Morganite narrowed his eyes and muttered something cross under his breath akin to 'he'd better stay out of trouble'. Blue's attention was elsewhere. She didn't really want to meddle in the smaller gem's affairs right now. It wasn't her problem anymore; she had plenty of her own to worry about.

–

Hematite rubbed at his face in frustration. _This gem was such a pain._ The service gem peered further into the club, and his annoyed expression faded when he spotted Blue. His brows raised, and he blinked in confusion at her rather... out of character demeanor.

There was a flash of light, and the now normal sized gem made his way into the bar. He stopped near her seat, his hand on the back of his neck.

"... Blue?"

–

Blue raised her head slightly, but didn't look back at Hematite. Morgan, spotting the service gem entering the club, waved but had a noticeably nervous look about him, as though he were trying to subtly tell Hematite something.

"Evenin', Hema! I take it you're here for the Axinite?" he said quickly, pointing towards the club door. He nodded his head toward it, glancing between Hema and where the Axinite ran off to.

–

The service gem looked at Morganite, his brows raised in concern. _Okay, what exactly was going on? He'd rarely seen Morgan look like that, and... He'd_ _ **never**_ _seen Blue look like this._

"I... yeah." As he continued, his voice trailed off a bit. His gaze drifted away from Morgan "He was just trespassing in a construction area while I was on... patrol..." He was staring at Blue at this point. "Nothing... too major,” he muttered. Hematite went quiet.

–

Blue turned her head, smiling in a welcoming manner.

"Hey kid,” she said simply, slowly turning her head back to face Morganite. At least she seemed calmer than she was before. _Maybe she didn't want Hematite to see her like this._ She'd keep it to small talk if she could help it. Morgan spared Blue a look before turning back to the ivory-haired gem standing nearby.

"Ah, I see! Well, he's in the back. If you can find him, feel free to escort him out," Morganite said quickly, turning to make another drink.

–

 _Well at least Blue's response was..._ _ **semi**_ _normal._ Hematite crossed his arms nervously. He could tell he wasn't going to get much out of these two, with how they were acting,

_And, honestly. He didn't really **want** to know what was going on._

"Right. Well. I'm going to go find him... You two have a good night." Slowly, Hematite turned away from the two gems and made his way into the club. The service gem waded his way through the crowd in search of the dusty White District gem, but found neither hide nor hair of him.  
Unfortunately, at this point, the Axinite was _far_ gone. Hema wouldn't be catching him today. The service gem scoffed crossly under his breath as he made his way to the other side of the dance club and eventually exited out the secondary door.

–

Morgan sighed quietly with relief when Hema left the room. The gems around the other side of the counter were getting antsy, and the bartender looked over at his rather inebriated leader with a questioning look. Blue, however, frowned again and looked into her drink, shaking her head faintly.

"No more for me tonight, Morg. Thank you."


	37. Tired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Diamond hears a count down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This chapter contains intense acts of violence and may be upsetting to some readers. Discretion is advised.]

_**"Hello?...."** _

 

Nothing.

Her own voice sounded quiet. Faded, even. As soon as it left her lips, it seemed to fall flat in front of her and shatter onto the floor.

 

_**"Is anyone there?"** _

 

Yellow Diamond slowly turned around in place, her eyes darting around the space surrounding her. An eerie calm washed over her, suddenly drowning the anxiety rising in her chest.

She felt nothing.

She saw nothing.

She heard _**nothing.**_

 

It was completely black. There was no cold, there was no looming sense of dread, and there was no sign of the nightmarish Hematite. At least, not _yet_ anyway.

 

She started walking aimlessly into the void. The smallest spark of relief welled up in her mind as she realized her footsteps were making noise. Her eyes kept darting around. _Where is he?... Is he going to show up? Why can't I see anything this time? s_ he thought, the dread starting to sink in. Paranoia, fear, and apprehension circled within her lonely mind. There was no horizon line, no tremors, no pillars or gem shards or cliff sides. Something about this dream felt different. The air almost felt charged with some sort of dreadful energy, as if someone were waiting, watching, and slowly getting more impatient. Was it her, was it that horrid _creature?_ Neither? Both?

 

Looking down idly, she stopped abruptly and stared at her feet.

She could see them, but.... _No. No, this couldn't be._ Panic rising, she held up her hands in front of her face. A stab of anxiety pierced her very core, making her exhale weakly, almost as if struck in the chest. Her breathing stopped, and she stared in disbelief at her hands. They started to tremble.

 

They were completely black, but just like her feet and, from the looks of it the rest of her, they were outlined in _white. Why was this happening?! She'd always had some color in her other dreams, what was going on?!_

–

The moment Yellow Diamond looked at her hands and feet, the ground beneath her and the air around her became _ice cold_. There was no gradual progression, there was no shift, there was no warning.

The void around her was plunged into stabbing, icy temperatures.

**"Ten.~"**

–

She looked up and gasped, a puff of stark white steam appearing from her lips. She started walking again, a new found fear in her step. The diamond looked around rapidly as she trotted through the darkness, eyes widening. _Ten? What?_

–

The ground below her began to rumble, sending a faint tremor up the yellow gem's form.

**"Nine.~"**

–

Her mouth fell ajar, and she started to pick up her pace into a fast walk. _Nine_? _Wait....is this a countdown?!_

–

Growing stronger, the rumbling began shaking the ground, making it harder for the gem to run.

**"Eight."**

A heavy, freezing breath blew at her back, pricking little ice crystals into her skin and clothing. Suddenly, a huge fist came crashing down upon the tiny gem, earning an abrupt, cut-off cry, poofing and _shattering_ her within an _**instant.**_ It left small black and white shards on the ground.

But the black void remained. The dream didn't end, nor did it falter. A shuddering thrum rang out through the plane, and the nightmare shifted with a sickening _lurch_.

Suddenly, the Diamond was back to running as she had been the moment before she was shattered.

**"Seven."**

–

_**Agony.** _

Yellow phased back into existence, face twisted into indescribable horror. Horrendously shaken from what she'd just felt, she broke out into a sprint. The initial shock rattled her so badly that she stumbled and tripped, skidding against the icy cold ground. She bared her teeth and started to stand back up.

_What's going on?!_

–

The ground suddenly dropped out below the diamond, and she was plunged into a free fall.

She fell past pillars.

She fell past cliff sides.

She fell past a web of white wires that slowly got closer together, the further she fell. Suddenly, she was caught in them, her arms and legs tangled in the stark white strings. The icy, thin threads dug painfully into the diamond's wrists, ankles, her chest. The more she struggled, the tighter they got.

–

She thrashed about in the wires, panicking to get a hold of anything that could get her moving down again. Horrible terror struck through her, like icy claws ripping into her chest. _She was shattered already, she could feel it! So why was she still here?!_

–

The wires tightened. Suddenly, it felt as though they were coiled around her gemstone in all different directions. The strings began to dig into the surface of the gem.

Yellow screamed out in pain, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. A slow, agonizing pain shot through her entire being. Suddenly, it was over in an instant.

With a snap, they pulled in all different directions, shattering the gemstone once more.

But then she was falling again, whole and 'intact'.

**"Six."**

–

Once again, she found herself flailing about in the dark abyss. She could feel herself falling, but couldn't tell which way she was going. _Wait, what!? Twice now! Why am I still sleeping?! That should have woken me up!_

–

As if rising up to meet her, the ground appeared abruptly under Yellow Diamond.

**"Five."**

The voice suddenly sounded _different_. It was subtle, slight, but it almost sounded... _clearer_.

–

Meeting the floor with an excruciating thud, she lay there with her eyes closed, wincing in horrible pain. Slowly she opened them, the world spinning around her. She trembled, clutching the ice cold ground and making an attempt to push herself up.

_Why is this happening? Why like this?!_

–

**"Four."**

The voice changed again. It was even clearer, less warped.

Cracks formed below Yellow, and the ground trembled violently as an ear-piercing rumble echoed through the void.

–

Yellow pushed herself up after a moment, gasping for breath. Her eyes widened with terrified fury, and she grit her teeth, pounding a fist against the floor as she looked up.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! AREN'T YOU SATISFIED YET?!" she screamed out into the darkness, standing up as her legs weakly took her forward as fast as they could. Her steps were uneven and sloppy. As she ran, she lifted a hand to her gemstone, covering it desperately. It felt like it was falling to pieces, despite being whole and intact at the moment.

–

_**"Three."** _

 

There it was. The clearer it got, the more obvious it became.

It wasn't the nightmarish gem's voice.

_It was slowly becoming **Hema's** voice._

The ground violently heaved, the cracks splitting the floor apart. A booming voice echoed around Yellow, yelling at her with spite and venom.

**"SATISFIED? OH, YOU'D KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT, WOULDN'T YOU?!"**

There was a violent presence suddenly, filling the air with dense pressure.

**"NOTHING EVER SATISFIED YOU. NO MATTER HOW HARRRRD I TRIED, IT WAS ALL A _WASTE_."**

Giving a lurch, the ground below her opened up before slamming shut on her, shattering her once more. She appeared again above the ground, though it was still heaving, threatening to open up again.

**"LOSS"**

Something from behind slapped her away, _**hard**_. She was sent flying suddenly into the pillared room, the floor thankfully absent of its usual array of shattered gems.

–

"GAAHCK-!"

The wind was knocked clean out of her as she slammed into one of the pillars with a violent force. _That voice... She knew that phrase... Wait._ She staggered again, looking up in horror at nothing. Tears were starting to come back. There that feeling was again, that unwelcome emotion that she had been repressing. She backed up into the pillar with a sharp whimper, clutching her upper arms.

–

**"AFTER LOSS."**

A fist slammed down against the pillar, absolutely _crushing_ it behind the diamond.

–

Shrieking in horror again, she stumbled forward but got quickly back on her feet. She started to run faster, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

–

**"AFTER LOSS!"**

A hand slammed down behind her, cracking the ground. A hole suddenly opened up below her, and she began to fall again.

"Two."

–

Yellow swung her arms to grab onto the edge, but missed. With another gasp, she waited for the next impact. _The countdown's almost over..._

–

Yellow was sent sprawling on her back in an empty black void like the one she'd started in. The floor beneath her was icy, yet burned to the touch.

Everything suddenly went silent.

"One."

 

_Whirrrr_

 

_**Click.** _

 

The yellow, diamond-shaped target appeared directly above her, mere inches away from her face. A heavy, icy breath spilled over her as a soft chuckle echoed through the plane.

–

_"H-AAAH?!"_

 

Yellow clutched the ground, her nails digging into the surface of whatever it was she was laying on. She was stuck, petrified with fear. _Could she even stand?_ Her whole body went partially numb, and she suddenly couldn't feel her legs. Her tears momentarily subsided, but she felt herself starting to sweat. _Wake up... Please, wake up!_

–

The monstrous form slowly backed away, hovering over the tiny diamond. Tilting his head, the giant gem cracked his neck, the sickening sound echoing through the darkness.

"Hmmm.~"

Slowly, the creature reached a clawed hand closer to the tiny diamond's gemstone.

_"How quaint."_

–

"Stop, stop stop- No!" She whimpered, watching his hand near her. She tried to move her legs, weakly attempting to scoot further away. Needless to say, it didn't really work. She was so drained, so exhausted, so terrified that she could hardly move. "D-Don't touch me! Get away!!"

 

_WAKE UP!_

–

The harvester extended a single finger, hovering the tip of the sharp claw mere inches above Yellow's gem.

"You thought you could get away.~"

–

"I-I!"

She stammered, her whole body trembling. Anxiety was rising within her. Fear was rising.

Death was coming.

This wasn't a dream anymore. This wasn't even a nightmare. This was something completely different. She felt all the paranoia from the past months seeping back into her form. She felt completely awake, so why was she still stuck here?!

"S-Stay away!"

 

_Stars, please, somebody wake me up!_

–

The claw stopped right above Yellow's gemstone. With an eerily wide grin, the huge harvester suddenly scraped the icy nail along the hard surface.

–

"GYuuAAAAAAH!!!"

 

Her world exploded into a hot flash of searing pain. Her entire being cried out in agony. Arching her back and digging her nails into the ground, they scratched harshly at whatever they could grasp. There was a brief ringing in her ears before the pain stopped. Opening her eyes, she stared at the huge claw, which was now hovering over her gem again.

 

_No, no this is REAL! This can't be a dream!_

–

The gem's teeth parted as he chuckled darkly in amusement. His claw hovered for a moment before he harshly tapped her gem.

"Tick~"

–

There was another flash of excruciating pain. But it was only a split second. She gasped suddenly, followed by a shuddering breath. Her tears came back, nails easing up from the ground which now had noticeable stark white claw marks in it.

–

"Tick. Tick. Tick."

He continued tapping rhythmically on Yellow's gemstone, the sound echoing around the empty room. "Time's running out, Diamond,” he said in a hushed tone. _"You can't hide forever. I'll get you one day, when you or your fellow diamonds are least expecting it."_

–

Her eyes widened again, finally looking up at the dark visor hovering above her. She winced with the pain of the ticking gemstone, and soon she was hardly able to hear anything but the harrowing sound of his claw, much like a ticking clock. She bared her teeth, eyes pleading silently for him to stop. He was drawing this out... tormenting her. Endless, unrelenting pain. And she would soon never be able to escape.

–

The giant gem slowly lifted his hand, balling it into a fist.

_"It's only a matter of time."_

Without warning, the massive hand barreled down on the diamond, going straight for her gemstone.

–

She stopped breathing, shutting her eyes quickly and turning her head. She realized that whatever came next would be probably worse than before.

 

_**SMASH!!!** _

 

Gasping for air, Yellow found herself writhing on the floor of her office, surrounded with fallen papers and a tipped over chair. She stood quickly, grasping at her gemstone. She stared off at nothing, spotting the chair she must have fallen out of. It was warm in here, the lights giving a cool glow to her room. She was awake. She was awake once more, and she was alone. She nodded off at her desk again...

"Dammit..." she hissed, tears welling up in her eyes again. Angrily, she turned and kicked her desk, sending it flying over with the chair. Turning, she went to the window of her office and placed her palms on the thick glass, shuddering. She placed her forehead on its smooth, cool surface and stared out into the city.

She remembered everything she had felt, and everything that she had heard. She could swear that her body was still aching from the pain.

"Hah... hahahah... And to think, I thought things couldn't get any worse."

Yellow slowly closed her eyes, lips curled into a small, defeated smile.

She felt it. She felt the fear, she felt the anger, she felt the crippling agony of impending death. She knew it was coming sooner or later, or at the very least, she had come to accept that these nightmares were never going to end.

She was convinced that this was going to drive her mad, leading her into a spiraling chaos that would end up getting herself or others hurt. _This_ was going to be what did her in, of all things. She'd not felt this defeated in a long time.

She'd either end up being taken out of her leadership status and her life would be ruined forever, or she'd be killed by her own paranoia somehow, if _he_ didn't get to her first.

 

 

_My time is running out... and there's nothing I can do to stop it._


	38. Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mago ditches work to seek advice in an unexpected place.

**CRACK**

Pulling his hand away from the hole he'd just created, Hematite grimaced and shook his fist. _They weren't kidding, this wall_ _ **was**_ _tough._ Idly, Hematite wondered why more of the other of his kin weren't helping with this, but perhaps they were off on other jobs. As far as he could see, only he and three others of his kind were working on this job. Him, Mago, Meta, and Ti. _Well, at least Hemmi and Mite weren't here_. All four of the harvesters were in the kindergarten, helping tear down a particularly stubborn section of the used up cliff sides to make room for more gem production. Funnily enough, if Hema wasn't mistaken, this was the very wall where most of him and his kind had emerged from. Their emergence points were scattered here and there throughout the kindergarten walls, but most of them came from this area in particular. One or two emerged near the warp pad, and he didn't know the location of the others. Nor did he really care to know. 

Reeling his fist back, Hema delivered another blow to the stone surface, taking out a sizable chunk. It fell to the floor heavily and shattered upon impact, the sound reverberating through the tall rock clearing. Similar sounds echoed after it as his companions took out pieces from their own sections. A Peridot walked along the top of the wall, tapping her fingers on her projected screen impatiently.

"Pick up the pace, you big clods! We're supposed have to have this done by midnight!" she shouted down, tapping her foot. Hema looked up at the small green gem with narrowed eyes. _These guys certainly love to toss orders around._ Delivering another blow to the wall, Hematite let out a heavy exhale. He wiped his brow with a frown. He was starting to get tired after almost an hour of taxing destruction work. Wistfully, he glanced at the three other Hematites working some distance away from him. Mago and the lithe, taller Hematite, Ti, were working away tirelessly at one section of the cliffs, while Meta was busy taking out large sections of the wall with what appeared to be an oddly-shaped hammer. Her progress was much better, and she didn't seem to be slowing down. She'd lift her hammer, take a half-pace back with one foot, reel forward, and take out a huge chunk of wall before relaxing and repeating. Not a single service gem stood near her or her work station. They seemed far more focused on Mago, Ti, and Hema, but they also seemed vaguely wary of her.

Sighing, the ivory-haired gem turned back to his own work. He struck the wall again and again, making little headway. Every once in a while a small chunk of rock would fall to the floor, but his progress was nothing compared to his kin's.

About half an hour later, a voice suddenly spoke up directly behind Hema.

"Hey pipsqueak, stop _gently patting_ that wall for a moment so I can talk to ya."

With a grimace, Hematite stopped and groaned, rolling his eyes. He didn't look behind him, but stared directly at the beat-up wall in front of him.

"What do you want, Mago."

"Psh, I _want_ you to look at me, that's what.”

Grumbling, Hematite turned to the taller, ebony-haired gem. He crossed his arms, frowning in annoyance. His knuckledusters vanished in a flash, and he slowly gripped his sleeve in his left hand.

"What is it, I have a job to do."

Mago was standing with her hands on her hips, which were cocked slightly to the side. She was leaning forward slightly so she could be level with Hematite, a smug smile on her face. Hema wrinkled his nose slightly. _He hated when she did that._ Mago tilted her chin up.

"Yeah, you sure do! And it looks like it's gonna take you a while." Grinning teasingly, the taller Hematite stood straight, her hands still on her hips. "But listen, I got a question for ya."

Arching a brow, Hematite stared in confusion at the taller gem. If she had a question for him, it couldn't be good?

"And what is that?"

Mago's expression was unreadable for a moment before she smirked and shrugged. She turned her head away from him, her bangs partially obscuring her face.

"Do you have anyone that you go to for advice, pipsqueak? I'm asking for a friend," she said a bit quieter than before. Hematite frowned in bafflement.

"You mean like White? I always go to her or Blue-"

"Naah nah nah nah, no diamonds." She shook her head and shifted her weight to her other leg. "No, someone that's not a higher-up. A normal gem. Got anybody like that?" she asked, gazing curiously at the shorter gem.

The shorter Hematite couldn't quite tell what was in Mago's tone of voice that was suddenly making him suspicious, but he avoided prying. He did, however, narrow his eyes slightly. It took him a long moment to think. Who did he have like that? There was Rubes and Puff, but he didn't really go to them for advice.

"Well... there's always Morganite,” he said thoughtfully. Mago pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes.

"Who's that?"

"He's a warrior class gem that owns a bar about ten minutes away from the Blue tower. Bright pink neon lights, loud music, lots of people." He paused. "Fluffy pink hair, you can't miss him."

Mago suddenly lifted her hand, palm out to the gem to stop him. Hema stuttered for a second before going quiet.

"Alright thanks pipsqueak, gotta go!" she said quickly, sporting her usual narrow-eyed grin. With that, she left, heading for the warp pad of the kindergarten. Hematite called after her to finish her work, but when he looked over, her section was done. Scorched and smoke-scented, but done. He blinked in surprise.

_What was she so riled up about?_

_And why did he get the feeling he just caused Morgan a fair bit of trouble...?_

–

–

The bar wasn't terribly busy tonight, oddly enough. The club was certainly lively, but the lounge area had only a few customers. It was a slower time of the night. Each night, usually, as the first wave of club-goers left, a lull would follow before the really late customers flooded in. This was that time of the night.

With a rather shaken, but stern expression, one of Morgan's warrior class gems, an Amber in half a suit of armor, walked over to the bar and motioned her hand back toward the main club entrance.

"Morganite, there's uh... a gem outside that's asking for you."

–

Morgan spun around just in time to slide one of his bar patrons a drink. 

"Hm? Do they not want to come in or something?" he asked with a charming smile. "No worries, I've just handed out the last drink I have queued up. Keep an eye on things for me." He gave a wave of his hand and stepped out from behind the bar, making his way to the door. _Odd, if it was anyone he knew they likely would have come inside for this._ He opened the door, peeking out into the dark, cool night. At first, he didn't see anything that seemed like someone waiting for him... until he looked to the right.

–

A few buildings down, leaned up against a warehouse with no windows, was a giant gem. Her arms were crossed, her clawed fingers tapping on her upper sleeve. Her face was mostly obscured by dark bangs, the visor over her eyes dimly glowing an off-white light. Seemed she was going over some records on her screen.

As soon as she spotted movement from the bar entrance, she turned, lifting her head, her bangs falling to the sides of her face. She shot the tiny gem an intense stare. After a moment, a smirk crossed her face, and she cocked her head away slightly, giving the pink-haired warrior a sarcastic 'salute' with two fingers.

"Yo, are you Hema's friend 'Morganite?'"

–

Morganite blinked slowly, not saying anything for a moment. He'd never seen _this_ Hematite around before! He saluted sarcastically back, cocking a brow with a smile.

"Why yes, yes I am. May I ask who you are?" he called back, taking a few steps forward. The bar door shut behind him. He looked her over, curiosity piqued. _Why was she so big right now? Shouldn't she be a bit smaller in the city? Or did she just not care how she walked around?_

–

The gem chuckled and stood up straight, no longer leaning on the wall.

"The name's Mago. I'm a... hah. I'm a 'friend' of pipsqueak's,” she said only semi-genuinely. There was a sarcastic sneer on her face. Turning on her heel, she suddenly took a few steps closer to the warrior gem. Her arms uncrossed as she approached.

–

Morgan tapped his fingers on his hips and smirked himself, taking a seat on the bench outside of the bar. 

"Pipsqueak eh? Heh. That's a good one." He chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment. However, as she started moving towards him, he opened them again. Glancing up, he watched her feet as she paced forward. He observed her quietly. She seemed a bit suspicious, but he was willing to hear her out. Even if she was here to cause trouble, it wasn't like she'd get far around here. "So what brings you to me, then?" he asked casually. He brushed his fingers through his hair gracefully with a smile.

–

Mago stopped near the pink-haired gem, her hands now on her hips. She stared down at him, but instead of the cocky demeanor she had moments ago, she seemed to ponder something, a slight pout on her face. There was a pause.

"Alright, yeah, this isn't gonna work. Hold on."

The giant gem suddenly crouched down, deftly picked Morgan up by the back of his shirt, and lifted him off of the bench and into the air.

–

Morgan's smile turned quickly into a baffled frown, and he stammered for a moment, his words coming out as mere confused gibberish for a good second. 

"WHA-HEY what do you think you're doing?!" he said, perturbed, holding his arms out. He looked offended, almost. "Do you know how to talk to people? It's not like this, let me tell you!" he huffed, crossing his arms as he dangled from her fingers.

–

The service gem chuckled in amusement to herself, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Oh calm down, just give me a second."

Mago looked around and quickly spotted a building that was almost at her eye level. Standing straight, she walked over and lifted Morgan up to the rooftop, carefully placing him back on solid ground. Without another word, she turned and crossed her arms, leaning against the building lightly. "Much better."

–

Morganite took a few steps onto the roof and turned, placing his hands on his hips. He squinted at the huge gem and pursed his lips. 

"Hmph. Well, now that you're done carrying me around like a ragdoll... care to explain?" He said with mild irritation, his bangs falling between his eyes.

–

The giant gem snickered at his grumpy question. 

"It's a lot easier to talk like this. It's not as hard on the neck, plus we have some privacy up here." She shot the tiny warrior a sly smile. After a moment, though, her expression fell into something a bit more unreadable. "... Alright so. Hey." Mago drummed her fingers on her upper arm. "Pipsqueak says you're the one he goes to for advice if he can't talk to the diamonds."

–

Morganite casually tapped his heel on the hard surface of the roof, looking away for a moment. His smile returned to him, and he gave the service gem a nod. _Ok, so, she knew Hematite and from the sounds of it, they were_ _ **probably**_ _friends?_ So that wasn't too shady, he supposed.

"Alright. What's on your mind?"

–

There was a long, tense pause. Mago seemed like she wanted to say something, but all of a sudden couldn't find the words. Her fingers continued drumming on her arm. Taking a deep breath, the giant gem sighed and turned to Morganite fully. Her expression almost seemed... nervous.

"How are you with... r." She coughed, covering her mouth with her hand. "Relationship advice."

–

_Well now, this certainly was the last thing he was expecting._

He grinned wider now, the faintest of crimson blushes flushing over his cheeks.

"Oh my. Well..." He placed a finger to his lip 'hmm'ing for a few moments. "Ah, well...I myself have been in a rather...shall I say, heartfelt, relationship. Also, I have heard tales from thousands of gems before! I've been told I'm not too terrible with relationship advice." The blush faded, and he craned his head to look up at her slightly. "Why do you ask?..."

–

Mago nodded subtly as she listened to him. Alright, so she got lucky that this was something he'd know about... good. The giant gem awkwardly looked away, still covering her mouth.

"Well. I. Hmm." She tapped her fingers along her upper lip as she inhaled quietly through her teeth. All of a sudden, a look of realization crossed her face. Turning to Morganite, she squinted and pointed one clawed finger at him. _"Not a word of this gets back to pipsqueak."_

–

Morganite gave Mago another nod and let her continue. 

"I won't say a word, I swear it on my gem.~" he said charmingly.

–

The service gem relaxed and returned to crossing her arms. Her shoulders were raised just slightly this time, though. Seemed she didn't want to continue. Pursing her lips, she huffed.

"This gem and I... have a _lot_ in common. We work together, spar, hell, they've kicked my ass a few times. They've taught me... a lot."

–

He started to think himself, shrugging his shoulders. 

"Hah... I know how that goes." he said a little quietly. For a moment, he seemed lost in fond memories, his gaze distant. However, he pulled himself back to reality, still listening to the giant gem.

–

She looked away.

"They've been... well. They've been by my side literally since the beginning. I never really... I don't know." Shrugging, she scoffed. "I guess I never paid it much attention until recently." There was another pause. "So, what do you do when you... mmm." Mago swallowed, her voice coming out strained. "When you're pretty sure you have feelings for them, and you think they do for you too, but you're not... _sure_."

–

Morgan started to shift his weight, pacing slowly in place. He seemed deep in thought for a moment, but soon his smile returned. 

"Well... on one hand, the obvious choice is to just, you know... tell them. But if you don't want to go for the more direct route... I'd say just see if they start to show signs of liking you back. I personally wouldn't rush blindly into something like this, but I wouldn't be afraid to take a chance either. The worst they could do is say no." He shrugged, offering her a thoughtful glance, a gleam in his eyes.

–

Mago looked at him with an almost _vulnerable_ openness to her expression. She seemed to take his words to heart, but there was.... something else there.

"Mm. Okay, so..." Tapping her arm again, she bit her lip. "What do you do if that gem... mmm. Asks you to do things you think might get you in trouble." Her voice got quieter. "But you feel like it's _worth_ it, if it's with them."

–

He looked _confused_ now, and bit the inside of his cheek. That wasn't quite what he was expecting to hear. Worse yet, he didn't seem to really even know how to _answer_ that. 

"Well...You should always do what is _right_. Don't let them make you feel uncomfortable, and I wouldn't put others at risk for the expense of whatever they ask you to do." He stopped and crossed his arms, concern now filling his tone. "Love can make you do some crazy things... Please don't let it make you stray down a dangerous path."

–

Gazing at the pink-haired warrior, Mago blinked and looked away with... was that _guilt_? Whatever it was, she shrugged it off quickly, returning to her usual smirk.

"Pssh, love shmove. I'll figure it out. One way or another." An unreadable expression crossed the giant gem's face, and she suddenly sat up and stretched, raising her arms to the sky. "Mmmm well, that's all I had to ask, really.~" She turned to the tiny warrior with a coy smile and lifted her hand up to the rooftop, holding her palm out for him. "Thanks for the advice, Morganite."

–

Morgan uncrossed his arms and looked down to her hand. He remembered how Hematite had carried him some time ago. A familiar warmth befell him. He stepped up into her palm and looked to the ground. 

"Not a problem. What will you do now?..." he asked, glancing back to the ebony haired gem.

–

Mago shrugged with a smile.

"I dunno, I'm probably going to go back to work. I kinda ditched to come talk to ya, heheh."

Slowly, she crouched down and placed the pink haired warrior on the pavement. She stood straight again and quickly brushed her hair back behind her shoulders. "Well, be seeing you around, Morganite." She turned, heading down the street with a wave. She wasn't looking at him. "Keep an eye on pipsqueak for me.~"

–

Morganite gave Mago a perplexed wave, continuing to do so even after she was gone. He stopped, thinking about their conversation before turning back to the bar. He was deep in thought, wondering if he'd see her again anytime soon. He hoped things would go well, at least. Regardless, that was an interesting turnabout! Certainly not like any standard night on the job! And speaking of, he had his own work to get back to.

–

–

About an hour later, Mago returned to the Kindergarten.

Her steps echoed down the dark pathways through the cliffs. The moon was high in the sky by this time, shining down on the barren place with pale light. The giant gem stopped when she rounded a corner that lead into a small alcove. It was the place she and Hema had been working in earlier.

"Hey!" She looked around, wandering further into the alcove. "Anyone still here?"

Her fingers rubbed together anxiously. Quietly, she called out. 

_"Ti?"_

  


"I'm right here, Mago," a soft, almost lilting voice replied from a shadowy cliff side. Slowly, a lithe, tall Hematite walked into the moonlight, her silvery forehead gem glinting. Her silvery hair gleamed in the low light, flowing behind her gracefully. Her brows were arched, and she had one finger to her chin. "You left so quickly, I was worried something happened. I know you finished your work early, but you could have stuck around to help me finish. I've been at it for the past hour." She smiled playfully and brushed her long, wavy hair away from her face.

Mago smiled almost sheepishly and chuckled, crossing her arms. 

"Nahh, you could handle that yourself, ya freeloader."

Ti gave a soft, charming chuckle. Mago drummed her fingers on her arm, for once, not joining in on the other gem's quiet laughter. The taller Hematite quickly noticed the change in behavior and tilted her head just slightly, her smile fading.

"Is something the matter? Usually you would have retired for the night by now,” she asked curiously, concern painted all over her face. Taking a deep breath, Mago looked up at the taller Hematite, a strange look in her eyes.

  


"Ti, we need to talk."


	39. Howl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite encounters a gem type he's never seen before.

A warm, pink glow beamed in through the large, circular window. The smell of fresh tea filled the air of White Diamond's office; the familiar, cozy room felt especially welcoming this morning. White was turned in her chair and facing out the window. She enjoyed watching the sunrise, sometimes. Even if she _had_ seen it hundreds of thousands of times. A gentle rattling sounded behind her, and she turned to see that her Pearl had made her a fresh batch of tea. The service gem saluted and smiled warmly at the Diamond, stepping back a few paces.

"Thank you, Pearl. That will be all." White said, still observing the view. She'd requested for a particular brew of tea to be prepared for her and a guest. It was a special day, so everything had to be just right.

–

A soft yawn echoed down the long hall to White's office.. Hematite rubbed his right eye sleepily. He'd just gotten back from a mission in the Pink District the previous night. He'd shrunken down when he got back to his living quarters, and finally got to properly use his room in the wall that White made for him.

But now he was fully rested and on his way to White's office. She'd contacted him in his room early that morning, before the sun had even come up. Hema now knew that the diamond pad in his miniature room also functioned as a communicator.

His footsteps echoing down the hall, Hematite looked out at the rising sun that shone between the openings in the ornate wall that lined the hall. It was particularly beautiful this morning. He soon stepped around the bend and made his way to White's door. Knocking softly, he waited for the doors to open. He stepped inside.

Hematite smiled warmly at the sight and smell of the familiar office, his breath catching in his throat. Soft dawn light tinted the room pink, and the scent of fresh tea was heavy in the air. But not just any tea. Hematite's brows raised, and his smile turned into an excited grin.

_It was peppermint!_

Saluting with a smile, Hematite began to walk over to White's desk.

"Morning, White."

–

White turned in her seat and waved. She took a stand, placing her palms together.

"Good morning, Hematite. Did you rest well?" she asked, grabbing the tea tray. With a soft smile, she started to walk over a bit to another part of the room. There was another window, a little smaller than the main one, on the other side of the office. It wasn't nearly as impressive as the one behind White's desk, but it did its job.. There was a small area with two soft chairs, a mini table, and a footrest.

–

"Very well, thank you." He nodded with a smile. The service gem watched White make her way over to the small table, and he felt something in his chest tighten. But it wasn't a bad feeling... No. He'd been waiting for this.

–

She placed the tray on the table and sat down in one of the chairs.

"Come, Hematite! Join me!" She said, reaching over to the teapot.

–

Barely containing his excitement, Hematite briskly walked over to the table and sat down in the chair opposite to his leader. He tucked his legs under the table as he looked out the window.

"What a perfect morning for this, huh?"

The ivory-haired gem beamed at White with a bright smile.

–

White chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. She poured him a glass first, filling the teacup with piping hot peppermint liquid.

"Now, don't get too excited or you'll burn your tongue," she said, placing the teapot down and scooting his saucer towards him. It didn't take long for her to repeat the motion with her own cup. She sat back with her cup in hand, holding her free palm an inch below the glass.

"The weather really couldn't have been better for this, honestly. It's even getting cooler outside! I rather prefer it that way, personally. I don't care too much for sweltering heat." She closed her eyes, taking a small sip. She looked entirely content.

–

Hematite picked up his teacup carefully and gave the top of the tea a gentle blow, steam wafting away from the cup. The service gem looked out the window.

"Same here. I love when it starts to cool off." After a long moment, Hematite finally took a sip of his tea. A contented sigh escaped him, and his expression softened into something more peaceful. Not taking the cup from his lips, he smiled. "I missed this." He lowered the cup and looked out the window. "It's hard to believe it's been a year..."

–

White was quiet for a moment, hovering her hand around the bottom of the cup. It resonated with a calm warmth. Her eyelids were half shut as she stared into the tea that filled her cup.

"It has been a long time, hasn't it...strange, how no matter how long our lives are, that the shortest of years can be so eventful."

–

Hematite's feet tapped together under the table. He gazed at the city, which was painted reds and purples by the rising sun.

_No matter how long our lives are..._

The service gem's smile faded just slightly.

_The shortest of years can be so eventful._

Placing his cup down on the saucer, Hematite brushed a finger on its warm porcelain surface.

–

She sighed heavily, placing her cup down for a moment.

"It's good to see you at peace again, at least. I always thought having tea with you was rather pleasant. You make good company, I hope you know that." She gestured casually to him before placing her hands on her lap.

–

"Mm. As do you. This is one of my favorite things to do..." he said a little distractedly. After glancing at White for a moment, Hematite smiled and continued to gaze out the window. "I'll be sure not to get into trouble anymore. I'd hate to lose this again."

–

White noticed the gem's sudden change of tone, but brushed it away. _Had she said something wrong? Oh well, at least he didn't seem to dwell on whatever it was._ Maybe he wasn't bothered at all, and she was just reading him wrong.

"Ah, thank you... And, yes, please stay out of trouble." There was a pause as she picked up her cup and took another sip. "Actually, Hematite, that reminds me... I have a special mission for you today."

–

Picking his cup back up for another sip of his own, Hematite looked to his leader, brows raised. Seemed his somber mood was already lifting at the mention of a special job.

"Oh? What sort of mission?" Perhaps she needed him to run errands, or find something in the archives. The service gem felt himself mentally twitch as he ran through the options. _Stars, he hoped it didn't have anything to do with Yellow._

–

White's eyes narrowed, but she grinned. Taking a final sip of her drink, she placed it down and waved her hand over her gem. With a bright gleam, she summoned a diamond pad, which she promptly turned on. Placing it on the table between them both, she clicked on a map of a certain area of the Pink District.

"Now this is very important, so listen up Hematite. We've gotten word that there is a notorious rebel clan hiding out in the Pink District. Now, while normally we would send out a Hematite to break apart the base and bring them in for trial, these aren't your everyday rebels."

–

The sudden change in his leader's demeanor caught Hematite off guard, and he found himself sitting up straighter. As she took out the diamond pad, he quickly finished his cup of tea, setting the dish aside. He leaned forward slightly, peering at the map curiously. With a nod, he glanced up at her, listening intently.

–

White tapped her finger on the screen, causing the map to zoom in. There was a small, white, diamond-shaped target that appeared over a specific area.

"These rebels are a band of rogue warrior-class gems, for the most part. They cause trouble, steal, commit forgery, vandalize, and have even committed acts of violence in some cases. Normally, such a group wouldn't be anything my soldiers couldn't handle, and it wouldn't be that big of a deal. However... If all their crimes weren't bad enough, this particular band of criminals has been known to fuse, and fuse rather masterfully, thus creating a plethora of problems for anyone sent out to take care of them... Despite their numbers being abysmally low, as we've heard from reports." She stopped, pointing at the map. "That is where you come in. No, actually...this is where _we_ come in. I will be going with you for this mission. We've been tipped off from a reliable source that rebels are commonly seen here. Our mission is to find the rebel base and break this rowdy group up once and for all. Harvest if necessary. However, we're going to _try_ to resolve things peacefully. It's a long shot, but perhaps they will come back with us without putting up a fight." She glanced up at Hematite sternly.

–

Hematite nodded once in a while at White's explanation. Alright, seemed like a standard mission. Towards the end of White's explanation, he froze, eyes widening.

_No, actually, this is where **we** come in._

Looking up in surprise, Hema stared at his leader.

_I will be going with you for this mission._

Blinking, the service gem sat back in his seat as White explained the plan. Right, Harvest if necessary. Seemed simple enough.

"So this will start as an I.D. mission." I.D. Or for those who weren't privy to Hematite mission codes, Intimidation and Diplomacy. It was one of a few codes Hematites sometimes used to describe their jobs. I.D, C.A.H, D.T.D, R.A.R, the list went on. Catch and Harvest, Destroy and Document, and Reconnaissance and Relocation were only a few of many of a Hematite's mission codes.

–

"Yes, indeed! We will be each other's backup. If things go awry, I'm certain we can both handle them." She smiled, grabbing the diamond pad and turning it off. With another flash, she placed it back into her gem. "Very good then! Shall we depart? It will be a while before we reach our destination," she stated, pressing her fingertips together.

–

Nodding, Hematite stood up from his seat and folded his arms behind him.

"Right! Will we be traveling the same way we did last time we had a mission in the Pink District?"

–

"If you wish! I certainly wouldn't mind,” she responded, taking a stand herself. "However, once we get out there, I will need to you shift down halfway to the destination. We do not want to risk anyone seeing us approach."

–

With a surprised blink, Hematite nodded. Well, he didn't _want_ to shrink down when they got closer to the rebels but he supposed it was for the best... If they had scouts and the like, it'd be best not to be spotted. And, well, he wasn't exactly hard to see.

"Got it. Lead the way, White."

–

–

With a brilliant flash of light, Hematite and White stood in the Pink District, standing upon the warp pad. Wasting no time, the service gem stepped forward ahead of his leader and quickly size shifted up to his half-height. Turning, he crouched and offered his hand to the now tiny gem.

–

White hopped up into Hematite's hand like she had done once before. Strangely enough, however, this time she didn't change into her stealth outfit.

"Alright, you should have the map in your visor. The destination is 376 miles away, South East Area code 2571b. Remember to stop halfway," she recited incisively.

–

Hematite nodded and carefully lifted White up off the ground. However, this time he didn't lift her to his shoulder, and instead kept her near his chest. If he had that much distance to cover, he couldn't risk running too quickly and having her fall off.

With a chirp, Hema's eyepiece whirred to life, and he brought up the coordinates of where he was headed. Right, looks like this was going to take a while. Sighing, the giant gem curled his fingers just slightly, cupping them around White.

"Alright, hold on, this is going to be a long ride."

The service gem started heading down his usual path, his pace slowly quickening. After a minute or so, he was at a full-on run, keeping White as steady as he could.

–

White knelt down and looked ahead, placing her hands on his fingers. She peeked through and kept an eye on the terrain. _She wouldn't really admit it, but she always thought this was rather exhilarating._

–

–

Though it took many hours and various resting breaks along the way, Hematite finally approached the halfway point. His breathing was slightly ragged, and his face was scrunched up as if he had a headache as he cut back on his pace.

_It's a good thing we're at this point, I need to rest..._

Slowing down, the giant gem stopped in the middle of a large field. He carefully placed White on the ground before shrinking back down. However, this time, he stopped shrinking down when he was a little shorter than White herself. His form stopped glowing, and he crossed his arms, his face tight with a tired frown.

"Okay White... Are we going to walk the rest of the way there? I might need a minute." He opened one eye, which was slightly squinted in exhausted pain. _Why didn't he ever pace himself?_

–

White placed a finger to her chin and looked carefully into the distance. _Good, they seemed to be in the right spot, and no one was around._ Turning to the service gem, she crossed her arms with a twinge of concern in her expression and tone.

"Are you alright? Take a small rest if you need to. We will be walking, yes... But, actually, you shouldn't have to worry about your energy for the rest of this trip, if all goes well." Quite unexpectedly, she grinned.

–

As White finished her sentence, Hematite was already sitting down on the ground, his arms propped up on his knees. Looking up at his leader, he noticed the grin, and arched a brow curiously.

"What do you mean?" He was still breathing heavily, though it was steadily getting more even.

–

With her hands on her hips, she looked down analytically at the smaller gem.

"I mean I have a plan that will help us take care of these rebels. I'm going to be blunt, this isn't the type of group to go down without a fight, so we need to be ready for anything. Not to mention, where we are going, we might need some...." She closed her eyes, smirking. "Extra advantages."

–

Hematite cocked his head to the side, squinting slightly. It seemed he hadn't quite put the pieces together, or he felt he was missing something.

"Mmmmeaning? Should I shrink down so you can sneak me into the base, or... what?"

–

"It means we're going to fuse, Hematite." She rolled her shoulders and swung her arms forward, placing her palms together and cracking her knuckles. She grinned, her fangs showing. "Take a moment to rest up, then tell me when you're ready." She took a few steps past Hematite and looked out to the horizon. This would be _interesting_.

–

Hematite stared at White, and continued to stare at the same spot, even as she moved out and away from his view. He was left facing the sky, a rather unreadable but vaguely stunned look on his face.

_Fuse._

_Fuse with **White**._

_He was going to **fuse** with **White Diamond.**_

Slowly, Hematite turned to look at his superior, though her back was to him. The service gem turned forward again, staring out the opposite direction.

Fusing with Blue was huge enough to him, and that had been so recent! But fusing with White Diamond, _**the**_ White Diamond. His leader, his designer, his role model. He just couldn't wrap his head around it.

Hematite rested silently for a few minutes.

What if he couldn't do it? Maybe he and Blue's stability was the only fusion he could pull off. He certainly hadn't been able to do it with Celestite or Smoky Quartz, and they had danced plenty of times... But _White_?

Slowly, Hematite rose to his feet as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

_Alright, well. He had to at least try. There was no point in hesitating. Despite the fact that he'd never even considered this opportunity arising..._

The service gem smirked, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

_He certainly wasn't going to pass it up._

Hema spun on his heel, turning to White with a new, eager light in his eyes.

"I'm ready, White."

–

For a moment, she didn't respond. And then slowly, one of her arms raised up to the sky. In one graceful movement, she turned around and swung her arm down, her palm facing Hematite. She looked to be posing for the moment. She was smirking rather deviously, her gemstone glowing brightly.

"Glad you are.~"

–

Hematite's smile widened, and he furrowed his brows, adjusting into his own pose. It vaguely mirrored hers. His own gem began to glow, and his eyes narrowed.

Feet taking little steps forward, Hematite began his dance much like he had with Blue, only this time it was smoother, slower, and far less erratic. Halfway through his dance, he opened one eye, keeping his gaze on White. His dancing began to mirror hers as they got closer together.

–

White's movements were graceful, powerful, and flowed smoothly. She had her own eyes closed through the majority of the dance. As they had neared, she swayed her arms and shoulders, spinning around slowly. She extended her hand out to meet Hematite's at the middle, opening her eyes at the last moment to watch him.

–

The service gem spun around slowly as well, his hand extending to meet hers in perfect unison. His fingers laced with hers, and he gave a polite sort of bow, his free hand gracefully extending to his side.

**I'll make you proud, White. Let's make this a mission to remember.**

–

White had managed to give Hematite a warm smile just before the light encased them both.

**We can handle this. Together.**

 

With a brilliant flash of light, their forms merged together and their gemstones started to float. Slowly, they took on a new appearance, both gems becoming stark white with charcoal streaks throughout the gem. Their form started to take shape, bigger... and bigger.... Until _finally_ , it stopped.

–

The fusion's body finished forming with a bright shimmer of spark-like lights, her hair being the last thing to take shape. It fell gracefully behind her shoulders, the white locks settling neatly into place. Slowly, she lifted her hands, taking a deep breath, palms facing upwards. They stopped at her upper chest. With a long, calm exhale, the fusion slowly lowered her hands again, holding them at her sides, her fingers moving slightly to get a feel for the air around her. Her eyes slowly opened, though they remained half lidded.

She began to look herself over with a calm, though faintly curious expression. Lifting one hand to her face, she brushed two clawed fingers under her left eye. An elongated, angular visor appeared in a brilliant flash, and the gem lowered her hand again.

 

_Identify._

The eyepiece silently booted up. No chirps, no whirrs, no clicking. A small hud appeared on the surface. The gem gazed at it thoughtfully, her lips parting faintly.

 

_**Howlite.** _

 

_It was so bright. Squinting slightly, Hematite put his hand up over his eyes, waiting for them to adjust. This was far brighter than the fusion plane Dioptase had. Looking around, the service gem took a few steps forward, his footsteps echoing on what appeared to be a white, marbled floor. The horizon beyond the flat surface was glimmering with the light of hundreds upon hundreds of stars. It also seemed there was some white fire-like something or other slowly waving in the distance. It reminded Hematite of the grass fields back in his pocket dimension._

_"White?"_

–

 

The fusion twisted around slowly, looking down. _They were pretty high up._ Shifting her weight, she now faced the direction of which her destination was. The visor silently brought up the map again, the same white diamond insignia from the diamond pad appearing on the screen over a certain area.

_Got it._

She started off towards it quickly. Oddly enough, despite her size, even her footsteps made minimal noise. It was as if she was, by default, _unnaturally_ quiet.

 

 

–

_The plane had a heavenly glow to it, illuminating both of the gems. The taller of the two stood formally behind Hematite with a proud, calm look._

_"Hello Hematite!" she said, standing at attention._

\--

_Normally, Hema would have jumped at such a surprise, but he merely blinked and turned around to look at his leader._

_"There you are." He looked around, a look of undisguised awe in his eyes. "This is incredible... it's so much different than it was with Blue. There were stars then too, but the ground was like an ocean... and it was a dark teal color everywhere." Hematite's mental state seemed rather calm. A single, clear thought passed through his mind._

_**It's so much like her office.** _

\--

_White offered Hematite an encouraging smile and held out her hand._

_"Isn't it though? Fusion planes will often adapt and resemble things about the gems that make up the Fusion. For example, with Blue, she had water in her fusion plane. This fusion has marble stone floors and a warm feeling to it." She looked to the sky and sighed quietly. "Perhaps the stars are something special to you?" She started to walk in one direction, uncertain of where she was headed. She just wanted to walk with him._

\--

_Watching White walk off, Hematite quickly followed after her. There was a sudden perk in his step._

_"M-maybe! I mean, Blue said she'd never seen a fusion plane like Dioptase's." He looked around with a bright gleam in his eyes. "So perhaps they are... I mean, I often see stars in my dreams, or in my pocket dimension!" His enthusiasm finally broke through the calm, and was emanating from him in waves. Excitement, adoration, awe, anticipation... and something much more powerful than all those combined._

_Was it..._

_"I'm so glad we were able to fuse, I was nervous I couldn't do it a second time."_

\--

_White raised a brow and chuckled at his zealous nature._

_"Then that is very likely, Hematite. Often times, my planes carry marble floors." She stopped, and tapped her fingers on her hips. "It's very warm in here. Very peaceful... perhaps, would you like to take a seat?" she said, snapping a finger. Suddenly nearby, two chairs, a footrest, and a mini table had appeared in a puff of white smoke. They looked exactly like the ones in White's office._

\--

_Looking over, Hematite raised his brows in surprise. He didn't know fusion planes could do that! Walking closer, he tentatively touched the table. Yep, it was solid... Sitting down in one of the seats, he looked around. Now that he had a closer look, the fire-like material in the distance appeared to be... hair? It was long and white, and swayed in an unfelt breeze. It definitely reminded him of the grass in his pocket dimension._

_"So, how will we see what Howlite sees? With Dioptase, we had a sort of window on the water's surface..." As if on cue, there was a flash of light to the right of the table. Hematite looked over, his eyes widening at the sight of a huge, upright visor piece._

_And though neither of the two knew it, it looked the same as Howlite's visor._

_An image flickered onto the screen. Seemed Howlite was quickly and quietly making her way toward her destination. A faint map overlaid the terrain beyond the visor._

_"Well that's one way."_

\--

_The diamond smirked, glancing over to the large screen._

_"Fusion planes are fascinating, are they not? How do you feel? Are you less tired than you were? This isn't stressing you out, is it? If you feel like you are getting overwhelmed, we can always stop," she said, placing her palms together. Surely, she knew that this was necessary, but she didn't want to risk the fusion becoming unstable if he couldn't handle it. Then again...he handled a fusion well with Blue, so that was something._

\--

_Hematite was still looking at the screen when White asked her questions, and he sat up a bit straighter, turning to her. There was a bright smile on his face._

_"Are you kidding me, this is great! I'll never get over how much... mmm." He hopped out of his seat, his fists balled up excitedly in front of him. " **Better** I feel when I'm fused with someone! I have more energy, I feel more stable, almost... Not to mention, I don't know!" He looked around, motioning to the fusion plane. "There's something about these places that... tch. How do I put it." He was still smiling. "I feel like I can get stuff across better. Though, I guess that sort of explanation isn't the best example of that last part." A soft, almost awkward laugh escaped him. "Don't you worry about me! I'll do my best to keep this up!"_

\--

_She smiled, his words filling her with pride. He was handling this well so far, at least! Good, this was what she was hoping for._

_"I'm glad to hear it, don't worry; I understand!" She said, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms. "Relax, Hematite. Come, sit back down."_

\--

_Smiling back, Hematite plopped into his seat, watching the large visor screen. This was going to take a while._

–

The sun had set by the time Howlite arrived at a system of huge looming cliff sides. From the looks of it as she'd approached, the chasms formed a sort of maze. Her destination was somewhere in here, but she could pinpoint it no further.

The signals of many different gem monsters and even some gem plant life were jamming the fusion's eyepiece from seeing a clear base location. If she went into this maze, she'd be going in completely blind.

\--

_"Alright, well... this is where they're supposed to be, somewhere in those chasms, right?" Hematite looked over at White._

\--

The large fusion placed a finger to their eyepiece, adjusting it very slightly. Silently, she started to sneak through. Just as she'd expected, her visor reception started to fizzle in and out. Blinking slowly, she glanced around for any signs of life.

\--

_"Unfortunately, but not to worry. Our destination is in here somewhere. We just need to keep looking." She said, leaning over a little and placing her arm on her leg. She propped up her elbow on her knee and hunched over, her chin resting in her palm. She seemed locked onto the screen._

\--

_Hematite glanced between White and the screen. He mimicked her pose and furrowed his brows, watching the visor._

–

Every once in a while, a gem monster or creature would scurry into Howlite's path, making her frown and shoo it away. She had no time for those. The fusion continued on, deeper into the system of cliffs. It was fairly similar in appearance to a kindergarten, but the walls had far more footholds and paths, and the rock was a more reddish color instead of a faded gray.

Soon enough, the gem signals became so muddied that the eyepiece's mini-map was completely useless. Howlite was totally reliant on her senses now.

–

The large fusion remained calm, collected, and focused. She hadn't said a single word since she formed. _Couldn't be long now, could it?_ She'd been walking for a little while now, glancing around at the chasm walls.

_Crack._

Howlite stopped abruptly in her tracks, tensing up and narrowing her eyes. Her gaze shot in the direction in which she heard the noise. It was faint, probably a little farther away from her... but she could still pick it up. She knew it wasn't her. She hunkered down low near a dip in the wall, eyes scanning the chasm for the source of the movement.

And then she saw it. There, scurrying quickly away, was a much smaller gem. They seemed frantic and were definitely trying to get away from something.

_She'd been spotted._

–

_Hematite's half of the fusion was the first to react. The service gem immediately dropped his pseudo-serious demeanor as he straightened up. He'd spotted that. Within an instant, the fusion plane suddenly went quieter. All of Hematite's senses were strained on the noise, and the gem that was quickly scurrying away._

_The air was tense. Both gems could feel every crack of rock, every footstep, every movement the retreating gem made. Hematite's eyes didn't leave the screen. His instincts were in full effect._

–

Without so much as a sound, Howlite slipped out quickly from her hiding spot in the cliff side She shot after the scout, her eyes never leaving their retreating form. They seemed rather apt at navigating the cliff sides, as they kept ahead of her rather well.

_But it didn't last long._

Skidding around a corner, the huge fusion looked up to see the small scout gem climbing higher into the rocks. Eyes wide, Howlite crouched low.

_And then she pounced._

Landing deftly on the sheer cliff side, the fusion parted her feet so she had a heel dug into each of the opposing rock walls, suspending her halfway up the cliff sides Her hand darted forward toward where she'd seen the scout retreat, but she just missed them. The tiny gem yelped and scampered across a small outcropping of rock and crouched low to leap across a large gap, Howlite unnervingly close behind her still.

–

_White sat back, eyeing both the screen and Hematite now. She felt exactly what he felt. Was this what it was like? To feel such raw instincts? Interesting....very interesting. She smirked and allowed Hema to hold control for this part._

–

The tiny scout gem panted heavily, eyes wide and focused on what was ahead. They dared not look back, they didn't even need to. They could feel Howlite hot on her trail. The fusion's sharp vision kept her locked onto her target. The world went quiet around them, hyper focused. They slowed ever so slightly just for a moment, and the gem before them took a massive breath.

Then she leapt again. This time, her powerful leap landed her with agile precision right in front of the smaller gem. She spun around, her piercing eyes glaring down at the smaller gem who had skidded to a screaming halt. Before they had much time to turn and run, Howlite hunched over them and cast them in shadow.

–

_As Howlite closed in on her target, Hematite's expression slowly shifted. What was once a wide-eyed look of focus became a satisfied, almost devious smile. Resting his hand on the table beside him, eyes trained on the visor, Hematite suddenly clenched his fist._

–

In an instant, Howlite snatched up the tiny gem in her clawed hand, trapping her in complete darkness. The fusion stayed in her current position for a few long moments. Kicking and shouting in protest, the scout in her hand tried with all their might to pry open the giant gem's fingers from the inside.

Howlite took a slow, even breath, her eyes falling half-closed again. The world around her regained its sound, and her body relaxed. Slowly, she lifted her hand and stood up, the scout still caught entirely in her fist.

–

"Let go of of me!! Y-you-" The scout gem stopped, pushing desperately against the fusion's fingers to no avail. Howlite took a slow, deep breath and eased up her hand very slowly. The scout was able to push a single arm and their head out of the fusion's fist, but found themselves stuck. They stopped squirming and their heart sank. "Wh...Who are you!? _What_ are you!?" She asked, cowering. Howlite remained steady, their expression unchanging.

"Where is your base." She spoke, unnaturally sharp teeth hiding behind her lips. She looked like she could bite through _steel_.

"Huh?" The scout blinked, anxiety rising in their chest.

"Your base. Where. Is it?"

"Like I'd tell you that!!"

Howlite's grip slowly started to become tighter around the small gem's form. Suddenly, the smaller being started to squirm again, yelling out panicked gibberish.

Howlite stopped squeezing, narrowing her eyes at the smaller gem.

"Talk."

\--

_Hematite narrowed his eyes, drumming his clawed fingers on the surface of the table. The sound echoed around the room, which was still heavy with the smaller gem's hunter focus. Something else was starting to creep up at the back of Howlite's mind. Another, much stronger **harvester** instinct._

–

The giant fusion's expression still didn't falter as the scout continued to struggle.

"I can't! I won't! You'll never find it!" she shouted indignantly, gnashing her teeth as she tried to pull herself out of the massive hand with her free arm. If she could just get to her gem for a weapon...

Howlite slowly quirked a brow.

"Perhaps. You didn't hear me correctly," she said calmly, her voice chillingly low.

–

_Hematite's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly began to mouth something silently as Howlite spoke._

–

 

In that moment, the fusion's mouth closed, but a _second_ mouth directly below it parted, unnaturally sharp teeth glinting in the pale light. The scout's eyes widened in horror. As Howlite spoke, her voice was just _slightly_ different.

"I asked you where your base is."

–

_White crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, watching the screen intently. She felt a strange sensation prickling at the base of her neck. Her grin grew wider, and she glanced over at the service gem. She wanted to say something, but preferred to see how this would play out._

–

"I-I'll never tell you!! They'll kill me if they found out I lead someone like _you_ to their base!!" She growled, trembling. Howlite's lips twisted up eerily slowly into a small grin.

"I'll give you one last chance to tell me. I will find them one way or another. You should choose wisely."

\--

_Deep in his chest, Hematite felt the same prickling sensation. He, however, was used to it. The feeling moved up to the base of his jaw, and he narrowed his eyes._

–

The tiny gem in Howlite's fist paused for a long moment, her breathing ragged.

If she refused, she'd be shattered.

If she told this fusion where the base was... she'd still be shattered.

Hell, she was sure that this gem would crush her the moment they got their answer anyways.

Shaking her head, the scout suddenly brought her arm up, covering herself protectively. When she spoke, her voice was trembling with terror.

"I-I can't."

\--

_The heavy weight filling the fusion plane let up suddenly. Hematite's expression shifted noticeably. He swallowed and glanced away from the screen for a second. It was quick, subtle, but the moment of hesitation was there, followed by a rather strong emotion._

_**Empathy and sympathy**._

_Not **just** simple sympathy, no. This feeling was far stronger. Hematite's emotions flared up in response to seeing the tiny, cowering gem so desperately scared. The most oppressive part of his instincts backed off for the moment. Looking back at the screen, Hematite began mouthing more words._

–

"Fine. Have it your way." Slowly, Howlite brought the gem closer to her lower mouth, her teeth parting slowly.

\--

_White drifted her gaze to the service gem, watching him entirely now. She seemed curious now, catching a small hint of the empathetic wave that washed over him. That was surely interesting. Did he always feel this way when he was on the job?_

_"Hm..." She turned back to the screen, watching the small gem within the fusion's hand. "Go on then."_

–

The small gem's panic flared up, their fingers clawing anxiously at Howlite's hand.

"N-No, Stop!!" She stuttered, shutting her eyes tightly. The fusion, however, didn't flinch or slow down. Steadily, her mouth widened, a black clipped tongue extending past her lips. She loosened her grip slightly on the smaller gem, hovering their catch above her mouth. For a moment, the tiny gem opened their eyes, feeling the weight under them shift slightly.

_They wished they hadn't looked._

\--

_Glancing at White, Hematite stiffened slightly at her simple sentence._

_**Go on then.** _

_Setting his jaw, Hema turned his attention back to the screen. He frowned, the prickling feeling rising near his gem again._

–

The fusion lowered the tiny scout into her mouth, carefully using her tongue to pull her in past her teeth. Alright, so far so good. After she was sure the gem was out of the way of her teeth, Howlite moved the gem back towards her throat, tilting her head back. She readied a single clawed finger over the gem on her neck, which began to glow.

–

The tiny gem writhed and yelled out in fearful protest, clinging onto the gem's slick, ebony tongue. Closing her eyes briefly, the fusion swallowed thickly, putting a quick end to the tiny scout's cries. The gem on her neck flashed brightly, and soon faded back to normal. Howlite swiped her tongue over the top of her lip. Turning, she faced the direction that the scout had been running in before. _It must be this way, then._

\--

_White crossed her arms and looked back to the Hematite with the same curious look as before, except now at least she was smirking again._

_"Had a hard time with that, did you?" She asked, raising a brow. "Don't worry. They will be safe and handled appropriately upon our return to the city. Now... We just need to find that base." She looked sternly to the screen once more._

\--

_Hematite was sitting with his arms crossed, his view turned away from the screen. He glanced up when White spoke, and his brows furrowed slightly._

_"I didn't have... **trouble** with it. That just happens sometimes. I'm getting better at dealing with it. It won't be a problem again this mission."_

–

Howlite began to creep once more in the shadows, her visor still turned off. She knew that the deeper she went into these chasms, the worse the signal would become. Might as well keep it offline.

\--

_White found his tone a little concerning. Problem? He thought it was a **problem**? She looked away, deep in thought. No, she shouldn't dwell on that just yet. They had a mission to focus on. But, even so..._

_The more time ticked by, the more her urge to say something to the service gem grew, until it was impossible to ignore._

–

Howlite made her way through the chasms, placing a palm on the wall for a moment. The rocks felt cold and damp to the touch. Prowling silently, she found a large turnoff in the walls that looked almost like a cave. Sharp rocks jut out from the sides in places. Walking over, she glanced around it's entrance, then inside. It didn't look like it went anywhere, it was just a massive hole in the wall with a few jagged rocks here and there. She looked behind her suspiciously, then back into the cavernous hole in the wall.

\--

_At this point, Hematite had gone quiet. He focused all his energy on Howlite's senses. Her hearing, her sight, her sharper, inexplicable hunting senses. The ones that told her if someone was nearby or not. For the time, Hematite couldn't get a read on anything. It seemed nobody was around._

_The service gem, as Howlite continued into the chasms, started to glance at White. He could tell something was up._

_"White, is there something you want to say?" His tone wasn't aggressive, but it did seem mildly curious. Brows raising, he started to uncross his arms._

\--

_White blinked quickly, looking over to the other gem._

_"Ah, right. Well..." She stopped, placing her fingers together. "Why do you think... that what you did was a problem? I thought you handled that very well, honestly." She raised a brow with genuine curiosity. Perhaps she was missing something?..._

\--

_Hematite blinked in genuine confusion. Well, that certainly was a weird question._

_"B... because." He looked toward the screen. Seemed Howlite was thinking about something and pacing around her immediate area. "..." Drumming his fingers on the table, he frowned and looked to the side. "A hunter isn't supposed to feel pity toward their target. A harvester shouldn't have such... **conflicting** emotions distracting them." Hematite was reciting the words as if someone else had spoken them to him._

_**It makes me a weaker hunter.** _

\--

_White stared at him in a strange bafflement for a moment, frowning._

_"Hematite..." She looked down to her hands, pressing her fingertips into one another, holding her hands steady. "You hardly seemed distracted at all. Feeling these things doesn't make you any less of a skilled harvester. In fact, they're what make you a great one." She looked at him again encouragingly. She smiled. "It keeps you grounded. It keeps you morally in check. And on top of this all, you still get your job done. You should be proud."_

_**You don't give yourself enough credit, honestly...** _

\--

_Hema's brows raised, and he looked at White directly now. He'd caught that last part, even if it was faint. His shoulders relaxed, and he glanced away, almost bashfully._

–

Howlite stopped in her tracks, a hand raising to the gem on her neck. She blinked in surprise, letting out a soft exhale.

"…"

\--

_The service gem fidgeted quietly._

_"Do you... really think I'm a great harvester? But the other Hematites are so much more efficient." His tone seemed like he was taking White's words to heart, but that there was more self doubting than actual hatred toward his empathetic nature. He didn't seem to actually think his emotions were a problem, but instead, seemed afraid that **others** thought they were a problem._

\--

_White leaned over and looked at Hematite's eyes, more level to him now._

_"Efficient in what way? They are careless. They rely too much on instincts. Emotions like empathy are what keep gems from becoming drone-like. We might as well have robots for that kind of stuff. You, Hematite, are careful. Thoughtful. You think critically, and feeling empathy towards gems makes you far more trustworthy in my opinion." She leaned back once more, sitting up straight. "There's a reason I picked you and no other. You shouldn't doubt yourself, Hematite. You are just as capable if not **more** capable than any of the other Hematites."_

\--

_Though he had to brace himself, Hematite managed to keep himself level with White without flinching back. He gazed at her, wide-eyed._

_**Makes you far more trustworthy in my opinion.** _

_Hematite rubbed his arm and looked away._

_**You shouldn't doubt yourself.** _

_The service gem's expression became unreadable._

_**You are just as capable if not more capable than any of the other Hematites.** _

_Clearing his throat, Hematite looked back at the visor screen. A strange mix of emotions was coming from him, but he suddenly seemed to be... hiding something. There was a hint of pride there, excitement, but there was something **else**._

_Something that, unbeknownst to White, Hema had felt before. He'd felt it when he first defeated Blue in the arena. He felt it when Morgan admitted that Hema would have beaten him in their first spar, had it continued. He felt it whenever he managed to finally capture a particularly difficult harvest target._

_There was **no** word for this emotion. It was fear of himself, it was apprehension, it was a deep-seeded distrust of himself. He didn't **want** to feel powerful, he didn't **want** to know what he was capable of, he didn't **want** others to tell him how good he was at his job._

_**But he also did. He absolutely did. And that scared him more than anything.** _

_But despite this cocktail of conflicting emotions, Hematite kept himself well in check, and the feeling passed within a moment, barely registering in the fusion plane. It was there, certainly, but not long enough for White to get a full read on it._

_"Thank you, White... Let's catch these rebels, eh? They gotta be around here somewhere."_

\--

_White felt more of that than she would have admitted. It didn't exactly make her uncomfortable, but she could tell that despite her words, something wasn't sitting right with him. Maybe someday he would understand...maybe someday she would understand how **he** could think like this. Of all her years working with him, there was still so much to learn. Still, she said nothing, offering him another warm smile. _

_"Ah, yes. Now... I think I know what we should do. Wandering around isn't doing us much good." She squinted, placing a finger on her chin, perplexed. She had an idea._

\--

_Looking fully at White, Hematite crossed one leg over the other, bobbing his foot in place._

_"What else can we do? We've been searching this place for a while, we could be here all night. Maybe if we tracked that scout's gem signature for more like it, or if we made some racket around here, they'd come out..."_

\--

_"No, that won't work. Hematite, how about I teach you a trick." She smirked, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. The focus of the fusion felt as though it were changing. The air shifted subtly, but hardly enough to notice._

–

Howlite shifted suddenly, turning her head to face the walls. The cavernous holes had become more and more frequent now, one every mile or two. She stopped, staring into the next one that she came across. She turned, walking into it. Darkness soon shrouded the huge fusion, concealing them from the outside. Anyone who wasn't paying very close attention could easily miss her. She crouched low, behind a few rocks that jutted up from the ground. Narrowing her eyes, she watched quietly and carefully.

\--

_Looking around, Hematite noticed the change in control. It happened rather easily. He leaned back in his chair and watched curiously, his brows raised. Hopefully he'd learn something new about hunting..._

_As Howlite hunkered down into one of the dark holes, Hema arched a brow in confusion._

_"We're going to... wait?? White, we'll be here all night!"_

\--

_"If that's what it takes." She smirked, opening her eyes and sitting back in her chair Idly. "You must have patience. As much patience as you need. Watch, if someone is headed to the base, we will find them and track them quietly. We'll let them lead us to the camp," she said, a little slyly._

\--

_Blinking, the service gem looked between the screen and White, and then back again. After about five minutes of silence, the smaller gem tilted his head back over the edge of his chair, his arms hanging limply at his sides._

_"Uuuugh," he groaned, sounding more like a child than a gem on a mission. He wasn't known for being patient, and he hated waiting around and doing nothing._

_After his momentary, non-verbal complaint, Hematite leaned forward again and rested his elbows on the table, holding his chin in his hands._

_This was going to take a while._

\--

Two hours passed, and nothing eventful happened. Every now and then, a gem creature would scurry by, keeping Howlite alert. Grimacing, she'd quietly flick a rock at them to get them to go away.

\--

_"Hematite, be patient. This is the third time you've imagined tea that you cannot drink." the Diamond said, holding up a fake teapot with minor annoyance. "You're honestly just making me thirsty." She rolled her eyes, dropping the teapot which exploded into a cloud of white dust. Suddenly, her attention jerked towards the screen. Something was up._

–

_Before Howlite's attention was grabbed, Hematite's upper half was sprawled face first on the table. His voice was muffled._

_"But Whiiiiiite I'm so bored and all I can think about is the tea this morniiiing. Nobody's even coming-" He stopped cold as Howlite's senses trained on an approaching sound, and he quickly lifted his head, his attention focused on the screen._

–

Howlite's eyes narrowed as she fixated on a sound that was coming closer. _Footsteps_. _Finally_. She got as low to the ground as she could and waited.

Sure enough, their patience had rewarded them. A tall, medium built blue gem walked in front of the entrance, casually swinging the braid of their hair in their hand. Their navy hair was tied up, a good 3 and a half feet long. Easily half of their height. They didn't even notice they were being watched.

"MNnnghh blasted meetings. Why do they always gotta take place at night? I'm so tired and this place is so confusing in the dark," she muttered, just out of earshot, for a normal gem. However, for Howlite, it was more than loud enough.

–

As the gem passed, Howlite's eyepiece silently came online. Eyes narrowing, she hesitated before crawling from her hiding place. No, this part of the mission needed something more than just her eyepiece. Lifting her hand to her face, the fusion gem flicked it over her eyes, summoning a hunting visor. She made sure to keep the light off. She could see this gem well enough without it, after all. Slowly crawling out of her hiding spot after the gem had walked some distance, the huge fusion crept silently after the warrior, unseen, unheard.

The hunting visor began to scan.

\--

_Well, he'd never seen that kind of gem before. Must've been a rarer subclass. Hematite's eyes flickered over the gem text that came on the screen, and he mumbled some of the finer stats to himself before finally reading the main text._

_"Gem found: Kyanite. Status: No gem faults detected. Mission Objective..." His eyes narrowed. "Follow."_

–

Night loomed overhead, thick clouds blocking out the majority of the sky. The Kyanite warrior kept twirling their hair casually, glancing from side to side every now and then. Unbeknownst to the warrior, a huge gem was following unnervingly close behind. Howlite made no noise when she moved. She didn't breath, she didn't step down too quickly. She crept closer and closer, carefully eyeing the warrior.

Soon, the smaller gem stopped at one of the massive holes in the wall. She let go of her hair and looked up, observing the shape of the entrance. _Yep, this is it._ She stepped inside.

–

Howlite's eyes narrowed, and she stopped following the Kyanite, though her gaze didn't leave her for a moment.

_What are you up to._

Watching carefully, the fusion made no move to get closer, lest she be seen.

\--

_Hematite's own eyes squinted slightly. Was this gem aware they were being followed? Were they leading them into a trap? Surely they couldn't be that calm if they knew they were being tracked. Hematite craned his neck, trying to see what was going on._

–

The warrior paced quietly through the entrance, looking to her left.

"Hm..." she hummed out curiously. "Ah, here we go." Quietly, she scurried off somewhere just behind the jutted rocks. Howlite's eyes widened, slowly making a move for the cavern. Once inside, she noticed there was another opening in the wall, much smaller than the entrance. However, it was just big enough for the fusion to squeeze through. She smirked. _Bingo_.

–

Slowly, the fusion made her way down a rather large, cavernous tunnel. The Kyanite stayed about fifty to a hundred feet ahead, still seemingly unaware that she was being followed.

Eventually, the tunnel began to open up, and Howlite could see a distant light.

–

_"Looks like we're here. Are you ready, Hematite? Whatever happens next is up to us to take care of. It could get messy." She rolled her shoulders, shooting him a side glance. "I'll need your full cooperation."_

–

Howlite started to crouch low again, now seemingly 'crawling' on the cold stone floor. She picked up noises in the distance. It was far enough away that words couldn't be made out, but she could definitely tell there was some kind of talking. Slowing down as the Kyanite turned, she figured it was almost time to strike. She stood a little taller, grabbing onto the wall when she had gotten close to the turn herself. Her eyes narrowed, and she listened in on whatever was going on on the other end of the hall.

\--

_Turning to his leader, Hematite nodded with a serious frown. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he realized that White knew what she was doing. He was just there in case something went wrong. Looking back at the screen, Hematite sat up straighter._

–

Howlite moved closer, her shadowy cover quickly being blown. Her feet were the first thing to come into view of whoever was in the hideout, though she stopped at that point. Her entire top half was still cast in deep shadow. She folded her arms behind her back.

–

It didn't take long for the rebels to notice their unwelcome guest. From the looks of things, there were about 15 gems, 5 of them much smaller than the other 10. They were likely the scouts or the workers. The biggest one, a red gem, stood up and took a slow breath, sticking out their jaw threateningly. It was obvious they were not impressed or intimidated by the massive being standing in the hall's entrance.

"Whadda you think you're doin' 'ere? This is a private get togetha'. I suggest you be on your way, lest me n'the gems escort you out." he snarled with a thick accent, narrowing his eyes up at the fusion.

Howlite, too, was unphased.

"By the order of the Diamond Authority, you are all to be brought to justice. You can come quietly with us, or we can take action. It's your choice." She spoke simply. Short, sweet, and to the point.

The red gem blinked in confusion, but quickly erupted into a harsh, guttural laughter. The rest of the gems soon followed in his actions.

"HUUuuwaaah. You think you're funny do ye? Weeeeelll now. I don't take kindly to jokes, doll. How'sa bout I give you an option. You can take yer pretty lil' self outta this cave, or the gems and I'll give ya somethin' to run from." He squinted with a sly, toothy grin. He slammed his fist into his palm, cracking his knuckles again on impact.

Howlite's expression remained calm and unmoved. Her eyes narrowed under her visor, too faint to see by anyone else.

\--

_Hematite's expression noticeably twitched, and he stood up from the small table he was seated at. Doll? DOLL? Who was this gem calling 'doll'? How dare he!_

_"Oh I'll give you something to run from, you little-" Hematite began rolling up his sleeves, his eyes narrowing._

\--

_White cleared her throat loudly, narrowing her eyes at the service gem._

_"Sit down." She said sternly, glaring back at the screen._

–

_Flinching, Hematite stopped and sat back down, his arms crossed. After a pause, he adjusted his sleeves back to normal._

\--

Howlite took a single step out from the shadows towards the group. Her face was now completely uncovered from the darkness. Slowly looking down, her mask hid her eyes completely for the moment.

"I don't think you heard me the first time. Allow me to make myself clear." She said, both of her mouths curling into a soft, calm smile. Suddenly, _both_ mouths started speaking in ominous unison.

 **"You are under arrest. You may come with me peacefully, or we will take you by force. Either way, you're going back to the city. Those that choose to go peacefully will be given a fair trial and likely relocated to a faction with the minimal consequences that we can allow for your crimes. However..."** Her visor screen suddenly flickered, revealing the fusion's eyes under the mask. But they looked different. With black scleroses and smaller, white irises, they pierced the group below and froze many in place with her deadly gaze.

**"If you do not cooperate, I. _Will_. Take action."**

 

Many of the rebels were frozen in place. They stared in horror at the huge fusion's eyes and visor. With a sudden change of expression, it was clear that a few of them even knew what that visor meant. And they wanted no part of it. Three of the gems, two smaller and one warrior sized, put their hands up and backed away from the rest of the group. A few of the larger gems glowered at their comrades, looking almost offended. One of them demanded that the three get back in their places, while another drew their weapon and glared up at Howlite.

–

Howlite placed her hands on her hips and glared down at the group, tapping her nails slowly. She said nothing. The three warriors that had backed off nervously looked between the group and the fusion, but knew it was better if they cooperated.

"PAH! Alla' ya are a buncha COWARDS!" The red gem spat angrily "No matter. You'll all pay for this one way or another." He reached for his gem, which was on his shoulder, and pulled out a massive cleaver. "GET EM, GEMS." He hissed. At his command, the rest of the warrior gems yelled out in anger, all of them advancing towards Howlite. The remaining smaller gems, however, stayed behind and nodded at each other. Their gems started to glow.

Howlite cracked her neck and took a deep breath.

_**Alright, have it your way.** _

\--

_**"I never did like Spinels."** _

_Hematite rolled his shoulders and clutched onto his chair tightly, watching White and the screen intently. He'd wait for her to give the sign to step in._

–

The three gems that had surrendered hurried back to the furthest part of the room, all huddling together. They hoped and prayed that this would be over quickly, and that the fusion would keep true to her word.

Two of the warrior class gems, instead of advancing toward Howlite, stood back some distance, their gems glowing. But they weren't fusing, they were summoning their weapons. Quickly, the two pulled out a pair of bows. They quickly drew back the strings, arming them with elemental arrows.

_Great, a pair of archers._

–

With a fierce arch of her back, Howlite's lip started to twitch. She narrowed her eyes, standing tall above everyone else. Through the rush, the warriors were ready to pounce. They didn't get very far.

With clenched fists, Howlite took a massive breath. With a fire in her eyes that wasn't there before, she opened both of her mouths and let out a blood curdling **roar**. 4 of the Warriors stopped dead in their tracks, scrambling back a few steps. All of the others dropped their weapons and covered their ears. The Spinel's eyes widened in fierce anger, quickly looking to the smaller gems.

The sheer sound of Howlite's scream shook the room, creating small tremors up the walls. Rocky, jagged stalactites shook and crumbled on the ceiling above, raining dirt and small debris down upon the gem's heads.

_There was an opening. With the warriors distracted, she could make a move._

–

The three gems in the corner covered their heads as the room shook. Trembling, they backed further away.

Howlite took her window of opportunity and shot forward. She quickly slapped one of the larger warriors away into the wall, stunning them. Her other hand shot out and knocked away three others. Two of them hit the wall, hard, and there were two 'poffs' that followed. She'd get those in a minute.

Electricity started to spark between the fusion's clawed fingers. Her hands tensed, and the sparking energy suddenly coursed up the length of her entire arm. A grin spread across her face, and she quickly slammed her hands down on the wet surface of the cave floor, sending a wave of electricity through it. Two more of the warriors and smaller gems cried out in pain as they tried to stumble back away from the fusion. They ended up collapsing, no longer able to attack.

At this point, two more of the gems dropped their weapons and fled back to the corner of the room.

Only four more to go.

–

One of the last worker gems standing looked up at the Spinel, having stayed up when the others took a fall. They gave their leader a nod of understanding, their gem glowing brightly. With a frustrated huff, the Spinel looked to the worker and put their weapon away. His gem, too, started to glow. A warrior who caught a glimpse of the action turned to their leader and made a break for them. Their gem, too, started to glow. This wouldn't take long.

One of the last warriors standing lunged themselves onto Howlite's foot, sticking their weapon onto her leg. With a pained screech, the fusion angrily grabbed hold of the warrior by the back of their outfit, lifting them up to her face with a predatory snarl. The warrior's eyes grew wide in horror, flinching.

\--

_Hematite didn't move from his spot, but his eyes were staring at the screen, wide as saucers. His instincts spiked again. Without warning, the prickling sensation came back stronger than ever in both of the gem's throats. Hematite felt the **tiniest** smirk cross his face._

_**Shouldn't have done that.** _

–

Howlite, without a second thought, tossed the warrior gem into one of her mouths. She wasted no time in transferring them to her pocket dimension. Her neck gem flashed, and she lowered her gaze again, a sneer still present on her face. Her attention now turned to the last of the rebels, whom, while she was distracted, had started to fuse.

And it looked like they were almost entirely formed.

–

Howlite bared her fangs and growled at the new fusion. They formed, just shorter than Howlite by a foot or so and twice as built. They bore 4 arms and 6 eyes, and long braided hair that extended down to the floor. They reeled back and, much like how Howlite did before, let out a horrendous roar. The gems who had either been defeated or surrendered cowered again, but Howlite remained calm and collected, albeit fierce. At the same time, both of the fusions reached for their gems and summoned their weapons. The rebel fusion summoned a massive buster sword that was soon lit with bright red flames. Howlite's was a massive pole arm much like White's weapon, flowing with electricity. There were sharp spikes sticking out from the ends of the pole, far more than usual. She spun it around mid air before pointing it directly at the opposing fusion. The visor once more glazed over, concealing her eyes.

\--

_Hematite glared at the new fusion and felt a few beads of sweat form on his brow. So this is why White didn't send him alone. He wouldn't stand a chance against that thing. He nervously glanced at his leader._

_"I'm afraid this is all yours, White Diamond."_

_My limited combat skills aren't going to help us here._

\--

_Fiercely, White glared at the screen. She'd never taken her eyes off of it. There was a tense pressure in the fusion plane. She was focused._

\--

With blinding speed, both fusions thrust their weapons forward, clanging loudly against each other. Anyone who was left on the ground had quickly managed to scurry off to the side lines. They weren't going to risk getting in the middle of that. With loud growls, both fusions were hot on each other's trail, mimicking each other's movement. Howlite ducked and kicked upwards, delivering a swift blow to the other fusion's jaw. They faltered, but quickly recovered and swung their blade. Howlite had already predicted that they would make a swing and got out of the way many seconds before the fusion could register that they had moved already. Howlite smirked, twisting their electrified pole arm in their hand and bounding a few large steps back. Hissing, the opposing fusion rushed forward with their flaming sword in hand. Howlite rolled her eyes. _Really? This is so unfortunately predictable_. As soon as the fusion got close enough, Howlite ducked low and dived under their legs. The fusion, caught off guard but still running at full speed, slammed their sword into the wall, wedging it harshly into a new found crack.

"WHAT?!" They snarled, pulling at the sword. The flames extinguished, and worse yet the sword was stuck.

\--

_Hematite watched with wide eyes. He was silently taking notes. He'd never seen White fight. She was precise, tricky, fast. It seemed she was always two steps ahead of her enemy._

–

Howlite quickly turned and tossed her pole arm to her opposite hand, grasping it with both her fists. Letting out an earsplitting roar, she lunged forward, quickly closing in on the distracted fusion.

_**SHIK** _

With a sickening grunt, the rebel fusion went stiff. Howlite's pole arm was buried deep in their back.

The white-haired fusion's eyes were cold. Bright electricity shot up through her weapon, the violent energy overtaking the opposing fusion. They cried out, and their body began to glow and warp unstably. The three gems poofed apart, landing heavily on the floor, stunned. Seemed one of them had been poofed in the unfusing process, leaving only the Spinel leader and the Kyanite gem.

–

Howlite was quickly upon them, bringing her foot down upon the poofed gem that fell. A sharp, grim crunch soon followed. The Spinel and the Kyanite both looked up slowly at Howlite who was now still towering above them with the same cold gaze she had before.

"That was so painfully quick. How sad. And here I thought you'd be more of a challenge." She sneered venomously She quickly lifted her pole arm and before either of them could react, the bladed end swiped clean through their projections, immediately reducing them both to a cloud of colored smoke.

"Hmph." There was a cold silence that filled the damp air of the cavern.

Reaching down, Howlite picked up the two gems on the ground and fizzled her weapon away. She brought them both up to her face, narrowing her eyes.

"Such a shame it had to end this way. Oh well, we did give you a chance at least." Without another word, she opened her mouth and tossed the gems in.

A muffled snap could be heard by anyone listening carefully enough. Turning her head slowly to the cowering gems in the corner, she gulped quietly. The visor phased back, revealing her eyes again. This time, thankfully, they had returned to normal. She seemed much calmer.

\--

_Hematite was staring at White sidelong, holding his breath._

_He. Hadn't done any of that. That was **all** White and Howlite._

_Swallowing quietly, Hematite stood and walked over beside his leader._

_"White, would you like me to handle the rest of this?~" He offered calmly, smiling coyly at the taller gem._

–

Howlite gave the defeated and surrendered gems a look that told them not to try any funny business, and began pacing around the room, collecting the gems that had been poofed. She placed each of them in small, silvery bubbles and quickly stored them away in her neck gem.

\--

_White sat up straight and gave Hematite a narrow eyed look. Pursing her lips, she looked back to the screen and tilted her head down, watching carefully._

_"Yes. I believe I've done my job here." She said, placing her hands on her legs calmly. Raising her brows, the pressure in the air seemed to fade away. She was relaxing._

_**They can never make this easy, can they. Hmph.** _

\--

_Smiling, Hematite turned to the screen and rolled his shoulders calmly. He stood in front of the visor with his arms folded neatly behind him._

–

Turning to the defeated rebels, Howlite narrowed her eyes. She crouched down and picked up two of them by the backs of their outfits, lifting them above the ground. One of them began throwing aimless punches toward the fusion's face, and she rolled her eyes at her. Howlite quickly tossed the warrior in her mouth, making short work of her. Her gem flashed as she stored the rebel away. She opened her eyes again and glared at the second rebel in her hand.

"Are you going to be difficult?"

Covering their mouth, the gem slowly shook their head. Howlite's mouths curled into an eerily calm smile.

"Good.~" With a 'plip', a larger silver bubble formed around the rebel gem. It shrank down just slightly to better encase them, though it did still give them some moving room. The worker gem pressed their hands against the surface of the bubble in confusion as they looked around. It didn't take Howlite long to store the gem away.

She turned to the last few gems that had surrendered without a fight.

–

"Now." The two voices spoke once more, stern and loud. There was a stillness to the air, and the gems who had surrendered all stared up in terror. However, Howlite made no sudden movements towards them. "Firstly, I'd like to thank you for your cooperation. I shall see to it that you are all dealt with accordingly and fairly. Secondly, I'm going to present you all with more options. You can choose to travel back to the White district in a bubble, or I can carry you. Or...you can walk in front of me on your own. Do not worry, I will walk slow enough to keep up with you." She narrowed her eyes. "Those who choose to walk will be monitored accordingly. Don't try to run off, it _won't_ work." She said.

Alright, time to organize. Who was traveling in what way?

\--

_White watched Hematite with curious intention. Now that she was a lot calmer, the whole demeanor of the place felt placid as well. He's handling this well. Really well. She smiled softly, watching the screen. He seemed to know all the right things to say here. Excellent..._

\--

_With his back to White, Hematite occasionally brushed his fingers together or turned his head just slightly as he spoke with the gems through Howlite. The rush of hunter instincts had passed, though there still lingered a peculiar drive to go ahead and round up all the gems by force. It was very faint, however, and didn't seem to be getting any stronger. In fact, it felt as though the urge was slowly backing off as Hematite controlled the business at hand._

–

Soon enough, after some coaxing, Howlite had all her gems in a row. Surprisingly enough, one of the rebels had taken the bubble offer, and the fusion was kind enough to transfer them directly to her neck gem, no mouths involved. The others all chose to be carried, aside from one. The largest warrior didn't seem keen on making any sort of contact with Howlite.

Kneeling down, the fusion gem reached her clawed hands to the rest of the rebel gems, who all flinched to some degree. She slowly scooped them up, making sure to be careful, but firm.

She picked up the last one in her other hand and stood straight. Turning back to the exit of the base, she stared at the warrior gem that had refused to take a ride. She nodded her head toward the exit.

"Get a move on. It's a long walk."

–

The warrior gem scowled, grumbling something under their breath. Howlite cleared her throat, and the smaller gem flinched. They quickly started for the exit, but not quickly enough for it to be considered a running escape. Howlite, carefully holding the rest of the rebels, followed after the warrior. It would be daylight again by the time they even got close to the city. This was going to take a while.

\--

_White stood up from her seat and placed one of her palms in her hands. She looked between the screen and Hematite, smiling. Slowly, she turned away from them and looked out to the rest of the fusion plane. It was warm, the familiar smell of peppermint tea filled the air somehow. Even if it was a phantom scent, it was nice. Despite everything, it was absolutely serene here._

–

Howlite trailed after the warrior, but stopped toward the end of the tunnel. She turned and narrowed her eyes. After a long pause, which she used to look up and down the narrow entrance of the base, the fusion suddenly reeled her leg back and delivered a sharp blow to the side of the cliff, cracking it violently. Rocks fell in a clumsy heap in front of the tunnel, completely blocking it off. Some of the rebels in the giant gem's hands flinched, while one of them actually let out a sigh of relief. They were glad this whole ordeal was over.

_Not **all** of them wanted to work for Spinel._

Howlite turned to the currently startled warrior gem and narrowed her eyes.

"Keep moving or I'm _going_ to pick you up."

The fusion continued on down the chasm she'd come from. The tiny gems in her hands shifted every once in a while as they spoke among themselves. One of them was giving Howlite a few cautiously curious glances as she spoke quietly with a smaller greenish gem beside her, while one of the rebels peered quietly over the edge of the giant hand they rested on. They quickly yelped and scrambled back, regretting their choice to look down.

\--

_Hematite, upon gazing at the gems in Howlite's hands for a few moments, felt the smallest of smiles grace his lips. His shoulders relaxed considerably. All the tension left the fusion plane now, leaving nothing but the calming tone it had when he and White first fused. He stopped fidgeting behind his back. An odd emotion began faintly radiating from him, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was … at first._

\--

_White felt a calmness in the air. But then, she felt something else. There was a strange presence of joy. **Protectiveness**. Some form of pleasant contentment. She sighed quietly, staring out at the flowing hair on the horizon. All things considered, this went really well. She was glad for it, and she was glad to see how well Hematite had handled this mission._

–

 

The smaller warrior gem paced quickly, visibly nervous. As fast as they walked, it didn't seem to be doing them much good. Especially with a massive fusion walking mere feet from them. Every time he slowed down, she would make a quick remark that reminded him to keep up his pace. The gems within Howlite's hand, as time went by, peered over the side gradually. It seemed they were getting slightly more used to traveling this way. One of them glanced down at the warrior, rolling their eyes. _Ugh...this would be soooo much quicker if this crystal shrimp wasn't such a wuss!!_

–

Howlite, after finally reaching the end of the chasms, stopped walking and sighed heavily.

"Alright, this isn't going to work. You have two choices. You can either join your comrades up here, or you can be bubbled and transferred. Pick."

\--

_Hematite shifted his weight from side to side quietly. A strange, different kind of warmth had spread throughout the fusion plane. Before, it felt like early sunshine and the glow of sunset, but this warmth felt... Well._

_There was a hint of sympathy in it. As if Hematite knew how the warrior gem was feeling. He understood where their hesitation was coming from. And, despite everything this rebel faction had been accused of in the past, there was an odd sort of... protective nature keeping Howlite from being rough or forceful with the remaining gems._

–

The warrior anxiously pressed two fingers together, frowning.

"U-uuuh..." They looked away briefly. More gems peeked over the fusion's hands and waved.

"Come ooooon man, we'll be traveling for HOURS if you don't do something!" one of them called down. Another looked down, smiling awkwardly.

"Hey, come up here, it's actually not that bad when ya get used to the height change!"

\--

_White turned her head to face Hematite, looking at him with more thoughts. Everything she wanted to say before was coming back....as well as other things. Things she didn't want to think about. She frowned, almost sadly, and looked away again. No, she couldn't feel like this now. He had done well. He had performed, once again, to her expectations and beyond. She was happy for him. She was **proud** of him. She forced a smile, turning to the service gem at last. _

_"You did well today, Hematite."_

\--

The warrior narrowed their eyes, looking away awkwardly. They huffed loudly before tossing their arms up in frustration and defeat.

"Fine, fine! Let's just get this over with." They crossed their arms in resignation as Howlite bent down and picked them up. She placed the warrior onto her palm and stood straight again, continuing back toward the main city. Now that she didn't have to wait, this would be much quicker. Hopefully, she'd be back before dawn.

\--

_Hematite wore a satisfied smile now that all the gems were being carried safely back to the diamond towers. He perked when White spoke to him, and he turned with a bright grin._

_"Thank you, White... I uhm." He finally turned away from the visor screen and rubbed the back of his head, messing with his hair. "Th-thank you. For this opportunity." Looking up at her, his eyes were bright with undisguised admiration. His enthusiasm had returned from a job well done, and his fists balled up in front of him once more. "This was incredible! I learned so much, so much more than I thought I would!" As he continued on, a powerful mix of emotions filled the fusion plane._

_Excitement, adoration, awe, satisfaction of a mission gone well... and something else. Something **stronger.**_

_"I can't believe how amazing this has been, and I'm so glad..." He turned away slightly, holding his arm. "I'm glad I'm the one who got to experience it with you." As Hematite turned to gaze up at his leader, the feeling suddenly sharpened._

_**It was love.** _

_Love for his leader, love for his job, love for being able to fuse and learn so many new things in such a short time. And, deep within the powerful emotion, there was even a spark of love for **himself**._

\--

_The diamond fell silent, eyes wide and staring at the enthusiastic gem going on in front of her. Her smile widened, brows raising. Was this relief? Happiness? A mix of both? She couldn't tell. All she could feel was love. It was resonating from the Hematite, a different kind of warmth flooding her emotions._

_"Hah... Hahah..." She chuckled quietly, watching the gem gleefully, like a mother who was content to see her child happy. He'd been through many rough times, and she knew he had quite a few problems with his own self confidence. But this...this gave her hope. This gave her happiness. Seeing him this way, to know that he was still Hematite, that he was the gem she knew him to be, inside and out, despite all this troubles. To know that he was so grateful, so passionate, so efficient! She placed her palm on her cheek and turned a little, grinning ear to ear. She couldn't find the words to express herself, but she definitely felt it. She absolutely felt it; a mix of many different emotions. Though, somewhere in there laid a faint, almost masked feeling... one of vague guilt._

_**I'm so happy for you... I just want** _ **you** **_to be happy..._ **

 

_**I'm sorry.** _

\--

_Hematite continued on for a few minutes, going over everything he'd learned from her. The patient tactics, the intimidation methods, the stalking and fighting techniques, the new gem type! He and White had taken out a whole troublesome faction together!_

_Eventually he trailed off when he caught wind of White's own mix of emotions... specifically the last one._

_His smile faded momentarily, but he quickly forced it to return._

_"White, I'm absolutely going to put everything you taught me to use one day soon! I **promise**!" He grinned from ear to ear, but something in the plane shifted. **He was hiding something again.** "I **already** feel like a better harvester!"_

_Unbeknownst to White, it was a feeling of his own sort of guilt. He wanted to make her happy. He wanted her to know he didn't blame her for his... well. Flaws. His **doomed** flaws. He didn't want her to think about that. And honestly, **he** didn't want to think about that either._

_"But for now, let's get these rebels back to the capital!"_

\--

_White looked to the gem and nodded slowly._

_"I'm happy to hear you've learned so much. I'm glad I could help you..." she said, taking a few steps forward. A warm breeze from seemingly nowhere brushed past them. She placed her hands on his shoulders, closing her eyes. "You're already such a wonderful Harvester. Please do not doubt yourself... alright?" She opened her eyes again, this time looking back to the screen. She turned and walked behind him, placing her hands in front of her. "We'll arrive in a few hours. Hematite... perhaps, I could hear some of your stories?" She turned her head, glancing at him from the side. "I hear about your missions from your reports, but I want to hear about them from you. Would you like to talk about some? I'm sure you've had quite a few thrilling adventures that the reports don't do justice!”_

\--

_Hematite smiled up at her, his eyes closing at the warm breeze. As White walked away a few paces, he looked around the fusion plane curiously. He closed his eyes again._

_"I'll try not to."_

_The service gem perked when White proposed he talk about some of his missions. With a look of absolute joy, he turned to her, his eyes shining._

_"Y-YES! Of course, oh stars I have some great ones!" Sitting down at the small table, he was already beginning one of his tales from a few years back that brought him to the bottom of an ocean, on a far-off planet._

–

Howlite felt a small, contented smile grace her lips. A warmth spread through her whole being, and she closed her eyes as she walked, a calm air washing over her.

Perhaps this walk wouldn't feel as long as she thought.


	40. Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite visits Yellow Diamond before going on a mission.

There was an odd density to the air in White's office, today. What was normally peaceful and warm felt tense and chilled for some reason. The diamond sat at her desk quietly, fingers interlocked, staring at a small box. 

"May I get you anything, my Diamond?" a voice called from the other side of the room. It was the pearl, standing calmly at attention. White sighed and shook her head. 

"No, nothing right now. There won't be time for tea today I'm afraid," she responded solemnly. She stared up at the door now, waiting with bated breath for someone to come in. For something to happen. Anything. Anything but _this._

–

A knock sounded on the door. The office entrance hissed open, and Hematite was standing at attention on the other side, his eyepiece oddly missing from his face. He was holding a diamond pad in his hand, and quickly put it back in his gemstone. Stepping inside, he stopped and saluted.

"Hematite reporting, White Diamond. I've finished briefing for my next mission. I'm ready to depart." Glancing at the box near White's hands, the service gem felt something twinge in the back of his mind. He recognized that box.

_Don't._

"Has something changed?" he asked simply, trying to smile.

–

White gave Hematite a concerned frown and looked down to the box. 

"Come in, please. Before you go, there is... something that I need you to do." She grimaced, tapping a finger on the box and turning it slightly. "I'm afraid Yellow Diamond's condition has worsened. She has ceased all communications from the outside world, even from Blue and I. This is incredibly dire... I've tried everything. I've tried even going to her myself on multiple occasions. Even if I do manage to get into her office, she just sits there silently... Please, Hematite, I don't know what else to do..." Her eyes widened, looking at the box. There was soft desperation in her tone. Shrugging her shoulders low, she closed her eyes and took a breath. "I need you to try and talk to her one more time. Maybe seeing you will snap her out of this mess. Maybe it's a long shot, but I've tried everything else... I... don't know what to do anymore. I truly don't.”

–

Hematite's smile quickly faded, and he stood at attention, a deep frown on his face.

"I don't know what to do either. I've tried everything I can with her." He suddenly looked away. "She'll probably just attack me again." _After what I saw in that nightmare of hers... It's no wonder she's gotten worse._ Hematite sighed through his nose and slowly looked at the box. He was silent for a long moment. "... But. If it'd make you feel better, I'll try one more time." He stepped forward and carefully picked up the tea box. Looking up, he gave White a weak smile. "If I don't come back, you know what happened." He was joking, clearly, but there was a tinge of seriousness to it.

Without waiting for her response, he started to walk out of the office.

–

White lifted her finger like she was going to say something, but remained silent. As the door hissed shut behind him, she crossed one arm over the other and sighed. "Good luck, then."

–

–

_Please don't attack me._

_Please stop hating me._

_I haven't done anything since that day..._

_Why is this still bothering you._

_Please, you're worrying White and Blue._

  


_Yellow..._

  


The Yellow District was, as per the usual lately, cast completely in darkness by rolling thunderclouds. Lightning coursed through the sky, ominously lighting the district buildings now and then. Hematite stood in front of the large doors to Yellow Diamond's office, gazing up at it. His hands began to shake. Swallowing, he steadied himself and took a deep breath. He knocked.

–

The door opened a couple of inches, and there in the space between was Yellow's pearl. She glared at the service gem, turning up her nose to him in a snooty way. 

"UGH... _you_ again? Look, Hematite, can't you take a hint? No, can't you take an **order**? It's very simple...Yellow does not want to see you, or anyone under any circumstances. I thought we'd been over this." She scowled.

–

_Ugh, **her** again._

Hematite frowned and, much like the last time, held up the box of tea, muttering, "Yes, I can take an order. _An order from White Diamond._ Let me in."

–

The Pearl narrowed her eyes, lip twitching. The door closed quickly, but for a moment stayed shut. Then it opened again. The room was still in its horrendous state that Hematite had seen before, except now at least the lights had been fixed entirely. The tall Diamond stood on the other side of the room, back turned to the door. She was staring out the window, her palms placed firmly on the glass. She didn't make any moves or speak any words. Did she even know that anyone had come in?...

–

Well... the room at least looked a little less ominous with the lights having been fixed. At the sight of Yellow, Hematite took a deep, steadying breath.

_Here goes everything._

The service gem took a single pace into the room.

"Hematite reporting, Yellow Diamond."

–

Her shoulders tensed suddenly, but she didn't respond. Slowly, she turned her head, glaring at him wide eyed. The air got thicker, suddenly. 

"What. Are you doing... here..." she hissed quietly. 

The Pearl stood away from the two, eyeing one of the doors in the back. She took the opportunity to leave. She knew what happened last time, she was _not_ going to stay here and risk getting poofed or worse from any crossfire that was about to happen.

–

Hematite tensed as the Pearl left. _Oh, great. Now there weren't any witnesses. Wonderful._ He gazed at Yellow, visibly nervous. Swallowing once, he shakily held out the tea box.

"It's okay. White knows I'm here. I'm not going to pull any stunts, I'm just here to talk. I'll even leave the door open if it helps..."

–

"No, I don't _want_ you here." She turned, clenching her fists. She looked angry, at first... but there was something more there. There was fear, hate, desperation. "I have no reason to _trust_ you. I have no reason to _**listen**_ to you. Get. Out... before I THROW you out!" she growled, baring her teeth. A few small sparks fizzled around her body for a brief second, but soon faded away.

–

_There it was again._

_Fear._

Hematite's grip on the tea box tightened, and his expression darkened.

_**Hate.** _

  


The service gem's teeth grit together.

_I have no reason to trust you._

  


Slowly, he bared his own teeth back at her, the hair on the back of his neck starting to rise.

_**I have no reason to listen to you.** _

  


  


  


  


_**S N A P!** _

  


…

… _ **..**_

… _ **........**_

  


"Well guess what Yellow Diamond." His voice started out low, but as he continued, his pitch and volume rose. "YOU'RE GOING TO LISTEN TO ME, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!" The tea box in his hands was completely snapped in half. The contents spilled onto the floor as Hema dropped the pieces to the ground, his eyes locked on his superior.

–

Her eyes widened, and she paled. All the anger that she had shown just seconds before had faded away. She stared silently as the box was ripped open, observing the packets as they hit the floor. Slowly, her gaze drifted back onto him. 

Under any other normal circumstances, such disobedience would have been quickly acted upon and corrected. But this... no, she was frozen in place. The great Yellow Diamond stuck dead in her tracks at his words. Her brows furrowed. Fury rose steadily in her core, quickly coming to an indignant, rolling boil.

"You...... How... Dare you..." She growled, subsiding her fear. "DO YOU FORGET WHERE YOU STAND HEMATITE? YOU ARE A SERVICE GEM. You have an ORDER!"

–

Hematite took a single step forward, sparks starting to form around his hands.

"YEAH, I'M A SERVICE GEM! THANKS FOR REMINDING ME, GOOD JOB! AS IF I DIDN'T KNOW THAT." His hands stopped sparking, but his eyes were still filled with furious light. “I HAVE AN ORDER ALRIGHT! I HAVE AN ORDER FROM MY LEADER _WHITE DIAMOND_ TO TALK TO YOU!" His voice raised to a full-on _yell_. "SO YOU'RE GONNA STAND THERE, AND YOU'RE GOING TO LISTEN!"

–

Yellow started to sweat, her lip curling into a snarl. She tried to mask her fear with anger, but it wasn't working well. Sure, there _was_ genuine anger, but Hematite's rising fury made her anxiety spike up so badly that it was hard to keep her composure. It was far too much like her nightmares. _It was far too much like the incident in the Sky Arena._

"..."

She took a single step forward, squeezing her fists tighter. She narrowed her eyes darkly, but didn't do anything else. Maybe if she could just intimidate him, he'd leave on his own. She didn't want to listen to him, she didn't want to deal with him. _Especially not like this._

–

At Yellow's step forward, Hematite's shoulders dropped, and he took a pace back, his own fury being replaced with fear. He started to hold his hands up in front of him in defense, but he blinked, stopping. His outstretched palms turned toward him, and his hands balled into fists. There was a fearful, determined look in his eyes. When he spoke, his voice calmed down.

"You have no reason to trust me? That's funny, considering you've never given me a reason to trust _**you**_." He frowned.

Something was quickly rising to a boil inside the service gem, and as soon as he stopped speaking, it hit its limit. Hematite shook his head quickly before glaring up at the taller gem.

"You had no reason to distrust me from the very beginning! That day, when all of us Hematites took that test, you SHOWED me what you were capable of! I saw what would happen if I disobeyed, stepped out of line, made a mistake! I was terrified! I never even CONSIDERED doing anything I wasn't told! You already had me under your thumb! But no, you kept... doing and saying horrible things to me because you thought I was going to, I don't even know! Do something terrible to you?! I never gave you ANY reason not to trust me, and yet you treated me like I was going behind your back and plotting to overthrow you!"

–

Yellow scowled at his furious accusations. She wanted to say something, but her words caught in her throat. She took a step back, glaring daggers at him.

–

Hematite continued, never once pausing.

"And then you had to crash my match with Blue! You had to go and try to take away the one place I felt safe, that I felt I belonged in! You humiliated me in front of the only people that saw worth in my life, outside of my job! YEAH, I slipped up and embarrassed you! And I'm sorry... by White Diamond, I swear that! But you were ready to KILL me for an honest mistake!"

His shoulders began to tremble.

–

She bit her lip, her fury still rising...but she was at a standstill. _Wait, he thought she was going to shatter him for that? Sure, she wanted to at least poof him at the time, but she wasn't going to_ _ **kill**_ _him for_ _ **that**_ _._ She didn't move, but instead, glanced around the room, almost as if checking if something was around. 

She half expected _**him**_ to show up.

–

"But I guess you were waiting for that, _weren't_ you?! I'm surprised I didn't slip up sooner! You made me feel like nothing! You told me over and over again how worthless I was, how one day I would mess up and you would be WAITING! Waiting for what?! Me to make a small mistake like calling you a nickname, a stupid mistake that you could shatter me for?! Were you waiting for me to say something out of line?"

Frustrated, the small gem rubbed at his face.

"If you had just trusted me and treated me with some _shred_ of respect, you would have had nothing to worry about! This could have been easy! It would have been SO simple for you to at least _pretend_ you saw some worth in me! But no, you kept stepping on me and making me question my worth, to the point where it started effecting the people around me! I had to pretend to be okay around them! I had to act like I still saw worth in my existence, for their sakes and mine!" Hematite suddenly stopped and turned away. He clutched his arm with his hand, the fabric of his suit bunching up between his fingers. His voice dropped to a softer tone. "It's been getting... better lately. But it's still so hard to be and stay happy when you know that your days could be up any time..."

–

Yellow's eyes widened slightly, but enough to really notice. She was still eyeing him suspiciously. Well, while she hadn't said anything yet, he wasn't leaving. She was just going to have to wait him out, it seemed. She crossed her arms, glowering down at the service gem.

–

As Yellow glared at him, Hematite's harsh tone returned, and he glared right back.

"But I guess you'll never understand, huh?!" He let go of his arm and whipped his hand to the side, his clawed fingers spread out. His expression changed from fury to something... more desperate. There was fear, anxiety, _defeat_. "You have NO idea what it's like, don't even try to say you do! You're a DIAMOND, you've got nothing to worry about. You've been around for thousands of years, you're not going anywhere. ME, ON THE OTHER HAND. I could corrupt at any time, and you know what, I won't see it coming! It'll just happen one day, and that's it! I don't blame White for creating me and the Hematites, I really don't!" He shook his head and clutched it with clawed fingers. 

"She couldn't have known, and she was doing her best to create us as well as she could. But the fact remains that we are flawed, doomed! You have no idea what it's like to know you're a ticking time bomb.” He stopped, shaking violently as he held his arms tightly, looking away. “It's only a matter of time!”

His eyes shut tightly, and his voice began to waver with the threat of tears. “And you know that one day, no matter WHAT you do, that time will run out! And you'll be replaced...." Hematite desperately shook his head, his face turning to the floor. A choked sob escaped him, and his entire body trembled violently. His fingers clutched tightly at his sleeves, and if one listened closely enough, they'd hear the softest sounds of tearing fabric. Through his sobbing, he managed to choke something out. "But not before you cause uncontrolled damage and death, probably to the gems and Homeworld you care so much about!"

–

_A ticking time bomb._

_It's only a matter of time._

_That time will run out._

She froze, her eyes widening completely now. She looked right through him with a thousand yard stare. In an instant, all of her anger completely vanished. 

"......."

–

It took Hematite a long few moments to control himself. His fingers slowly loosened from his sleeves, and his sobbing quelled. He steadily lifted his face to look at a section of the wall. He couldn't look at Yellow right now. His eyes were red and slightly puffy from the tears, and he looked away with a look of sadness and frustration with himself. Wiping his eyes with the palm of his hand, he sniffled quietly.

"I have _such a short life_ , compared to other gems." His voice was soft, broken. There was a heaviness to it that weighed down the very air in the room. "Everyone else... if they're careful, they can live forever... or at least for a long, long time. I looked up the files on the old Hematites, or at least what I could find. Some of the others corrupted within _one_ year. Someone from my own BATCH corrupted within a few reformations... And now they're dead. They probably didn't even know what was happening.” His voice dropped to a more hushed tone. “We have so little time..."

–

_We have so little time._

She felt something stab into her like a fiery blade. Anxiety. The pain felt as though it were deep within her own gem, and she slowly lifted her hand to cover the yellow stone. She looked down slowly, not necessarily at anything. Such little time...time is running out. She stared at one spot on the floor, as if remembering something awful.

 _The last nightmare._

It hit her in a massive wave. The fear, the anger, the disbelief... the feeling that death could be around every corner, that every day could be her last. She remembered the paranoia, the feeling that some unseen force was counting down her clock. It all hit her at once... along with something else. Realization.

_She was feeling what he had felt this whole time._

–

The service gem kept his gaze away from Yellow. He wiped at his eyes again. As he spoke, there was a new sort of tone to it. Regret? Pleading? It was hard to tell.

"That's why. I try to get along with everyone. I have a limited life. I want to make the most of it, I want to be... remembered." His gaze shifted to the floor. The tiniest of smiles crossed his face. "I've made... some really great friends. I've seen what I was missing out on before Blue took me to that bar one day... She opened up an entire new world for me, one that I never expected. Blue, White, gems like Puff, Rubes, Morganite. All of them have something I really look up to. Everyone is so amazing, and I wanted to learn something from all of them." Slowly, his gaze lifted back up to Yellow. His expression faltered for a moment at seeing the state she was in. But he swallowed and frowned sadly. "Even you."

–

She took another step back, looking at the service gem in some form of distress. Was it horror? Sadness? Fear, still? No, it was something greater than all of that. It was collective, it was unrelenting, and it was obvious.

  


_It was **guilt**._

–

Hematite had to look away. He felt his will faltering just looking at Yellow. He knew if he saw that face for much longer, he'd stop. But he wasn't finished. He frowned deeply, and his anger slowly began to rise back up.

_Oh, so I'm getting through to you now!? Yeah, about time! Look what you've done to me! We're not finished here!_

No no, _now_ , he had a **point** to get across.

"I respected you so much. I wanted to make all three of you proud... I wanted to make **you** proud... I thought we could be friends like Blue and I. She's tried to teach me to see the good in EVERYONE, even you. I thought maybe if I could fairly beat you in a spar, you'd finally be happy with me. But.... you pushed me too far. You BROKE something inside of me, and for a while, I couldn't fix it. I felt dead inside. No matter how much anyone tried to get me out of it, I felt numb."

–

She took another step back, lowering her hand from her gem to her other hand, fidgeting with the sleeve of the glove. That foreign emotion was rising... and she didn't like it.

–

Hematite let out a faint 'ha'. He still wasn't looking at her. As he spoke, an almost cruel tone entered his words.

"And then I thought... maybe, just maybe. I could get you back. I could make you feel what I did that one night, even for a moment. Helpless, confused, terrified, alone with NO-ONE to save you." The edge suddenly vanished from his voice. "But not a day goes by that I don't regret that choice. Did it feel good for a little while? Yeah, maybe. Justice had been served. But the more time went on, the more I wished I'd never challenged you to that rematch. And if I could do it over, I never would have." There was heavy regret in his voice, tinged with guilt. "If I had known how badly it would effect you, I would have just risked going to White to resolve our 'issues'. I just wanted us to get along..."

–

Another step back. But this time, she thumped against the window softly. She couldn't step back any further. Her brows raised just a little, her lips drawn into a tight line. No matter what he said, she couldn't feel any hint of anger within her anymore. No, everything just made her feel worse and worse and _**worse**_.

This, too, was how she had made him feel, back when she'd berate and belittle him... and she knew it.

–

As he continued, a gentler tone entered his voice.

"I want gems to be happy... I want them to get the most out of the lives they have. Everyone deserves to be happy in _some_ way... And _nobody_ should ever have that taken away by someone..."

He gazed up at her for a moment, with a face that said ' _Even you_.' He looked away again, and his voice became heavy once more. "That's all I want. I'm here to serve the diamond authority and make the most of the time I have. I've messed up, I'm going to mess up again in the future." An edge entered his voice. "But while I'm here to serve you three, I'm _done_ trying to be nice to you."

–

She clutched the sleeve of her glove tighter, taking in a deep, shaky breath. She narrowed her eyes again, but this time it wasn't out of spite. It was pained and disheartened. 

"..."

–

"Clearly, all you see me as is another disposable gem, an annoyance, something to be thrown away! And then on top of all that, you call me a monster, say I'm ruining you, and won't even accept my apology!" Remembrance flashed in his eyes. He shook his head, and suddenly clutched it in his hands, letting out a loud growl of frustration. "I wasn't going to hurt you that day in the sky arena! I JUST WANTED TO SCARE YOU. THAT'S IT. I wasn't going to harvest you, and I _certainly_ wasn't going to shatter you! You needed to see what kind of effect your fear tactics can have!" A venomous tone laced his next words. "But I guess I put too much faith in you being the **gem of Courage,** _and_ your ability to get over it!"

–

For a split second, fury spiked throughout her entire being. Her eyes widened fiercely, but, fell back to how they were before. Even now, she found it hard to be angry, no matter how insulted she was. His words lashed through her like icy blades. She wanted to deny everything. She wanted to protest. She wanted to pin the blame on him and stave off her own horrors just as she had done plenty of times before.

_But she couldn't. Not this time._

–

He'd caught that. That moment of fierce anger in her eyes. _Oh no, it hadn't gone unnoticed._

And it only fueled his own determination to get through to her. His voice dropped again, soft and low, but there was still a hint of regret.

"I thought maybe it'd shake you for a week, a month tops. But this.... I didn't want this."

Hematite looked away. He was quiet a long moment, and he slowly lifted his hands to motion around the room. Softly, he repeated himself. _"I didn't want_ _ **this**_ _."_

Taking a sudden deep breath through his nose, Hematite glared back at Yellow Diamond. He set his jaw, a determined fire in his eyes.

"But don't worry, your problems are over. I'M _**THROUGH**_." Growling, he started angrily collecting up the pieces of the tea box.

–

She looked away without moving her head, almost awkwardly. She wanted to say something, but thought better of it. Why couldn't she speak? Why was she finding it so hard to talk now? This wasn't like her at all... Looking back, she watched him pick up the pieces. She noticed something about the tea... it was her favorite. Her very core sank in her chest. 

_**Nobody** wanted this._

–

He picked up the last piece. 

"So I hope you have a good REST OF YOUR LONG, PROSPEROUS LIFE, YELLOW DIAMOND. Because the only one here with a ticking clock is me, and I'm not going to waste precious time and energy wishing things were different between you and I!" He stood straight, the broken pieces collected up in his arms. As he looked at her, tears began to form in his eyes. "So I hope you're _satisfied_. Because you'll _**never**_ have to see me again. You got your wish." There was a long pause.

And, without another word, he turned and left.

The door hissed shut behind him.

–

The room was still. Cold. Dead silent aside from the rolling thunder in the background It felt dark. Yellow stood staring intently at the door, everything the service gem had yelled out racing through her mind. 

  


_Satisfied._

  


_Precious time._

  


_Long, prosperous life._

_**You got your wish.** _

  


She shuddered, finally moving after a few long minutes frozen in place. She looked at her desk, then up to the light. Slowly, she turned to the window. Briefly, she saw her reflection just slightly in the glass pane, and backed up quickly with a sharp gasp. She felt _**horrible**_. 

Did that just happen? She looked at her hands. She was in shock. No matter how angry he got, he never made any attempt to go after her. No, he just yelled. He just wanted to be _heard_. 

She felt the stabbing pain of guilt flare up again. Quickly placing her palms to the sides of her head, she shut her eyes. She wanted this feeling to go away. She wanted to forget. She wanted to brush this off. She wanted everything to go back to normal.

 _And then it hit her._

Like a massive force that struck the wind right out of her, it hit her. Her face was plastered with horror and pain, wide eyes staring at nothing. She dug her fingers into her face, running through her hair with some and biting onto one of her pinkies. 

This is how he felt. Everything that he caused her to feel between the incident, the nightmares, that mission at the hangars... _This is what he's been dealing with. The fear, the paranoia, the terror._ She could and would have brushed this off with ease, but not this time. _She couldn't._ She understood, at last. She couldn't brush this away. She couldn't sweep this under the rug, pretend like nothing was happening, or expect things to get better with time and inaction. They weren't going to. All of this was so clear to her now, whether she wanted it to be or not. Slowly, she looked up; small, pained tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She could deny it no longer. 

  


  


All this time, this wasn't **Hematite's** fault like she had made herself believe.

  


**It was hers.**


	41. Vermin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gems start leaving the Yellow District.

The Yellow district was in shambles, to say the least. Progression and production had all but halted, gems had almost no order to their work, and nobody had seen Yellow Diamond in weeks. Lightning storms filled the skies at seemingly every waking moment, striking buildings every now and then and setting off fires in different sectors. Riots started to break out more often, and gems were even found fleeing the city. Many of them wanted no part of this chaos. This wasn't the Yellow District they knew. This wasn't the Yellow District they _wanted_.

  


Especially the much _smaller_ gems...

  


_"Ugh, where is she?"_ An absolutely _tiny_ reddish gem paced anxiously back and forth behind a crumpled metal sheet. From the looks of it, she stood only about 5 or 6 inches tall. Her skin was a vibrant orange-yellow color, her hair a darker scarlet. Her outfit resembled a general maintenance gem's uniform, with reinforced-bottom boots, a thick belt, and goggles atop her head, just over her forehead. Her eyes were a color similar to her hair, though her pupils were actually lighter than the irises themselves. Below each of her eyes were small, lighter colored upside down triangle-shaped markings, lined up side by side. Her outfit bore a yellow, diamond-shaped insignia above a remarkably faceted stone that laid on her belly. It reflected with all sorts of shades of red, yellow, and orange as she moved. She stayed out of sight from the common wandering eye, making sure she was hidden behind the metal sheet. She didn't want the wrong person to find her, especially when she was alone like this.

–

A few anxious Yellow District gems paced past the tiny gem's hiding spot. Seemed they were headed for the Blue District. They had a few bags with them. They were talking nervously, and didn't pay the mini reddish gem any mind, not that they'd even seen her. The three chatted about their managers and what sounded like some less-than-optimal working conditions as they passed by, but the minuscule gem couldn't catch most of what they said. She was too busy pacing and anxiously biting the ends of her fingers, fidgeting with her goggles now and then.

  


Little did she know, however, that far above the sheet of metal, on a nearby rooftop, three glowing eyes peered down towards her hiding place. Lightning flashed above, casting the figure in a dark silhouette. 

It was a corrupted gem monster.

It wasn't large, no, but a gem creature was never a good thing to have lurking around. They were violent, unpredictable, and unstable. This one appeared to bear green fur, three glowing eyes, a long tail, and short, stocky limbs.

Sharp, long ears perked up as the creature scanned the ground below. A semi-circle appeared to be cut out of each ear, stiff bristles pointing out at their tips. The monster's bright teal eyes, with their slightly darker, subtle, and pupil-less irises, finally locked on a flicker of movement they'd seen.

_**There.** _

Slowly, the creature crested the edge of the building, incredibly sharp claws making the descent easy. With silent grace, the cat-like creature landed on all fours on a window sill and peered down at the sheet of metal. Its ears remained perked, long, snake-like tail swaying from side to side. The furry tuft at the end of it flicked quietly.

Without a sound, the creature made its way the rest of the way down, landing softly on the pavement. The gem monster looked around, its glowing eyes wide and on the lookout for danger.

**Nothing. Good.**

Slowly, the creature lowered itself to the ground, creeping closer to the sheet of metal. It could clearly see the tiny gem pacing around behind it now. 

_Closer._

_Closer..._

Its ears pinned back, and the creature stood at one of the ends of the red gem's hiding place, her face partially under the sheet. 

Its beak-like mouth parting, it gave a soft, almost inaudible trill.

–

The small reddish gem jumped, letting out a small squeak. 

"Ekanite, what have I told you about sneaking up on me like that?!" she exclaimed, sighing with relief a moment later. She turned, walking up to the monster and placing her tiny hands on the corrupted gem creature's snout. "Took you long enough! We gotta get going..." she said with a faint, half-hearted smile. Slowly, her palms moved down the creature's face, almost in a petting motion.

–

Ekanite gave a soft, chirping sort of 'chuckle' at the tiny gem's outburst, and lowered herself closer to the ground. She closed her eyes as the gem pet the fur along her muzzle, which she suddenly reached forward a bit. Gently, she touched her nose to the tiny's gemstone that laid on her abdomen.

A soft, gentle voice with a common White District accent rang out in the smaller gem's head.

 _"Sorry, Sphalerite. I'm afraid I had a run-in with a particularly rowdy Axinite."_ The gem creature opened her eyes, rolling them sarcastically. _"You'd think he'd never seen a gem monster before."_

–

Sphal giggled, holding her companion's face. She seemed entirely unsurprised at the gem creature's telepathic communicating.

"It's no problem. I'm just glad you're okay. We should probably get going though, things are getting strange around here and I don't want to stick around to find out if things are gonna get worse," she said softly, with serious concern. She let go of Ekanite's muzzle and took a few steps back. Lifting her hands to her face, she adjusted her goggles that were worn across her forehead. Her red, curled hair flicked back to make way for the accessory's adjustment. She stepped forward just behind Eka's head and placed a palm on her shoulder. With a quiet 'hup', she hopped up on the gem creature's back just behind her shoulder blades, her fingers digging into the slightly longer fur along her back.

–

Eka nodded quietly and ducked her head as Sphal hopped up on her back. She stood straight again, gave herself a slight shake, and padded forward, out from under the metal sheet. Looking around carefully, she huffed. She turned to look at the tiny gem on her back. With a soft trill, she motioned to the street, as if to ask 'which way are we headed?'

–

Sphal leaned forward, placing her hands around the gem creature's neck. Looking from side to side, she squinted. 

"Hmmm... Looks like everyone is headed northwest. The other checkpoints might be closed. We should go that way," she said in a hushed tone, ducking low to Eka's ears.

–

Looking at a few traveling gems, the gem creature nodded silently. She crept forward, out of sight, tracking a small group of gems that appeared to be heading to the Blue District.

However, eventually they turned another direction, and Ekanite stopped in her tracks with a quiet, disgruntled huff. She hopped up onto an outcropping that laid near a building, and scanned below for any other citizens. Down the road, there seemed to be a warrior class approaching, a small bag slung over her shoulder. She had a communicator held out in front of her, in her palm. Eka's ears perked forward, and her eyes closed, her hearing training on the gem's words. She couldn't quite make out what was being said on the other end of things, as the communicator seemed to be turned down in volume.

"Yeah, I don't know what's going on with her. It's starting to freak me out though. I'm headed to the bar, do you... think you could meet me there?" A pause followed. "I know it's last minute, Rubes, but you've seen the sky over here... Stuff's starting to get really nuts. I don't want them recruiting decommissioned Jaspers for patrol duty while I'm here. You know I hate that stuff."

The Jasper walked on past the two smaller gems, who remained perched above her. She didn't even notice them.

"Okay. I'll see you there." The warrior gem's tone was warm. "Love you." There was a pause, and she seemed to chuckle at whatever was said on the other end of the conversation. She hung up, stuffing the communicator into her bag.

–

"There! Follow her! She's leaving the city!" Sphal whispered, pointing a finger past the creature's ear towards the Jasper. She hunkered low, holding on tighter to her friend's fluffy neck, but kept her eye out in front of them.

–

Nodding, Ekanite slithered down the side of the pillar-like outcropping she stood on. She landed deftly behind it and slunk out, following silently behind the warrior gem.

–

The creature managed to stay hidden the entire way to the Blue district. Not once had the Jasper she was tracking noticed her. Hell, she barely even glanced back. As the Jasper approached one of the gated district checkpoints, Eka slowed.

_Shoot, how were they gonna get through there..._

–

The guard that stood at the gate clacked the end of her ax onto the ground as the Jasper approached. 

"Halt. Security regulations, of course. Traveling to the Blue District as well, I see? State your name, status, and the contents of your bag, please," the guard recited with a heavy sigh. It was obvious she was growing bored of the same thing over and over. 

  


Sphal looked on, curiously eyeing the gate. 

"The guard is distracted. If we can be quick, we might be able to make a break for it. See that mess of crates over there? Looks like there was some cargo being transported that got left here. We can use that for cover or leverage!" she whispered, pointing to the pile of metal boxes and debris.

–

The lithe creature crept up over a nearby box and stared at the place Sphal pointed at. 

_Right._

Nodding, she chirruped in agreement, and set off toward the mess of crates.

  


Puff nodded and looked to the side, shrugging. She knew the drill, and she knew this guard just wanted to get it over with.

"Alright let's see, Jasper, aliases Jaspuff, Puff. Status, visiting a Ruby in the Blue district, going to stay with her at least a few days. Contents of bag," she slung it in front of her and opened it up, pulling out each item individually. "Let's see, some sweets, my communicator, a brush." She squinted. "Ah, did I forget the... tch, I did."

  


Unbeknownst to her and the guard, something was slinking around as Puff recited the needed protocol. Eka slithered her way through crate after crate as she neared the large gate. After a moment of preparation, Eka gave a soft chirp, warning Sphal she was going to make a large jump. She leapt onto the bars of the gate, behind what looked to be a small 'office' next to the entrance. A large warrior class gem was speaking with a few other gems as they prepared to enter the blue district. Eka chirped again and made another large leap, landing gracefully on a higher carbonite bar. They were rather high up now.

–

Sphal clung on tighter, wrapping her legs around Eka's shoulders. She watched the world fly by in wonder. She loved traveling like this. Glancing over her friend's head, she noticed another opening in the gate. "Up there! To the left, there's a beam that leads directly to the other side. Think you can get up there?" she asked encouragingly.

  


The guard nodded and scratched the back of her head. 

"Alright alright, get a move on." She moved her ax just a tad, gesturing towards the opening of the gate. "We're not allowing any more to pass through as soon as the next hour rolls around. At least for the rest of the night. If you're gonna go, you need to go now," she huffed.

–

Puff put her bag back over her shoulder and chuckled. As she walked by, she gave the guard a friendly 'nudge' in the arm with her fist. 

"Aaah alright buddy, I'm going I'm going! Don't work too hard!" She didn't know this gem, not _personally_. But that didn't stop her from giving them a friendly grin before she turned and started down the tunnel. Her smile immediately faded as soon as she was facing the other direction, though.

_Everyone needs a break from this... will things ever go back to normal?_

Huffing her bangs away from her face, the Jasper sighed and continued toward the other end of the wall.

  


Eka looked up as Sphal pointed to a higher beam, and her haunches suddenly tensed. The gem creature swallowed and looked down, suddenly realizing just _how_ high up she already was. Her fur began to bristle. She froze in place.

–

The guard groaned and rolled her eyes, but did nothing more. She just wanted to retire for the evening. She turned back to her stationary position, waiting for the next gem to pass through.

  


Sphal noticed Eka's sudden twinge of anxiety and frowned. Slowly, she placed her palms on the fur around Eka's gem, which was located on the back of her neck. She started to pet at the bristling fur gently. 

"It's alright Eka, you can do it. Just don't look down!" she said softly, trying to calm her.

–

Trembling slightly, Eka swallowed. Her ears pinned a tad when she felt Sphal stroking the fur near her gem. She relaxed, eyes closing slightly. The worst of the tension faded from her haunches, and the gem creature regained her focus. Looking around, she spotted another bar she could reach. Crouching down, she leapt up to the next bar and quickly turned. Her haunches tensed, her tail flicked down, and she jumped for it, her front paws outstretched. There was a moment of sheer terror as only the edge of her paws met the beam. Her claws hooked onto the metal, and she whipped her snake-like tail upwards, wrapping it around the metal and hoisting herself up. Once her paws were on solid ground, she crouched low, breathing heavily. Her whole body was trembling.

–

Sphal was still clinging to the gem creature, but she watched her gem instead. She continued petting, but slowly moved her hand over to the gem itself. Carefully, she ran her finger over the surface of the smooth, faceted stone. 

"You've got this, Ekanite! We're almost there!" She smiled warmly, hunkering down.

–

A calming shudder passed through the gem creature's body, and she stopped shaking. Slowly, she stood up, her eyes closed. She opened her mouth, revealing a surprising lack of teeth, and let out a soft chirp. A vivid image of the area in front of Eka appeared in her mind, and she started trotting forward. Her pace slowly quickened. As she ran, she let out more soft chirps, constantly updating her mental map. She leapt gracefully over beams, small metal walls, and avoided every obstacle in her way, despite her eyes being shut.

–

"There ya go, 'atta gem!" she encouraged, smiling ear to ear. And then she remained quiet for the rest of the ride, not wanting to risk interfering with Eka's echolocation method . They both managed to thankfully still stay out of sight from any of the gems below.

–

As Eka neared the end of the tunnel, she slowed and opened her eyes. She stopped at the end of the beam and looked around at the city outside. 

_Great._

_Time to get down._

_**She hated this part.** _

Slowly, Eka took a deep breath and peered over the end of the metal beam. Stars, they were so high up. She knew that she'd have to use the gate itself to get down again, but this always made her nervous.

–

Sphal huffed and hugged Ekanite's neck. 

"Come oooon, we're so close! You can do it!" She encouraged, closing her eyes and squishing her face into her lush green fur. "We'll be down before ya know it!"

–

Eka narrowed her eyes down at the ground below. No, this wasn't going to be safe. Not with Sphal on her shoulders. Ekanite gave a soft trill, sitting up. Slowly, the gem creature craned her head around to look at the gem tightly hugging her neck. She nudged her.

–

Sphal blinked and looked down at the ground, then back to the gem creature. 

"What is it? Are you okay?" She asked, letting her arms free from her neck.

–

Eka nodded quietly, but then gave the tiny a look. She leaned toward Sphal's gem and placed her nose to it.

_"Sorry about this, Sphal. Just stay still for me like last time, okay?"_

Withdrawing her muzzle, the gem creature parted her jaws, carefully picking the tiny gem up around the middle. She held her like a lion would with its cub, and turned to look down at the long descent before her. 

–

Surprised, Sphal's looked confused for a moment, but she soon realized what she meant. 

"Oh, alright..." she muttered. She didn't exactly enjoy being carried this way, but if it helped Eka transport her, then she'd be willing to go through with it. Besides, Ekanite was one of the few beings that she trusted. At least it wasn't a very long ride!

–

Making sure Sphal was secure, she turned and whipped her tail to a nearby carbonite bar. She swung over, using her tail for leverage, and landed on the horizontal part of the gate. Wrapping the snake-like tail around a vertical bar, Ekanite hoisted herself onto its surface, now standing almost completely vertical to the ground. 

She used her tail to slither down the bars, never once letting her grip loosen or tighten on Sphal's form. Once or twice she made some rather daring jumps or slides that could have knocked the tiny gem off of her shoulders, had she still been there. 

Eka was suddenly very glad she had decided to carry Sphal a different way.

–

The moment Eka found herself comfortably close to the ground, she stopped, turned, and carefully placed Sphal on her shoulders again. She gave her a small smile before turning and leaping the rest of the way down. She landed deftly on top of a small crate and looked around to see if she'd lost the Jasper. Thankfully, she saw her just now rounding a corner.

Eka hopped down to follow after the warrior gem, but tensed suddenly when someone shouted in surprise. Looking up in shock, she spotted a smaller gem staring right at her.

They took a step forward.

Ekanite hissed aggressively, her haunches rising. Without wasting another moment, she darted to the side and ran off, away from the gate checkpoint.

–

Sphal felt brief horror shoot through her, and she huddled down, clutching Eka's neck.

"Run!" she whispered just loud enough for the green monster to hear.

–

Eka was hunkered down behind some rubble, her breathing quick and shallow. Peering out from her hiding spot, she looked around silently, her mouth hanging open just slightly.

Seemed the gem had given up on following her.

**Good.**

–

As soon as they were out of sight, the smaller gem peeked over Eka's head nervously. 

"Did we lose 'em?"

–

Sighing heavily, Eka lowered her head and gave a soft trill. She slunk out from her hiding place and headed quickly for the place she'd seen the Jasper go to. Within a minute or so, she was back on the trail.

Puff seemed far more at ease now that the dark clouds of the Yellow District were behind her. She walked with her arms crossed behind her head, humming a tune.

–

After a few hours of tracking, Eka finally stopped as Puff made her way into what appeared to be a night club. There weren't many of those in the Yellow District, but there were plenty in the Blue District.

–

Sphal was almost laying on Eka's back now, her arms still wrapped around her neck. She had laid her head down on Eka's gem, watching the District pass by. As long as no-one else spotted her, she'd feel better. She couldn't help but feel anxious, even if she was happy to be out of the hectic streets of the Yellow District. 

–

The gem creature squinted her eyes, craning her neck to get a better view of the sign. After a moment, her three eyes widened, and she let out a surprised chirp.

–

Her attention snapped back to her friend upon hearing her chirp. Raising a brow, the red gem sat up and looked to the door curiously. 

"Hey, what's this place?"

–

Eka turned to give Sphal an excited trill before she leapt over the crate she was hiding behind. She scurried toward the club, only stopping when she came close to the windows. It was thankfully rather dark outside at this point, so nobody spotted her right away. Sitting up on her hind legs, Ekanite peered into the club windows. She spotted who she was looking for immediately.

_**Morgy!** _

The pink haired warrior was, as usual, serving up drinks with a smile behind the bar, and seemed to be greeting the Jasper Eka and Sphal had followed. The gem creature dropped back down to her paws and looked up and around at the outside of the club.

_There's gotta be a better way in there..._

–

Sphal looked confused for a moment, but her confusion quickly morphed into panic. 

"Hey Eka, what are you doing!? We can't just go in there! What if we're seen?!" She said, looking around desperately. "Listen, we're in the Blue District now. We can go anywhere we want! I think there's a really cool place to hang out in one of the training fields..."

–

Ekanite perked up at Sphal's nervous tone, and she turned to her, ears pinned low. She made a pitiful trilling sound as she glanced between Sphal and the club window. Blinking, she leaned forward and touched her nose to Sphal's middle.

_"Please, Sphal? Just this one place! Then we'll go to the training fields. There's someone here I really want you to meet! He's an old friend of mine."_

–

Sphal frowned and looked up at the window nervously. She made a small groan of protest, crossing her arms. 

"Alright, alright... just... be careful, okay? If things get weird, I'm getting out of there!" she said. 

At that time, a small service gem made their way down the sidewalk, whistling to themselves. Turning, they reached up to the door and opened it, slowly walking inside past the large guard standing stationary by the doorway.

–

Eka nodded with a smile and turned as the service gem walked into the club. Quietly, she crouched down and quickly made her way toward the door. Without being noticed by the patron, she slipped in, past the bouncer.

  


"So I'm staying with Rubes for a little while. At least until this weirdness at the Yellow District clears up." Puff scratched her cheek before running her hand through her bangs. "I've never seen it this bad."

–

Morganite slid a drink over to Puff. It was nonalcoholic, just to give her something for her travels. 

"I see... I've been getting an increased number of Yellow District gems showing up, lately. I've been wondering what that was all about," he said, grinning. "I wonder what's going on over there. Do you think it has to do with Yellow Diamond herself? Surely if the District has been falling to pieces, she would have done something about that by now," he continued on. 

  


Sphal remained low, nervously clinging to her friend's neck. Her eyes widened, glancing around at all the gems in the room. _Please don't look over here..._

–

Eka noticed how tense her comrade was, and for a moment, she stopped and turned her head to nuzzle Sphal's side reassuringly. A soft sort of purr rumbled lightly in her throat.

 _It will be alright, Sphal. Nobody will harm us here,_ she thought to herself. Turning, she crept up a few shelves, still against the far wall. She kept her dimly-glowing eyes peeled for any signs of someone spotting her, though she was mostly keeping her gaze on the club patrons instead of the bar.

  


"I mean, I guess it probably is?" Puff took a sip of her drink after saying a quick 'thanks'. "The district has been like this before. But it was for a few days, maybe a week or so . But this has been getting gradually worse for the past few months..." Her voice quieted, and she looked around. "Sometimes I wonder if it has to do with what happened between Yellow and Hematite."

–

Sphal relaxed just a little, but was still noticeably unnerved. She clung tighter. _Why did Eka want to be in here?_ She glanced around, not at anyone in particular. She was observing the feel of this place in general. The soft, gradually changing colors and tone of this place confused her. It was so different from the places she'd been before.

  


"I'm not sure...that happened well over a year ago, didn't it? It's Yellow Diamond. She's a gem of courage. I doubt it has anything to do with Hematite." Morgan shrugged, placing a hand on his hip.

–

"Mmm. Yeaaah I guess you're right. Still." She forced a laugh. "You gotta admit, the timing's weird!" Puff took another big sip of her drink, placing it down on the counter with a soft 'clack'. She returned to looking at the pink-haired warrior. "So, have you seen Rubes yet? She's supposed to meet me here."

  


Ekanite moved along carefully, making her way up onto a beam that held a few colorful light fixtures. She stopped to stare at one of the bulbs, her eyes wide. Her tail swayed slowly. She was entranced.

Carefully, the gem creature lifted a paw forward and batted at the movable light fixture. Unfortunately, she pawed at it a little too firmly, and it shifted with a quiet squeak, the light now pointing just off-center.

–

Morganite's attention shot up to the light, but didn't see anything right off the bat. He squinted curiously, but shrugged, having seen nothing. 

"Yes, I suppose so. And no, I'm afraid not. You know how she's normally late, though! " Morgan continued, looking back to the Jasper.

  


"What are you doing?!! You gotta be careful!!" Sphal hissed quietly into Eka's ear. She started to sweat nervously, looking down at the light.

–

Eka blinked in surprise and shook her head. She looked at her paw, which was still resting on the light, and she withdrew it with an annoyed snort.

_Stars, not again! She hated it when she zoned out like that._

Looking at Sphal with an embarrassed smile, Eka continued on to the upper area of the ceiling, hopping onto a large shelf on the wall. She was far closer to the bar now. Slowly, she made her way down toward the main area behind the bar, ducking behind bottles and glasses.

  


Puff pursed her lips and nodded her head to the side. 

"This is very true." Sipping her drink, she chuckled. "She wouldn't be running late if she knew what I had for her.~" With a grin, Puff reached into her bag, which laid on the seat beside her, and pulled out a bag of fizzy candies. They were Rubes' well-known favorite.

–

Morganite chuckled softly and observed the candies. 

"Aaahhh she loves those, doesn't she? She gets drinks that taste like those sometimes. You think I should make her one?" He asked, giving Puff a grin. 

  


Sphal started to get more nervous. They were both unnervingly close to the warrior gem now, far too close for her own comfort. 

"You sure this is a good idea?" She whispered.

–

Puff chuckled. At Morgan's suggestion, she gasped softly and nodded, her eyes lighting up.

"Yeah, go ahead! I'll cover it for her. She'll love that!" Putting the candies aside, she picked her drink up again and swung her feet below her bar stool. "Thanks, Mor!" 

  


Eka glanced back at her friend and gave an encouraging nod. She knew Morgan well enough to trust that he'd act appropriately around the two of them, once she let him know who she was.

However, before she could... well. She was a bit less sure about that. After all...

She hadn't exactly looked the way she did now, the last time she'd seen him all those years ago 

Hunkering down, Eka hid in the back of a cubby-like shelf, behind some bottles. Her legs folded under her body, and she tucked her tail around her, the fluffy end coming to rest beside Sphal.

Now that she was closer, she'd wait. The club had to close some time; maybe then would be a better time to try and get Morganite's attention. Closing her eyes, Eka went quiet.

–

Sphal sat down near Eka, hopping off of her shoulders. She leaned up against her side, arms crossed. She didn't want to be here, but if Eka was so sure about this, she wasn't going to just leave her now.

  


Morgan gave Puff a wink and turned for the shelf. Now lets see, where did I put that... Ah yes. He leaned over and pulled out a bottle with purple and pink swirling liquid. It didn't even look natural. Then again, the majority of his drinks didn't look natural. The beverages here were an aesthetic all on their own. 

  


Sphal winced, flinching at Morganite's looming figure. Thankfully though, it looked as if he was going for something on the shelf two cubbies above where they were.

–

Eka opened one of her eyes to watch Morgan rummaging around in one of the shelves higher up. Her tail suddenly pulled closer to her body, and the tuft at the end rested in front of Sphal, covering her entirely. If anyone saw her, at least they wouldn't see the tiny red gem immediately.

The gem creature kept her eye on Morgan.

_Stars, it was unsettling to see him at her smaller size now. He was already rather intimidating back before she was like this, but now..._

  


Puff watched Morgan tend to his business, and she looked around, sipping her drink. Idly, she wondered when Rubes would finally show up.

–

Sphal blinked and hugged her tail tuft close. She brought her knees closer to her chest and closed her eyes. Maybe she could take a small nap.

  


"Alright, here we are." Morgan said cheerfully, grabbing one of the glasses. He immediately started to pour the colorful liquid into the cup. Casually, he began humming the tune that was playing on the overhead speaker. He preferred the music in this side of the bar; it was much more mellow than the club side.

–

Eka closed her eyes again and smiled as Sphal held her tail tip close. A soft purr rumbled in her chest. She listened quietly to Morgan's humming, a soft smile on her face. She always did like Morganite's singing. Though she was tempted to hum along, she stayed quiet.

  


Puff smiled and chuckled, watching him pour the drink.

"I'll never get over how crazy that one looks. It's wayyyy too sugary for my tastes though." The Jasper was close to finishing off her own drink when she suddenly jumped.

"It's too sugary because you're a big baby." Hopping up onto the seat beside Puff, Rubes sat down with a neutral expression. 

"Heyy, look who decided to show up.~"

–

Morgan turned his head and smiled, greeting the Ruby. 

"Heeeeyyy, just in time!" he said, holding up the swirling cocktail. He slid it down to Rubes with one graceful motion, grinning ear to ear. "We thought you'd like one of these!" He said, grabbing one of the towels nearby and wiping down the sink area.

–

The dark-haired gem looked over just in time to catch the sliding drink, and she pulled it closer with a smile. 

"Hah, thanks Morganite. You two know me well." She held up the drink for a moment with a grin. "Bottoms up." Leaning back in her seat, the Ruby took a large sip of her drink and sighed with a smile. Pulling away the glass, she swirled the contents, watching the colors dance around.

Puff grinned at the smaller gem and put her own glass down.

"Hey Ruuuubes.~ I gotcha something."

The Ruby raised her brows, eyes half-lidded as she looked at her partner. 

"Hm? What's that?"

Reaching into her bag, Puff grinned at the red gem with a devious and excited look in her eyes. The moment Rubes heard the telltale crinkling of the plastic packets in Puff's bag, her eyes widened, and she set down her drink.

"You didn't."

"Oh, I did." Puff pulled out not one, but three bags of the fizzy candies. Rubes paused for a moment.

".... Puff ,this is why I love you."

"I know." The bigger gem snickered as Rubes quickly grabbed the candies and put them on her lap. She opened one of the bags and dropped a single, spiky-looking hard candy into her glass. It fizzled quietly. Picking her drink back up, Rubes closed her eyes and grinned as she held the glass close to her lips, taking a sip.

–

Morganite spared them both a rather pleased look and turned to another bar patron. After a few moments, he turned again with a nod. 

"Right, coming right up!" He said, waving his hand in the air. He walked back over to the shelf and crouched down. Still humming the same tune, he reached his hand into one of the cubbies to grab a smaller shot glass. 

But his hand made contact with something that wasn't smooth like the surface of a glass.

Flinching, he stopped humming and frowned, quickly retracting his hand. He went wide-eyed for a moment, staring down at the closed off shelf from above. From his current angle, he couldn't see what was in there.   
"Wha-?" 

  


Sphal had quickly noticed Morganite's hand and scurried to the back of the cubby, back pressed against the panel. She held her hands tightly over her mouth, desperately trying to stay quiet. _She knew they'd been found._

–

Ekanite's eyes shot open when Morgan's hand brushed against her fur. She tensed, glancing at Sphal. Quickly, she wrapped her snake-like tail around her and held her close to her side, covering her form with the fluff at the end of her tail.

_Shh, it's alright... It'll be alright._

Eyes wide, she stared at the pink-haired warrior's hand with bated breath, waiting for him to fully spot her.

–

Morganite placed a hand gently on the top edge of the cubby and leaned over, looking fully into the dark box.

"GKH!!" He bared his teeth and quickly sat back up, obviously shocked. His hair stood on end for a moment, though he regained his composure quickly. He smiled slowly again. 

"I have vermin in my club..... **I have. Vermin. In my club...** " His eye twitched, and he slowly looked back down. He leaned closer again, staring back into the cubby.

"I hope you know that you're going to have to leave..." He said calmly. He looked like he was completely back to normal again, despite being so unnerved by the fact that he had a gem monster in his bar. 

Sphal cowered behind Ekanite, still covering her mouth. She was staring at one of the walls of the dark cubby, trying not to move or make any noise.

–

Puff looked over curiously at Morgan's little outburst.

"Yo Mor! Y'alright there? You find a broken glass?" She chuckled and took a final sip out of her drink, placing the glass to the side. It seemed he was... talking to someone? Or _something_?

Rubes looked over as well, though she was more interested in her drink than what was going on.

  


Eka caught **each** word. Her fur bristled indignantly, and her ears pinned.

_Vermin... Vermin?!_

The small gem monster held Sphal closer with her tail. Her legs slowly began to untuck from underneath her. Once she could see him fully, her eyes never left Morganite's. She stared at him defiantly.

–

Morgan blinked and looked back, his hand still on the top of the cubby. 

"AH, yes! Everything is fine! Don't mind me!" He said charmingly. Quickly turning back to the cubby, his eyes were narrowed, but he was still grinning. "I can't have gem monsters running around in my bar. I'm afraid I'm going to have to get you out of here..." he whispered, bringing his other hand up to the cubby. With both hands placed inside, he frowned and moved closer, carefully.

–

Puff shrugged and leaned back in her chair. She started chatting with Rubes about the goings-on in the Yellow District.

  


Eka backed up against the back panel of the cubby as Morgan's hands moved closer. She still held Sphal with her tail, keeping her hidden. 

Taking a deep breath, she waited for both his hands to _almost_ grab her before she made her move. Quickly, she lashed a paw out, pinned Morganite's right hand down, and pressed her muzzle to his gem.

An oddly familiar voice rang out through the pink-haired warrior's mind.

_"Morganite, stop!"_

–

Morganite's hair stood on end once more, a chill going up his spine. 

"GEH??!" He stifled a yell, looking around in surprise. 

_It touched me!!_

…

 _Wait...where did that voice come from?_ He slowly looked back down to the gem monster who had their nose pressed into his gem. He winced, fingers tensing. Oddly enough, he was too reluctant to move it, lest he risk the gem getting harmed. 

"You....gonna let go?" He asked, half joking. He didn't want to make a scene. He didn't want anyone to know that this _thing_ was here, and he didn't want this creature to take a chunk out of his gem. At least it didn't seem to be trying to attack him yet?

–

Eka's eyes, which were closed at the moment, slowly opened. She kept her muzzle to Morgan's gem, her gaze never leaving him.

_"No I'm not going to let go! You're scaring Sphalerite!"_ Her eyes narrowed.  _"Come now, Morgy. I thought you were more polite than this. Is this any way to treat an old friend?"_

–

Morganite froze, shocked. 

"Wha..." He managed to mutter, but not much else. He eased up very slightly, staring in confusion at the creature.

Wait. He _knew_ that voice. _It was faint, but..._

  


"Sphalerite? Who-... _wait_... _Ekanite_?" he whispered, eyes widening again.

–

Her ears flicked back in recognition. Eyes wide again, she shifted, her hackles slowly relaxing. Her nose didn't leave his gem.

_"There you go. That wasn't so hard, was it, big guy?"_

–

A small gasp escaped Morganite's lips, and he stared in disbelief at the gem creature.

"Hah...You're joking, right? Is this some kind of trick?" He asked, unable to look away from the smaller creature's glowing eyes. "But...Ekanite wasn't corrupted the last time I saw her. She-...." he stopped, a pained look of realization suddenly crossing his face. 

"She disappeared for years without a trace...." He looked up very slightly, staring at nothing. He went quiet.

–

Eka's ears drooped. He'd connected the dots, but it seemed he wasn't _entirely_ convinced. That was alright... she could understand his disbelief.

So she closed her eyes.

A soft, lilting voice began to hum. And then it began to sing.

_"Be still, my darling. I'll keep you close in my arms. Lead us to a land so green, so we'll be safe from harm. Please end the pain. We're ready. My planet cries, but my heart is steady.~"_

There was a short pause.

_**"I have time.~"** _

It was a soft song, a _sad_ song. But most of all, it was _familiar._

Ekanite had written it with Morganite's advice long ago. She'd hum it all the time when she visited. She even performed it a few times upon request.

There was no question that this was _that_ Ekanite.

–

Morganite's expression changed gradually as Ekanite's song went on. He smiled, relieved and surprised..and slightly disheartened. 

"Ekanite, it _is_ you! What on Homeworld happened?! How are you... not all unstable and violent?" he asked, keeping his grin. Sphal continued to remain silent, despite the fact that Morganite knew she was there.

–

A pained tone laced the gem's telepathic words.

 _"It's... a long story, Morgy. One that I'm afraid will have to wait a while. But. I_ _ **am**_ _stable, and that_ _doesn't seem to be changing any time soon. I have Danubrite and Sphalerite to thank for that."_ Without removing her nose from Morgan's gem, Eka carefully lifted her tail, uncovering Sphal. She gave an encouraging trill.

–

Sphal whimpered nervously, holding her hands close to her chest. She looked from Ekanite, slowly up to the pink haired gem. Her eyes widened, and she started to shake. He stared right back at her, mesmerized. 

"Oh my... It's been some time since I saw one of your kind," he said quietly. Upon him speaking, Sphal let out another startled, stifled shriek and grabbed Eka's tail, cowering behind the fluffy tip. Morgan awkwardly closed his mouth, his smile a little crooked. "Mm, sorry! Is she... alright?" Morgan glanced back over to the gem monster, half concerned, half confused.

–

Eka's ears pinned, and she once again wrapped her tail around her tiny companion.

 _"She is very nervous around other gems. Don't make any sudden movements. Give me one moment."_ With that, Ekanite removed her nose from Morgan's gem and lifted her paw from his fingers. The communication was cut off immediately.

Turning to Sphal, Eka gently nuzzled her nose close, touching her gemstone.

 _"Sphalerite, it's okay. He understands now."_ She glanced to the side, not taking her nose from her gem. _"This is Morganite. He's an old friend of mine. He didn't... know about my current condition, I'm afraid. But it's alright! He won't hurt us."_

–

Morgan nodded quietly and glanced back. He gave a wave to one of the patrons, gesturing to them that he needed one more moment. Sphal took a deep breath and sighed, trying to calm down. 

"Alright... if you say so..." she whispered quietly, squeezing Eka's face with her hands. "You owe me for this, ya know..."

–

 _"Hmm. How about I take you to the cave with the Jadewings again. Would that make up for it?"_ She smiled and closed her eyes, the tip of her tail gently brushing the side of Sphal's cheek. _"But really, I promise, he may be a bit intimidating. ... Okay,_ _ **very**_ _intimidating. But he's a good gem. You just gotta get used to him. This may be a very good place for us to stay from time to time. Morganite doesn't let any nonsense happen in his club."_

  


Puff and Rubes were staring at Morganite now. Was he... talking to someone? It certainly looked like it. Rubes sipped her drink.

"Sooo. Morgan. What's so riveting in that cubby over there?"

–

Sphal crossed her arms and groaned again, but she couldn't help but smile. 

"Alright... But, I still want out of here as soon as possible." She muttered quietly. Morganite was jarred, looking back to the duo that sat in the front. 

"Ah, nothing! Just thinking out loud." He grinned, grabbing onto another shot glass from another cubby. "Look, I'm afraid I have to get back to work. You can stay here as long as you like, but try not to be seen, alright? It's good to see you again, Ekanite. And, it's good to... meet you; Sphal, was it?" He whispered softly. 

The tiny red gem jumped a little, but stayed cool otherwise.

"Ah, yeeeeah! Thanks... Morgan." She bit her lip, presenting an odd look. He chuckled and gave them a short wave, before standing up and turning to make the other patron's drinks. 

Sphal let out a huge sigh of relief, and shot Eka an exasperated look. "When can we leave?..."

–

Eka glanced between Morgan and Sphal with a smile, glad that the two were at least communicating. That was a step in the right direction!

As Morgan walked off, Ekanite waved back at him with her tail. As soon as he was gone, she sighed, relaxing. Turning to Sphal, she nuzzled her muzzle close.

 _"We will leave shortly. Let's wait until people stop paying attention to our hiding place."_ There was a pause. _"I'm sorry for putting you through that, Sphalerite. I got excited at the chance to visit here."_

–

"Its alright Eka, just...try to be a little more crafty next time!" _s_ he snickered, placing her hand on her neck, petting the fur gently. "When we leave tonight, I'm picking where we go!" She leaned in, slumping down with her arms behind her head. She was just glad that went as well as it did.

–

The gem monster relaxed and smiled, resting her head beside Sphal's small form. A purr rose in her throat, and she wrapped her tail around the tiny gem.

  


Rubes was eyeing Morgan suspiciously. She'd only finished about half of her drink, though her face was already a slightly darker shade of red.

"Morgan, I know you're a very sociable gem, but talking to bottles is just _weird,_ " she joked, arching a brow. Reaching a hand into the bag in her lap, she grabbed another candy and tossed it into her mouth. Puff was leaning on the counter.

"Yeah, what kinda secrets you hiding over there, buddy?~" She was also clearly joking, though there was a genuinely curious gleam in her eyes.

–

Morganite turned and grabbed another glass, spinning it in his hand. With a grin, he gave them both a wink, and said nothing. Slowly, he started to craft another drink. 

"Oh, nothing in particular. You know I can't reveal my secrets.~" He cooed out charmingly, pouring more colorful liquid into the sparkling glass. "But I can tell you one thing, it may make sense to you some day,” he said, eyes half lidded. Without taking his gaze off the two, he smirked and slid the drink down to the patrons at the other end of the bar, who quickly caught the glass and raised it up in thanks.

–

Puff narrowed her eyes at the bartender with a smirk, but she said nothing. Rubes, on the other hand, was now staring at the small shelf that Morganite had been giving so much attention. She quietly sipped her drink.

"Hm." Leaning back in her seat, she shrugged. "Aaaalright, have it your way, Morg."

–

–

  


The night went on like normal, and after an hour or so Puff and Rubes had gone off on their own. Only Morganite and a couple of drunken gems were left. 10 minutes before the bar locked down, everyone found some way or another to leave, all except for Morgan and his two smaller guests. Having cleaned the final glass, he placed it on one of the shelves neatly and turned his head to look at the cubby. Walking over, he knelt down again, this time at more of an eye level. 

"Sorry about all the noise." he said softly. Sphal was shaken from her small nap, but she relaxed quickly. 

"Oh, its just you again." She said, sighing.

–

Ekanite had fallen into a sort of half sleep while keeping an eye out for any curious bar patrons. She was relieved to see the last one leave. Her tail was tucked over Sphal, the tuft almost completely covering her. The gem monster opened her eyes fully, having had them half-shut just moments ago. Looking up at Morgan, she smiled and flicked an ear in recognition.

–

Morgan placed his gem hand down in front of Ekanite for a moment to see if she was going to say anything. 

"I have to lock up in 10 minutes. I'm afraid its time for you both to go." he said, scratching his head with his free hand. Sphal smirked and rolled her eyes. 

"Gladly..." She muttered under her breath.

–

The small gem monster leaned forward and pressed her nose to the bartender's light pink gem.

 _"Don't mind her, she's not fond of most gems."_ Blinking up at the warrior gem, Ekanite tilted her head slightly. _"Would it be acceptable to visit you again some time?"_ A teasing tone entered her voice, and the monster's three eyes narrowed. _"Or are vermin like myself not permitted?~"_ The voice chuckled, and Eka's tail twitched in amusement.

–

Morganite chuckled and smiled awkwardly. 

"Ah, sorry about that! It's... it looks very bad on your record to have gem monsters running around your shop, you know. Of course, you can come by any time," he said, quirking a brow. Sphal glanced over at Eka and hopped up on her back without a word. Morgan eyed her curiously. "You're a Yellow District gem. Are you taking a vacation as well? I hear there's a lot going on over there right now," Morganite said, looking to the smaller red gem. She peered over Eka's head and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 

"Yeeeeaaah, we didn't wanna stick around with that much commotion...and to be quite frank, we don't wanna stick around here, either!" she said. She stopped, biting her lip. "Eh, er... No offense. Hah." 

Morgan smiled warmly and nodded. 

"I understand. I wouldn't be too worried around here, though. If you ever need a safe place to stay, you know where to find me!"

–

Ekanite smiled warmly, her ears perking.

 _"Thank you, Morgan. I appreciate the offer, and I'll definitely see you around. I'll try not to come in again... at least not directly."_ Her eyes narrowed playfully. _"Or I'll just make extra sure not to be seen.~"_ The gem creature stood up and stretched before slinking through the bottles on the shelf and jumping down with barely a sound. Quietly, the green-furred monster padded over to the front door and placed her paws on it, pushing with all her might. The door budged, and with one more shove, she managed to get it open. Flicking her tail like a wave goodbye, Eka slipped out the door without a word.

–

Sphal turned around for a moment as Eka pushed the door open. Before the gem creature made her way out, Morgan and Sphalerite made eye contact and both raised their hands in a short wave goodbye. And, with that, the two tiny gems were gone, and the front door gently clicked shut. Morgan, dumbfounded, was still rolling in the thoughts of tonight for a long while, still trying to comprehend what had just happened. On the one hand, he was glad to see his friend again. But on the other... it was a shame she was like this. At least she seemed _relatively_ alright, despite her unfortunate condition. He hoped he'd see her again sometime soon, her _and_ Sphalerite.


	42. Take Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morganite learns something new about one of the Hematites

Oh boy, why was she doing this? She had no idea if this gem had kept their other conversation secret... She couldn't trust him.

Fingers tapping along the top of her lip, the gem continued down the street.

_Then again, I don't really have anyone else I can talk about this with. Pipsqueak's out on his mission and White would figure it_ _out too easily..._

Sighing, the nervous gem brushed some of her dark hair away from her face. She continued drumming her fingers over her mouth.

_I don't have to tell him everything. But maybe he'll know what to do..._

Stopping, the visor-wearing individual stared down the street, at the colorful signs of Morganite's C lub.

Mago dropped her hand from her face and frowned.

–

"Uhhh, Morganite, that one gem wants to speak with you again." The same bouncer as before had made her way over to the bar, looking slightly nervous. "You know, the _big_ one."

–

Morgan turned to face the bouncer with a wide grin.

"Oh, her! Alright, take over for me while I see what she wants, alright?" he said gleefully, coming out from behind the bar. He gave the guard a pat on their shoulder as he quickly passed by. "Relax. She's alright,~" he said in passing, opening the door. Within seconds, he spotted her down the street. Not that she was easy to miss. Placing a hand on his hip, he took note that she looked a little different from last time in the way that she presented herself. _Was she okay?..._

–

The giant gem was glad to see Morgan come out of the bar relatively quickly.

"Hey." Glancing away for a moment, she walked forward and knelt, putting her palm down for the pink-haired warrior to climb up. "Hope I'm not interrupting your work too much," she said wryly, though there wasn't as much enthusiasm behind it as usual.

–

Morgan brushed his hand through his hair briefly and stepped up into her hand. Well, at least she wasn't picking him up by his shirt this time!

"Don't worry about it, I got someone to cover me," he said with a sly smirk.

–

Mago's demeanor suddenly went back to its usual aloof air, and the giant gem started to lift Morgan up to the same building she had before.

"Hm, well, good. ‘Cuz, we might be here a while," she said simply, holding her hand up to the edge of the rooftop.

–

Morgan stepped off and turned curiously to the much bigger gem. What had she meant by that? He crossed his arms and leaned against the railing, staring up at her.

"Alright. Fill me in, then!" he said calmly. Surely this had something to do with the last time she visited him; but he didn't rush to any conclusions yet.

–

Stretching, the giant gem sighed and hissed through her teeth.

"Best get comfy, Morganite. This is going to take a while." She crossed her arms and leaned up against the building. A long pause followed. "... You know the gem I was talking about last time? Well, I went and had a little... discussion with her that night." Mago took a long, steadying sigh, and began to recount her tale to the small gem on the roof. She made sure not to mention the gem's name the entire story.

  


\------

\--~

\------

  


"Ti, we need to talk," said the shorter Hematite as she gazed up at her comrade. The taller gem blinked curiously and moved her hands up in front of her chest, lacing her fingers together. Her brows furrowed in concern.

"What about? Is something the matter?"

"Kiiiind of? Look, Ti. As much as I'd love to fuse, I don't know. White's pretty strict on the rules with that stuff... right? If we get caught, we'll be in a lot of trouble." Mago fiddled with a lock of her hair, not meeting Ti's eyes. “I'm a little foggy on the fine print of all that stuff, but... If it's not required for a job, and our lives aren't in danger, isn't it illegal?”

The taller Hematite clasped her hands together tighter, eyes widening.

"Mago, she wouldn't find out! And... it was just an idea..." She looked away, a hurt expression on her pretty face. Mago blinked in surprise.

"I-I know, but. It seems dangerous, that's all."

"Dangerous? Mago, it'd just be if we had a job that neither of us could handle... Even if White _did_ find out, she can't fault us for doing our jobs more effectively, right?" Ti's eyes widened suddenly in realization, and she looked at the smaller Hematite. "Do... Do you not trust me?"

"No, of course I do, Ti!"

"Don't you want to know what it's like to fuse? We Hematites never get the chance..."

Mago fidgeted with her hair, still not making eye contact.

"Yeah, but..."

The lithe Hematite's expression fell, her eyes sad. She unclasped her hands and reached them forward, gently resting her palms on Mago's shoulders. Blinking in surprise, the ebony-haired gem looked up, finally meeting Ti's eyes. Ti gave a soft, melodic hum and tilted her head subtly.

"Mago, it's okay. We don't have to do it now. We don't even have to do it any time soon. But I promise you, we won't get in trouble. By the Diamond Authority..." A warm smile spread across her face. "I swear it."

The ebony-haired gem stared up at her companion, the faintest of blushes darkening her cheeks. Ti gave a soft, good natured chuckle, and leaned closer.

Mago's eyes widened, and she started to say something before she froze in place. Ti placed a gentle kiss on the shorter Hematite's forehead, on her visor. Pulling back, the taller gem smiled sweetly and removed her hands from Mago's shoulders.

"I'll see you around, okay?"

Mago stared up at her in stunned surprise, her face turning a more vibrant shade of pink.

"... Y. Yeah."

Turning around, Ti sauntered off, running her fingers through her hair as she did so. The long silver locks shimmered in the moonlight, entrancing the smaller gem. Mago quietly touched her cheek, surprised to feel how warm it was. A breeze blew through the Kindergarten, sweeping her hair back.

"... Yeah."

  


\-----

\--~

\-----

  


  


–

Morganite placed his chin in his hand, tapping his free fingers on the metallic railing.

"Hmmm..." he hummed out with intrigue. "So all this time, she wanted to fuse with you?" he said, narrowing his eyes. "That must be pretty hard to grasp..." The pink haired warrior stood up straight and crossed his arms again, deep in thought. "You'd better be careful about that, lest one of the Diamonds finds out. Regardless if you're doing your job or not..."

–

Mago blinked and slowly looked at the pink-haired warrior.

".... Weeellllll." Not turning her head, she looked to the side, brows raised. She cleared her throat. "About that."

–

Morgan's eyes widened, his smile fading nervously. He placed both of his hands on the railing and leaned forward slightly. When he spoke, his tone was urgent, shocked.

"You didn't..."

–

The giant gem looked away, shrugging.

"A little late with that, Morgan." She let out a short, dry laugh. "We _did_..." Another long pause followed. A breeze blew her hair away from her face, and her expression was unreadable.

–

Morgan leaned back and took a deep breath, slapping his palm over his face. Dragging it down, he groaned.

"Oh dear... that'ssss... mmm..." He stopped, resting his hand over his mouth and looking away, brows furrowed in concern. "That's bad," he muttered, muffled. He went quiet before sighing and turning to gaze up at the giant gem, looking both confused and, admittedly, a smidgen disappointed.. _"Why?"_

–

The giant gem took note of his tone, and her eyes narrowed. She sharply turned her head, squinting at the tiny gem with a warning glare that seemed to say _'Tell anyone about this and your club's going to need a new bartender.'_

It was a partially empty threat, but Mago stared long enough to get her point across before she glanced away. Her tone was defensive, and she lifted a hand, waving it nonchalantly to the side.

"It was for, like, a minute! It was silly. It was nothing."

–

Morgan tapped his fingers on the railing again, biting his lip. _Oh, he'd caught that look_. But he brushed it off quickly.

"Do you think anyone saw you, then?" he asked, glancing to the side briefly.

–

Mago shook her head slightly, crossing her arms again.

"No no, nobody saw us, I'm sure of it. We were out in the middle of nowhere. Ti had a deconstruction job in the Pink District, wayyy out there. She'd told me the day before she'd be gone for a while..." The giant gem frowned and shrugged. "So I... finished up my own work early and kindaaa. Went to join her. I figured we could spend some time together, maybe I could help her out.."

–

Morgan felt a faint, tiny smile appear on his face.

"Well... As long as you didn't hurt anyone. I guess that's a nice gesture for you to help her!" He faltered for a moment, furrowing his brows in slight confusion. "So, why tell me about this?"

–

Mago rubbed her face for a moment, her hand moving up under her visor.

"Well..." The giant gem paused, her fingers still under her visor. She suddenly let out a long sigh and started to lift the large eyepiece from her face. Carefully, she set it down on the rooftop behind Morganite. Seemed that underneath that visor, her irises were pink, not white. She crossed her arms and leaned sidelong on the building. "... Because something weird happened. And. I don't know who else to talk to about it."

–

The warrior gem stepped back and looked at the visor. _Weird, he'd never seen them come off like that before._ Turning again, his attention was caught by the service gem's eyes.

"What... happened?" he managed to ask quietly.

–

"Mmm."

  


  


\-----

\--~ _A few days ago..._

\-----

  


  


"Tiii! There you are!"

The taller Hematite was moving a large pillar with a great deal of effort, despite being at her full harvester size. The building she was tending to was quite large. Dropping the huge slab of marble, she stood up, looking surprised.

"Oh, Mago! What are you doing all the way out here, I thought you had work to do..."

The shorter Hematite, also at her full height, casually leaned against a nearby chunk of building.

"Pssh, me, work? That's funny!"

Ti arched a brow, though her eyes were more concerned than anything.

"Mago, you're going to get into trouble..."

The ebony-haired Hematite snorted and waved a hand nonchalantly.

"I'm kidding, Ti. I finished up early! I figured I could come help you out.~ You knowww, two heads are better than one."

Picking up another piece of rubble with a strained grunt, the lithe Hematite glanced at her companion. She started to say something, but then yelped when the piece of pavement slipped from her hands. Swearing under her breath, she moved her foot away quickly, just barely missing it. Ti sighed and looked at Mago with an unreadable expression.

The ebony-haired Hematite smiled and arched a brow coyly.

"C'moooon. We gotta get this stuff moved out, and you'll never get through all of it with those scrawny arms of yours."

Ti's expression twitched for a moment, but she quickly recovered. The taller gem smiled slyly and stood straight.

"Waaait. Mago, are you... saying what I think you're saying?" Her eyes gleamed with excitement. The smaller Hematite chuckled and stepped away from the building she was slouched against.

"Mmm, I dunno, what do you think I'm saying?" Her gemstone began to glow, and she stood in a readied pose.

Ti smiled brightly, moving away from the rubble she'd dropped.

  


  


\-----

\--~

\-----

  


  


"And, so. One dance later, we managed to fuse. It went really well..." She rubbed her neck. "At least... I thought it did." Her tone was soft and almost hurt-sounding.

–

Morganite found himself leaning again, this time with his arms crossed over one another. He bit the inside of his cheek, still smiling. However, as Mago finished, Morgan frowned and looked away.

"What happened?..." he asked, almost reluctantly.

–

"Well, we didn't last more than a few minutes before we willingly unfused. As soon as we'd formed, we started clearing away the debris." A wistful tone entered her voice, and she tilted her head up slightly, closing her eyes. "I'd never fused before; it was amazing. We were so strong, agile... so in-control. We got a job done in a few minutes that would have taken either of us at least a few hours." She chuckled. "And _stars_ were we tall. Heh." A toothy smirk crossed her face before fading. Her face still slightly inclined toward the stars, Mago opened her eyes.  "But... Something felt _wrong_ toward the end of the fusion. I guess maybe Ti saw something in the building that could have been destroyed more efficiently, but I didn't listen. I kept control of the fusion the entire time, or at least, it _felt_ like I did. I think Ti tried to guide us at the end, but..." She shrugged. "I didn't want to give up control. Being fused was too... fun.' A guilty look crossed her face, and her shoulders lifted a bit. "So when we unfused...."

  


  


\-----

\--~

\-----

  


  


The bright glowing light faded out, leaving the two Hematites standing side by side. Mago stretched, letting out a chuckle that quickly turned into a hearty laugh.

"That was incredible! We were great!"

The shorter Hematite turned excitedly to the gem beside her, her eyes bright. Ti wasn't looking at her.

"... Ti?" Mago's smile faded.

The lithe Hematite slowly gripped her arms, her face turned away.

"I can't believe you. I can't _believe_ you!" She turned sharply to face the ebony-haired Hematite, her eyes angry and hurt. "That was terrible! You just... took over the whole time! That's not what fusion is about, _ **Hematite**_!"

Mago flinched heavily, taking a step back.

".... B-but, we. You..."

Ti turned away, shaking her head.

"It it because I'm weak?! I get it, I'm not as strong as you. But I still know how to do my job, you know."

"N-no, I do know that! I'm sorry, I just thought-"

"I don't care what you thought, that was terrible... And if I can't trust you to even handle a fusion... then-"

Mago's eyes widened, and she tugged on a lock of her hair.

"Ti, _don't_..."

The silver-haired Hematite turned back to her smaller comrade with a hurt expression.

"-We're _ **done**_. Have fun with the rest of your work. And don't bother showing up to the next fusion fight."

Turning away, she took a few steps forward before a soft whimper escaped her, and she covered her face. Before Mago could say anything, Ti bolted off.

She knew she couldn't catch up with her.

  


  


\-----

\--~

\-----

  


  


"...." Mago sniffed once, rubbing at her eye with the palm of her hand.

–

A worried, disheartened look spread across Morganite's face. He could tell this was rough on her. His chest tightened, and now he just seemed angry, more than anything else.

"What a terrible thing..." He said, offering a sympathetic smile. "I'm so sorry that your first fusion experience was so... undesirable." He placed one palm over the other. His expression seemed mixed. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. Part of him wished he knew who this was, so he could give them a firm 'talking to'. "Here, dear. Listen to me..." He placed his palms on the railings again, leaning a little closer. "It is easy to become excited when you fuse. It sounds like your little..." He paused, choking on the next word, "… 'friend' simply took things the wrong way. You should be proud of yourself."

–

Mago looked at him, and suddenly moved a bit closer, her fingers gripping at the edge of the building.

"But it was my fault. I shouldn't have been so aggressive. What on Homeworld do I have to be proud of? She hates me now!"

–

Morgan quickly took a few steps back. She'd gotten a little too close too fast, but he knew she was just upset.

"Hey, listen." He raised his hands, grinning wider. "It wasn't your fault. You shouldn't beat yourself up over that! She sounds like she's pretty controlling, if she reacted that way..." He placed his hand on the side of his head, digging his fingers into his fluffy pink hair. "Come on, Mago... _hate_ is a strong word. If she really hates you over that, I personally think it's better off that you aren't around her..."

–

Blinking, the giant gem sat up a little bit, her face a more comfortable distance from the pink-haired gem. His words seem to strike a chord with her, and her brows furrowed, as if she was thinking hard about something.

"... Y. You really think so?"

–

Morgan shrugged and tapped his fingers against each other.

"Of course. Mago, let me tell you something. In all of my years of being a warrior, a bartender, and a friend to many, I've seen my fair share of these kinds of things." He sighed, his smile fading just slightly. "It might be best if you chose your 'friends' more wisely. This can lead to nothing good... I can feel it."

–

The ebony-haired gem blinked silently as she took in what he said. Her fingers drummed along the rooftop, and she slowly removed her hands from the edge of the building, looking down. After a moment, she glanced back up. Her eyes were clouded with thought.

"Hm. Alright. If you say so, M."

–

He smiled warmly again, his grip tightening on his hands.

"If you need to talk again anytime, you know where to find me. Keep me posted, alright? I'd hate to see you so upset over someone like this. I'll do whatever I can to help," he stated.

–

The giant gem reached over to pick up her visor, slipping it back onto her face. Brushing her hair back with a 'hmph', she gazed down at the warrior gem.

"I'll keep that in mind. And uh." She chuckled and winked at him, giving a sarcastic sort of 'salute'. "If you ever need a _harvester_ for any reason, you let me know. Pipsqueak knows where to find me; just ask him.~" She held her hand up to the rooftop.

–

Stepping up into the giant's hand, Morgan bowed respectfully.

"Of course! I'll... keep that in mind." He looked up, smirking.

–

Mago smirked back, her teeth glinting in the moonlight.

"Good."

Slowly, she lowered Morgan back to the street and put him down. She stood and turned to leave, just as she had the first time. Waving back, she sauntered off down the street, though it was less enthusiastic than before.

She had a _lot_ to think about.


	43. A Matter Of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite sees rain again for the first time since his years on Earth.

Wind.

Howling, battering, harsh wind.

CRASH!

Hematite's eyes shot open, and he gave a startled yelp as he sat up from where he lie. His breathing was shallow and rapid, his eyes darting around at the landscape before him.

This wasn't where he'd lied down to regain his energy...

Where was this?

Slowly standing up, Hematite held his arms close to him, shivering. It was freezing. He was up to his waist in long, thin grass. The wind whipped it around wildly, and the service gem winced as it lashed at his legs. Through gritted teeth, he exhaled, his breath coming out in a quickly-dissipating cloud of steam. Looking up, he squinted, barely able to keep his eyes open against the wind.

He perked, getting an idea. Lifting his hand to his face, the service gem flicked his hand over his eyes. Nothing happened. As Hematite felt around his eyes, he suddenly realized he wasn't even wearing his eyepiece like he had been when he lied down. 

What on Homeworld...

Trying to think of another way to avoid the wind, Hematite turned around, trying to get it to his back. But the direction suddenly changed, and he was face-to-face with it again. Baring his teeth, he let out a frustrated growl. 

**CRASH!**

Eyes going wide, the ivory-haired gem stared ahead of him as lightning illuminated a huge, foreboding structure.

Wait...

_He knew that building..._ It was the tower in his gem.

Looking around frantically, Hematite realized that the area around him was eerily similar to the dimension he was so familiar with. But something felt different. _Everything_ felt different.

It was cold, wild, terrifying. The normally warm or starry skies were completely smothered by near-black storm clouds. Lightning was shooting between them at an alarming pace, setting the landscape alight with each flash. Hematite couldn't see the floating islands, or the districts in the distance... He couldn't see anything beyond the cliffs that surrounded the grassy fields and tower.

It was dark, cold, lonely. And yet he felt as if he was being watched.

The small service gem looked around cautiously, checking for signs of life. It seemed he was the only one there... Something glimmered overhead.

Blinking, Hema looked up, still squinting against the wind. His breath caught in his throat. Far above him, despite the rolling clouds... he could see stars. A small smile crossed his face. But it faded quickly. No, they weren't stars.

_They were hundreds of target insignia._

–

CRASH!

Another abrupt flash of lightning struck somewhere close by, as if the bolts of electricity were honing in on him. But they weren't. 

The grass shifted quickly, but it was hard to tell with the harsh, barraging winds. 

Then it got closer. Soon, it disappeared completely. There was an ominous silence aside from the howling winds and the distant rumbling of thunder. It would seem that Hematite was completely abandoned, alone, and lost.

 

_But not for long._

 

There was a voice that carried through the wind, another strike of lightning hitting the grass somewhere close by. The voice was powerful and unsettlingly familiar.

 

**"This is your fault."**

–

Hematite took a few startled steps backwards at what appeared to be something approaching through the grass, but his shoulders relaxed as it seemed to vanish. 

But then he heard the voice, and his breathing stopped.

_Oh, stars... **No**._

Looking around, the service gem suddenly felt very... small. 

He backed up, into some of the taller grass. Maybe if he just hid...

–

The voice called out again; this time, louder. 

 

**"Did you think you'd get away with what you did?"**

There was a harsh pressure that filled the air suddenly. The wind picked up, and lightning started to strike more frequently now.

 

**"You've stepped out of line for the last time, Hematite."**

–

"N-no! I'm sorry!" Quickly, he covered his mouth, backing fully into the taller grass. It rose far above his head, despite the wind that was buffeting it. 

Now if he could just stay quiet...

The small service gem flinched each time lightning struck nearby. It was getting closer.

He didn't particularly know if he'd be hurt by it if he was hit, but he didn't want to risk it. Maybe if he stayed in here, the grass would be struck before he was...

–

Without warning, a dark shadow began to grow somewhere behind the tower. Slowly, it started to loom, and it's figure became eerily familiar. If Hematite had any doubts on who the voice belonged to before, they were certainly gone now.

A huge hand reached out and grabbed onto the top of the tower, piercing yellow eyes glowing out from a body cast in an unseen shadow. Slowly, her color came into view, hues of yellow and black whisping over her slowly. 

Her eyes widened, she peered down at the dwarfed service gem, judging him. No longer was her form encased in a black silhouette. No, now, she stood tall behind the building. 

**CRASH!!!**

A bolt of fierce lightning struck the ground directly between Hematite and the tower. The grass smoked for a moment, but nothing more happened. 

"Sorry means nothing." 

Merciless, striking words filled the dense, freezing air. 

Her fingers clutched down on the top of the tower, creating cracks within the structure that crumbled  pieces of rubble down to the ground far below.

–

Eyes wide as saucers, Hematite stared at the huge figure looming above. He only caught glimpses through the whipping grass, but it was enough to know exactly who it was. The tiny gem flinched at the lightning strike, crouching down lower in fear. He'd been seen, but he couldn't bring himself to run at the moment... he was frozen. The crumbling of the tower echoed in his ears, making him grip his head in pain with his free hand.

Sorry means nothing.

His other hand still over his mouth, Hematite looked up at the looming diamond. Behind her, it seemed all the star-like targets had trained directly onto him. 

He started to shake.

With a panicked yelp, the ivory-haired gem suddenly bolted out from his hiding place, running deeper into the grassy field. Maybe if he just avoided her, he could find a better place to hide!

–

With a mighty force, Yellow gripped the side of the tower and pushed it to the side. 

With a sickeningly loud rumble, the tower fell down into pieces, and Yellow stepped forward. She wasn't even running. Her eyes were locked onto him, glaring daggers into his tiny form as the tower was sent crashing down behind her. 

"You can't hide from the Diamond Authority. You can't hide from your fate. You can't outrun it, you can't change it. Why run? Just accept what's coming. It'll be much easier."

–

Hematite's entire being shook uncontrollably as the tower crashed down behind him.

_Don't look back._

_Keep running._

_Keep running, and it can't get you._

_Just a little more time..._

_I just need a little more time!_

_**You can't hide from your fate.** _

_**You can't outrun it.** _

_**You can't change it.** _

Closing his eyes tightly, Hema urged himself to run faster, his hand reaching up to cover his gemstone.

He regretted closing his eyes.

With a sharp yell, Hematite tripped over a rather large drop in one of the hills, and he landed heavily in the grass below, on his front. Groaning, he sat up, sputtering dirt from his mouth.

–

There was a loud thud behind him. A dark shadow cast over the service gem's small body, and a fair bit of the ground around him. There, looming above him, Yellow was hunched over, glaring down at him with narrowed eyes. Her figure was cast in black yet again, all except her eyes. 

The target were still blaring in the sky, but this time...they changed. 

Instead of diamonds, they hard warped into a much rounder shape, eerily spot on to Hematite's own gemstone.

–

Stiffening, Hematite stared at the ground below him as it went dark.

Everything told him not to look.

Every part of his mind screamed at him to not turn around, to run, to keep going. But he was frozen in place, the harsh wind blowing his bangs into his eyes, stinging them. Gritting his teeth, Hematite whimpered and rested his head on the ground, covering it with his hands. He was shaking uncontrollably.

_Go away..._

_Please..._

_I said I was sorry!_

_What more do you want from me?!_

_I can't undo what I did!_

_Please, stop this!_

He bit his lip, tears welling up in his eyes.

_I didn't want this!_

–

Yellow reached her hand down and dug her nails into the ground around Hematite, surrounding him like a dark cage. Slowly, she closed her hand around him until he was completely encased in her palm. Another bolt of lightning struck behind her, and her eyes widened very slightly. She lifted.

–

As soon as he heard the diamond's claws sinking into the ground, Hematite's face shot up, and he let out a startled whimper. He tried to scurry forward, to escape, to do something. But he was too slow, and he quickly found himself surrounded by darkness. 

The tiny gem looked around in panic and grunted in frustration, trying to pry at the fingers holding him captive. He could feel gravity shifting, and knew he was being picked up.

_No... no! Put me down!_

He punched fruitlessly at the inside of Yellow's hand, each strike growing more desperate.

–

The diamond was unwavered by the smaller gem's feeble punches, and lifted him up in front of her face. She held him there for a moment, quietly. Then, slowly, she loosened her grip just slightly, though not enough to let him go completely.

–

The moment Hematite saw light, his eyes widened, and he scrambled for the opening in his captor's hand. He managed to pry his upper half out, but suddenly found himself stuck. His breathing quickened, and he stared, wide-eyed, down at the hand holding him.

_Don't look up._

_Don't do it..._

_You know she's there..._

Shoulders tensing, Hematite shut his eyes tightly and let out a frustrated cry, clawing at Yellow's hand best he could.

–

She squeezed lightly, lifting up her thumb a little. She stared down at him with a cold, emotionless gaze. Her brows were slightly furrowed. She seemed dead set on her ways. 

"By the order of the Diamond Authority....Hematite..."

 

Her clawed thumb pressed the surface of Hematite's gemstone, just barely making contact.

–

A shuddering gasp shook Hematite's frame as the monstrous diamond rested her claw on his gemstone. He tried to lean back as best he could, tilting his chin up and away from the claw.

But then he wished he hadn't.

His eyes opened, and he let out the tiniest, pitiful whimper. The shadowed figure loomed in front of him, her piercing yellow eyes narrowed at him. He could see nothing else on her form.

The targets in the sky all bore insignia shaped exactly like his gemstone, and they were focused directly on him.

 

But that was not what made his body go cold.

 

_None of that mattered._

 

The lightning in the sky had practically stopped, and the clouds seemed to freeze in place.

There, beyond the nightmarish Yellow Diamond looming before him, loomed a far, far more intimidating figure.

It filled the whole horizon.

Jet-black clawed hands stretched out over the hillsides, over the cliffs, over _everything_.

Far over Yellow's head glowed a bright white panel.

No.

Not a panel.

_A visor._

_**It was Hematite.** _

_But it wasn't him at all._

–

Yellow's grip squeezed tighter, slowly. With so much pressure, it was only a matter of time before he'd be poofed, if she continued. But her eyes narrowed, never once moving her gaze off of him.

 

_**"You are sentenced to death."** _

 

And with that final statement, Yellow pressed her clawed thumb forward into Hematite's gem with a sickening _**crack**_.

–

"HaAAA!"

Hematite sat up with a panicked scream, his hand flying up to cover his gemstone. His knees quickly drew to his chest, and he looked around rapidly, his eyes wide, sweat dripping down his face. Soft, frightened whimpers escaped him with each exhale as he took in his surroundings. 

He was back in the caves...

He was back to the real world...

He was still on his mission...

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Hematite buried his face in his hands, exhaling slowly. His body was trembling.

_You can't escape your fate._

_It's only a matter of time..._

_One way or another, you're going to die. There's no escaping it._

After a few minutes, Hematite managed to shakily stand up and make his way out of the cave. He stood at the edge of a huge, open field. He was on a completely different planet than his Homeworld. Sure, he wasn't stranded here, but...

He couldn't have felt further from home. Even further than when he was on Earth.

The service gem ran his thumb along the rocks of the cave entrance. Clouds were rolling overhead, painting the sky multiple hues of dark blue, as this planet had a strange atmosphere. Hema looked up. A drop of water fell on his face, and he blinked in surprise and wiped it off. More began to fall. Soon enough, it was pouring rain over the fields of grass, as far as the eye could see. Hematite normally would be fascinated by another chance to see rainfall... there wasn't any on Homeworld. He'd only been exposed to it on Earth. But this time... he felt no joy in seeing it. No curiosity drove him to take notes. He felt heavy.

Looking up, Hematite closed his eyes. He let the rain pour down on his face. 

Tears began to well up in his eyes, mixing with the rain, and a broken smile crossed his lips. When he spoke, his voice was soft, cracked, weak.

"Joke's on you, Yellow Diamond." His hand slipped from the cave rocks and moved up to gently cover his gemstone. His lip trembled, and he opened his eyes, a look of defeated pain glazing over his expression. "I've already been sentenced to death."

  



	44. Fallen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions rise in the Diamond Authority.

_\--  
The following goings-on in the Diamond Authority take place during Hematite's current two-month mission._

_\--_

 

_Ruined. I am **ruined**._

 

Looking out upon the darkened city, the Diamond stood slouched upon her window sill. The past few months had been disastrous, to say the least. Before recent events, she had been slacking, sure. But now... now was different. She'd shut herself away completely. She cut off contacts and locked her doors, even ignoring any and all attempts of communication between the other Diamonds. She wanted nothing to do with _anyone._  
Now, it had been precisely two weeks since her dispute with Hematite. Could she even call that a dispute? No, that was a disaster. A one sided and very _catastrophic_ disaster.

Her fingers were curled into fists, knuckles rapping slowly against the edge of her office window. She couldn't sit. Not even for a moment. If she did, she ran the risk of passing out or nodding off for a moment. She didn't dare chance that. It was chilly, but not freezing. This time of year was always a bit colder, and chill winds always tended to blow through her and White's districts especially. Sure, it wasn't nearly as cold as her nightmares, but regardless, it still made her uncomfortable. _Everything_ that reminded her of that horrid place sent shivers down her spine and plunged her into a fresh spike of anxiety and apprehension. She took a deep, shuddering breath as she stared out into the city below, lightning flickering across the skies like a current of maddening anguish. The weather was simply relentless as of late; nonstop electrical storms crashed above for days upon days at a time, with little to no breaks in between. The bolts of lightning struck down with ferocious energy, striking buildings and setting fires wherever they hit, when they didn't completely _destroy_ whatever they struck. Panic stricken gems were often seen scurrying about, despairingly trying to make light of the district's hazardous condition. They did their best to regain order, to keep everyone calm, but without Yellow Diamond's strong leadership, they were lost, scattered, and disquieted to no end.  
  
Yellow Diamond's city was in chaos, and she could do _nothing_ but watch her world crumble to the ground around her. For the first time in centuries, perhaps _ever,_ she felt _hopeless_ . Workers were falling behind, production had come to a screeching halt, and there was a complete lack of organization and leadership. To make matters worse, crime had started to spring up, now at an all time high. Within a few short months, the Yellow District was plunged into a bleak era of dissaray only once seen before. _And that had come with Pink Diamond's betrayal._ With so much disorder, Yellow started to wonder if she would ever be able to fix the mayhem that plagued her city. But... before she could even think about how to go about undoing the damage to her district, she needed to fix the damage to something else.

  
_Herself._

 

“Would you like some tea, my lady?”a nasally, mature voice called from the other side of the room. Yellow, shaken from her hyper-focused state, turned her head slightly.

“No,” she said tersely. The Pearl, nervous, bowed her head in understanding. Yellow Diamond paused, narrowing her eyes and staring at the wall in pensive silence. “Leave me,” she ordered. Confused, the Pearl saluted and did as she was told. If Yellow wanted to be alone, she certainly wasn't going to question it. It was out of line to speak out, anyway.

As the door hissed shut behind the Pearl, Yellow was once again left alone in her dark, cluttered office. The lights were turned off; the only thing illuminating the room was the dim glow of the city and the frequent flicker of lightning. It was quiet, aside from the sound of distant thunder. She stood up straight, arms now folded behind her back. She stared blankly out of the glass, the area around her falling silent, dark, forboding.  
She was alone, trapped in a waking spiral of her own harrowing thoughts of months past, and of her recent conflict with Hematite.  
  
Hematite's words reverberated through her mind as clear as the thunder rolling over the horizon. For the entirety of the two weeks since his blow up, she couldn't stop thinking about what he said, no matter how hard she tried to push it away. Guilt-ridden, she found that her condition was, by some horrible device, _worsening_. Now, she could hardly do any sort of work, even from the sanctity of her own room. Before, she could at _least_ work on reports in silence, but _now_ she couldn't even focus on _that._

For weeks, she had been locked away in solitude, ignoring the outside world. For days, she'd been doing almost nothing but musing on the past, remembering things that she had buried deep within the furthest confines of her mind. For hours, she stood in front of the window, now lost in a different state of mind than she'd been in the past few weeks. She was trying to will herself to do something. Something she'd been considering for the past few days. For the first time in two weeks, she was going to take a walk.

She just had to find the strength to take that first step outside.  
  
\--

\--  
  
_“Hello? Yellow Diamond? This is White Diamond, please answer.”_  
_..._  
_“Yellow, Sparky, Hey... anyone? Blue Diamond, here! Are you there?”_  
_..._  
_“Come on, we know you're there! Pick up already!”_  
_..._  
_“This is ridiculous, Yellow. Your district is in chaos. You need to do something.”_  
_..._  
_“Yellow Diamond, I am coming to your office today and you'd better be there. We've got a lot to talk about.”_  
_..._  
_“Hello? ... Are you even listening to these? ... Please call back.”_  
_..._  
_“Where are you? What's going on with you? Please, why won't you talk to us? Blue is starting to panic, and I can't keep her calmed down for much longer.”_  
_..._  
_“Yellow Diamond.... we need you.”_  
_..._  
_“What's happened to you?”_  
_..._

  
White flicked through a number of different messages, desperation and sadness riddling her expression. Sighing, she tapped off the communicator and placed her elbows on the desk in front of her. Blue, sitting across from her fellow Diamond, had one leg crossed over the other. She seemed uncomfortable. An awkward silence befell the room, and the once warm and placid office felt dark and tense. A weight hung on the air.  
“I don't know what to do, Blue. I have tried everything... But no matter how hard I try-” White started quietly, placing her palms together and entwining her fingers.

“Ugh, come on, White, don't tell me you're blaming this on yourself,” Blue interrupted, swinging her arms out to her side. White looked up slightly with a pained look on her face.  
“No, listen... Neither of us can get a hold of her. I've tried going to her office directly, even _you_ have tried. She won't let us in, or she just isn't there. I got in **a single** time, and she wouldn't say a _word_ to me. _Not one single word,_ ” she responded quickly, almost hurt. “These transmissions we've sent her are either not reaching her or being ignored completely... if it's the latter, then... It's just not like her, Blue. I don't know what to do. I've tried sending in Hematite to try and make up with her, to see if that was the problem. Maybe it wasn't. But if that's not the case, I don't know what it _could_ be. It certainly doesn't seem like the animosity between them is the issue,” she continued, exasperated.  
“Or maybe it is...” Blue whispered, not looking at the other Diamond. She held her arms close, hands grasping onto her upper arms uneasily.  
White narrowed her eyes, but shrugged her shoulders low. She breathed deeply, looking slowly to the side. “Yellow is a gem of courage. Surely, she's over Hematite by now. She's stared death in the face before, a host of times, without a second thought! She's been through far worse than this! Why would Hematite of _all_ gems, of _all_ things, cause her this much distress? _Enough_ distress to completely shut her down? It just doesn't add up...” She placed her head in her hands, running her nails through her stark white hair.  
“Sparky's not as fearless as she lets on sometimes, you know... If you really think that she's not afraid of anything, then she's played you for a fool,” Blue said monotonously, sounding annoyed.  
White pursed her lips in frustration.

“Will you take this seriously?”  
Blue frowned, furrowing her brows in perturbation.

“ **I AM** taking this seriously! Are **you** listening to _**me**_? Are you even paying attention to everything around us?! Look at the signs, White! Somethings got her nerves racked!” she growled, slamming her fists onto the table. White sat up straight and placed her own hands on the surface, glaring down coldly at Blue.  
“Calm down,” she said sternly.  
“Don't you tell me to calm down, White!” Blue shouted, undeterred from White's normally unsettling stare. “Just think about this whole thing with Hematite, how traumatic it's been for **both** of them! There's a high possibility that it's _still_ effecting Yellow!”  
“Fine, it may still be bothering her, but to _this_ extent?!” White responded, vexed.  
“Yes!” Blue continued to yell in aggravation, “Did you ever ask Hema how his little talks went? You sent him to make up with her but you never heard back from either of them, did you?” She narrowed her eyes, teeth bared in a condescending sneer.  
White scowled, looking offended, but turned her head away.

“I... no, I didn't.” Her brows raised in realization. “Oh no... Do you think that... I've made this worse?” she said, raising one of her hands to her mouth. Blue groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Stoooop blaming this on yourself, White! This isn't about you!”  
“I'm not making this about me, Blue!” White hissed, gripping the table with her other hand.  
“So their talks may not have gone so great! Did you really expect it to be that easy?! Hematite is a service gem, and after what he did... after Yellow's _already_ been in whatever the heck kind of that mindset she is, did you REALLY think that she was just going to _listen_ to him?”  
White stopped, staring at nothing. She found herself at a loss for words. Blue was right. It was incredibly possible that Yellow and Hematite had bickered and made things worse between them. _That would explain a lot of what was happening now. Still... Why wasn't Yellow over it yet? What was her excuse before White sent Hematite in? She was already acting odd beforehand._  
“Blue, Yellow is... well, you know how she is,” White said patiently, “She isn't one to be deterred by a service gem. She isn't one to dwell on issues like this, or be distressed to the point of locking herself away and not talking to us. Don't you think there might be more to this than just them talking?” she said, crossing her arms. Blue scoffed, but she knew White was right too. Hema causing Yellow this much disquiet was a bit of a stretch.

“I guess.”  
Tapping a single finger on her upper arm, White looked away, deep in thought for a few moments.

“The pieces just aren't adding up... At this point, it seems all we _can_ do is... wait. Wait, and hope that she comes back around sometime.”  
“So you're just gonna give up on her?!” Blue growled, her anger rising again. White stood up, glaring down at her fellow Diamond.  
“What do you suggest we do, Blue? We've tried everything we can. Nothing is working. Whatever is wrong with her, it's something _far_ deeper than we ever imagined. **We** cannot help her, she needs to get through this herself.”  
“You can't be serious!”  
“It's our only option, Blue!”  
They were in each others' faces at this point, eye to eye. Blue scowled darkly, and tightly clenched her fists.  
“Fine,” she hissed, ominously staring up at the taller Diamond. “But if this gets any worse... the rest of the cities could be at risk. I hope you know what you're doing...” she muttered. White spared her a nasty look, but sat back down in her seat.  
“You are dismissed, Blue Diamond,” she said formally. Blue huffed in irritation. If she stayed her any longer, there was no telling what she'd do. She felt her anger rising by the second. How could White just dismiss this? How could she not know what to do? She was _White Diamond!_ White _always_ knew what to do! And here she was, just brushing this off without even trying to do anything? Surely there must have been another way!  
As Blue left the room, she watched the ground and paced towards the elevator to the ground floor. Her nose scrunched up in disheartened anger. She was so displeased with White right now, she just wanted to head out to her training grounds and smash a few helpless dummies. Yeah, that'd make her feel better. She grinned darkly, looking up as she neared the elevator. Soon enough, she was on the ground floor and reached the central warp pad after a brisk run. Stepping onto the smooth, blue surface, she flashed away in an instant.

  
\--

  
Lightning danced across the skies at breakneck speeds, sending waves of thunder trembling throughout the frigid air. It took her an hour or so, but Yellow finally gathered up the strength to leave her office. Pacing around the District quietly, Yellow stayed out of sight of the common gem. She didn't want them to see her... Not like this, and not right now. She wanted to be alone, but she didn't want to stay in her office. She thought better sometimes while she walked. From the direction she was headed, she looked to be moving towards the Pink District of all places. She'd been walking around her own district for a few hours, but it wasn't working. It wasn't quiet enough. She needed to be somewhere else... even if it was the Pink District. Sure, she could have easily taken a warp pad there, but she wanted to walk there herself this time.  
  
As she strode for the abandoned district, Yellow looked forward with a hollow, tired gaze. The carnage of recent months was taking its toll on her. There was a lot that she needed to think about, and a lot that she had to come to terms with. She knew that... even if she wanted to brush it to the side, to just try and accept things as they were and move on. She knew it wouldn't be easy. No, there was something so much more to this. Glancing around quietly, she made sure no-one was following her. She was alone... Good.

Finding herself at last walking through the gates to the Pink District, Yellow looked up to the dark, dreary skies and sighed. It was time for a little reflecting. She wasn't leaving this place until she worked through a few... 'issues' _._ She leisurely started to pace along the wall. At least here, she wouldn't have to worry too much about running into anyone. Now she was alone with her thoughts, and that was all that she needed. Brows furrowing, she looked on ahead and walk rhythmically in an even pattern. Her steps were measured, though slow. It wasn't like she was in any hurry.

  
_**You have no reason to trust me? That's funny, considering you've never given me a reason to trust you. You had no reason to distrust me from the very beginning** _ _!_

Yellow Diamond heard Hematite's words resounding throughout her very core. The more time passed, the more she could hear his voice. Louder, stronger, and more _desperate._ It was determined to be heard... it was determined to be understood.

And, for the first time ever... she _wanted_ to understand.

She wanted to understand how things could have turned out this badly. Where exactly she went wrong. Why he felt the way he did. And maybe, just _maybe_ , how to fix it. That is, if she even _could._

_**I saw what would happen if I disobeyed, stepped out of line, made a mistake! I was terrified! I never even** **CONSIDERED doing anything I wasn't told!** _

She grimaced in remembrance. Everything he had said before, on that dreaded, awful afternoon, was flooding back to her. It was already all could think about for a while, but she was remembering it clearly as if he'd just spoken to her an hour ago. She was filled with anger, regret, and self doubt. _Was_ she really too hard on him? It certainly seemed so. But how? Surely she was justified, right? He could have been a threat, easily! The Diamond frowned sternly, holding her chin up high and prideful. She was doing the Diamond Authority a favor! She was doing all of gemkind a favor, keeping him in line!  
  
Her expression fell. She was... _wasn't she?_ He was big, and he was powerful. Surely he knew that from the start. Not only that, a gem with that kind of ability and power living in such close quarters to White Diamond herself? He could easily have turned on them if he wanted to. He could have waited for the perfect moment to strike, right when they least expected it! She just wanted to make sure he knew where he stood in all of this, so that he wouldn't even consider pulling any stunts. So that he'd be too afraid to. After all, the old Hematites... well, being harvested was their _darkest fear,_ across the board. Despite how much she'd tried to block out memories of those five horrendous, beastly gems, she remembered at least THAT much, along with a few other details. They were malicious, cunning, untrustworthy. They'd cost each of the Diamonds countless numbers of service gems, many of which, they never found out the location, or fate of. How many gems were spirited away in the middle of the night by those five _**monstrosities?**_

Surely, she had every right to believe that this Hematite was no different. And yet...  
  
_**And then you had to crash my match with Blue! You had to go and try to take away the one place I felt safe, that I felt I belonged in! You humiliated me in front of the only people that saw worth in my life, outside of my job! YEAH, I slipped up and embarrassed you!**_

_**But I guess you were waiting for that, weren't you?! I'm surprised I didn't slip up sooner!** _

_**You made me feel like nothing! You told me over and over again how worthless I was, how one day I would mess up and you would be WAITING! Waiting for what?! Me to make a small mistake like calling you a nickname, a stupid mistake that you could shatter me for?! Were you waiting for me to say something out of line?**_ **  
  
** Maybe she'd been too harsh... Maybe she'd gone too far. _She could have stopped_. She could have trusted White's judgement. She could have gone about things differently, instead of the ruthless ways she handled it. But she didn't. It wasn't like her _not_ to be that way... She'd been that way for many millennia, and Hematite was no exception. She'd been direct, blunt, and merciless; and, though she didn't want to admit it, she was emotionally and mentally _abusive_ , to an extreme.  
And that didn't work on everyone. _She'd now been reminded where it got her, sometimes.  
_ Growling to herself, she glared up at the sky. She didn't _want_ to accept that. She didn't _want_ to believe that the way she normally handled things might have to be changed; she didn't want the way she handled _him_ to have to change. Then again, the Hematites weren't exactly your everyday race of gem. They were something unique; they were something constructed and handled a completely different way than any other gem in existence. Perhaps she just needed to look at them differently, and in a new perspective. She didn't know too much about the Hematites, and up till now, she didn't care to know. Maybe now, she would.

She remembered that spar after Blue's match with Hematite. She remembered how humiliated _she_ was. She was just getting him back! _**Sparky?**_ Of all names, of all places, why that? Why then and there? He shouldn't have even known about that absolutely ridiculous nickname Blue had given her! She hated that nickname since the moment Blue first said it, but she could never stop her from using it. Hematite shouldn't have known about it, and he sure as hell shouldn't have _said_ it. It was disrespectful, humiliating, and downright degrading.  
... But had she just overreacted? Clutching her arm, Yellow thought hard about how she must have come off to him. She was furious at the time. And rightfully so! Or at least, she'd thought so, for the longest time. But was she _really_ justified? She did, afterall, seem like she was out for his shattered gem. She just wanted to get him back... to make him pay for what he did. Blinded by her rage, she may have poofed him, she may not have; even she couldn't tell for certain. All she was focused on was making him regret what he did to her.  
  
Cringing, Yellow's eyes widened with a stinging pain behind them.

  
He just wanted to get _her_ back for what _she_ did to him, too.

\--

\--

THWACK!  
  
Digital splinters flew every which way as they were met abruptly with the sheer force of Blue Diamond's massive mace. Breathing heavilly, the Diamond stared down at the stray target hologram she had projected, now shattered into glitching pieces that soon buzzed away into thin air.

“Hmph...” Blue grunted, propping up the huge weapon on her shoulder as if it were weightless. “I really need to make sturdier targets...” The Diamond pursed her lips. She came out here to try and relax and forget everything that was going on. It wasn't that easy. Growling, she closed her eyes. Her gem started to glow and from it, she spawned a holographic replica of herself. The holo-Blue saluted and summoned their own mace, mirroring her current stance.  
The two started to go at it one by one, each holding their maces and swinging wildly at each other. No-one had landed a hit. They were evenly matched, but at this point Blue was only doing this to try and get her mind off of the obvious. It wasn't really working. She wasn't just frustrated with Yellow anymore; No, she now couldn't stop thinking about White, either. Yellow Diamond was in such a horrible state, and all White wanted to do was brush it off and 'wait it out'. And, as much as Blue knew Yellow had done this to herself, she still didn't like seeing her like this. No-one should have to go through what she's going through, whatever that might be.  
She hadn't seen Yellow like this in many centuries. It worried her to no end, to say the least. Even if she wanted to be angry with her, even if she knew that whatever was going on with Yellow had to be related with Hematite in some way, she couldn't bare to see her fellow Diamond in such distress. She just didn't know how to help.  
Maybe White was right. Maybe all they _could_ do was wait this out.  
But no...there had to be something she could do. _Anything.  
_ Her anger began to boil, her strikes becoming more erratic, her concentration fading in and out. She couldn't make heads or tails of this whole ordeal and the more she thought about it the more she wanted answers. Answers she couldn't find, and that she might never find. Why couldn't Yellow just tell them what was wrong? Why were things effecting her this badly? Surely there was more to it! And White was so willing to just give up on her? After everything they'd been through?... No, White wasn't like that... was she? Blue sighed, collecting her thoughts with a quick step away. Panting heavily, Blue watched as the hologram glared up at her and advanced. _  
_ Could she have forced Yellow to talk? Probably not; but she'd be lying if she said she hadn't considered it. More specifically, if she said she hadn't considered _beating_ it out of her. That wouldn't work; maybe she _should_ just listen to White this time. Besides... it was unlikely that Yellow or White would listen to her about this, at all. They never did.

Grimacing, Blue felt something horrible tighten in her chest. In her brief moment of thought, she was caught off guard. The holo-Blue saw the opening and took it, reeling their weapon back for a nasty hit. Clattering the bars of their maces together, Blue's own weapon was sent flying. Snarling, she whipped around and summoned another, charging for the hologram. _  
_ She wanted to talk to Yellow about what happened, about anything at all for that matter! Though she could never get anything out of her, no matter how much she tried. Maybe it really _was_ pointless to pry. Hell, if Yellow was going to talk to either of the Diamonds, surely she'd spill everything to _White_ before she did to _her. That's just how it always was._ She frowned heavily, glancing away from the Holo-Blue for just a moment. It was as if she had forgotten all about the fight, right then and there, staring hollowly ahead. The Hologram took another chance and struck, but Blue reacted _just_ in time to block the hit. Sharply inhaling, she pushed against the other weapon's bar and kicked the hologram away violently. Gripping the mace tighter, Blue made a direct go at her opponent. _  
_**“HYYYYAH!”** _  
__**CRASH!**_ _  
_ Blue's mace came down heavily on the holo-Blue's form, shattering it to pieces. Growling under her breath, the Diamond propped the mace up over her shoulder once more. Her frustration was building, not only with the boiling thoughts of everything White had said, or what Yellow had done to Hematite, but now there was the fact that she could do nothing. She felt completely useless. With a heavy heart, Blue decided she was done for the day. Staring down at the broken remains of her hologram which fizzled way in the blink of an eye, she knew there was no point in beating herself up over this, figuratively or literally. Tossing her weapon aside with a somber sigh, she headed back to the city. She was going to need a _lot_ of drinks at Morganite's bar tonight.

\--

The Pink District was cold and still. No wind blew through the air. Dark, thick clouds rolled overhead, blanketing the skies. No gems, no creatures, and no other sound stirred other than Yellow Diamond's slow, steady breaths and footsteps. She was alone with her thoughts, and even though that may have been the case, it was anything but peaceful. She still had a lot to think about; a lot to consider. She found herself wandering through an abandoned quarry, large pillars of stone and hollowed out walls jutting from the ground. Stopping by one of the towering monoliths, she placed her palm on its smooth, cold surface, glancing up at the unevenly chopped up rock face.  
  
_**If you had just trusted me and treated me with some shred of respect, you would have had nothing to worry about! This could have been easy! It would have been SO simple for you to at least pretend you saw some worth in me! But no, you kept stepping on me and making me question my worth, to the point where it started effecting the people around me! I had to pretend to be okay around them! I had to act like I still saw worth in my existence, for their sakes and mine!**_

Yellow felt her body tense for a moment. Guilt-ridden, she clenched and unclenched her hands periodically. She _could_ have pretended, maybe... but it wasn't like her to pretend. It wasn't like her to **lie.** She certainly wasn't going to change that for _him_. But why was she truly so dedicated to believing that he didn't have any worth?... Did she really believe that in the first place? No, maybe she just wanted _him_ to think that so he wouldn't get cocky. Though the more she thought about it, the more it seemed that wasn't fair either. How could she have known it would effect him that way? Most gems would have used it to better themselves, get stronger and prove her wrong. Then they could **earn** her respect! But, then again... Hematite wasn't like most other gems. And actually, now that she really thought about it... that _was_ what he did. Somehow or another, he'd trained himself to best her in battle. He _had_ bettered himself, even if that wasn't the effect she intended. He outright trained to be able to defeat her, to catch her with her guard down. To make her feel vulnerable. But, the more she thought about it... the more she realized that _ **was**_ an understandable response to being put down nearly _every_ day... Maybe White was right. Her iron-fist tactics just _didn't_ work on everyone. Especially not in the way she intended it. They may have worked on her gems, for the most part... but Hematite?

_**You're a DIAMOND, you've got nothing to worry about. You've been around for thousands of years, you're not going anywhere.** _

_**You have no idea what it's like to know you're a ticking time bomb** . _

_**It's only a matter of time!** _

_**And you know that one day, no matter WHAT you do, that time will run out**! _

_Time. Time running out._ Visions of her nightmares rushed through her head, filling her to the core with a sense of dread that she had tried _so_ hard to suppress. A doomed gem clinging to whatever hope they could, even though they knew it would all just end someday and there wouldn't be a thing they could do about it; she knew that feeling horribly well, now. Her nightmares had given her an insight to that... She was so used to thriving, so used to never having to worry about a thing, she never could have imagined what it must have been like to lose yourself forever. _To have the risk of becoming corrupted looming over your head. **To die.**_

_**I have such a short life, compared to other gems. That's why. I try to get along with everyone. I have a limited life. I want to make the most of it, I want to be... remembered.** _

The very thought sent chills through Yellow's spine. Well, _she'd_ certainly remember him alright. But that's not what he wanted to be remembered for, was it? _And honestly, that wasn't how **she** wanted to remember him. _ Hematite didn't even know when his final day would be up. The mere concept of that unnerved the Diamond the more she thought about it. It must have been indescribably terrifying to know that at any given point, you could corrupt. You wouldn't know when it was coming. You couldn't stop it. You couldn't tell those you cared about goodbye. _Hell, you might end up hurting someone you cared about._ The mere thought was... _horrific_.

_**Not a day goes by that I don't regret that choice. Did it feel good for a little while? Yeah, maybe. Justice had been served. If I had known how badly it would effect you, I would have just risked going to White to resolve our 'issues'. I just wanted us to get along...** _

Yellow knew all there was to know about justice. Justice hadn't been served! She didn't deserve that! She didn't deserve any of that, or anything that came after! ... But _he_ didn't deserve what he got either, did he? Her expression fell with a deep, spiteful regret. She wanted so badly to be angry, but the guilt was weighing her down.

_**I wasn't going to hurt you that day in the Sky Arena! I JUST WANTED TO SCARE YOU. THAT'S IT. I wasn't going to harvest you, and I certainly wasn't going to shatter you! You needed to see what kind of effect your fear tactics can have! But I guess I put too much faith in you being the gem of Courage, and your ability to get over it!** _

The Diamond's hands lit up with a faint trace of electricity, and, balling them up into fists, she struck the side of the building she was passing by with pent up frustration. How dare he say something like that to her? He was so disrespectful... so disobedient. And yet... she knew he had every right to be after what she did to him. Not just once, not just twice, but over and _over_. Berating, beating him down, humiliating him. Could she really believe that he wasn't going to hurt her, back in the Sky Arena? He had every reason to, surely. Why _wouldn't_ he?

On one hand, she didn't know if she could trust his word after their incident. On the other, he _was_ right; he never did anything before or after that that was anything _like_ that. He followed orders, he followed the rules. Why _couldn't_ she trust him? Blue and White did, and they got along just fine with him. He'd never hurt either of them, to her knowledge. It had to be _her_ that was doing something wrong.

_**Everyone is so amazing, and I wanted to learn something from all of them.** _

_**Even you.** _

_**I respected you so much. I wanted to make all three of you proud.... I wanted to make** _ **you** **_proud..._ **

Frowning, the Diamond sighed through her nose and looked up to the sky with furrowed brows. He had so much potential... and _she_ had so much potential too. Potential to teach him. To _make him great._ To make him into the best gem he could be. She could have easily helped him at any point. She could have easily given him at least _some_ sort of advice. But she didn't.  
If she didn't feel guilty enough before, she certainly was feeling it now. Was she proud of him?... No. Perhaps not. But the others seemed to be. Maybe she just wasn't looking close enough, or didn't care enough before to notice anything that _could_ make her proud. That, or maybe her standards were just too high. She'd have to think on that too, later. Maybe even reevaluate the way she looked at certain things.  
But how could she stand for anything less than perfect? She was a Diamond, after all! If Hematite was really to be under White Diamond's rule, surely he should be the best he could be. She was just keeping him on his toes, keeping him on guard!  
_But perhaps she'd taken that too far as well. After all... Diamonds were Diamonds. Hematites, among all other gems, were not. Was it really fair to hold him to such impossible standards, White's body guard or not?_

_**Clearly, all you see me as is another disposable gem, an annoyance, something to be thrown away! And then on top of all that, you call me a monster, say I'm ruining you, and won't even accept my apology**! _

_**So I hope you have a good REST OF YOUR LONG, PROSPEROUS LIFE, YELLOW DIAMOND. Because the only one here with a ticking clock is me, and I'm not going to waste precious time and energy wishing things were different between you and I!**_  
  
_**I hope you're satisfied.**_  
  
No. She wasn't satisfied. She never was. She was never satisfied with anything he did or said. She wasn't satisfied with herself, either. This whole time, she'd been avoiding the answer even though it was so obvious. She was denying the truth. Denying the cold, hard truth. It was never him that was in the wrong... after the incident in the Sky Arena, at least. It was her. This whole time, she was holding onto some kind of self inflicted paranoia from something terrible that happened long ago. She judged him based on things she _thought_ he would do, crimes she thought he'd commit, but never did. That judgement was so heavily tainted by things-no, by _gems_ he had _nothing_ to do with, aside from being kin with them. And considering those gems were made and shattered over four thousand years ago... even calling him 'kin' with those individuals was a stretch. She never treated him fairly...She hardly even gave him a chance. But now? Maybe she could change that. Maybe... just _maybe_ there was a way to fix what she had broken.

She understood now what she had to do. The Diamond stopped in her tracks, staring straight ahead with a soft sigh. She'd come to terms at last... it all made sense to her now. Was it worth it to be this angry with a gem that had every right to be as upset as he was? No. Was it worth it to keep ignoring him and try to let time heal all wounds? No. She knew this wouldn't get any better if she didn't _make_ it any better. This wasn't like Pink. Hematite wasn't going away any time soon, nor had he warranted this treatment. She had to swallow her pride and do something about it, and she wasn't going to let fear or anger keep her from doing what was right this time.  
In the distance, a faint crackle of thunder ripped through the skies. It was brief and far away, but it was there. Maybe the storms were following her where she went. Yellow turned around completely and looked to the path she was taking. She quickly started to head back to the warp pad. It was finally time to head back home.

\--  
  
Back in the White District, the Diamond tower had fallen silent. No-one was really walking around it, and nothing particularly interesting was going on. That is, at least that anyone could see directly. White paced quietly around her office, her hands folded neatly behind her back. Her Pearl had since left her alone to run an errand or two, but she remained in her room. Ever since Blue had left, she was seething in acute irritation. Tapping her fingers together quietly, she tried to calm her nerves. She had prepared tea for herself since her Pearl had left, but she hadn't touched it since. Sighing heavily, the Diamond turned to look out of her window at the district in view. Calm, placid streets with bustling, busy gems laid below. An ideal sight for her, really... She only wished she knew how to help Yellow Diamond fix what chaos brewed in the Yellow District.  
Blue didn't understand. It was frustrating to talk to her sometimes. _Okay, most times_. Though, White was beside herself at the very fact that she couldn't help any further. This wasn't something that she herself could fix this time, nor could she find a proper solution to it. _She was White Diamond_...White Diamond _always_ found solutions to problems. At least, that's what everyone believed. The Diamond made her way over to her desk, sitting down. Burying her face in her hands, White groaned in annoyed exasperation. She didn't know how much longer she could bare this feeling.  
  
_**Knock. Knock.**_  
  
Lifting her head slightly as the door hissed open, White at first kept her eyes on her desk. She didn't bother to look at who had walked in. But, when she did, her eyes widened in undisguised shock.  
“Yellow...?”  
  
Standing in the doorway, Yellow Diamond stood tall and... nervous? Well, for once, White couldn't say she was too surprised. In fact, she seemed more shocked to see Yellow Diamond in her doorway at _all_. Standing up quickly, White stepped out from behind her desk, stopping abruptly. _Why was she here_ _ **now?**_ _Why was she not saying anything? Was she alright? Did she finally wish to talk?_  
“... Yellow Diamond?”  
  
Slowly, Yellow looked up to White, steeling herself. She took a deep, anxious breath and picked at the sleeve of her glove. Swallowing nervously, she stared up at her fellow diamond, frowning. She took one, slow step into the room.  
  
“White... I need to speak with Hematite.”


	45. One Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of Hematite's spars is interrupted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks the end of Arc 2.

_This was it._

_Today was the day._

Yellow straightened herself up and walked through the long, dark tunnel of the Coliseum's entrance. She was nervous, and her breathing had all but stopped. Despite the anxiety quickly rising in her chest, she presented herself as professionally as she could. If she was going to do this, she was going to do this _her_ way. There wasn't time to wait until she felt brave enough to do this some other day. Passing by a few gems, she held her arms behind her back, head held high. The gems she walked by stared on in shock. _Was that...Yellow Diamond? But no one had seen her in weeks!_ They looked at each other, then back at the passing leader in disbelief.

Yellow stopped suddenly at the gate, looking to the inside. Her expression was unreadable. Anxiously, she squeezed her wrist behind her back and took a deep, drawn-out breath. She'd heard from Blue that Hematite planned on sparring with one of his friends in the Coliseum today, so she figured she'd pay him a visit.

_She had a lot to say._

–

"RrrRAAAH!"

Fists alight with pulsing plasmic energy, Mago swiped wildly at Hematite, catching the edge of his sleeve. He winced and spun around to deliver a sharp blow to her side, which sent her stumbling away from him. She recovered quickly and shot out a bolt of electrified energy at the smaller harvester, whom promptly jumped back. He still caught the brunt of the blow and let out a sharp cry of pain. Gritting his teeth, he lashed out his electrical whips, grabbing onto Mago's arm.

The two gems were sparring at the end of the Coliseum, at near full height. The fight had been going on and off for a while to allow Hematite some fair breaks. Mago had won a couple rounds, Hema had won a few of his own. But now both of them were locked in a curiously even match. It could be noticed, though, that Hema was starting to slow.

"C'mon, Pipsqueak! You're starting to slip up!" Mago crowed between her teeth, which were gritted in pain. Her arm twitching, the ebony-haired gem grunted and yanked Hematite toward her, delivering a sharp punch to his chest. He let out a loud grunt and stumbled away, falling onto his back. He was breathing heavily. Mago tossed Hematite's electrical whip away, her body twitching with pain. "Rrgh, _stars_ I hate that attack of yours." She flicked her hands, putting out the plasmic energy that flowed around them. Standing back a bit, she ran her hands along her arms, wincing in pain. Seemed this one was a draw, with Mago as a cautious winner. Hematite remained on his back and sighed, closing his eyes. He breathed deeply, giving himself a minute to recover.

–

Yellow's eyes widened, but she forced herself to keep calm. _No, don't back down now. He's just sparring... it's ok. This is going to be okay._ She took another slow, shuddering breath and placed her palms on the bars as she gave one of the guards a nod, signaling for them to lower the gate to let her in. _Here goes nothing..._

The metal gate sputtered to life and rattled, lowering slowly into the ground. As it did so, Yellow waited with nervous anticipation, stepping back into the darkness. Stars, she’d really picked a terrible time to do this. Why did he have to be huge _now?._.. As the gates came to a cluttering stop, Yellow stepped slowly forward out of the darkness, her head held high. She looked calm, collected, and very proper. She made her way to the other end of the arena field, towards the giant gems.

 

"Am I interrupting something?" She called out, placing her palms behind her back once more. They couldn't see it, but she had started to twist at her own wrist again. _No backing down now. Come on, Yellow, be brave._

–

Mago looked like she was about to say something, but stopped cold the moment she saw the approaching figure. She stood at attention and saluted clumsily, taking a step back.

At the familiar voice, Hematite's brows raised, his eyes widening. For a moment, he didn't move.

After a pause, he suddenly sighed, almost sounding _irritated_.

"With all due respect, _yes_ , actually." He didn't move his head to look at her. Glancing at Mago, who was taking a few more paces back, Hematite frowned and turned his attention back up to the sky. Lifting his arms off the ground, he crossed them over his chest. "Mago, we have a match to finish."

–

She paused, her expression unchanging. She leaned up against the wall and crossed her arms.

"Oh, that's alright. I can wait. I have all day," she said calmly, watching Mago back away.

–

Inhaling quietly, Hematite closed his eyes, grimacing slightly in exasperation. _Great. She's not leaving._ He let out a deep breath though his nose and drummed his fingers along his upper arm. Mago looked at him and glanced at Yellow for a moment.

"Yeaaaah, I'm gonna go to the training grounds for a while, Pipsqueak. You have fun with that." Giving Yellow another glance, the ebony-haired gem shifted down to her half height and briskly made her way out of the arena, through the far tunnel. Hematite was left lying on his back, his eyes shut.

"..." Huffing his bangs away from his face, Hema opened his eyes and finally turned his head to look at his superior. He looked tired and anxious, uncertainty clouding his eyes.

–

Yellow Diamond stood for a moment, waiting for the other service gem to make her leave. As soon as she was sure that she was gone, she turned to face Hematite. With a slow movement, she uncrossed her arms and cleared her throat. Fortunately, there weren't too many gems in the stadium today. For the majority, it was just her and Hematite. Not that it mattered, she wasn't going to let anything deter her now.

 

"May I... have a word?"

–

Hematite narrowed his eyes at the diamond before him. Normally, he'd have been trembling in his boots by now, but he felt far less intimidated by her at his current size. He trusted that she wouldn't pull any funny business in public again.

But something felt... _off_. Why was she even here? He'd expected her to lash out at him by now, challenge him to a spar, to do SOMETHING.

But she was just... there. Did White send her? Arching a brow, the service gem continued to drum his fingers along his arm. They stopped, and instead clutched at the fabric. To anyone who knew him, he was obviously nervous, despite not showing it on his face. Shifting one of his legs slightly, the giant gem pursed his lips and turned his face back toward the sky.

"Yes. You may have _**one**_ word."

–

Yellow seemed a little taken aback. Normally, a statement like that would have riled her up and offended her. But she knew she had this coming. She knew she deserved that. Frowning, she looked away, as if she were gathering the strength to say something. Her professional demeanor fell completely, and she seemed more pained than anything. Soon, she couldn't even look at the service gem. There was so much she had wanted to say. So much that she knew she'd _need_ to tell him. So much that she _sho_ _uld_ tell him...but for now, she'd humble him. If he didn't want to hear her, then so be it. But she could at least offer him her one word.

 

"… Sorry."

–

"..."

Silence fell over the service gem. His eyes went wide, and his mouth fell slightly ajar in disbelief.

_S...._

_..._

_Sorry?_

_Ha... wow..._

Hematite felt a small smile cross his face.

_This was the most vivid dream he'd had in YEARS!_

The giant gem glanced at his hand that still rested on his arms. Pursing his lips, he pinched himself with two clawed fingers, wincing.

...

Wait.

Wait this wasn't...

His eyes widened again, and he stiffened.

"... Wh-" Hematite turned fully to Yellow Diamond, his fingers tightly grasping at his sleeve. "What?"

–

Yellow looked back at him, brows raised. She looked... sad. She remained silent, crossing her arms and standing up straight. Well, he only wanted to hear one word. Why would she risk saying something else? Would he get angry if she tried to speak again? She looked away, setting her jaw.

–

Without thinking, Hematite adjusted himself to turn onto his side, then his front. He never got any closer to her, so he wouldn't spook her or make her think he was going to pull any stunts. Supporting himself on his elbows, he stared at her, brows raised.

She looked sad...

She...

Did she _really_ just say what he thought she said?

"W-wait." There was a slight desperation to his voice, as if he couldn't believe what he'd heard. "What did you say?"

–

She didn't look at him. With a heavy sigh, she dug her heel into the dirt below.

"I said sorry. You wanted one word, so I gave you that." She glanced over at him, looking more than a little unnerved. Managing to meet his eyes for a brief moment, she forced herself to remain calm.

–

Hematite stared at her for a long moment, silent. He looked over his shoulder and gazed about at the tunnels and empty stands of the coliseum.

Was this a test? Was White watching him? Why on Homeworld would Yellow apologize to _him_ , unless it was some sort of trap? She couldn't mean it. _There was no way._

The service gem looked back at his superior for a moment before he glanced away awkwardly, brushing his index finger and thumb together.

"U-uhm. Hmm. Tsss." He rubbed his chin for a moment. ".... How about a few _more_ words?"

–

Yellow turned to him and breathed in through her nose. Closing her eyes, she uncrossed her arms.

"I came to... apologize to you. Hematite," she said, almost forced. It was taking a lot for her to be here in the first place, but now that she was here and she had to actually speak to him, she found that the words were harder to find. Opening her eyes, she stared at the ground beside her. "I've been doing a lot of... thinking... lately. Thinking about what you've said. Thinking about... what I've done. What _I've_ said." She paused, still unable to look up at the huge service gem. "It's... been a rough year." She shrugged.

–

Hematite watched the diamond intently, still unable to process exactly what was going on. He was hearing what she said, but... how? How was this happening? She hated him! She wanted nothing to do with him! And now she came to him, in an arena of all places, and wanted to apologize?

It wasn't that easy.

_.... Was it?_

Hematite found that he himself couldn't look at her right now. He felt something akin to excitement and hope rising in his chest, but he pushed it back down. There was a heavy tinge of bitterness keeping him from getting his hopes up that this was genuine.

_**It's... been a rough year.** _

Hematite frowned.

 _It's been a rough_ _**life** _ _for me, Yellow._

Hematite frowned at himself. _Come on, if she's actually apologizing, try to have an open mind..._ Glancing at her, his expression softened, but now there was a hint of suspicion. He sighed, sounding tired.

"Did White send you?"

–

Yellow flinched briefly, looking back up at him. There was a pause.

"No. No... actually..." She stopped again, lifting her hand up to rub the back of her neck. "I haven't... spoken to either of the Diamonds in over a month, aside from asking White when you'd return from your mission, and asking Blue where you were today... I'm... sure they aren't happy with me..." She grit her teeth and dug her nails into her skin. Grimacing, she turned. "Stars, this is harder than I thought..." she muttered under her breath.

–

She hadn't spoken to them in over a month...? What on Homeworld was going on while he was on his mission the past two months?

Looking at her fully again, he blinked in surprise.

_Stars, this is harder than I thought._

Wait... so. She actually _was_ apologizing. She wouldn't say that if this was some act. Hematite looked away nervously for a moment. After a pause, he sighed softly through his nose.

"... Here."

Closing his eyes, Hematite's form began to glow. He shrank down, and soon enough, was left standing some distance from his superior, at his usual Pearl-sized height. He blinked as his body returned to normal, and he crossed his arms anxiously.

Now he was completely vulnerable...

_And he didn't like that._

"Does this... make it any easier?"

–

Yellow looked back, her eyes widening. Did he just?... He did. She was surprised that he'd shifted down at all. Placing her hand in her palm, she looked down at him with the same pained expression that she had before. This changed nothing.

"Yes...I don't know...maybe?" She bit her lip awkwardly. Shifting her weight onto her other heel, she tried to bring out more words. "Uhm...Look. Hematite." The awkward tension in the air seemed to gradually increase, and she could feel it. She had to find the words, but how? Back when she was thinking about it, she found it so easy to say what she needed to say. Now, though, it all escaped her. "Mmmmnngh... Where do I start..."

–

He was utterly puzzled. Not once in his life had he seen Yellow Diamond this way, with _anyone_. And to see it when she was trying to talk to him... It was too surreal. Hema could feel the tension in the air, and he grimaced, looking away. Well... this was getting them nowhere. Maybe if he steered the conversation to something more casual, it would help things ease up? It was worth a shot, after all.

"... So, I found a new species of aquatic gem creatures on my last mission."

–

Yellow looked up in confusion, a small twinge of something akin to annoyance graced her expression.

"What? No no, listen! Really, I need to say this. I'm just not sure how." She groaned, pinching two fingers between her eyes. She needed to get it together, she wasn't making this any better.

–

Hematite flinched slightly at her response, the grip on his sleeves tightening. _Right._

_Be quiet._

_Just stay quiet._

_You know the drill. Speaking up never ends well._

–

"Listen. I...." She took a deep breath, running her hand down her face slowly. "I wasn't fair to you. At all... I've _never_ been fair to you."

–

He gazed at her, nervous, but attentive. As he listened to her words, his brows raised slightly.

–

"I'm supposed to be the gem of Justice. Hah..." She stifled a laugh, but she still never smiled. No, she seemed disgusted with herself. "There was no justice in what I've done." She furrowed her brows, fixated on a small pebble in the dirt. This was taking a toll on her pride. Good...she needed it. And she knew it. "You... were right. I should have treated you more fairly. I mean..." She placed a hand on her hip indignantly. "White and Blue seemed to have no problem with you... why did I find it so hard to trust you?" At the last rhetorical question, her brows raised again. "You... didn't deserve any of this. Any of what I said. Any of how I treated you. You just wanted to follow the rules, anyone would have thought that would have made me happy. Hah... But no. My paranoia wouldn't let me be happy. My pride wouldn't let me." She looked up to him with a fierce determination in her eyes. For the first time in a very long time, her bravery returned, if even for a moment.

 "I was _wrong_. I was wrong about you, and I was wrong about what I did. I was wrong about what I said. And I'm _sorry_ , Hematite."

–

There were no words. None. He couldn't think of anything to say. Every word she spoke, everything she just said, he'd only dreamed of hearing. She was sorry, she was aware of how she'd treated him, she knew he didn't deserve how she acted.

Everything he'd said to her that one afternoon... or, at least... the important bits... It seemed they'd finally sunk in.

Hematite met her fierce gaze, for once, with a steady look of his own. His expression was unreadable. But his eyes were shining.

"... Well." He cleared his throat, standing at attention, folding his arms behind him. "Th... thank you. Yellow Diamond. I. Appreciate that. And... I'm sorry for my part in all this. I didn't go about things the best way either."

–

Awkwardly, Yellow shrugged her shoulders and smirked for a split second. She’d done it. After all this time, she had finally done what was right. In an instant, she felt the pressure, the fear, the anger all but vanish. Relief. Finally, there was relief. It wasn't much, but it was there. She'd gotten the closure she needed, and said enough to know that she'd made a major step in the right direction. And, despite still having _so_ much more to say, she felt as though now might not have been the right time, and what she _had_ said was enough for now. Perhaps they could fully clear the air some other time, when they'd gotten a bit more used to each other...

She took a single step forward, looking down.

"So, Hematite... do you think we could... start over?" She looked back up to him, frowning. "I... never even gave you a chance. I know nothing about you. And yet I judged you like I did." She took another deep breath, holding it this time.

–

Looking up at his superior, Hematite brushed his fingers together behind his back.

_Start over..._

_I know nothing about you._

Blinking, the service gem paused for a moment. Slowly, he looked up and to the side, seeming to think something over. He pursed his lips. It was the _same_ face he'd made years ago on the rooftop, when he was presented to the three diamonds for the first time. Looking back up at Yellow, he smiled, albeit awkwardly. His smile widened, and he stood up straighter, with barely-disguised delight.

"Well, for starters, my favorite tea is peppermint!"

–

The Diamond blinked in an odd confusion. That odd expression he made seemed eerily familiar, and she suddenly found herself thinking back to their first 'proper' meeting up on the Diamond Community tower. _Did he just take that statement literally? Oh well._ She stood up straighter and crossed her arms, staring at him rather blankly.

"Crystal spice..." she muttered, trying not to smile. Shuffling a foot behind her, she glanced up at the sky. "I'm... Looks like I've got a big mess to clean up, huh..." she said in exasperation. "I'm not looking forward to talking to Blue or White, either..."

–

Quietly, Hematite smiled and repeated, ' _Crystal spice, got it_.' The service gem awkwardly glanced to the side, scuffing his own foot on the ground. He looked up at the sky with her, his folded arms falling to his sides.

"Yeah... Seems like it." His gaze returned to his superior, and he bit his lip for a moment. "There's... a lot of damage that needs to be fixed." Swallowing, he forced a smile. "I may be a _demolition gem_... But if you need any help, I can try to help _patch up_ whatever I can." His smile softened a bit, more genuine this time. "It'll take time, but you can do it." A soft, relieved chuckle escaped him. "You're Yellow Diamond after all."

–

She felt an odd warmth spread through her chest. It was a warmth that she hadn't felt in a very, _very_ long time.

"Thank you, but..." She looked down at him, still frowning. "That won't be necessary. This carnage is my fault, and I need to be the one to fix it. I hope you understand." She said, placing her hand over her gem for a moment. "And I will fix it. I will fix all of this. By the Diamond Authority...." She stopped and closed her eyes. "I swear it..."

–

Hematite bit his lip again, trying to keep back tears.

This was real.

It was finally sinking in...

 _This was_ _**real** _ _._

Scuffing his foot, he cleared his throat.

"Yes, I do understand. The offer is still there, should you need an extra set of hands."

Quietly, the service gem bowed his head and put his own hand over his gemstone, mirroring her gesture.

–

She lowered her hand into her opposite palm, giving him a nod of thanks.

"Well...I guess I must be off, then. There's a lot of work that needs to be done." She paused, looking to the side. "Thank you for hearing me out, Hematite. I...hope you have a nice day." She shrugged, turning quickly. She didn't await any response, and slowly started to walk away.

–

Watching her walk off, Hematite blinked and took a single step forward.

"Yellow Diamond!"

–

She stopped for a moment, turning her head, breathless.

–

There was a pause. He cleared his throat and smiled.

"Thank you for interrupting my match,” he said softly. There was no sarcasm in his voice, no malice.

It was _genuine_.

–

Without responding, she turned back and continued walking. He would know that she'd heard him, at least. But what he didn't know was that, with her back turned to him, while walking away...

 

_She was smiling._


	46. Uninvited Guests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Take an inside look at a Yellow District gem’s apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arc 2 summary: [Spoilers... duh!]  
> As a result of Hema's attack at the Sky Arena, Yellow Diamond is plagued by nightmares and hallucinations of a dark manifestation of her paranoia. This violent version of 'Hematite' interrupts nearly every bit of rest she tries to get, and her work slowly slips because of it.  
> In the meantime, Hema experiences his first fusion event, is attacked by a misguided guard at the Coliseum, goes on his first mission with White, where rebels dropped an entire building on him and his Diamond, and much more. He tries various times to patch things up with himself and Yellow, but to no avail. When he finally gives her a piece of his mind, he leaves her guilty and thoughtful, and leaves on a multi-month mission.  
> When he returns, Yellow finally clears the air, and gives him the apology he so badly needed.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Yellow Diamond fully returned to her duties, and made a formal announcement to all her district gems that things should return to normal within the year. She also made sure to make it clear that the rumors about Hematite trying to shatter her were false, and that they should rest easy. It wasn't an easy speech to give, but it was badly needed. Gems got to work almost immediately, glad to see their leader back on her feet. The clean-up in the Yellow district wasn't easy, but it was coming along. Things were starting to calm down, the lightning storms had all but stopped, and the riots were slowly becoming less frequent. People were even starting to return to the district once they saw the situation was improving.

 

However... despite things getting better at a rapid pace, there were still a few kinks that needed to be worked out in the district. Not everyone listened to Yellow Diamond's announcement.

 

 

_"GET HIM!"_

Hematite dodged clumsily out of the way as a large gem warrior barreled at him, bringing their war hammer down mere inches away from where he once stood. Sweat was forming on the service gem's forehead, and he panted heavily, trying to stave off the exhaustion he felt dragging him down from his very core. He knew this feeling. He knew this feeling all too well, and it did not bode well for him.

 

_No... I can't shift down._

_Not right **now!**_

 

The service gem was only about 15 feet tall at the moment, having slowly shifted down from his half height during a job. He stood in front of 4 very angry and very powerful service and warrior gems. They'd attacked him without warning in the middle of a clean-up job in the Yellow District. Seemed a couple of the gems recognized Hema from stories and the incident over a year ago. They blamed him for the state of the district. They blamed _him_ for the state of their leader.

Hematite grunted and dodged another attack, landing a solid kick to one of the warrior gems. They hit the wall, stunned, dropping their weapon. Hema took a few quick steps back. He was already tired from his clean-up job, and to be in a battle _NOW_... He wasn't sure if he could control his powers for much longer. One of the other warriors let out a fierce, angry shout and lunged for the larger gem, reeling back their fists, which were covered by two gauntlets.

 

 

Nearby, though not close enough to see or clearly hear what was going on, two smaller gems were going about their own business.

One of them, a small, green-furred gem monster, looked up. Her ears perked in the direction of the fighting, and her tail swished curiously. _A scuffle... in the Yellow District?_

–

The micro gem beside her, Sphalerite, peeked up over the gem monster's back to see what was going on. She squinted and frowned, quickly realizing she couldn't see anything from where they were.

"Hey, do you hear that?" she asked, despite knowing that she probably could. She hopped up onto Eka's back and clung to her shoulders. "Do you think we should see what's going on?" she asked, looking over the creature's head.

–

Ekanite looked over her shoulder at Sphal and let out a soft chirp. _Well,_ _ **she**_ _certainly wanted to check it out! It sounded like there was something exciting going on!_ Nodding, the gem creature hopped down from where she was perched, heading toward the racket. She weaved through alleys and dark passages, being sure to keep out of sight of anyone that might be watching.

 

Hematite landed a solid punch to one of the warriors, sending them flying back. The service gem winced as a puff of white smoke followed the harsh impact. _Stars, I didn't want to poof more of them. If they weren't making this so difficult, this wouldn't have been a problem!_

The last warrior was upon Hema, and _fast_. They leapt up, going to deliver a blow with their spear, but their eyes widened as Hematite turned suddenly. There was a bright flash, and the warrior was stopped abruptly, seemingly mid-air. As the light faded, she saw what had happened. Hematite crouched, panting, his arm extended, the warrior gem in his fist. He'd shifted up. He reached up and quickly tore their weapon from their hand.

_Vwip!_

A silvery bubble formed around the warrior gem within an instant, and Hematite didn't waste any time lowering them closer to his face. Before the bubbled gem could protest, Hema brought the gem up to his neck and transferred them to his pocket dimension. He winced as something faltered during the transfer, and he sensed that the gem destabilized in the rather rushed switch between the outside world and his gemstone. _Stars, another one..._

His body began to shrink down again. He returned to his 15 foot tall form and started walking around, picking up the three poofed gems from the ground. Counting himself lucky that they didn't reform, Hematite bubbled each and directly deposited them into his gemstone with a flash. He'd report them to Yellow later. It was a job well done... but he'd pushed himself too hard.

That last size-shift up was one too many, and did in the last of his energy. Hematite groaned, holding his forehead, sweat rolling down his face. His breathing was shallow, and he grit his teeth as he tried to remain steady on his feet. But it didn't last. Stumbling, he fell forward onto his knees, his form glowing brightly. Within a moment, there was a brilliant flash, and Hematite was left laying face first on the ground, only a few inches tall.

 

The flashing lights only drove Eka on faster. The commotion suddenly stopped, and her curiosity was piqued even more so than before. Though it took her about a minute or so, the gem creature finally crested the edge of a wall that laid close to the large clearing the noise had come from. _But, no-one was there._ Looking around in confusion, Ekanite let out a disappointed trill.

–

Sphal looked around, adjusting the goggles on her forehead.

"Hmmnn... Darn, I coulda sworn this was where the noise was coming from. Maybe they left,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. Suddenly, just as she was about to turn her attention elsewhere, something caught her eye. "Hey, look over there! Do you see that?!" Her eyes widened, and she pointed at a small figure laying on the concrete. _It was a micro gem!_ "Eka, we gotta do something!"

–

Eka began to turn away as well, but jumped when Sphal spoke up, turning to where she was pointing. Her eyes widened, ears perking up. _What on Homeworld?!_

Glancing at her companion, the gem creature deftly scurried her way down to the round back-alley, landing softly on her feet. Slowly, she crept closer, her body low. She came within about a foot of the unconscious gem before she stopped.

–

Sphal hopped off of Eka's back and held her hands close to her chest. Curiously, she looked on in wonder. _Amazing... she'd only ever seen another gem as small as her three times before, this close up!_ Well, outside of her old job. She stopped, staring at the fallen figure.

"Uhm...what...should we do?" she asked, looking to her companion. "Eka, go poke them or something!!"

–

Eka's eyes went even wider than before, and she walked past Sphal, not having heard her.

 _I recognize this gem!_ Padding over cautiously, the gem monster craned her neck forward, sniffing at Hematite. _He didn't seem to be moving, but he wasn't poofed, so he had to still be conscious, right?_

Ears pinning, Ekanite reached forward and prodded at the tiny gem. He didn't move, but the quietest of pained groans escaped him. Hema didn't show any signs of getting up. Tail twitching, Eka turned to Sphal, letting out a single chirp.

–

Sphal's eyes widened, and she quietly took a single step forward.

"Is everything okay?" she whispered, not taking her eyes off of the smaller figure. Slowly, she started to walk forward, looming over his seemingly unconscious body. She knelt down and reached out her palm, but didn't touch him. She hesitated.

–

Ekanite stared down at the tiny gem, tilting her head. _She definitely knew this gem..._ And yet if she wasn't mistaken, she could have sworn this same gem appeared in the Jadewing cave months ago, and that he'd been far... bigger. But it'd been dark, and he wasn't exactly close to her, so she couldn't tell for sure. Eka prodded at the tiny Hematite again.

But this time, she got a reaction.

_"Uuugh."_

–

Sphal's hand shot back and so did she. With a terrified shriek, she ran quickly behind her fluffy friend, cowering.

 _"What are they doing?!"_ she whispered loudly, peeking out from behind her, eyes locked on the smaller gem.

–

Quickly retracting her paw, Ekanite sat up a bit straighter, a surprised trill escaping her. Hematite stiffened at the sound of the surprised shriek, and he suddenly rolled onto his side, scrambling back away from whatever had been poking at him.

_Oh stars, he'd been found when he was down and ou-_

Staring, Hematite's eyes went wide, and he propped himself up on his elbows. Ekanite stared back, ears perked, her tail swaying slowly behind her.

–

Sphal flinched as the Hematite moved, but said nothing. _Well... at least they were small!_ She came out from behind her friend slightly, looking nervously over him. Hesitantly, she approached.

"Hey, are you...alright?" she asked, offering a hand shakily.

–

Hematite's shoulders tensed as Sphal approached, but he said nothing and made no move to run away.

_There are other tiny gems? Why aren't there any archives on them? ... Wait. Maybe they're in that section I skipped over? … Oops._

Slowly, Hematite sat up and offered his own hand, thankful for the leverage to get up.

"Y-yeah, uh. How long have I been out?" The ivory-haired gem seemed nervous, and kept glancing behind Sphal, at Eka.

–

Sphal took Hematite's hand, hair standing on end as she made contact. But it was only for a moment. She helped him up and quickly took her hand back, rubbing her palm on her forearm.

"We're not sure, actually... We heard a commotion and came to see what was going on, but when we got here, all we found was ... well, you! But that wasn't too long ago!"

–

There was a soft 'chirp' as Hema's eyepiece blipped online. _He couldn't pass up taking notes on this._

"Ah, okay... so not too long then." Looking around, Hematite raised his brows. "I hope there aren't anymore gems coming," he said quietly, to himself. Ekanite tilted her head. _What is that strange thing over his eye?_ she wondered. It looked a bit like the masks the Peridots tended to wear, but it wasn't exactly the same. The gem creature curiously leaned forward, sniffing at the small Hematite again. Quickly taking notice of Ekanite leaning closer, Hema put his hands up defensively, his eyes widening. “U-uh.”

–

Sphal flinched again, grabbing onto Eka's tail. She gave it a small, soft tug and bit her lip.

"E-Ekanite, don't do that! We don't know who he is or where he came from!" she said, taking a few steps back.

–

The Hematite attempted to lean back as the green creature sniffed at him, but she closed the distance quickly, dragging Sphalerite along behind her. Hema's hair stood on end, and he grit his teeth, unnerved by the corrupted gem's close proximity.

"Alright, I'm just gonna go, I gotta get back to the towers," he said in a rush, attempting to back away.

–

Sphal looked curiously again at the gem, eyes widening.

"Wha? Towers? What towers?" she asked, her interest piqued. She trotted out from behind Eka.

–

Ekanite glanced at her companion and backed off from Hema. She couldn't quite reach his gemstone to make contact. Glancing at the reddish gem, Hematite swallowed nervously.

"You know... the Diamond towers?" Nodding his head back, Hematite thumbed his finger in the direction of the distant, looming buildings. Eka's ears perked.

_Wait... this gem was from the diamond towers?_

–

Sphal stared for a moment, biting the insides of her cheeks. Placing her hands on her hips, she burst out into laughter.

"Hoo, yeaaah good one! No, really! What towers?" she said, smiling. _Man, this one was funny!_

–

Blinking in surprise, Hematite frowned and puffed his cheeks out.

"... The Diamond Towers. Where I live." Arching a brow, he turned around and gazed at the distant buildings. "Tch, they're further than last time..." Suddenly, Hematite took a few steps away from the two, tapping a finger to his chin. He seemed to completely ignore the two now. "Puffs' place is nearby. If she's home she might give me a lift..." Rubbing the back of his head, Hematite scuffed his foot on the pavement. "She's never seen me like this before though," he muttered, only half intelligible. Ekanite looked to Sphal, a confused look on her face.

–

Sphal's mouth shot open, her eyes gleaming.

"Wait you're _serious?!_ _ **THE**_ DIAMOND TOWERS?!" she squealed, grinning ear to ear. She quickly rushed up to Hematite and walked around him excitedly. Her mouth was running a mile a minute. "Oh stars I can't believe this! I didn't know such tiny gems were allowed in the Diamond Towers! What's it like? Is it pretty? Is it scary? How'd you get out here? What do you do? Do you work for the Diamonds directly? What are they like?" She kept on prattling, not even paying attention to the fact that the service gem seemed to have his own things to worry about.

–

Admittedly, Hematite jumped a little at Sphal's sudden outburst, and he looked at her uncomfortably as she started circling him. _Stars, one question at a time!_

"I- well- uh- well yes but-..." Hematite took a deep breath and stood straight. He still stood a little shorter than the reddish gem, but his now serious demeanor suddenly made him seem... bigger. He glanced at his visor.

"Sphalerite," he said evenly, giving her a semi-stern look.

–

Sphal stopped, her gleeful smile fading into a slightly startled frown. She placed a hand behind her head and forced a smile, backing away. She rubbed at her hair awkwardly, a semi-haunted look in her eyes.

"Ah, I'm... I'm sorry. What's your name? I don't think I caught it," she said. But she stopped. "Wait.... how did... How did you know _my_ name? You're a White District gem..." Her brows raised, and she took a step back.

–

The smaller gem's shoulders relaxed slightly, now that he had her attention. His expression softened, and he cleared his throat, taking a deep breath.

"My name is Hematite. I'm a service gem underneath the direct order of White Diamond." For a moment, he looked confused by Sphal's question. "Hm? Oh!" Blinking, he uncrossed his arms from behind his back. He tapped the eyepiece over the left side of his face. "This is how. I'm obligated to take down notes on any new gems I meet. It's for archival purposes." He shrugged. It wasn't a total lie, he often took notes on new gems, whether they knew it or not. It was always best to be informed, after all. Ekanite squinted at the smaller gem and walked over, taking a stand next to her companion.

–

Sphal looked up and down Hema curiously, and with a swift movement she got inches from him, staring into his eye piece.

"Wooooaahhh... What else does that thing do? Did you make it? Did White Diamond give it to you?" She continued babbling, the same gleam from before coming back. She fidgeted quietly, biting her lip. She wanted to ask if she could try it on, but thought better of it. It'd be best not to ask something out of place like that.

–

The ivory-haired gem opened his mouth to reply, actually seeming interested in answering her. However, he stopped cold when the ground suddenly trembled, and a small pile of rubble shifted as a red gem leapt over it. Spinning around, Hema let out a soft yelp. _Oh stars, I missed one?! Or had they called for backup when I wasn't looking?!_

A lone warrior gem came out of hiding from behind a nearby building, and quickly spotted the three tiny gems in the paved clearing. She gritted her teeth in fury, staring Hematite down. Ekanite's hackles raised, and she hissed indignantly at the bigger gem. Hematite's eyes went wide, as did the furious red gem's.

_"YOU!"_

" _O-kay_ Sphalerite, Ekanite, gotta go nICE MEETING YOU -BYE!" he stuttered, increasing with volume as the other gem charged toward him. And with that, Hematite was off. He scurried away from the paved clearing, the angry warrior gem already getting closer to the three.

–

The reddish micro gem's eyes widened in horror as soon as she spotted the bigger gem. Sphal let out a scream and jumped onto Ekanite's back.

"LET'S GO! Follow that Hematite!" she shouted, panicked. Clinging to the gem monster's neck, she closed her eyes tightly.

–

Ekanite bolted off the moment Sphal was on her back, chasing after where Hema had gone. The ivory haired gem was clumsily jumping over debris and street corners, doing his best to get away from the still approaching warrior gem. He spared a glance back to see Ekanite quickly gaining on him. His eyes widened as the larger gem skidded around a corner, quickly spotting him again. She let out a loud growl of frustration, bolting after him.

"Get back here! You think you can just get away with what you did?!"

Eka's eyes widened, and she ran ahead, passing Hematite. She was far faster than him.

_What he **did**?! What did he do to anger this gem so much?!_

–

Sphal's eyes opened upon hearing the bigger gem's words. Then, she noticed that Hematite was falling behind.

"Eka, wait! We need to help him!" She said, gripping her hands into her fur. "Fall back!"

–

Hematite tripped over his own feet at the larger gem's words, his last nightmare flashing through his mind. He shut his eyes tight, willing himself to run faster.

"No! Get away from me!"

Eka's ears perked, and she growled lowly, slowing her pace. Her mind screamed at her not to, not even for the sake of this random gem they'd just run into... But she didn't want to upset Sphal. Besides, this gem needed help, whether it put them at risk or not!

Soon, she was running beside Hema, her pace matching his. She trilled sharply at him, her tail whipping around his abdomen, lifting him up onto her back.

–

Sphal reached out her arms and pulled Hematite up onto the gem monster's back. She kept steady, holding onto him to make sure he didn't fall off.

"Where do we go?! Quickly!" she said, facing backwards.

–

The warrior gem that was chasing after the three grit her teeth, summoning her weapon. It seemed to be some sort of thin blade. _She was gaining fast._

Hematite clutched onto Eka's fur tightly as soon as he was on her back, and he looked around rapidly, his eyepiece chirping as it pulled up various maps.

"U-uh, okay!" Leaning down to Eka's ear quickly, he patted her neck. "Turn right at this next street, and then cut left through the alley!"

–

Sphal leaned in close on the other side, just behind Hematite. Frantically, she grabbed onto Eka's back, clinging as best as she could. She dared not look behind them.

–

The chase went on for what felt like forever. Eka would dart down streets and over walls, but the furious gem was never far behind. She'd stopped shouting things at Hematite, and was completely focused on catching up with him.

And then his destination came into view. Pointing, Hematite sat up slightly, eyes wide.

"There! There should be a small window on the side of that corner!" _Please be open! You said you never close that thing!_

Ekanite trilled in reply and scurried her way up to the large residential building. Leaping onto a windowsill, she quickly turned to look at the corner of the complex. _Sure enough! There was a small open window on the side, above a much bigger, shut one._ With a chirp, Ekanite crouched down low and leapt for the opening. The warrior gem behind her skidded to a halt as she rounded the corner, her eyes wide and furious as she watched Eka duck into the building. Throwing her weapon down, the warrior gem growled lowly, her fists clenching.

The moment they were inside, Ekanite slipped onto a nearby counter, hiding behind a few knick knacks and holo-frames. Her breathing was quick and shallow, and she looked around rapidly. Hematite, the second Eka touched down, took a deep breath.

"PUUUUUUUUUUUUUFF!" His shout rang out through the small, apartment-like living quarters, and there was a loud 'thud' from the back room.

"Hema what on Homeworld- when did you get here," she shouted from the room, stumbling out with her hand to her gem. She fell clumsily to the floor before popping back up, shaking herself off. Looking around, she pulled out her ax and took a few more steps forward, into the main room. "WHERE'S THE DANGER, WHO DO I NEED TO BEAT... up..." The Jasper blinked in confusion and stood straight, looking about her living room "... Scrap?"

–

Sphal hadn't said a word through the whole ordeal. She didn't know they were going into a building! Gasping, she stared wide eyed as they entered the room, flinching at Hematite's sudden shout.

"WHa? Puff? Who is-" She stopped, hearing another voice call out from the other room. She squeaked in terror and fell off Eka's back, hiding behind one of the knick knacks.

–

Ekanite found herself backing up as well, her fur fluffed out in fear.

 _That was a big gem, and she had an ax!_ Glancing at Hematite, Eka pinned her ears indignantly. _Did he lead them into a trap?!_ Hema hopped up and down on the counter top, waving to the Jasper across the room.

"Puuuff! Over here!"

Tensing, the Jasper slowly turned, lowering her weapon. The moment she spotted Hematite, she froze.

"..... S. Scrap?"

Her ax vanished in a small cloud of orange sparkles, and she slowly walked over, scratching her head. Crouching down, she stared at the tiny gem, even sparing Eka a single glance. Her brows raised.

"... Oh my stars." Puff's look of baffled shock gradually turned to one of amusement, before she grinned and busted out laughing. "Hema, look at you! What on Homeworld happened?!" Dropping her head, she snickered to herself, her hair falling over her eyes.

Hematite puffed his cheeks out, crossing his arms.

"Heyy! This is serious, Puff!"

"I'll say! It's _seriously_ hilarious~" Lifting her face again, she carefully placed her hands on the edge of the counter. "Is this another one of those Harvester things? I always wondered how you pulled those weird tricks at the Coliseum! Rubes said you got small that one match where she clocked me, but..." She stifled another snort. "I didn't think she meant _this_ small!"

–

Sphal peeked out nervously from behind the knick knack. Her palms gripped the surface, and time seemed to slow down around her. _This is too close._ _ **Way**_ _too close. Wait, does he know this gem?_ She stayed as still and quiet as she could, but she couldn't help but tremble. Should she move? Should she try to climb back out of the window? She glanced over at Ekanite, worry clear as day on her face.

–

Ekanite was frozen in place, her eyes never leaving the Jasper mere feet away from her. Her fur was standing on end, her tail stiff.

Hematite groaned and ran his hands down his face in exasperation.

"Puff, seriously! I need you to listen, there's a gem outsi-"

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Hema gave a sharp yell of surprise and scurried away from the Jasper, hiding behind one of the other knick knacks. Puff blinked in confusion and stood straight again, turning toward the door with a small frown.

–

Sphal felt her anxiety spike for a moment. _Oh no, had they been found!?_ Quietly, she peeked out again, eyeing the Jasper. She dared not move.

–

Eka slowly wrapped her tail around Sphal, not taking her eyes off of Puff. She was trembling just slightly. _Being around big gems she_ _ **knew**_ _was one thing... But being around strangers, especially Quartz soldiers... That was another thing entirely._

Pursing her lips, the orange gem casually walked over to her front door and unlocked it, opening it just enough to see the furious warrior gem standing outside.

"Can I... help you?"

"No, but I can help you. You've got a damn harvester in your place! It went in through the window!"

The Jasper went quiet. Puff's eyes suddenly half shut, her expression going deadpan. Glancing to the side, she slowly smiled and arched a brow. Lazily, she leaned in the doorway, completely cutting off any entryway.

"Weeell now. That _is_ a problem, isn't it? Tch... Maaan. Living quarter security just isn't what it used to be, am I right?" She pursed her lips, looking unconcerned. "I guess I should go take care of that, huh."

The gem outside the door growled crossly and tapped her foot.

"No, just, move out of the way, I've got some business to take care of with that thing!" She started to push her way past the Jasper, and _quickly_ felt her feet leave the ground. "Wh-Wha! HEY!"

Puff lifted the warrior gem up by the back of her shirt, holding her at eye level. The smaller gem froze when her eyes met the larger Quartz's.

"I don't appreciate people getting in my business. I said _I'll_ take care of the harvester." Her tone was low, aggressive, much more fitting for a Jasper than it _usually_ was. "So I _suggest_ you run along now and forget you ever saw that gem." Squaring her shoulders, she stood straight. "Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear." The shorter warrior gem silently nodded, her eyes wide. Puff's angry expression cleared suddenly, and she grinned widely. "Alright, good!" With that, she tossed the smaller gem away from her door, slamming it shut behind her.

–

Sphal blinked in confused horror. _Did that really just happen? Well, now the warrior gem was gone, but that just left them with the much more terrifying Jasper._ She clutched Eka's tail and held it close to her chest. What was she going to do with them now?

–

Not turning around, Puff suddenly clapped her hands together. Without a word, she walked over toward the counter, but instead of looking at the gems nearby, she reached up and shut the window.

Ekanite's bristling worsened, and she scurried back, closer to Sphal.

_Oh no._

–

Sphal stifled a terrified whimper, rushing to hide behind Ekanite. She cowered low, trying to hide at her flank. She covered her head with her arms and shook. _Please don't find me, we'll leave, I promise!_

–

Hematite peered out from the glass he'd taken cover behind, gazing at Puff. The Jasper quickly rubbed her palms together and let out a sharp exhale through her nose.

"Hoo. I hate having to do that!" Her peppy demeanor fully returned as she turned to the tiny gem on the counter, a wide smile on her face. "I can see why you were so wound up! That gem seems like a real piece of work."

Walking back over, Puff crossed her arms and knelt down to eye level. Hema made his way out completely from behind the glass, and walked over, close to the edge of the counter.

"Thanks, Puff. I had to take care of some... 'rebels' a few blocks down, and I passed out." He rubbed the back of his head. "Guess I missed that one."

"You gotta be more careful with that, scrap. Didn't you say you've passed out before? Is... is that why you're so small?" She smiled lopsidedly and chuckled. The tiny service gem smiled bashfully and scuffed his foot on the counter top.

"Unfortunately, yes. Happens when I overwork myself." Glancing back, Hema thumbed in Eka and Sphal's direction. Ekanite tensed. "Thankfully these two over here were able to help me out."

–

Sphal's eyes shot open. _He gave her away! How could he?!_ Nervously, she bit down on her fingertips and tried to remain hidden. The Jasper had blocked off their direct route of escape. Maybe if she stayed quiet, there was still a chance she could slip out from the door somehow!

–

Puff looked up and gave the gem monster a little wave.

"Aah, okay I was wondering about that. Here I thought I needed to get Rubes to check out the walls again. One time we had this really nasty infestation of Mica, yeesh." She grimaced in an exaggerated manner before chuckling. "Buuut if they're with you, it's fine."

Hematite smiled and patted one of Puff's fingers before he turned back to Eka.

"It's alright! She's a good friend of mine." He smiled encouragingly, crossing his arms. "You two should come say hi. She _did_ kinda just save our gems."

Eka stopped bristling, her fur slowly smoothing back down. _Well... he wasn't wrong, per say.. But why on Homeworld was a supposed White Diamond gem friends with a Jasper? She could understand it if he was a civilian, but such a tiny gem that worked directly for a Diamond... it didn't make much sense. Then again... She still wasn't sure if this gem was the same one she'd seen back in the Jade Hollow. And, for that matter._ Eka looked up at the Jasper, blinking thoughtfully. _She looked a bit familiar too._ Turning, Ekanite pretended to check out the tip of her tail, instead pressing her nose into Sphal's gem.

 _"Stay here. Stay hidden. I will make sure it's safe and look for an escape."_ She slowly stood up, unwrapping her tail in a way that kept Sphal hidden behind the knick knack. Cautiously, she padded over to Puff, clearly nervous.

–

Sphal's nerves weren't easing up at all, despite everything. Despite them being friendly, she had no idea what these two gems' intentions were.

As Eka spoke to her telepathically, Sphal looked down, lightly resting her hand on the creature's muzzle before she moved away. She nodded, hiding as best as she could. She wanted to say something, but didn't want to risk being heard.

–

Puff watched the approaching gem creature with a friendly, albeit vaguely nervous smile. She _said_ it was fine if it was with Hema... but a gem monster was still a gem monster, and they could turn on a dime. She wasn't going to let her guard down completely. Ekanite sniffed at the larger gem, her hackles still raised. Her tail swayed cautiously behind her, her eyes never leaving Puff's.

"So uh, what kind of gem are they?" the Jasper asked awkwardly, carefully reaching her palm out. Ekanite flinched at first, but then curiously peered at the larger gem's hand.

"They're an Ekanite. I believe... This thing's never lied to me before." Hematite shrugged and tapped his eyepiece. He idly wondered why Sphal was refusing to come out.

Narrowing her eyes, Ekanite cautiously pressed her nose against the back of Puff's fingers. The Jasper's brows raised, and she chuckled, turning her hand over. Stiffening, the gem creature chirped in distress, thinking that Puff was going to pick her up, or worse.

But instead, the Jasper gently scratched behind Eka's ear, smiling.

"She's pretty tame for a gem monster." Ekanite's eyes widened, but then drifted shut slightly. She leaned into the scritches, her tail curling around her.

–

Sphal fidgeted with her goggles, pulling the lenses over her forehead just a tad bit lower than normal. Peeking out every now and then, she noticed that the Jasper wasn't making any attempt to harm Eka. At least for now. She held up her hand to her chin and raised her brows. _Should... should she make a move?_ Quietly, she took a deep breath and walked out a few steps. She felt more vulnerable than ever.

–

Puff chuckled and ran her hand along Eka's back, earning a contented purr from the gem creature. Ekanite rolled over onto her side, her eyes narrowed happily. For the moment, her sensible side gave way to the more instinct-driven half of her mind. Scratching at the green-furred gem's neck with one finger, the Jasper snickered and glanced at Hematite.

"Man, if only all corr-" Sphal's movement caught her eye, making her stop mid sentence. "Hey..." Curiously, she looked over, peering behind the knick knacks just enough to spot the tiny red gem. "Heyy, there you are! I was wondering why Scrap said 'two'."

–

Sphal 'eeped' with distress and quickly hid back behind the knick knack. _She'd been spotted. She didn't know what to do now. Should she run for it? No, Eka was still with her._ She took a deep breath and got herself together.

 _"Okay... it's okay Sphal, it's just another gem...she's noooot gonna hurt ya..."_ she whispered quietly to herself, bouncing up and down in place anxiously. With another huff, she came back out, holding her fists up to her chest protectively. She puffed out her chest and tried to make herself look bigger than she actually was.

Though, that wasn't saying much.

–

Jasper backed off slightly when Sphal hid back behind the small, decorative jar on the counter. She looked at Hematite for a moment, who shrugged, and then turned her attention back to Sphal, who'd finally come out entirely. Needless to say, her body language, what with her fists clutched close to her chest, reminded her of a certain ivory haired gem whenever he was in the arena. She snickered.

"Alright alright, I give. I'm clearly outmatched here." Puff backed up fully, no longer leaning over the counter, and put her hands up in 'defense'. "I'm not messing with _that_ ," she teased good-naturedly. It was obvious Sphal was a bit wound up, and the last thing Puff wanted to do was make it worse. She'd been somewhat in Sphalerite's position, back when Hematite was sent to 'fetch' her. She knew being around a bigger gem was intimidating. And she sure as heck didn't want to give this gem a reason to be afraid of her. Ekanite sat up when Puff stopped petting her, and she rolled back onto her front, ears perking toward Sphal.

–

Sphal seemed momentarily baffled. _Wait, that worked?!_ With a wide grin, she placed her fists on her hips and chuckled triumphantly. Now that she had successfully intimidated the Jasper, she eyed Ekanite and started to carefully make her way down towards her. As soon as she got close, she placed her hands around Eka's neck and hugged her, relieved that she was okay.

–

Puff did her best to stifle a soft laugh. _That worked?_ She leaned back, grabbed a nearby stool, and sat down at the counter, no longer having to crouch. Though now she kept a bit closer to Hematite instead of the other two, giving them space.

"So, Scrap! You visiting, or did you just pop in here to get away from short and angry out there?" She thumbed toward the door.

Blinking, Hematite stopped watching Sphal and Ekanite. His eyepiece dulled, turning off, and he turned to the larger gem.

"Well I was planning on visiting later, but yeah, this was... mostly to get away from that gem. Sorry..." He grinned awkwardly and shrugged. Puff chuckled and ruffled the tiny service gem's hair with her index finger.

"Don't sweat it, buddy! You've always got a place to stay, here. Emergency or not."

 

Ekanite smiled and nuzzled close to the red gem, putting one of her front paws around her in her own sort of 'hug'. A soft purr rumbled in her throat, her tail swaying contently behind her. She quietly watched Puff and Hema, giving them sidelong looks. As wary as she was of general civilians nowadays... these gems seemed relatively safe.

–

Sphal embraced Ekanite's hug and listened in on their conversation. Well, the Jasper was at least docile enough to not attack them. That was new... not _unwelcome_ , but certainly unheard of. She stepped forward nervously, her hands fidgeting in front of her. She thought about speaking up, but decided against it. Looks like they weren't going anywhere just yet. Curiously, she looked around the room. It had been a long time since she had been on the inside of one of these apartments. Sure, she'd passed through abandoned ones, but she never dared to wander inside of one with a gem still occupying it. It was far too risky.

–

Puff's apartment wasn't terribly big. There was a single main room with a small counter top against the wall, which was covered in different baubles and frames with hologram photos. There were papers here and there, some of them reports, some of them applications to something or other. In one corner of the room, the Jasper had a small couch, which was covered with blankets of different colors, though they all seemed to be some hue of red or orange. There were dishes here and there, glasses as well. Seemed Puff was one of the gems that actually enjoyed food. There were a few empty bags of Rubes' favorite candies on the tables. In one corner stood a small crystal lamp, which gave off a warm light. Other than that, there were a few photos on the wall, and a couple belongings strewn about here and there. A communicator, a brush, a diamond pad.

There was a short hall that seemed to lead back to the gem's bedroom, but it was impossible to see what was in there, besides a pile of blankets and a small bookshelf.

 

"So I was kinda wondering if you could give me a lift back to the Diamond Towers... I'm going to be like this for a while, but I have to report back to Yellow." Puff's brows raised, and she bit her lip.

"How's that been going, by the way... Everything... okay with you two now?"

Hematite went quiet. He lifted his hand to his forearm, rubbing it slightly.

"I'm not going to lie. It's weird. It's not _okay_ but it's not the way it was before. We're... slowly making progress."

"One step at a time?"

"One step at a time."

Puff smiled and gently nudged Hema in the arm with her index finger.

"You got this, Scrap. If you're doing well enough to have her talking to you, that's a big deal."

Hematite smiled and patted Puff's finger.

"Hm. Yeah."

–

Sphal looked between the room and the two gems talking. She wasn't entirely paying attention to what they were saying, but she caught a few pieces of the conversation.

"Wait, did something happen between you and Yellow Diamond? Do you know why she went … weird for all those months?" Sphal asked, stepping towards Hematite with confusion.

–

Hematite stiffened slightly and turned to Sphal. His expression was unreadable.

"... Uh.. No. Actually. We've been wondering the same thing for a while, haven't we Puff." The Jasper glanced at Hematite before giving Sphal a smile and a shrug.

"Yellow Diamond technically works alongside Hematite here, or, rather, the other way around, but she kinda shut everyone out for a while. Nobody's really sure what happened." There was a pause, and Puff grinned reassuringly. "But! She is getting better. Clean-up around here's been going well, if you haven't noticed. And Hematite here is helping out with keeping the peace."

–

Sphal smirked and crossed her arms.

"I see... well, I'm glad things are starting to get back to normal then! Heh... trust me, we've noticed. More gems are starting to come back into the district! I just hope nothing like this happens again...We were starting to worry," she said, a twinge of concern in her tone.

–

Hematite scuffed his foot on the counter, his face still a strange mix between reassuring and nervous.

"Mhm. We were all starting to worry. But it's fine now." He looked away for a moment. "So, Puff. About that ride."

"Hm? Oh! Right! Well, I was... kinda about to go out for a while, but you do need a lift. Mmm." The Jasper scratched her cheek, looking to the side.

"I mean-"

_Knock kno-knock_

Blinking, Puff perked up and smiled, looking at the door. _She knew that knock!_

–

Sphal's peppy demeanor dropped suddenly, hearing the knock. _Stars, was that warrior gem back again?!_ Quickly, she ran behind Ekanite and crouched down behind her.

–

Puff quickly stood up and opened up the door, peeking out for a moment.

"Ruuubes!" She opened the door fully, letting it hiss open to let the Ruby in. Looking up at the Jasper, Rubes flicked her hair back over her shoulder. She didn't seem to be in the best of moods.

"Hey, Puff. You ready to go?" Her back was currently to the counter. She hadn't even looked over. Puff scratched her face and closed the front door, inhaling through her teeth.

"Tssss, about that. I kind of got some unexpected gueeeests a little while ago, annnd. I'm not quite ready yet."

"Guests? Puff, there's nobody here." Rubes arched a brow and turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw Hematite standing on the counter, but widened more when she spotted _Ekanite_. Without missing a beat or looking away, Rubes lifted a hand and tugged at Puff's suit. "Jasper there's a corrupted gem in your room." Her words were quick, low, and had an edge to them. Hematite stiffened for a moment before he realized Rubes wasn't talking about _him_. He turned back to Ekanite, who was bristling.

–

Sphal bared her teeth and found herself cowering again. Recovering her head with her arms, she peeked out from behind Ekanite, a far more bold move than she'd dared to do before.

–

Rubes's brows unfurrowed slightly in surprise.

"Wh.."

Puff, albeit a bit awkwardly, patted Rubes' shoulder and stepped toward the counter again.

"It's okay, Rubes, really! She's totally tame. She doesn't act anything like most gem monsters." Sitting back down, she thumbed her finger toward Hematite."And check this out," she snickered.

The Ruby finally took her eyes off of Ekanite and Sphal to look at Hema. She slowly arched a brow before walking over, placing the bag of candy she had in her hands on the counter.

"Nice to see you outside of the ring, _Hematiny_." A small, half-hearted smirk crossed her face. Hematite looked almost offended for a moment before he puffed his cheeks out.

"Bu-hey! That's not funny!"

"It's a _little_ funny."

Hematite scoffed, but couldn't help but smile after a moment.

"Okay, it's a _little_ funny."

Putting her hands on the counter, Rubes peered over, glancing at Ekanite.

"So what's the occasion. And why wasn't I invited."

"These guys just dropped in cuz they were being chased by some clod with a temper."

–

Sphal relaxed a little, taking a step out from behind Ekanite. Nervously, she raised up her hand and waved. Oh, it was just a ruby. She was still really big compared to her, but she was nowhere near as big as the Jasper, so that was a little comforting.

–

Blinking curiously, Rubes lifted a hand and gave a little wave back. Hematite smiled and folded his arms behind his back as he turned to face both Rubes and Puff.

"Rubes, this is Ekanite and Sphalerite. Sphalerite, Ekanite, these are my good friends Jaspuff and Rubes. We've known each other for quite some time."

Puff chuckled and leaned on the counter, looking sidelong at the two gems on the other end.

Ekanite slowly found herself able to relax again, and her tail uncurled from around her legs. She stood up, the tuft at the end of her snake-like tail flicking curiously. Turning, she touched her nose to Sphal's gem.

Hematite tilted his head slightly. _What was she doing?_

_"Sphalerite, could you tell them thank you for me? I'm afraid I'm... not quite comfortable with getting close enough to do it myself."_

–

Sphal sighed quietly with relief _Good, the Ruby wasn't violent either._ She placed her palm on Eka's snout as she pressed her nose against her gem, nodding quietly. Sphal smiled and stepped forward.

"Ekanite and I want to thank you all for your hospitality, and well... helping us out with that warrior gem earlier." She grinned awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck and looking away. "We uh...we appreciate it! And, we hope we aren't bothering you guys!"

–

Puff grinned brightly and shook her head, waving a hand nonchalantly.

"No probleeem! Don't even worry about it! You're not bothering us at all.~ So long as you don't break anything, you're welcome to come here, should you need someplace to hide, or whatever." She shrugged and patted Hematite's head. "If Scrap here is okay with you, so am I."

Hematite blinked.

"Puff I _just_ met these gems.”

"Oh. Well." The Jasper chuckled and shrugged, both her palms turned up. "They can't be that much trouble."

Rubes glanced between the four gems, quiet.

"You'd be surprised how much trouble can come in a small package." She looked at Hematite and squinted. Hema noticed the look Rubes gave him and turned, snickering.

"Oh I'm _sorry_ Rubes, are you still sore about our last match?"

Without missing a beat, the red gem pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes even further.

_"Yes."_

Puff gave a hearty laugh and ruffled Rubes' hair. The Ruby protested quietly, pouting. The Jasper turned back to the other two.

"But yeah, regardless... You're welcome here if you don't cause any trouble."

–

Sphal scuffed her shoe on the surface of the counter idly, eyes drifting around the room. She hoped that the Jasper was true to her word. If they had at least one safe place to stay now and then when they were in danger, that was a big relief.

Suddenly, she spotted something interesting: the bag of candies that the ruby had put down. Blinking, she noticed that the other gems were distracted, and slowly started to make her way towards them.

–

The three gems at the end of the counter continued chatting. Puff told Rubes about what had gone down before she arrived, and Rubes listened quietly, nodding once in a while.

"You know what. I think I ran into them on the way here." A pause. "Literally. They shoved their way past me and started getting antsy so I had to send them on their way."

"... Rubes did you singe her hair."

"I might have."

"Ruuuubes."

"She had it coming if that's how she was treating Hematite," she said simply, turning her nose up in the air. Puff chuckled quietly.

"Wow Rubes if I didn't know any better I'd say you actually liked Scrap." Rubes opened one eye.

"No I hate him, 100%."

The tiny Hematite chuckled and shook his head.

"Guyyys. I'd really love to stay and chat, but seriously... I gotta get going." He bit his lip anxiously. "The sooner I get there, the sooner I can change back to normal. I have other jobs to do today."

Rubes finally turned fully to him.

"Well, Puff and I were heading to the Blue district, but... I guess we could drop you off before we leave. Puff?"

"Sounds good to me~"

Rubes nodded and gave Hema a small half-smile.

"We'll get you there as soon as we can, tough g-"

She finally caught Sphal rummaging around in the plastic bag she'd put on the counter. "..... Hey."

Hema blinked and turned around.

–

Sphal jumped, having grabbed a piece of the candy from the bag. As soon as she heard Rubes speak up, she turned her head sharply and noticed she was staring right at her. _Oops._ Her eyes widened, and she looked to the piece of candy, which was bright blue in color with odd, spire-like and conical spikes on it. Then she looked back at Rubes, her expression fearful. Slowly, she hugged the piece of candy close.

"Hiiiii?..."

–

Rubes slowly narrowed her eyes, drumming her fingers along the counter top. Only the top half of her face was visible. Taking a deep breath, the Ruby stopped tapping her fingers and arched a brow.

"You could have just asked, you know."

–

Sphal looked back at the piece of candy and chuckled nervously.

"Ah I was just checking out the texture. And it's... too big for me to eat anyway!" She said, a crimson blush appearing across her face. "Uh... you want it... back?" she asked nervously.

–

With a soft sigh, Rubes closed her eyes and smiled, chuckling softly.

"You know what, keep it. It'll last longer for you than it would for me." She let go of the counter top and looked up at Puff. "So, should we head out? Tough guy here seems pretty antsy."

"I'm right here, you know."

"Yes, I know."

Puff smiled and offered her palm to Hematite.

"Well, if you're ready, I can go grab my stuff real quick!"

Hema blinked at Puff's outstretched hand and fidgeted, almost nervously. He'd only ever done this once with White... But Puff? He wasn't sure she'd be as careful.

–

Sphal smiled warmly. Honestly, she just liked the smell of these things...but to actually get to keep it? She stuck out her tongue and gave the piece of candy a small lick. It tasted wonderful! She blushed again and looked at Ekanite.

"Hey, ya want some?" She asked quietly, hoisting the piece of candy up and walking over to her friend.

–

Ekanite, up to this point, was satisfied with sitting and listening to the gems talk, her eyes half closed. She perked up with Sphal approached with the colorful hard candy, and she leaned forward, sniffing at it. Her eyes widened, and she stuck out her bright teal tongue, giving one of the spiked corners a little lick. A surprised trill escaped her, and she backed up, licking her nose repetitively. It was fizzy! She'd had candy before, but never this kind! She sniffed, shaking her head quickly. What an odd sensation!

Rubes couldn't help but watch the two. She couldn't understand how anyone, much less such a small gem, could trust a corrupted monster, but she didn't say anything. This monster seemed oddly calm and tame... so maybe there was something special about them.

That being said, it wouldn't be coming to _her_ living quarters any time soon.

Hematite scratched the back of his head and cautiously climbed onto Puff's palm, sitting down to avoid tripping. Puff's eyes widened slightly as she lifted her hand.

"You know, I haven't done this for a long time, hah... Buut don't worry, I'll be careful, Scrap."

Hematite shyly smiled and crossed his arms.

–

Sphal glanced over at Hematite. She looked surprised for a moment; he was letting her pick him up?! He was far braver than she'd imagined. Without looking away, she leaned over again and tasted the candy again. It was strange, she had to admit, though not entirely unpleasant!

"Oh, right... we should probably head out soon too, huh Eka?" She said, licking the taste from her lips.

–

Ekanite continued flicking her tongue over her muzzle, now also staring at Hematite and Puff as they talked quietly. She'd never seen such a small gem let someone pick them up... it just wasn't done, was it? It wasn't even safe!

She looked down at Sphal and nodded, giving a soft chirrup.

Overhearing Sphal, Hematite turned and waved at the two.

"Hey, we're heading back to the towers, so... You guys be safe out there, okay? Be sure to say hi if you ever catch me out on a job! It can get kinda quiet around the Yellow District." He offered a friendly smile.

–

Sphal hopped up on Ekanite's back with the candy still in hand and gave them all a wave.

"Sure thing, Hematite!! You be careful too, alright?" She called out encouragingly. On one hand, she was glad to have met some friendly faces. There weren't an awful lot of those around anymore, unfortunately. Leaning into Eka's neck, she placed the candy carefully under one of her arms. "Alright Eka, you ready to head out?"

–

Hema's smile brightened just slightly.

"Will do!"

 

Ekanite shook herself off slightly as she stood, and she nodded, chirping.

Rubes stepped out of the way as the green gem monster hopped down and trotted over to the door. She waited in place and stared up at Puff with a flick of her tail. The Jasper chuckled, slinging her bag over her shoulder with her free hand. She held Hematite close to her in her other hand. Looking at Rubes, she nodded.

"Alright, let's get going."

She flicked a switch and opened the door, letting Eka out first. The green-furred creature slipped out quickly, making her way up a nearby wall that ran alongside the sidewalk. She turned back for a moment, waving her tail in farewell.

–

Sphal hugged the candy close and turned. _All in all, this wasn't a really bad experience!_ It sure beat the majority of other experiences she had with bigger gems! With a soft smile, she raised one of her hands and waved again, following Eka's motion. She was sure she'd see them again someday... and for once, she _hoped_ she would, too.


	47. Harm's Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite and White take out two gem monsters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This chapter contains intense acts of violence and may be upsetting to some readers. Discretion is advised.]

"This place might as well be on the other side of the planet. The ruins there _have_ to be in shambles, so I'm thinking I might have to lure them out." Hematite pulled his attention away from his eyepiece and looked up to White Diamond with his arms folded behind his back. "I don't want to risk any accidents."

The service gem was in the middle of a mission briefing in White's office, and the sun was starting to set. This was one of his more important jobs for the month: track and shatter two gem monsters that had caused severe damage to a nearby, smaller city on the other side of Homeworld. He knew he'd have to warp there, for starters, but even then he still had to walk some distance. The monsters were known for being incredibly crafty and dangerous. They'd already attacked and shattered a number of citizens and ended up cracking others. Some gems had all but vanished without a trace near the mission zone.

Hematite was unsure how big or numerous the corrupted gems would be, but there were at least two confirmed sightings in the past week. He'd have to be on his toes.

–

The Diamond stood tall, her own arms folded behind her back.

"Very well, Hematite. Just remember the plan, and keep a look out. I shall do my best to help take care of this," she said with a stern nod. White didn't always go out on missions with Hematite, but since this was a particularly dangerous task, she figured it would be far safer this way. As they made their way to the door, White shot Hema a half-serious glance and smirked.

"Watch your back this time!"

-

-

"HEMATITE! Behind you!" White shouted, thrusting her polearm into one of the smaller corrupted gems. With a vicious screech, the small, violent creature writhed around and poofed into a cloud of smoke. The Diamond bared her teeth and whirled around just in time to block a pouncing monster. "These things are relentless!"

–

Whirling on his heel, Hematite just barely managed to grab the jaws of the wolf-like monster that leapt at him not a moment ago. He was nearly at his full harvester size, but it wasn't helping him as much as he’d hoped. The gem mother far outsized _and_ out-muscled him. Teeth gritting, Hematite leaned back as the creature tried to close its jaws around his neck. Its six, bright blue eyes were glaring daggers into the giant gem, clawed paws scraping madly at the air. Wincing, the harvester found himself slammed back against the wall of the ruins, cornered by the huge beast.

Claws met stone, and the horrid sound of cracking rock filled the decrepit building as the corrupted gem scrabbled at the giant gem holding its jaws open. Hematite felt his grip starting to slip.

He glanced over at White, a little ways off, who was being bombarded by multiple copies of the wolfish creature. Hematite thanked his lucky stars that White wasn't currently wearing her cape, despite being in her alternative mission outfit. He didn't want to think about what could happen if one of the creatures snagged it.

His arms started to buckle. Hematite grimaced and turned his attention back to the monster clawing at him. With a flash, another of the harvester's hunting visors appeared on his face, the previous one having fallen off in the fight earlier. The HUD quickly blipped online, and Hematite attempted to scan the monster for any weak points. Everything was happening too fast; he had to get a break soon, or White would be in danger.

As the gem mother's back foot kicked a large hunk of rock away, carelessly knocking one of its copies onto its side, Hema got an idea.

Glancing to the side, the giant gem eyed a pile of old rubble that laid near his feet. White was still being attacked by a few gem copies. Flicking his foot to the side, Hematite lifted a large, but not huge, chunk of rock with his foot and kicked it toward the fighting Diamond after a sharp, _"WHITE! Projectile coming your way!"_ His throw _just_ missed her. The force knocked one of the wolfish clones clear off of her, into the wall,  poofing it instantly.

–

White hadn't even flinched, ducking out of the way of the rock at Hematite's call. The remaining two monsters hissed and fell back a few feet, quickly turning on Hematite. With a vicious snarl, they both lunged onto the service gem's legs, biting and clawing at his ankles. White swiped her palm over her gem and pulled out another polearm. Spinning them rapidly to her sides, she made a run for it, darting around to face the mother gem.

She halted, thrusting both of her polearms into the air with a mighty toss, skillfully plunging one of them into the huge gem monster's shoulder. The other one made an indirect hit as well, though it grazed past its neck. She grit her teeth, cursing under her breath. _That should have hit._ She needed to keep focus. She didn't like how close that thing was getting to Hema's gem.

–

The creature gave a vicious howl as White's polearm hit its mark, and it reeled back, finally giving Hematite some breathing room. The giant gem took the opportunity to deliver a sharp kick to the gem mother's chest, sending it back a good distance.

Hema's fists began to glow, and he launched forward, summoning his knuckledusters. They sparked wildly with electricity, startling away a few of the smaller gem clones. He still had to kick a few away as they leapt at him. Smashing one final one with his fist, Hematite finally turned to the mother, which was already on its feet, White's polearm still dug into its shoulder. It gave a vicious snarl, its six eyes narrowing in fury. It lunged for the harvester gem, making another go for his neck.

The two were locked in a pattern of retreat, hit, retreat, hit, but it barely lasted a minute before Hematite finally got a strong hit to connect with the wolfish monster's jaw. Howling in pain, the creature reeled back, scratching at its face with its massive claws.

_And then he saw the gem._

The creature had kept its back away from Hematite the entire fight, but as it lowered its face to scratch at its sore jaw, a bright blue gemstone glinted on the back of its massive head.

Whirrrr.

Click.

_Gem Found: Zircon_

_Status: **CORRUPTED**_

_Mission Objective: **ELIMINATE**_

Hematite's eyes widened. Just as he made a go for the creature's gem, he was ambushed by a large group of smaller gem copies. He cried out in frustration, kicking one of the clones off of him, sending it flying into the wall. Soon he was buried under a mob of snarling, vicious gem monsters.

–

White's eyes narrowed as she turned to face Hematite. Great... She either had to get these smaller creatures off of him, or take care of the mother. Fortunately, she had a plan- albeit a temporary one. Growling audibly, she summoned another polearm and threw it at the large beast, bolting for the service gem. Though the polearm was thrown without much aim, it still hit and sliced into the mother's foot. While the monster screeched out in pained distraction, White delivered a swift kick to one of the copies, sending them flying into the wall.

–

White knocking one of the larger monsters off gave Hematite just the room he needed. With a flash of bright light, the pile of gem copies suddenly collapsed, the giant gem no longer there. Within a few short moments, a now tiny Hematite darted out from the writhing pile of monsters and ran behind White, trying to get some distance. As soon as he was out of range of the furious smaller monsters, he shifted back up and slammed his hands into the dirt floor of the ruins, electricity coursing down his arms.

The bright pink energy shot through the ground, past and around White, and struck the large group of monsters. Through the loud chorus of snarling and screeching, Hematite caught another sound behind him.

But it was faint.

He turned to see nothing unusual before returning his attention to the gem monsters he'd just landed a huge hit on. Most of them had poofed, and the ones that remained scurried behind the gem mother that had finally regained its composure.

Shaking White's polearm out of its foot, the wolfish monster turned and snarled viciously at White and Hematite, fangs bared.

–

"Oh _hush up_ , you filthy _beast!"_ White hissed through her teeth, summoning another polearm. Taking a few slow steps forward, she pointed the bladed end at the monster and fearlessly glared into its eyes. They needed to get rid of the biggest one to knock down the number of the smaller ones. "Hematite, go for the gem! If we take down the mother, the copies will fall!" she shouted, not diverting her attention.

–

Nodding, the giant gem bared his teeth, leaping over White and going in for a direct hit on the monster. It scrambled back and pounced for Hematite, but its head was still swimming from the blow to its jaw, and it missed just enough to let the service gem toss it off with ease. He watched the wolfish creature fly across the room and land heavily on the other side.

Suddenly, Hematite felt something in the back of his mind tug at him. Hesitation. Even for a disgusting, murderous creature such as this, Hematite suddenly felt a twinge of _empathy_.

No, no, not _now_!

 

 

_This thing has shattered gems._

_But it's corrupted... It doesn't know what it's doing, right?_

 

The creature slammed into a nearby broken pillar, stunned, claws scrabbling at the dirt to hoist itself up. Hema didn't hesitate. He charged, landing directly atop the creature, grabbing its muzzle and holding its mouth shut.

_Do it._

_You have to._

_There are no second chances for monsters like this._

_It doesn't matter if it knows what it's doing. It's still going to do it._

Hematite's expression faltered. He'd only shattered three gems in his life...

**_DO IT!_ **

The service gem shook his head as he held the monster down. His eyes went wide with fury, his teeth bared in a vicious snarl. He suddenly didn't seem entirely _there_. The usual light in his eyes vanished, replaced with a glassy, distant look of blind anger.

 

 

**_This is for all the innocent lives you've taken!_ **

 

 

The harvester quickly turned the gem monster's head over and brought his fist up high before slamming it down, knuckle-first, into the blue gemstone.

With an abrupt screech, the gem monster poofed into a cloud of light-blue smoke, its shards falling to the floor. Hematite was left breathing heavily, his eyes wide, staring at the pieces. For a long, tense moment... he didn't move. Something in his gut twisted, and the glassy look in his eyes faded away, leaving him with a vague, _guilty_ expression. But no, there was something else there. Something akin to _fear_. He kept his head low, his face turned away from his leader.

–

White spun her polearm in hand, undeterred by Hematite's actions. Business was business, and this was no different. Turning without a word, White glanced quickly at the smaller wolfish creatures snarling behind them. As soon as the mother monster was destroyed, the smaller copies hissed and poofed away one by one. White smirked to herself.

"Good job, Hematite," she said slyly, poofing away her pole arm "Go ahead and bubble that away. We aren't quite done here..." She narrowed her eyes.

Something was off...

She could feel it.

There were supposed to be _two_ monsters.

–

The service gem was frozen in place a moment longer before he rapidly shook his head, snapping out of his stupor. He tapped the shards with a single clawed finger, bubbling them together. Moving the bubble up to his gemstone, he turned around, storing the shards away. After the bright flash of his gemstone died down, Hematite slowly scanned the surrounding ruins. White was standing a little distance away from him, and he slowly, carefully, made his way closer, should anything ambush the two of them. Sweat started to form on his brow, his breathing shallow.

They were being watched. Hematite's visor radar was still foggy, trying to clear out the overwhelming signature of the previous gem monster.

Rescan.

With a click, the hunting visor's radar 'refreshed', some of the 'noise' from the gem signature clearing out of the map. There was something else here. It was faint, but Hematite could detect another gem creature within the ruins. And it was close.

Hematite took to kneeling close to White, in an almost protective stance. He looked around the room, his breathing noticeably heavy. After a long pause, the service gem grimaced slightly, lifting a hand slowly towards his face.

_ "Oh no." _

–

White glanced up at Hematite quickly, curling her lip into a sneer.

"What do you mean, ‘oh no’...? There were supposed to be two," she said, clenching her fists. She could have sworn that on the reports, there were two gem monsters. "What's wrong?" She turned quickly, trying to see if she could spot anything.

–

Hematite reached up, holding his face in his hand. His clawed fingers dug slightly into his hair, his teeth bared in a pained grimace.

"Tsss. N-no, it's nothing. Sorry." He looked around, trying to pinpoint the other signature. "It's in here. Stay alert. I'm not sure where it's hiding." His gemstone glowed faintly.

–

White quickly noticed the tone in Hematite's voice and turned to look back at him, eyes wide. _Oh stars, already?! Not now!_ Baring her teeth, she started to glow. Within a few short seconds, her form started to change slightly, before it stopped. Her hair fell down into place, and her outfit now sported a dark cape.

"Hematite, fall back!" she shouted, standing in a more defensive position. "We need to find somewhere safe, quickly!"

–

The service gem growled in frustration, still looking around the room.

"No, I'm fine! I can hold on a little longer! We've gott-" He winced heavily, holding his head with both hands. His ears were ringing, a sharp pain shooting through his gemstone. No, he couldn't force it back this time. If he resisted down-shifting, he didn't know _what_ would happen.

Stumbling to his feet, the giant gem did as he was told and retreated into a more secluded part of the ruins. His form began to glow, and he shifted down involuntarily.

_C'mon, why now?!_

He kept himself big as long as he could, but within a few moments, there was a bright flash, and the now-tiny service gem was left to run ahead of his leader. Though, his pace was now far slower.

–

White glanced over her shoulder. She knew at any given moment, the other creature would show up, if it wasn't already planning to strike. Time to get a move-on. Abruptly, her pace quickened and she went low to the ground.

"Brace yourself!" she said, scooping up the tiny gem in her hand, pulling him up close to her chest. She picked up speed now that she didn't have to worry about leaving him behind.

About this time, as she'd expected, a howling monster came barreling through the rocks over a set of fallen rubble. White swiftly made her way through the area, ducking in and out of more shaded places. The monster was never far behind, relentlessly chasing after them. White was staring up at the walls, but occasionally glanced down to the tiny gem cradled within her hand.

“Are you alright?” she asked quietly, still running with tireless energy. As soon as she could shake this thing, she'd find a safer spot to carry out her next plan of attack. But first, she needed to get herself and Hematite out of harm’s way.

–

Hematite, admittedly, was caught off guard by White suddenly snatching him up, but he quickly adjusted and hunkered down. He could hear the monster on their trail. The tiny service gem shut his eyes tight as the creature let out a fearsome roar. Trembling from exhaustion, Hema clung tightly to White's fingers, looking up at her.

"I-I'm fine!" he called up, his voice cracking just slightly.

–

White frowned, looking sternly ahead. He really overdid it this time. Her eyes widened suddenly, spotting a break in one of the walls. Time to take a chance. She ducked down low and took a sharp turn, diving into the dark tunnel. As soon as she had made it through the crevice, she grabbed her cape with her free hand and swiped it around her body, crouching down. She was completely encased in shadow, and the jet-black cape made her blend in perfectly with the darkness.

"Shh," she whispered, quietly holding Hematite close. She stayed as perfectly still and quiet as she could be.

-

Hematite looked around with mild curiosity as White ducked into the tunnel, pulling her cape around her. So _that's_ what it was for! He glanced up as she gave the warning to be quiet, and the tiny gem settled in her palm, closing his eyes.

From outside, there was a low rumble of growling disturbingly close by. A huge figure passed by the opening, but the monster huffed in defeated frustration, having lost its target.

The low growling outside the hole in the wall made Hematite tremble involuntarily for a moment, but he put a hand over his mouth, staying quiet. After what felt like an eternity, the creature stalked off to look elsewhere.

-

After a few minutes of stalking around, the creature wandered off somewhere. White slowly looked behind her to make sure the coast was clear. Once she deemed it safe enough to move, she shifted and stood up slightly, letting go of her cape with her other hand and maneuvering it under her other palm.

"That was too close. It might still be around, so we need to be very careful," she whispered, looking down at the smaller gem with concern.

–

As White stood up, Hematite opened his eyes and uncovered his mouth, looking up at his leader. He bit his lip nervously, still clinging to her fingers.

"What should we do? Do you think we should wait it out, like we did with Howlite?"

–

White narrowed her eyes, glaring out of the dimly lit cavern. For a moment, she said nothing, as if trying to think of what to do. Her grip remained loose on Hematite, but she wanted to make sure he was safe.

"No, we can't risk staying here and being found. I'm going to have to take that thing out myself... But..." She paused, glancing back down at Hematite. "This could be a problem... we can't risk you getting hurt out there. You've already overworked your body as it is," she said quietly.

–

Frowning, Hematite peered over the side of White's hands, to the dimly lit ruins outside their hiding place.

"W-well... I can stay here. Stay hidden... That thing doesn't seem to have gem copies running around." Though those could _easily_ be in hiding... The tiny gem scratched the back of his head, looking around. " Tch.. I could try to shift back temporarily, maybe."

–

White shook her head briefly, narrowing her eyes.

"No, that won't work. We can't risk you getting found or hurt any further. You're at your most vulnerable state right now, and shifting back up could cause undesirable side effects." She lifted her spare hand to her lip, thinking. Blinking suddenly, she slowly looked back down at Hematite and lifted him slightly.

She had an idea.

–

The tiny gem bit his lip, looking out at the ruins again. There had to be something they could do, or somewhere he'd be hidden...

Blinking, Hematite arched a brow as White lifted her hand. He turned back to her, curious.

"Did you think of something?"

–

White sighed, curling her fingers gently around the tiny gem's form. She glanced away almost... _awkwardly?_

"Well... yes. I do have an idea. I need to get you somewhere safe and take out this gem monster as soon as possible." Gradually, she straightened her back and lifted Hematite up closer to eye level. "It's a little... unorthodox, though."

–

_White... unorthodox?_ _Ha! That was a good one. Blue, maybe. But **White?**_

"Well, what is it? It can't be _that_ unusual," he chuckled quietly, shrugging. He finally  unwrapped his arms from White's fingers and turned to her fully, his knees drawn close to his chest.

–

White grimaced a little, but brushed it off. She paused for a long, thoughtful few seconds, as if trying to find the right words to say.

"Do you trust me, Hematite?" she asked, her expression unreadable. Her hand loosened, and her palm opened up completely, letting Hematite sit freely.

–

Noticing the momentary falter in White's face, Hematite's smile faded to a more puzzled expression. Why was she acting like this? Was something wrong? Her question caught him even more off-guard than the hesitation in her expression. The tiny service gem, his eyes never leaving White's, set his jaw, brows furrowing in a semi-serious frown. He nodded.

"Of course I do, White. Do whatever you have to."

–

White nodded and gazed right through the tiny gem.

"Alright, try not to move around too much. I'll try to do this job as quickly as possible," she said calmly, holding him up a little closer to her face.

Then she opened her mouth. She didn't make any sudden movements or make any attempt to push him in. If she was going to do this, she'd at least make sure that he wasn't too spooked by it.

–

Try not to move around? What was she talking ab-

Hematite's eyes widened subtly in surprise, and his shoulders tensed as White opened her mouth in front of him.

**_Oh._ **

The tiny gem's eyes flickered up once or twice to White's face before finally settling back on her mouth. Hematite had always been aware that the diamond's tongue and such were black, but being face to face with it felt far more ominous than he cared to admit, or _dared_ to admit.

Images of that one night with Yellow years ago flashed through Hematite's mind, making his form go cold. He'd never been in this situation since that day, at least not with a non-corrupted gem.

_He'd never **wanted** to be in it again._

 

_... But this was **different**. This was **White**. She wasn't trying to hurt him. She wanted to keep him safe._

Blinking, Hematite took a deep breath and glanced at White, giving her a reassuring nod. Half for her, half for himself. He looked back down and exhaled, forcing himself to relax.

**_Show some courage._ **

–

From the outside of the cave, there was a distant, low screech. White flinched, turning her head slightly and closing her mouth. Worry flashed across her face, but she quickly tried to push it aside and regain her calm, collected demeanor. She sighed and looked down at her exhausted service gem.

"We have to hurry. The only reason I'm doing this is because I need both my hands and I don't want to risk dropping you in the fray. Don't be afraid, Hematite, I won't hurt you. By the Diamond Authority, I swear it," she reassured softly, looking back and lifting him closer to her mouth, which parted once more. She didn't want to pressure him, but this was the most efficient way to do what she needed to do. She couldn't bubble him away; if she needed him again, she wouldn't have access to him. She couldn't carry him, she needed her hands. And she couldn't let him run around on his own, lest he be harmed. She wasn't exactly enthralled with this option, honestly, but she had to do what she had to do. And in this case, that meant taking a note from the pages of past harvester gems she'd known. This had worked in the past before, _why not now?_

–

The tiny gem flinched at the low screech and looked out at the ruins outside the hole in the wall. Turning back to White, he frowned and nodded again.

"Right." Hematite's fingers brushed together for a moment before he forced himself to move forward. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to stop, to refuse, to turn back, to offer a different idea. But he trusted White's judgment. He knew that if this was all _she_ could think of, it was their best option right now.

Taking a deep breath, Hematite moved carefully, but with purpose, to climb onto White's tongue. He shuddered momentarily, but quickly recovered. He thanked his lucky stars that he was smaller than the last time this had happened. It was far less cramped.

–

White made sure that Hematite had crawled into her mouth enough for her to move. If she twitched, she could hurt him, so she forced herself to remain steady. Slowly, she carefully closed her mouth around the smaller gem and encased him in darkness. Well, at least he didn't taste _bad_. She'd been worried this would be made more complicated by that possibility. She moved her tongue slightly under him to make sure he had enough room. Alright, it felt like he was in a good position. She was cautious not to press him against her teeth; she was incredibly aware of how sharp they were.

With the tiny gem now _relatively_ safe and secure, it was time to take care of that nasty creature. Narrowing her eyes, she  poofed the cape away in a dazzling array of light and darted out of the cave, keeping her jaw locked into place.

–

_Alright, it's dark. This is fine. Everything is fine. Nooo problem.  
_

Looking around, - a pointless venture - Hematite slowly forced himself to relax. The tiny gem flinched slightly when White's tongue shifted underneath him, but the tension left him when he realized he was now in a slightly more secure position. The moment White started to move around, Hematite's eyes widened, and he involuntarily clung to the surface below him. _He immediately wished he hadn't done that._ The tiny service gem grimaced at the foreign feelings around him, and did his best not to think about Yellow. Things being better between them or not, that night still shook him to this day. And this wasn't helping matters. _Still..._

_This **did** seem to be working so far._

 

 

Deep in the ruins, a huge, draconian gem mother was snuffling around some fallen debris, its pointed 'snout' easily knocking over a destroyed piece of pillar. Its long, snake-like body was heavily armored with long, light-green crystalline 'scales'. In some ways, it resembled a poisonous crystal shrimp. Despite being mostly snake-like in appearance, the creature did appear to have small limbs at its front, and a little further down its body. Though they were small, the creature's arms and legs appeared to be relatively stocky and strong.

The corrupted gem growled lowly, its rows of needle-sharp teeth glinting in the low light of the ruins as it turned and slithered over a small rise. There was no sign of where this creature's gemstone was.

–

White snuck around a rather large piece of fallen debris, hunkering low. There it was, the horrible thing. This one looked particularly vicious. She was glad she didn't risk Hematite trying to fight this one, the more she observed it. Quietly, she swiped her hands over her gem and summoned two long spears. The draconian monster hissed, having heard something behind it.

White ducked behind the debris, but didn't take her eyes off of the end of the monster. It started to slink forward, the end of its body disappearing out from her range of vision. She squinted and rushed out.

It was gone.

Her eyes widened again. _Where did it go!? It couldn't have gone far; it was **right** there!_

–

**SLAP.**

The creature's armored tail whipped out from behind White, sending her a good ten-or-so feet away. The serpentine creature quickly rose up to its full height, hissing viciously at the Diamond before it. The gem was situated on the roof of its mouth. As soon as it rose up, it lunged back down, heading straight for the smaller gem, teeth bared.

Hematite flinched and shut his eyes tight, hoping against hope that White could handle this. Silently, he prepared himself mentally to grab White's gem and hide if worse came to worse. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, but he had to be ready.

–

White pressed her tongue against Hematite gently, keeping him steady in her mouth. She grimaced, quickly righting herself in the air. _Okay, so that tail was tricky. Best to keep an eye on it. Or better yet..._

She landed skillfully on her feet and swiped her polearms forward. If this thing was going for a direct attack, it'd have to hit the blades before it got to her. As she steadied herself on the ground, her jaw lowered very slightly and allowed Hema more room. She wanted to ask if he was alright, but that was impossible right now. She'd have to trust her own judgment. Pacing forward, she zig zagged out of the gem monster's path and lunged up onto its back. With a quick thrust of her arm, one of her polearms went flying down into the back of its neck. At the sound of a sharp, blood-curdling screech, White knew she’d made a direct hit.

But of course, that wasn't quite enough.

–

Hematite relaxed when he was given more room, though with how things seemed to be going, he almost wondered if he preferred being held in place. What was going on out there?

_Chirp._

Blinking to life, Hematite's half-visor began to glow, illuminating the space around him. The service gem blinked once or twice. Slowly, he lifted his hand back up to the eyepiece and tapped it, shutting it off.

_Alright, no thanks, I don't need to see the back of White's teeth._

 

The creature's attacks grew more erratic as each one failed. It snapped and lashed out at White with furious screeches and hisses, but couldn't make any headway in its barrage. Screeching in confusion, the creature attempted to look back at White as she leapt onto its neck, but let out another horrible sound as her polearm hit its mark.

 

A flicker of movement passed by in the far corner of the ruins, almost invisible.

–

White was dead-set on getting to the monster's head. She wasn't going to dare get close to its razor-sharp teeth, so she'd go for the next best thing. She ran up the creature's spine, carefully twisting and turning with its writhing motions. The beast whipped its head around suddenly, but White leapt up into the air and landed on its head directly. The creature snarled and let out another hideous roar, thrashing its head back.

White's eyes widened. _She needed to act now!_ Taking her tightly-gripped polearm, she thrust it down into the top of the monster's snout, sending the blade straight through the roof of its mouth.

Another deafening screech, and the monster's body tensed up suddenly. White was held suspended by the end of the pole, her feet pressed up against the top of its skull. Within a few moments, the monster came crashing down onto the ground. Just as it made impact with the dirt, the monster exploded into a cloud of smoke as its glimmering shards fell to pieces on the ground.

The polearm vanished, and White took a deep breath through her teeth. Glad that thing was taken care of. And, fortunately, Hematite still seemed to be in one piece. She stood up straight and looked around. The monsters were gone, but she could have sworn she had caught a glimpse of something before. Though, it might have just been her eyes playing tricks on her, or the monster themselves. It was probably nothing.

–

The sounds of the screeching monster quickly died down, the last echoes fading through the half-destroyed ruins.

_Crick_

 

 

**Cold.** ****

Though the air in the ruins was already rather chilly, the temperature suddenly seemed to _plummet_. Sharp, needle-like frost formed out of thin air, spiking along the ground and nearby debris.

**_ "Tch!" _ **

Off in one of the nearby halls, where White had spotted movement, a furious _,_ muffled scoff preceded rapid, retreating footsteps.

_Someone was there._

–

White's eyes shot open, but narrowed again quickly. No sooner than she'd spotted the figure, she started running towards it. She almost opened her mouth to shout for them to stop, but quickly remembered that Hematite was still in there. Wading through and over heaps of rubble and corners, she found herself in the same hall that she swore she’d seen and heard someone standing. Glancing back and forth, she tried to look for any signs of where they could have gone.

–

The footsteps were quickly fading. It seemed the figure had retreated down the same hall and was headed outside, of all places. The half-destroyed passageway went straight to the direct exit.

 

Hematite looked around, confused. He'd heard White take out the second gem mother, so what was going on _now?_

–

White shot out of the exit, quickly summoning another polearm. Reeling her arm back as she prepared to strike, she felt another wave of confusion rush over her. No one was there.

 _What? She lost one again?!_ Slamming it down into the ground in frustration, the pole exploded into sparkling dust. She growled lowly, but quickly stifled it, her lips curling into an awkward, lopsided frown. _Ah, hm. Probably best not to do that right now_.

–

Hematite stiffened considerably at the sudden growl, and he lowered himself reflexively, eyes wide.

_Okay, never do that again, please._

 

 

_Oh, but she **hadn't** lost them._

The exit of the ruins led to a decrepit 'garden' filled with huge marble pillars. The plants were long-since faded and overgrown, and any semblance of beauty in the place was now lost.

All, of course, aside from a glimmer of short, white-blue hair.  A flowing cape followed behind a retreating figure, fluttering as it ran off through the garden.

From out behind one of the pillars, a tall, thinly-built gem darted out, away from White and the exit to the ruins. Sharp spikes of frost followed her every step, instantly frostbiting any plants she passed.

No sooner had she appeared, the retreating gem had leapt gracefully over the outer garden wall.

–

White's eye twitched, and her arm shot up to her gem reflexively upon spotting the retreating figure.

But it was too late.

Dammit, if she hadn't have destroyed her weapon out of frustration, she might have had a shot. She'd have to send someone out to perform some recon later, assuming whoever-that-was stuck around. If there was one gem here, there might have been more. But for now, their mission was complete. It was best not to dwell here for too long. At least now she could let the smaller gem free.

Steadily, White held up her palm to her chin and slowly opened her mouth.

–

A moment after the gem had vanished over the wall, there was a bright flash of light just behind it, and then silence.

No further retreating footsteps, nothing.

 

Hematite squinted, covering his eyes with his arm as White opened her mouth. Slowly, he moved it away, quickly adjusting to the low moonlight.

–

White watched the flash of light with curiosity. Where did that come from? And where were they now? More importantly, who were they and what were they doing here? Blinking, she looked down, having noticed that Hematite wasn't moving much. She cleared her throat quietly, furrowing a brow.

–

The small gem blinked and realized she was waiting for him. Clumsily, Hematite managed to make his way back onto White's palm. He sat up, brushing his bangs away from his face. Hema looked around, realizing they were now outside the ruins, and turned to smile awkwardly at his leader.

"So, I take it the rest of the mission went well?"

–

White closed her mouth and wiped a finger across Hematite's face, soon motioning her entire wrist over him, as if drying him off.

"Well... The mission went fairly well, yes. But there's something else... Fortunately, that shouldn't concern you. I'll send someone out to check on things later." She smirked, relieved to see that he had taken that well. "Sorry about that, Hematite. I trust you are alright, then?" she asked.

–

Hematite chuckled slightly at White's attempts to dry him off. This wasn't going to come off as easily as she thought. He knew _that_ for a fact. Adjusting his sleeves, the tiny service gem nodded and gave his leader an encouraging smile.

"I'm fine... It wasn't as bad as I thought. That's..." He grinned awkwardly, pushing away any discomfort that was still lingering with him. "Actually a rather effective tactic! I'll have to remember it, if something like this should ever happen again."

–

White raised a brow, but never lost her smirk. She started to walk, holding her hands steady with Hematite still sitting in her palm.

"Well, just be careful about that! You do have a kind of... reputation, you know," she said idly. "But I'm glad you're okay. We'll head back to the towers immediately so you can rest up. Consider this one a success." She smiled down at him, relief underlying her calm.

–

Looking ahead, Hematite sighed softly and nodded at White's words.

"Right, right. Harvester. Forgot about that detail," he said quietly, pursing his lips.

_Still..._

_Who knew something like that could be used protectively..._

The tiny gem tapped his clawed fingers on his knees.

_Well, if it came down to using that himself, hopefully it'd go as smoothly as this mission had._


	48. Brief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite tries Blue Diamond's tea.

"And so I was able to finish the deconstruction job, but unfortunately ended up poofing a few of the citizens. Because they attacked me when I was at my civilian size, they caught me off-guard and I was unable to take all of them down peacefully." Hematite was standing professionally, his feet squared, his eyes glancing over the report that was written over the screen of his visor. In the small room, White, Blue, and Yellow all sat quietly at a meeting table, listening to Hematite recite his recent incident. They were all there to check up on each others’ progress, and the ivory-haired gem had offered to go first.

Hematite's visor chirped quietly as the report changed to a list of gems. "There were two that ended up poofed and bubbled. I'll be transferring them at the soonest leisure, Yellow." The eyepiece dimmed as the service gem turned to look at Yellow Diamond. He gave her a polite nod. "I apologize for the inconvenience. I will try not to let it happen again."

–

Yellow tapped her fingers together, listening quietly to Hematite's report. She knew that many gems were still very upset over the whole ordeal between her and the service gem, but it was unnecessary for them to get involved. After all, it was illegal to attack a service gem unprovoked. Raising her hands just slightly over her lips, she seemed deep in thought.

"Mmmm I see...Thank you, Hematite. I'll see to it that their punishment is appropriate. Though, it is..." She paused, glancing over at White and placing her hands on the table, "… _concerning_ that you have gems still attacking you within the city. Perhaps we should do something about that."

White caught onto Yellow's hint immediately, but she had a feeling that the only solution she could think of wasn't going to sit too well with her.

"Right..." She responded, nodding at the service gem. "Hematite, it's become apparent that it might be too dangerous to walk around at your normal height," she stated simply. Yellow momentarily seemed to twitch, her expression seeming a little surprised, but it was swiftly hidden.

"Ah, what are you suggesting?" Yellow pitched in quickly, clasping her hands together tightly. White sat up straight and gave Yellow Diamond a reassuring look.

"I'm suggesting he starts traveling around at a taller height, somewhere around ten to twenty feet perhaps. That way, gems might be discouraged from bothering him," she said simply. Yellow bit the inside of her cheek and glanced away, her face unreadable. She said nothing, but Blue leaned in and placed an elbow casually on the tabletop.

"I think that's a great idea, White! You always know what to do!" she beamed gleefully. White narrowed her eyes at the other Diamond and crossed her arms.

"Flattery won't excuse you from your reports, Blue. I still expect you to give me a rundown of everything you've done this week. You too, Yellow," White said. Blue's smile soon faded into an annoyed pout. She hated reporting to White.

–

The service gem listened intently to Yellow and White conversing, and his brows raised slightly at White's suggestion.

"O-oh, well. Hm." He'd caught Yellow's odd expression. "... That would probably reduce the amount of gems that end up heckling me." Hematite brushed his fingers together behind his back and glanced to the side. "... And I suppose that would let me travel around the districts faster."

It was a practical solution. Sure, it'd take a little while for citizens to get used to, and he'd have to take slightly different routes to avoid most of the district 'traffic' of busy gems that might give him dirty looks. But honestly, with him working in the Yellow District more often, Hematite would take whatever solution he could to avoid being attacked more than he had.

A similar solution had worked when he was being guarded by Puff during his punishment, but that was back when the wounds from his ordeal with Yellow were still very fresh. He'd hoped he wouldn't have to resort to such a thing again, but it seemed... well. It was still very much needed.

For the time being, anyways.

"That sounds like a reasonable plan, White. I'll see to it that I try to adjust my routine around the change."

And with that, he sat down at his own seat, politely folding his hands in his lap. He looked at Blue expectantly.

–

White gave Hematite a simple nod and glared back at Blue.

"Alright, it's your turn then. Speak up," White ordered. Blue grit her teeth and made a 'tch' noise, looking away.

"You're so bossy, White. To this day I still don't get why we have to report to you." Blue grumbled, tapping her fingers on the desk. White took a sharp breath and scratched a single nail silently on the table.

"Blue, you should know that we all keep each other in check, equal or not. I simply set up meetings! We have to keep each other grounded, organized, and up to date... and YOU shouldn't be slacking!" she growled, pointing a finger at the other Diamond. Yellow sat up straight at White's sudden raise of voice, noticeably uncomfortable for a moment. Blue blinked and rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright. Whatever, look... so I'm falling behind, alright? I've kind of been having a problem with a rebellious group of gems out in the Pink District." Blue glanced at Yellow and sighed. "They're pretty elusive and I keep getting some... rather ominous letters from them," she said, the last part almost too quiet to hear. White raised a brow and stared at Blue, scowling.

"Excuse me?"

"They're empty threats, and nothing too serious honestly. They aren't even written very neatly..."

The tallest Diamond stiffened slightly.

"Blue, this is serious. If you are getting threats at all then shouldn't we know about it?" White clenched her fists and huffed, sitting back in her chair. Blue shrugged, however, and seemed to brush the statement off.

"Trust me, it's really nothin' to worry about. Just something about 'oh release these gems or we'll do something terrible.' Nothing's even happened, and they won't even say what bad thing is gonna happen. It's just another one of _those_ groups." She smirked. "Still I'd like to get my hands on ‘em and teach ‘em a lesson..." she said. Yellow raised her hand to interject, but quickly brought her hand back down as White spoke again.

"Alright, Blue, just get on those files as soon as you can."

"Files are so boring though! Why not give those to Yellow; she loves doing them!" Blue complained. Yellow shot Blue an irritated glare, but sighed and looked away. White didn't find it very amusing.

"Because it's your district, Blue. You need to be responsible for your own work; how many times have I told you this?"

"Yeah yeah, whatever ya say!" Blue got up from her seat and stretched. "I'll be riiiight back," she said. It was obvious she just wanted to leave; she hated these briefings anyway. White groaned but waved her hand to dismiss her.

"Fine."

–

Watching the three Diamonds talk amongst themselves, Hematite frowned just slightly. He hadn't seen them all in the same room together often, especially after his ordeal with Yellow. As he watched, it felt as though something wasn't sitting right with him.

White was being rather... disrespectful to Blue. He would never say anything about it, but the more he saw these three interact, the more he began to notice the disparity between how the three treated each other. Once in a while he found himself wondering how things had been with Pink Diamond around... was it much different? Better? Worse?

Despite these three working together for so long, they sure seemed to carry a lot of tension.

Hematite watched as Blue left, and he frowned just slightly, wondering where she was headed. The ivory-haired gem quietly swung his feet under his chair, turning his attention back to White and Yellow.

–

Yellow crossed her arms over one another and leaned slightly over the table.

"I suppose you'd like my report next, then?" she asked, staring at the only remaining Diamond at the table. White cocked a brow without a word and crossed her arms. Yellow shrugged. "Right, thought so. Well, actually... things have been going pretty well, I'm happy to say. The electrical storms have died down significantly, and the reconstruction of destroyed buildings within the district has been going well! Crime rate, too, has also gone down significantly." She placed a single finger to her lips, thinking for a moment. "Hematite has been particularly helpful throughout the city, as well. Aside from his little... undesirable encounters with the occasional spiteful gem, I'd say things have been going much more smoothly with him being in the Yellow District." She glanced over at the service gem for a moment, nodding in unspoken thanks.

–

The service gem perked significantly at Yellow's praise, a smile replacing his frown. He nodded back to her, his hands still folded in his lap.

"I'm just glad I can help. Even if not everyone is happy to see me around." Hematite suddenly blinked and sat up a bit straighter. "Oh! Yellow, I forgot to mention, I'm available to patrol the Yellow District, should you need some extra eyes on things around the city. I've taken to patrolling the Blue and White Districts on and off, and forgot to mention those services are also available to you," he nodded politely, "Should you need them."

–

Raising her brows slightly, Yellow nodded once more.

"Well, that's nice of you to offer. We can discuss a possible schedule later, then," she said, regaining her proper posture. About this time, Blue kicked in the side door completely, cackling. The sudden slamming noise startled the two Diamonds, and their attention shot quickly over to the approaching gem. In her hands, Blue carried a tray with four cups of piping hot tea and a teapot.

"I made us a beverage! I figured it would, ah, ya know... calm some of us down a little bit!" she said snarkily. White groaned and Yellow made a strange, sickly face. Blue placed the tea onto the table and moved it into the center. White stared at it distastefully and cleared her throat. There was a long, awkward silence. "Well? What are you all waiting for? Have some!" Blue said, grinning ear to ear.

No one made a move.

–

The ivory-haired gem had been startled by the door as well, and he turned around to watch Blue enter the room with the tea tray. His brows raised, and Hematite offered a smile.

"Oh, thanks, Blue!"

He reached over for a cup and pulled it closer, sparing White and Yellow a glance.

What was their deal?

Hematite sniffed the tea in the porcelain cup and blinked in surprise.

_Oh._

_**That** _ _was their deal._

Now, Hema prided himself on having rather acute senses. Came with the territory of being a Hematite. Even if his sense of smell wasn't _nearly_ as sensitive as some of the others of his kind... he could tell that the tea Blue had prepared was rather... _sub-par._ Keeping a straight face, Hematite steeled himself and took a sip.

_Well, it at least tasted **marginally** better than that drink he'd tried years ago at Morganite's._

–

Blue clasped her hands together with sheer happiness and giggled.

"Wonderful! See? Hematite's got the right idea! 'Atta gem!" she said, picking up a glass for herself. Taking a sip, she licked her lips and sighed. "Aaaahhh I love this stuff!" she said. Yellow and White looked at each other, almost pained. They both took a glass, but Yellow was the only one who actually brought it closer. White's hand trembled for a moment, as she stared down at the gem-forsaken cup. Quickly, she let go with a loud clatter and stood up.

"I JUST REMEMBERED," she said loudly, staring off into space at nothing. "I have an extremely important event to attend today! I must be off!"

Before anyone could say a word, White walked alarmingly fast towards the door, rushing off as fast as she could. Yellow stared as the tallest Diamond left, her jaw dropping slightly. Nervously, she glanced at Blue, who had turned to watch White run out the door, too. Blue turned slowly, peering right at Yellow with hopeful eyes.

Yellow blinked and looked down at the cup, then back up at Blue. Without another word, she slowly lifted the cup to her lips and took a small sip. She flinched, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. She almost seemed to pale, slowly lowering the cup to the table. She gave a shaky thumbs-up, forcing a dreaded smile.

Blue at the very least, seemed pleased.

–

Hematite would admit that the tea was rather terrible, especially when he was used to how White prepared it... But seeing Blue so happy made him bite his tongue. That, and Yellow's reaction was rather amusing. The service gem took another sip and stifled the grimace that tried to cross his face.

_Was it terrible? Yes._

But in all his days harvesting, catching rather unsavory criminals of all sorts, had he tasted worse?

_Absolutely._

He could weather a cup of terrible tea if it meant making Blue happy. He certainly wouldn't take any invitations to have it again, however.

–

Yellow stared over at Hematite in a strange confusion. How could he drink this?! Surely he had better standards than this. Looking back down to the glass, she dreaded taking another sip.

"Say, Blue, don't you have some files to organize?" Yellow looked up at Blue, narrowing her eyes. Blue blinked, and her smile faded.

"Ugh, you're right; I doooo. I don't want to, but I should." She shrugged, placing her hands on her hips. "Alright, I guess I should be off then. I don't want Miss Priss yelling at me again," she said, frowning. "Oh well, enjoy the tea you two!" she continued, smiling again and giving them both a wave. Turning, she headed for the door, humming a jolly tune. Yellow watched the Diamond leave with a blank, hollow expression, never taking her eyes off of her.

–

Hematite had glanced over at Yellow, taking another sip of his tea. He managed to drink about half of it before Blue left. As soon as she was out of range, the service gem put his cup down, slid it away from himself, and put his hands neatly in his lap, his eyes staring dead ahead.

After a moment of silence, a visible shudder ran up Hematite's spine, and he grimaced, shaking his head for a moment.

"Echhh." The ivory-haired gem smacked his lips once, trying to get the taste out of his mouth. He didn't plan on finishing his cup.

–

Yellow looked down at her own glass again, picking it up and looking into its contents. Suddenly, the smallest of smirks found its way to her face.

"Heh... Blue's tea is terrible..." she said quietly, cupping the glass with her hands. "Don't tell her I said that." She reached over to the teapot and poured the tea back into the pot, placing the cup down on the tray.

–

Brows raised, Hematite looked over at Yellow and blinked curiously.

"Why not? Wouldn't it be better to show her how to make it properly?" He watched her pour the tea back into the pot and looked at his own cup. After a moment, he followed suit.

–

Yellow hissed through her teeth, putting her hand behind her head.

"Weeeeell... we kind of... don't want to upset her? Or offend her, rather." She frowned, placing her hands on the table and looking away. "She'd probably get incredibly angry. Or sad. Or both. Blue isn't very... desirable to be around when she gets that way. So, we kind of just... avoid it," she said blankly.

–

Pursing his lips, the service gem glanced away.

"I'm sure there are polite ways of bringing it up." He quietly patted his hands on his lap. He was well aware of how Blue got when she was angry, but honestly, he doubted she'd get in such a mood from being shown how to make tea properly... Much less if it was well-intentioned. Hematite suddenly blinked and smiled, giving Yellow a look. "So you'd rather risk having to drink that again than chancing her getting upset?" he teased, a small smile on his face.

–

The Diamond involuntarily shuddered, glancing back at Hematite briefly.

"Ergh..." She made a disgusted face, crossing her arms. "Well, we kind of avoid that too." She narrowed her eyes suddenly, eyeing the door. "Like... White... did..." she said, partially spiteful. _How could she have just left her there like that?!_

–

Fidgeting, Hematite looked around the room, a bit awkwardly.

"... White _is_ rather particular with her tea." He tapped his feet together. There was an odd air to the room now that he was alone with Yellow, and he glanced at her once or twice. "... S-so. Uh. Had any good. Spars lately?"

–

Yellow found herself strangely quiet as well, caught in the same awkward air. She was a tad better at hiding it, though, but not by much. Blinking, she looked off to the side and then back at Hematite, shrugging.

"Not really, actually," she said simply, staring at him with an unreadable expression. Her resting face made it seem as though she were perpetually annoyed, but she actually wasn't this time, at least. Besides, if she were annoyed, it wouldn't be hard to find out.

–

"Ah, that's a shame. I mean, I guess you wouldn't have, with how busy you've been..." His expression fell after a moment, and he looked away, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry. That was a stupid question." His voice faded slightly toward the end of his sentence, and he sighed, not looking directly at the Diamond.

–

Yellow stared at Hematite, fingers twitching at his latest remark. Well, he wasn't exactly wrong... Another awkward silence filled the air, and Yellow glanced over at the teapot.

"Hm... I only wish I had more gems to fight that were actually a challenge. They're all so... weak compared to us." She stopped suddenly, eyes widening. That was probably not the best thing to say either. She could tell this conversation was going sour very quickly. "I mean... we're Diamonds, and all. And not many gems really challenge us, nor do we really challenge them." She looked away quickly.

–

Turning back to Yellow a moment, Hematite furrowed his brows, expression unreadable.

_Right. Still Yellow. That hadn't changed._

The tiniest twinge of bitterness pricked at the back of the service gem's mind at the Diamond's words, but he quickly repressed it. Instead of making some snide comment about how he certainly seemed to hold his own well enough against her and Blue, Hematite shrugged and decided to try and play it off.

"Well, I can think of a few gems that might pose a challenge."

Swiping his hand toward his eyepiece, Hematite tapped the surface and brought up a specific HUD on the screen.

"There's your Jasper that's the head of enforcement in the third sector. There's a particularly skilled sword-fighting Aquamarine that visits the Coliseum every once in a while. There's always Morganite... Hah! There's uh, General Topaz," he teased, offering Yellow a quick smile. "I've never seen her fight, but being a war veteran and a general and all, I'm sure she's quite skilled. Though it may be hard to get ahold of her back on her planet." He turned back to his eyepiece and began listing off some other powerful and skilled fighters he'd either met on missions or learned about in the cities. He had a mildly impressive list.

–

Yellow couldn't tell if what she had said had fazed him at all. Judging by how he'd responded, perhaps it hadn’t. That was good, then! Snapping back into the conversation suddenly, she actually considered some of his words.

"Topaz, hm? She's a very busy gem, and, you're right, she's terribly hard to get an appointment with, especially for a casual spar, as much as I'd like to. We used to spar all the time back before she was set in charge of her own small city... And... Morganite? Which Morganite? I know there aren't too many left, but I know of a few. Are you referring to Blue's friend?" she asked, fidgeting with the sleeve of her glove.

–

Blinking, Hematite looked over and gave her an awkward smile.

"Ah, yes. Sorry... I've only ever met one Morganite. I've yet to run into any of the others." He shrugged slightly and glanced to the side. "He's a very skilled fighter. Kept me on my toes, haha..." His smile faded just slightly. "So, yeah. If you want a challenge, he might be more up your alley." His eyepiece chirped offline, and Hematite tapped his feet together again. "He's got one day off a week, and most mornings aren't too busy for him."

–

Gripping her fingers tighter around her wrist, she bit her lip and glanced away.

"I'll um... be sure to keep him in mind," she responded. Her mind blanked, unsure what to really even follow up with. Awkwardly, she looked back to the service gem for a moment, then slowly looked over to the tea.

"You know uh, why don't... You try showing Blue how you make tea! Or... I don't know, do it in a way where she won't get mad! You know how to talk to her, it seems," she said, closing her eyes with a somewhat snooty look. Though, on the inside, she could feel the tension rising. Stars, it was really hard to keep this conversation going smoothly.

–

Glancing back at the Diamond, Hematite pursed his lips for a moment.

 _Alright, he wasn't having any more of this._ Discussing jobs with Yellow was one thing, but this was ridiculous. Standing, Hematite gave a polite bow to his superior.

"I actually do have some business to attend to in the Blue District, so I'll see if I can bring it up to her before I head out." Standing up straight again, he folded his arms neatly behind his back. He managed to crack an awkward, lopsided grin. "If I don't come back, she didn't take my lesson well." He gave her a playful smile before turning to walk out of the meeting room. "Oh, and if she asks, I'll let her know you finished your whole cup."

–

Yellow gave Hematite a nod, reluctantly waving. It was awkward, to say the least.

"Alright, then... Er..." Pausing, she sighed, tapping her fingertips on the tabletop. "Thank you, I guess." Watching the service gem leave the room, she frowned, brows furrowing. She was left to her thoughts in the quiet meeting room. Shrugging to herself, she, too, stood up and glanced out the window. Perhaps it was best that she went back to her study and had some of her own tea to clear her palette.


	49. Dangerous Feature

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a match in the Coliseum, Hematite meets someone new.

"Come on, kid, you're gonna have to try harder than that!"

It had been a while since Blue had a spar with Hematite, and, needless to say, the lack of time they'd had together really took its toll. The already-excitable Diamond was extra riled up the entire match, and could barely contain her zealous vigor. A rather sizable crowd had gathered to watch the Diamond and Harvester spar; it was always quite a dazzling show! They'd both landed quite a few significant hits on each other, but neither of them seemed deterred.

Blue spun her mace in hand as if it were weightless. Cackling, she stepped to the side, eyeing her massive opponent who stood far taller than her at the time. The crowd cheered wildly; they were both putting up a good fight!

Thankfully, it seemed that as time passed, the gems that tended to watch Hematite spar were becoming less wary about his existence and fighting methods. There was still a hint of worry, but over time it became apparent to them that he wasn't crazy enough to do anything like what he did to Yellow Diamond. At least, they hoped he wasn't. He hadn't done anything terrible since the incident with Yellow, but it had only been about two or so years. Many were still wary of him, especially those of the Yellow District. But the gems that merely came to watch a good fight? They were just happy that one of their most unusual, unpredictable sparring pairs were back!

–

Taking a few quick steps back, Hematite put his fists up in front of him, the knuckledusters on his hands sparking wildly. He was still getting used to sparring at his slightly larger height, and found that it cut down significantly on his ability to dodge and make quick hits. Since the recent meeting with the three Diamonds, Hematite had heeded White's suggestion and started going about his daily routines in a larger form. He stood around fifteen feet or so; which wasn't too tall, but also wasn't small enough to warrant being bothered by would-be thugs. While it did make his day-to-day life a lot easier, it made sparring a bit more awkward.

Hematite glanced at Blue, sizing her up as she skirted around him. It was far harder to keep his eyes on his opponent at this size, surprisingly. He'd run into the same problem when he’d tried to spar with Morganite. At least Blue didn't seem as agile as the pink-haired warrior. While Morganite leapt around a lot more and never seemed to be in one place for very long, Blue kept to the ground more and kept far more of her focus on delivering hard hits.

The service gem suddenly got an idea.

Without warning, Hematite crouched low and struck the ground with his fists. With a startling show of light, his knuckledusters sent out a wave of electricity through the ground around him, creating a huge wave of static. It spread quickly, racing toward Blue's feet.

–

Blue grinned from ear to ear, slamming her mace on the ground and hopping up on top of the pole. As the electricity raced towards her, she vaulted off of it and pounced right onto the service gem, grabbing his suit in her fist and delivering a swift punch to his side. The crowd stood up and howled with excitement. The rush of approval sent a surge of energy through Blue, and she quickly hopped down off the service gem before he could grab onto her. Getting back to her feet, she bounded back and grabbed her mace. Swinging it over her shoulder, she shot Hematite an eerie smirk.

"C'mooooon!" She beckoned, lifting up the mace and pulling at the pole. It glowed brightly, extending into a longer weapon. Suddenly, at the end of the mace, another spiked ball appeared, creating a double-ended weapon. She clutched the bar tightly, crouched and ready to move at any given second.

–

Hematite's eyes widened as Blue's weapon changed to a double-ended mace, and he swallowed nervously. That was going to be a lot harder to dodge.

Clutching his hands tightly, Hematite took a few steps back, instead of forward. He looked over Blue's head, wondering if he'd be able to pull off his next attack.

But something caught his eye. Hematite stood straight, his hands falling away from his front. He stared over his opponent, unblinking.

Behind Blue, on the other end of the coliseum, was another spar. It didn't have nearly the audience he and Blue did, but there were still a considerable amount of gems watching. A short-haired Jasper was sent tumbling to the side by her opponent, nearly crashing into the wall. In the quickly-clearing dust stood a tall, lithe figure. The Jasper growled viciously and re-summoned her gauntlets, making a wild charge for the half-hidden gem.

But their opponent was too quick.

Though Hematite couldn't make out who it was, the lithe figure leapt back into the air, flipping effortlessly out of the way of the furious orange gem. They landed lightly on their feet and dodged the Jasper's wild attacks, seeming to deliver quick, precise punches while doing so. The Jasper swung wildly, yelling something at the quicker gem as they suffered the barrage of attacks. Skirting behind the warrior gem, the lithe figure suddenly stopped.

And there was a flash of light.

Suddenly, the orange gem was sent flying into the wall, landing with a heavy THUD. Their opponent now stood among the dust clouds, their back turned to Hema and their form now far bigger than before.

The silver-haired gem bounced slightly in place and twirled around to face her audience with a flick of her hair. She gave a theatrical, graceful 'bow', earning a roar of applause from her own crowd.

Eyes wide, the ivory-haired gem stared across the arena. That... that was another Hematite! But it wasn't just any Hematite; it was Ti, if he remembered her name correctly. It was strange to see another of his kind. Mago of course had shown up once, as far as he knew... but aside from himself, he'd never seen them _fighting_ here with other gems!

–

In Hematite's distraction, Blue sneered confidently and went for an attack. It wasn't like him to stand still, but oh well! He needed to focus! Swinging her arm, she sent the double-sided mace flinging through the air like a spiraling projectile. With a massive force, one of the ends slammed into Hematite's midsection. Thankfully, he was at a big enough height that it wouldn't poof him, really, but it was going to sting. As the weapon made contact, it exploded into a cloud of sparkling dust. Blue quickly summoned another one and made a run for him directly.

–

With a loud grunt of pain, Hematite flew back a considerable distance before managing to regain his footing. He held his abdomen, grimacing heavily, inhaling sharply through his teeth. The wind was knocked out of him, and he dropped his head slightly, shutting his eyes. The moment he heard Blue summon another weapon, he looked up sharply, taking a quick step to the side.

His eyes wide, the service gem swung his leg around, going in for a direct side-sweep, much like he'd done with Morganite.

–

Blue's attention was caught by Hematite's leg. She tried to get out of the way, but miscalculated its range and took a direct hit, sending her stumbling over. Her mace clattered against the ground, and she coughed. Quickly recovering, she spun over and got to her feet. The Diamond clenched her fists and growled, baring her teeth with a twisted smile.

"Nice shot, kid!" she shouted, abruptly picking up the mace yet again. Giving the end of the mace a tap on the ground, she cackled.

–

The service gem crouched low, a little distance from Blue. Alright, no more distractions. Sitting up, he made a go for Blue, for once, closing the distance between them. His gemstone began to glow, his hands following suit.

–

Blue raised a brow and backed up quickly, making sure to keep her distance. If he had any plans to shift sizes, she'd need to be ready for it. Holding up the mace, she braced herself for an oncoming attack.

–

Hematite's gem stopped glowing. He grinned and whipped his arms to the side, sending out two electrical whips. Without warning, he flicked his wrist, sending one of the tangible lines to Blue's mace, wrapping it around the handle. He tugged back on it, _hard_.

–

Blue gave a sharp grunt, thrust forward with the handle of the mace. If she let go, she'd be flung somewhere and find herself probably face first on the dirt. Not a position she desired to be in. As she flew through the air, a bright flash of light blinded her, throwing off her trajectory as she suddenly sped through the air at a far quicker rate. Unsure what happened exactly, she used the increased momentum to her advantage and twisted in the air to try and leap over Hematite. But instead, she adjusted herself just enough to slam right _into_ the service gem. She looked up sharply, _Well, that wasn't much better, either!_

–

Hematite's eyes widened, and he let out a sharp yelp as Blue collided with him. Her momentum offset his balance, and he found himself stumbling backwards. He'd shifted up to try and give himself an advantage, but it seemed it'd backfired. His arms reflexively moved to catch the Diamond, even as he was trying to regain his footing. The service gem's whips quickly vanished, the mace at the end of them landing heavily on the ground nearby. Clumsily, the larger gem flailed and fell backwards onto his back. He lie there for a moment, blinking up at the sky.

Glancing down, he picked up Blue with both hands, loosely, and held her up over himself.

"... So did you win that one, or did I?"

–

Blue cackled maniacally and squirmed in his grasp, quickly escaping and sliding down his arm.

"Neither of us, yet! BUT I'M GONNA CHANGE THAT!" she crowed, falling down from his hands. Bouncing up from his chest, she landed ungracefully on his face and crawled her way up to his forehead. With a mischievous snicker, she lunged into his ivory-white hair.

–

Letting out a rather unintelligible string of surprised noises, Hematite flailed and sat up, making a rather amusing face. The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

"BLUE, what the heck are you doing?!" he exclaimed, hands held awkwardly in front of himself. He shook his head slightly, unsure if he should directly remove her or not.

–

For a moment, it seemed like Blue had completely disappeared. That is, until she erupted from his hair after a moment, a mace held high up in the air.

"HEMAFIGHT ME!" she shouted, cackling.

–

"BLUE WAIT NO-"

The giant gem's eyes widened, and he grimaced heavily, shutting his eyes and bracing for impact.

–

Bursting into crazed laughter, Blue swung her mace down and landed a direct hit square in the center of Hematite's forehead.

–

Hematite winced as the mace made contact with his forehead rather abruptly. It didn't hit too hard, but it was certainly enough to sting. His body tensed, and the service gem suddenly growled in pain from both the previous hit to his abdomen, and the new strike to his head. Quickly, Hematite shot his hand up, grabbing Blue and pulling her out of his hair, mussing it in the process. He brought her down in front of his face, teeth bared.

"Be careful with that! You nearly took my eye out!" He kept his grip firm this time. She wasn't wriggling out of this one.

–

Blue was surprised, to say the least, but actually found this little turnabout to be interesting. Still holding her mace, she took it and acted like she was going to swing again, smiling fiercely. But instead of cracking him over the head, she lightly tapped it in the same place as before. It was much softer; not enough to particularly hurt, but it wasn't a gentle gesture, either, considering it was a mace. Regardless of her situation, she still seemed rather optimistic. _Was she even taking this seriously anymore?_

–

Hematite, understandably, braced himself for impact again as Blue swung her mace, but was surprised when it made relatively-light contact with his face. He muttered a quiet 'ow' and rubbed his forehead, his expression now closer to a pout than a snarl. Squinting at his superior, he arched a brow.

"Mind if we call this one even? I feel a headache coming on." The tiniest of smirks crossed his face.

–

The Diamond chuckled for a moment, fizzling her weapon away.

"Sure thing, kid! You put up a good fight; we'll call it a draw!" She grinned. Soon, though, she too cocked a brow, staring up at the service gem's face. "Under oooooone condition..."

–

The service gem relaxed considerably the moment Blue's weapon vanished. As her tone changed, however, he narrowed his eyes more, holding Blue just a tad further from his face.

"What kind of condition?"

–

Blue bore the cheekiest smile, looking from Hematite's eyes, down to his mouth.

"Lemme see your teeth!" she said, beaming excitedly. She clasped her palms together, eagerly staring at him.

–

Hematite was silent for a long moment, staring at Blue with an unreadable expression. He finally managed to arch a brow.

"Come again."

–

"Come ooooon! Lemme see ‘em!" she said, flailing about in his hands. She tried prying herself out of his grasp, chuckling under her breath.

–

The service gem suddenly looked rather flabbergasted, and looked around at the audience.

"B-Blue what are you talking about, I'm not- we're in the middle of the arena, why would I do that?!" He held her firmly, so she wouldn't try any funny business. Turning to her, he lowered his voice to a more hushed tone, his expression an odd mix of embarrassment and confusion. "Why do you want to see my teeth, anyways?" he asked quietly.

–

"Diamond's orders!" she cackled, swiping her arms over towards his face. Some of the crowd grew a little confused, the worry buried deep within them started rising somewhat. Still, they remained calm, at least. Blue continued to writhe and chuckle, attempting to grab his face. "I dunno, they're pretty cool! It's not often you get to see things super-sized! It's neat! Come on, you gottaaaa!" she pleaded.

–

Hematite leaned his face away nervously, out of Blue's reach. He glanced at the crowd and frowned slightly. He could tell some of the gems watching were getting antsy. Taking a deep breath, Hema glanced at Blue.

"I don't wanna cause a scene. Last time I had a Diamond close to my face like that, I nearly caused a riot," he stated quietly, with as much respect in his tone as he could manage. "How about... outside the Coliseum, where there are less gems to freak out."

–

Blue's face didn't change a bit.

"Alright!" she agreed, crossing her arms. She finally stopped grinning widely as she looked down, then back up at Hematite. There was a small pause, and her grin returned, though there was more of an expectant look to it than a crazed one. "Caaaaan I ride on your shoulder, too?"

–

Blinking, the service gem got to his feet, dusting himself off. He glanced over towards the other side of the arena, quickly noting that the other Hematite was gone. After a moment, he nodded and shrugged, holding Blue up to his shoulder and loosening his grip.

"Sure, I don't see why not." With his free hand, he gave a wave to the audience, easing some of the tension among the more anxious gems. _Ah, if he was letting Blue climb onto his shoulder, that was far less worrying!_ Sure, the fight had ended with a draw, but it was still entertaining to watch.

–

Blue happily leapt up onto the giant gem's shoulder, turning and giving a wave to the audience herself. She bowed, then stood up proudly. She always enjoyed riding on Hematite's shoulder. After all, how many gems could say they had a Harvester for a friend? Turning to the service gem, she sat down and placed a palm on his cheek.

"Alright, let’s head out, then!"

–

Hematite's tension all but left him as Blue sat on his shoulder, and he smiled fondly at her. He'd never admit it out loud, but something about Blue's casual attitude toward being carried around always made him incredibly... happy. She was the only gem who seemed _completely_ unbothered by his larger forms.

Giving a final wave to the crowd, Hema made his way toward the large, gated exit to the Coliseum. He was surprised to see that the other Hematite he'd spotted earlier was nowhere to be found.

Walking out of the arena, Hematite glanced at Blue and walked toward the nearby training grounds. They often rested there after a match, and Hema figured that if there was any place they could go that wouldn't draw a crowd, that'd be the one. It was big, open, and rarely had more than a few gems around.

–

The Diamond relaxed on Hematite's shoulder, staring up at the sky as they moved along.

"Nothin' like a good ol' roughhousin', eh, kid?" she asked, smiling and nudging her elbow against his cheek. "Ya know, not a lot of gems can stand up to a Diamond. I bet you're proud of your strength!" she continued, complimenting him warmly. She really admired his perseverance. "And, hey, if you have fun sparring with me, someday you should spar with White."

–

The service gem blinked in surprise, his cheeks turning a darker shade of purple. He glanced at Blue, brows raised.

"W-well, I. T-to be fair, I hardly stand a chance without my size shifting... I'm not that powerful on my own." He turned away and rubbed the back of his head. At her other suggestion, he stiffened and laughed nervously. "Hah, yeah. I've seen how White fights... I'd never take her on directly. That's just asking for it." 'It' being a rather quick and embarrassing defeat.

–

Blue smirked and crossed her arms.

"I still think it'd be pretty fuuuun! Though, you'd only want to do that when she's in a good mood." Blue's face faltered for a moment into something of brief nervousness. "Yellow and I have both caught her at bad times before. It... didn't end well." There was another pause, but her gleeful, laid-back demeanor returned. "Sheee's definitely best to pick a fight with when she's not in a sour mood." Blue lifted her arm and scratched the back of her head. "She's bested me and Yellow plenty of times in combat simply by fighting with her mind. She's unpredictable; it's almost unfair. She always seems to know what everyone's going to do before they do it. That on top of being a bit stronger than us both physically doesn't help." She pursed her lips, thinking about the last time she’d sparred with White. It had been a while ago, but, needless to say, it hadn’t gone very well.

–

Hematite nodded thoughtfully as he listened to Blue. Oh, he was well aware of how White was in a bad mood, and if he ever planned on sparring with her, he'd make sure she was having a good day if, by the off chance, he did. It'd be interesting to fight his leader in a friendly match, though he was ninety-nine percent sure she'd have him beat in a matter of moments.

"Hmm." One step ahead of the opponent; no wonder she was such a skilled fighter. He'd never understand how she almost always seemed to know what her enemy would do. Then again, he supposed that came with all the knowledge and experience she had as a Diamond. The service gem stepped onto one of the training fields and sat down, finally turning to the gem on his shoulder. "Well, I don't plan on fighting her anytime soon. Maybe once I've, you know, gotten a handle on fighting Rubies and such," he chuckled good-naturedly.

–

Blue grinned softly, standing back up as Hematite got comfy.

"That's the spirit!" she said, standing proudly once more. Now that they were alone, Blue excitedly looked down at Hematite's hands. She paused for a long, thoughtful moment. "… Hey Hema, what's it like?" she asked, glancing back up at him. "To tower over people like you do?" She herself was an incredibly tall gem, all things considered, but she was the shortest of the Diamonds, and certainly not Hematite's size. She'd never even thought to ask anything like that before.

–

Holding his palm up for Blue, Hematite blinked in surprise at her question.

"What do you mean?" He paused for a moment. "It's... nothing special. I guess it's kinda... 'normal' for me?"

–

"Yeah, it's normal for ya, but not for everyone else," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "I can tell there's more to it than that. I'm curious; does it ever bother you? That you're... different? That your height might scare gems off? Or do you, like, use it to your advantage?" She had spent a lot of time around Hematite, but it only just occurred to her that she didn't ask him all that much about how he felt about his powers. There was obviously a lot he never told anyone, not even White. That very thought made her incredibly curious about how he viewed his rather unique abilities. "Considering you're the only gem type in existence that can turn so... huge, I'd say that's pretty special!"

–

Hematite froze.

_Does it ever bother you? That you're... different?_

The service gem's expression subtly twitched. He looked hurt.

_That your height might scare gems off?_

_**Or do you use it to your advantage?** _

"..." Hematite slowly closed his hand. There was a long pause before he drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. "… Yeah, I guess it's 'special,'” he said quietly.

–

Blue frowned suddenly, and a twinge of regret welled up inside of her. Perhaps she had gotten too curious. He was visibly bothered, that much she could tell... but what was he hiding? She didn't quite know what to say, but guessed it was best not to pry any further than she already had.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother ya. If it means anything, I think you're pretty cool," she said, offering a warm smile and placing a palm to the side of Hematite's head, patting his cheek.

–

The gem muttered a quiet 'it's okay' in response to Blue's apology. He looked away. There was a long moment of silence, and a soft breeze blew through the training grounds, sending up small clouds of dust. It lightly brushed Hematite's hair into his face.

"... How are you so calm around me? When I'm like this? Everyone else is nervous around me," he asked, glancing at the Diamond.

–

Blue kept her smile, for him, but she couldn't help but feel a bit disheartened. She hadn't meant to bring up any bad memories, if that's what he was zoning out over. The least she could do now was try to cheer him up.

"Well... I mean, I dunno? Somethin' about you, I guess. I trust you, for one. I've seen the way you act; I've seen how you think and how you do things. I've seen how gems have treated you. I guess part of me figured that even if other gems treat you badly for the way you are, at least one gem should give you a fair chance." She looked down at nothing, staring blankly at the ground beyond them both. She paused. Her eyes clouded over in remembrance, an almost haunted, distressed look crossing her face. “I mean, so what if you went off on Yellow ONE time? That doesn't make you a different person. It isn't fair to assume you've changed and that you'll always be that way...” she said with an odd tone to her voice.

–

The service gem tilted his head, still staring off into space. Something about the way Blue was speaking sounded strange. Was she alright? Or was she… speaking from experience?

“Why do you say that, Blue? Hah... did you attack Yellow in front of a crowd one time?” he asked jokingly.

–

Blue frowned faintly and lightly ran her thumb over Hema's cheek. She didn't reply right away, but when she did, her voice was distant and laced with regret.

"During the first few thousand years of my life, I was a ruthless leader..."

–

Hematite lifted his head in surprise and turned back to Blue, watching her intently. He wanted to say something, but he held his tongue. It didn't seem like Blue was done.

–

Blue's smile faded entirely, unbeknownst to her. She seemed to zone out.

"We were a lot like dictators, more or less. Technically, you could _still_ consider us that. It's for the greater good of gemkind, sure, but... Back then, I had to be mean. I had to be intimidating. I had to be merciless." She crossed her arms with discontent, still glaring at nothing in particular. "Then, one day... I didn't want to be like that anymore. I saw what it got me. Everyone either hated me or was scared of me. I just..." She paused again, looking back at Hematite with a shrug. "Wanted gems to like me, I guess. I wanted to be a leader that gems could look up to and admire. Sure, fear worked for keeping gems in line and minding rules... but I found you don't need to be so stoic and cold for gems to behave." She glanced away again, biting her lip. "I mean, sure, my district has the highest crime rate, but... For the most part, gems still mind, I guess. Even if... part of me wonders if that's because of how I run things now.”

–

As he listened, Hematite bit his lip and fidgeted with his fingers, occasionally picking at the fabric on his suit. Imagining Blue as a ruthless leader... Well. It wasn’t that he couldn't picture it. He'd seen what Blue Diamond was capable of when she was angered...

But he didn't _want_ to picture it.

"... Yours may have the highest crime rate, but at least your gems aren't jumping a Harvester while they're trying to do their job." He attempted a smile and chuckled, messing with the end of his sleeve. There was a pause. "If it's any consolation... I prefer you like this, rather than how you used to be.”

–

Blue couldn't help but smile; his words meant a lot to her, even if she wouldn't say it.

"Thanks, kid. That's why I'm like this, I guess. So... I guess, to an extent, I kinda know how ya feel. Everyone's so intimidated by ya; it's hard to meet friends in this world. And if you even make one mistake, everyone assumes you're always someone to distrust. Gems are always looking after themselves, and anything out of the ordinary is either wrong, dangerous, or bad in some way. But I think it's cool... depending on what it is, of course. When you've been around as long as we Diamonds have, anything new is exciting." She shrugged a shoulder and grinned ear to ear. "Like you! Why, you're one of the few gem types that can stand up to a Diamond, you can size-shift to be really big or really small, and you've got those, uuuuh, really neat lightning whips!"

–

The service gem couldn't help but smile warmly at Blue, and he reached up, scratching the back of his head bashfully.

"Funny story, I actually learned that from a gem back on Earth. Rubes helped me perfect the method... but Celestite is the one who taught me to use my elemental abilities in different ways." Hematite's expression softened. His smile faded, and he couldn't hide the regretful look in his eyes. "... I wish she could have come back with me. I miss her."

_Well maybe if you'd gone back for her when you heard that bird, she'd still be around._

–

Blue crossed her arms. She hadn't heard much at all about this Earth gem he'd come across, but she hadn't really asked about her much after he returned to Homeworld. The fact that she taught Hematite so much was peculiar.

"Unfortunately, we all have to say goodbye to some friends in our time." Blue paused, her eyes narrowing. She, too, seemed struck by something she'd said. "You just gotta move on and enjoy the time that you have today... With friends that are still around you. The friends that appreciate you. Care about you. It's okay to miss them but... You understand, yeah?"

–

"I understand... I just." He held his knees close to his chest and shrugged with his free shoulder. His voice dropped to a more hushed tone, and he sighed. "I just wish I could have said goodbye."

–

Blue frowned and nodded.

"Yeah... I mean, I bet you... do. Wish that." She shook her head, clearing her throat. Quickly, she decided it was probably time to change the subject. She turned to him again and placed her hands on his face. "Hey, so..." She paused, grinning again like she had before. "You still up for showin' me your chompers?" she asked quietly, her excitement returning to her tone.

–

Hematite blinked and sat up a bit straighter, turning to Blue and giving her an odd look. His brow was arched, his lips pursed.

"Why do you wanna see 'em so bad? They're just teeth. And they're not exactly the safest things, you know." He frowned slightly.

–

Blue shrugged, looking up at Hematite with an almost impatient smirk.

"I already told ya. It's not often you get to see these things up close, safely. And, between you and me... I find some 'dangerous' things to be cool. Ya know, you get to use ‘em for your job sometimes, so you might think of ‘em as dangerous weapons… but I think they're pretty neat!" she babbled. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I just want to see them. It's kind of one of the Hematite's defining features, as a whole! Sure, all gems have teeth, buuuut Hematite teeeeeeth are something ellllse!" She raised her eyebrows, a sly tone in her voice.

–

The service gem gave a soft groan of nervous disapproval, but he soon sighed through his nose. Right, she _did_ say Diamond's orders. Might as well get this over with.

"Alright, alright. Fiiine." Hematite smiled just slightly at how ridiculous this all was, but he lifted his palm back up to Blue, letting her step on. Turning to his shoulder was starting to hurt his neck. He held her close to his face. Glancing to the side, he swallowed quietly. Well. At least no one was around.

The giant gem bared his teeth, much like he'd done when he was sparring, but this time there was far less tension in his expression. He seemed more awkwardly-curious than anything else.

–

Blue's eyes widened, her smile following. She slowly leaned in, glancing over for a moment. She narrowed her eyes, placing a few fingers curiously over her mouth. After a few moments, she blinked, getting an impish look on her face. Quickly, she motioned forward, grabbing onto Hematite's teeth where they parted slightly, and started to pry his mouth open.

"Woooooahhh..."

–

The giant gem blinked in surprise, giving a soft noise of objection. He tried to lean back slightly, but Blue had a good grip on his teeth, and he knew if he leaned too much, she'd be pulled off his hand.

"’Ey." He made a rather amusing face, the corners of his mouth turned down into a confused frown.

–

Blue ignored Hematite's noise, focused completely on his pearly-whites. She seemed strangely mesmerized by them, and forced his mouth open. Glancing around, she pursed her lips with bewilderment.

"Oooooh!" she hummed out, lifting one of her hands from his bottom jaw. She seemed utterly undeterred by what most gems would see as a death trap. Gradually, she moved her hand forward, looking up at the roof of his mouth. Then she glanced around at his molars, pressing her hand against his tongue. Awe and fascination overtook her to the point where she didn't even realize she was leaning further in. "This is so awesome! You have teeth kinda like White’s! They're so sharp!" she called out in awe.

–

 _Please, nobody walk over here right now,_ Hema thought to himself in distress.

Hematite's face, aside from his open mouth, was scrunched into a rather distressed look. She’d said she wanted to see his teeth, not his whole mouth! He was glad she seemed to think it was cool and all, but he'd never, ever had a gem near his mouth like this when he wasn't on a job. And yet Blue was acting like this was some normal thing!

Hematite gave a short hum of agreement. He didn't want to risk moving or talking.

_You're going to hurt her. Don't move, don't breathe, don't let your teeth close._

–

Blue let go of Hematite's teeth completely now, placing her other hand on his tongue. She leaned in further, eyeing the Harvester's impressive set of chompers. It was almost unreal to see them up close, and at such a massive size. To think, at any given point, he could easily bite down and hurt her. But she knew he wouldn't. _She trusted him_. The Diamond smiled widely, and after a few more uncomfortably-long moments, she finally motioned herself back out of his mouth, brushing her hands against the leggings of her pants.

"That was incredible!!" Her eyes were gleaming, and it looked like she was could jump up in excitement. Balling her hands into fists, she held her hands beside her and started chuckling joyously. "They're so cool! I see now why they're such a big thing about Harvesters! No pun intended!" she chortled, beaming up at the much larger gem. _That was so worth it._

–

Closing his mouth, Hematite blinked in utter surprise at Blue's reaction. He couldn't understand how she wasn't the least bit off-put by the very thing that Harvesters used to shatter gems. Perhaps _he_ didn't do it personally, when he could avoid it, but still. It wasn't something to go messing around with.

And yet... She was genuinely enthralled with it. Hell, she even seemed _comfortable_ with it. Anyone else would be shaking in their boots, being that close to a Harvester's teeth, but her? This was just some new, exciting thing for her to check out.

Hematite arched a brow and looked away bashfully.

"Naah, they're not that great." He scratched the back of his head with a free hand, a shy smile on his lips as he tried to push away the haunted discomfort in his gut.

–

"Whaaaat?! I think they're amazing! They're so pristine and sharp and, and... well, I think they're great," she said, smiling ear to ear. Crossing her arms, she wore a cocky expression. "I'm glad you let me see ‘em, Hema. Thank you!" She looked down to the ground below. It was a long drop, but that, too, didn't seem to even faze her. "Heh, you remind me of White the more I see ya," she said, crouching down and grabbing onto Hema's arm. Casually, she started to climb down the large gem, jumping from his arm to his leg, then back down to the ground. Turning to face him, she stared up at him. "Don't worry, I'll stop botherin' ya, though! I just..." She stopped, chuckling for a second. "Figured I'd take advantage of the chance.~”

–

_You remind me of White the more I see you._

Hematite watched Blue climb back down to the ground, his brows raised. The faintest bit of color found its way to his cheeks, but he quickly tried to will it away. That comment hit him in a way he didn't quite understand.

"O-oh, you're not bothering me; it's fine." He smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head, the blush finally fading from his face. "I'm just not used to anyone- you know. Not being petrified of this." He pointed at his teeth for a moment and chuckled. "It's..." His fingers gripped at his hair. He glanced to the side, his smile widening for a moment. He seemed almost shy. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter, softer. "I don't know. It's nice to have people around that don't see me as just a Harvester." His hand slid down from his head and gripped at the back of his neck as he looked away, his eyes lidding just slightly. "Sorry. I know that might sound dumb."

–

Blue stepped forward and placed a hand comfortingly on the service gem's leg.

"Heh, it's not dumb, kid, I getcha." She smiled reassuringly. "You might be one, but you're a lot of different things. If ya ask me, neat is one of them." She pointed her finger at him and backed up again, grinning. She hoped that he would at least have a little more confidence in himself after all of this. Not only that; she’d gotten to see something new and exciting, so that was a major plus.

She turned and sighed, looking up to the sky.

"Unfortunately, it's getting to be that hour, though. I really should be heading back to the Diamond Tower," she spoke, a small hint of annoyance in her voice. "I have a lot of work to do tonight and if I don't get it done, White's gonna have my gem..." She chuckled slightly, turning her head a tad. "I think I'm gonna walk home, though, this time! While I'd love to ride on your shoulder again... I think I'd like to stretch my legs."

–

Hematite blinked down at Blue and nodded quietly.

"Right, well, good luck with all your paper-"

The giant gem froze mid-sentence in surprise and stared behind Blue.

"Oh, I'm so sorry; am I interrupting something?" called a soft, friendly voice. The Hematite from the arena was standing, just a little over Blue's height, across the training field. She appeared to be practically standing on her toes, her hands clasped neatly in front of her. There was a bright, but slightly nervous, smile on her face. "I am, aren't I? Apologies, I'll come back later!"

–

Blue spun around, grinning once more.

"Oh, hey! Naaaah, you aren't interrupting. Actually, I gotta get going," she said, running her fingers through her hair. "Did ya need somethin'?" Blue asked, placing her hands on her hips. _Neat, another Hematite!_ She didn't get to see too many around. Since there were so few of them in the first place, actually seeing one was very rare, unless they were reporting to the Diamonds directly for something.

–

The smaller Hematite perked and trotted over to the two, incredibly light on her feet. Hema stared at her, still rubbing his neck.

"I was just wondering if I could borrow Hema here for a little while!" She beamed at the two, looking up at the giant gem before her. "I saw your spar in the arena. You two make such a great team. The crowd seems to love you!"

–

Blue chuckled and looked away for a moment.

"Aw, it's nothin', really! We just like beating each other into the ground!" she said with another impish look. After a moment, she motioned her hand towards Hema. "But yeah, go right ahead! I must be off, though! I've got an awful lot of work to do." She shrugged, sparing them both an awkward glance. "It was good seeing you again, Hema! I'll catch ya later!" Blue waved at them both, then turned to head out. She couldn't help but wonder what all the other Hematites were like. Were they all nice like Hema and this new one?

–

As soon as Blue was out of range, the Hematite turned and smiled up at the giant gem, holding her clasped hands close to her mouth.

"It's so nice to _officially_ meet you, Hema! I know we've kinda run into each other now and then and there was that little spat in the Kindergarten, but I never got to really introduce myself!" She let go of her hands and offered one up to him. "I'm Ti. Mago's told me so much about you!"

Hematite blinked and reached down, shaking Ti's hand with two of his fingers.

"Mago, huh? I'm sure none of those things were 'good', then." He snorted, rolling his eyes. Ti chuckled and brushed her hair aside, away from her face.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that! She actually has a lot of good things to say about you~. She's just a tough nut to crack."

_Yeah, he'd heard that one before._

"Well, anyways. What did you need me for? I have a job I have to do later tonight..."

"Mm, right! Sorry, I'll try not to keep you long. I was just wondering..." The small Hematite smiled shyly and played with a lock of her hair, looking away slightly. "Well... Mago says you're a skilled fighter. I was wondering if maybe... perhaps-" she looked up at him, her eyes shining. "-You would consider having a little spar?"

Hematite's brows raised, and the service gem blinked in surprise. _First off, Mago called him a skilled fighter...? Secondly..._

"You wanna spar with... me?" he repeated, clearly baffled. "I... kind of have a reputation, you know... my fights can tend to end rather... well. Badly."

Ti giggled at Hema's response and shook her head.

"I know how your spars can be, but that's alright! I think you'll be surprised to see..." A slightly devious smile found its way to the silver-haired gem's face. There was a bright flash of light, and Hema winced, putting his arm over his eyes. The light faded, and the service gem moved his arm. He found himself staring at Ti's knees, the now-huge gem standing over him, tall and proud. She leaned down, her hair falling over her shoulder. Hema leaned back slightly, eyes wide.

The taller gem smiled sweetly and lifted a hand to Hema's chin, tilting his face toward hers.

“…I can hold my own in a fight quite well~."

Hematite swallowed. The faintest bit of color painted his cheeks, and he smiled awkwardly.

"R-right. Well. Uh.... Then, sure!"

With a soft gasp of surprise, and a delighted grin, Ti stood up straight, one of her legs lifting slightly off the ground in excitement.

"Excellent! I'll do my best!"

Hematite smiled and stood to his feet, dusting himself off. The color on his cheeks slowly faded as he took a few steps back and shifted into a fighting stance. His weapons appeared in a brilliant flash.

"Alright, Ti, don't hold back!"


	50. Rematch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Diamond challenges Hematite to a spar.

Yellow stood nervously behind her office door, staring dead ahead through the thick carbonite. She was anxiously messing with her gloves, pulling at the fabric and obsessively straightening them out. She appeared to be muttering something too quiet to make out _. Right, this was it_. It was time to try something, despite every part of her telling her not to.

As of late, she’d been trying her best to shake what fears she still had of Hematite. They certainly weren’t as bad as they used to be, and she was relieved to see that her dreams were no longer plagued with horrendous nightmares. But despite that, the fear was _still there_. It may have subsided slightly, but it was still strong enough for her to notice. Hanging around him made her nervous, even if she tried not to let it show. Hearing about any of his missions or endeavors brought unpleasant feelings to the surface, and she often found herself trying to derail even the most casual conversations the Diamonds brought up about the ivory-haired bodyguard. It wasn’t just fear, she still held on to something much deeper. Resentment.

She hated fearing _anything_. She was the gem of courage; how could she be considered courageous if she feared a service gem? Alright, so perhaps he wasn't _just_ a service gem, and even she knew that. He was a harvester. Still, that didn’t excuse how she felt. After all, she had faced fusions twice as big as him, and monsters _just_ as mean as her nightmares. And Hematite, since that day in the Sky Arena, had never shown any real signs of meaning her harm. _So why did this still shake her? Why did she still see that **thing** whenever she looked at Hematite?  
_

The door slid open, and Yellow stepped out after a brief moment of hesitation. She made her way down the Sky Bridge, heading for White’s tower. According to a brief exchange she’d had with her fellow Diamond the previous night, Hematite was free from his missions today. It was time to pay him a visit. No, even more than that... She had something specific in mind that she wanted to ask him. Surely this couldn't be that bad, if things had improved between them.

She stared at the ground blankly as she walked. _Were things getting better, though? It was hard to tell._ She could hope that their brief apology to each other had mended some damage, but even if it had, she still felt some lingering caution when interacting with Hematite. Surely if just sitting around and talking to each other now and then wasn’t helping things, maybe _this_ would? _Maybe it would make it worse?_ Regardless of the outcome, she'd do whatever it took to make things right, and to help her fears subside once and for all. Or, at least, she’d be able to say she _tried_.

It took an hour or so to get to White's tower. She stared up at the windows that dotted the side of the tower, shining brightly in the fading light. Yellow pursed her lips, wondering what was going on inside the huge structure. The Diamond’s steady steps echoed coldly against the polished marble stone as she crossed the threshold between the Sky Bridge and the inside hall leading to White’s office. She took a deep breath, stopping in front of the door. She raised her hand to knock, but paused, her knuckles hovering over the metallic surface. Blinking, she stared at the door, her brows furrowing. Maybe he wasn't here. What if he said no? Or worse… what if he said yes, and this whole thing went south? Yellow frowned at herself and shook her head, lifting her hand over the door once more. No, she had to try. She had nothing better to do today anyway.

 

_Knock knock knock!_

–

"And so this thing gets tangled up in my hair, I'm still holding up two Peridots in one hand, a gem copy in the other, who is, by the way, NOT happy to be held up, and-" Hematite stopped midsentence, his arms still up in front of him rather goofily from telling his story. He looked back at the office doors as they started to open, and blinked once or twice, slowly lowering his hands. _Well shoot, I was just getting to the good part._

–

The metallic doors hissed open just in time for the Diamond on the other side to catch the last bit of Hematite’s excited storytelling. Yellow raised her brows, looking curiously at the two gems in the room. _Oh, he_ _ **was**_ _here!_ That saved her a lot of trouble, then. White looked up at her fellow Diamond with a warm, fond smile. Though, there was a hint of confused curiosity in her eyes. Yellow pursed her lips and glanced between the two.

"Oh, don't let me stop you!" she said, raising her hands quickly in defense. She walked in, the door closing behind her. White raised up a tea cup at Yellow in greetings.

"Hello Yellow. Hematite here was just telling me about one of his more recent missions. What brings you here?" she asked, taking a sip from her glass. Yellow stood up straight, regaining her professional posture. For a moment, she closed her eyes and lifted a hand to her mouth. She cleared her throat.

"I hope I’m not interrupting. I came to ask Hematite something."

–

Hema’s eyes widened subtly as he shifted in his seat.

"N-no, that's fine.” Needless to say, Hematite was surprised to see Yellow of all people standing in the doorway. But, that wasn't to say he was displeased. No, quite the opposite. Instead of a sense of dread weighing down his very chest, he felt himself lightly curious as to what Yellow was doing here.

And what it was she wanted to ask him.

The small service gem turned around entirely in his chair, putting his hands on the back of it. However, after a moment, he realized how childish he must have looked, and he hopped down out of his seat, quickly taking a professional stance. He folded his arms behind his back and stepped closer to the gem, stopping in front of her.

"What is it you wanted to ask, Yellow Diamond?" He looked up at her, waiting quietly.

–

She opened her eyes but didn't move her head. Yellow gazed down at the small gem, her eyes as thoughtful and piercing as always. She had the look of a calculating hawk about her, especially with her chin tilted up the way it was. But… after a few seconds, she lowered her head to get a better look at him, her expression softening subtly.

"I am free today, but my Pearl is off running some errands... I was wondering if you, ah. Hm..." She paused, turning her gaze away as she picked at the wrist of her glove. _No, not now... Just say it._ _At least there's a chance he’ll say no._ "Would you like to... well, spar with me?" She looked away quickly, biting the inside of her lip. White's eyes widened, but she promptly turned in her seat to face the window instead of saying anything. _Well… Oh dear. That certainly wasn’t she was expecting._

–

_**Spar** _

 

_Hah. So she’s still calling them that, is she?_

 

"..." Hematite's expression fell slightly, to something far less readable. His fingers brushed together behind his back. One of his feet shifted. "I. Mm." The small service gem quickly cleared his throat and stood straighter, a forced smile on his face.

_So it begins again._

"As you wish, Yellow Diamond."

–

Yellow's eyes widened suddenly. She looked surprised for a brief moment. Bewildered, she cleared her throat again and gave Hematite a nod, regaining her professional demeanor.

"Right! I'm glad to hear it. Shall we depart, then?" she asked, glancing up at White, who was still turned in her chair.

–

Hematite's forced smile widened slightly, and he gave a curt nod. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Lead the way."

–

White turned in her chair, standing up suddenly as Yellow started to move towards the door.

"Wait."

Yellow stopped, her breathing pausing. White took a single step forward from behind her desk, narrowing her eyes at the two.

"Would you... like me to come with you?" she asked, looking a little concerned. Yellow considered it for a moment. She took a deep breath, a frown crossing her face.

"No, thank you, White. With all due respect, I'd like this to be a private match,” she said, turning to the door again. “Come along then, Hematite.”

–

Hema stiffened.

 _Private match._ _**It really** _ **is** _**starting all over again.** _

The moment Yellow turned to the door, the service gem looked back at White Diamond over his shoulder. Only half of his face was visible, but his expression was clear as day. His brows were raised, mouth slightly parted, eyes wide. His lower lip trembled, a frightened expression crossing his face before he turned forward again. White and Yellow were equals. She couldn't make Yellow cancel this match; he'd already agreed to it. And he already regretted it.

There was no helping him.

Closing his eyes, Hematite clutched his fingers together tightly behind his back, following stiffly after Yellow Diamond, his head hung slightly.

–

White gave Hematite an encouraging nod. If Yellow pulled anything, she'd see to it herself that she'd be get an earful from her later. Alas, if Yellow didn't want her to come, she wasn't going to disrespect her wishes... even if she really felt she needed to go with them. She’d have to trust her on this one.

The warm-colored Diamond stepped down the hallway, not even turning to make sure Hematite was following. Her posture was stiff, her steps measured.

–

The small service gem trailed after his yellow superior, giving her back a glance every once in a while. He didn't like this. Why, after over a year... why would she challenge him again? He never wanted to 'spar' with her again. He didn't want to belittling to continue...

 

_He couldn't handle being called 'nothing' again._

Hematite stayed silent. He didn't want to say anything that could put Yellow in a sour mood, and he certainly didn’t want to question her.

 _Just... do your best. Don't anger her. Don't let yourself pass out. You'll be okay..._ _**it'll be okay. Right?** _

–

After a few long minutes of silence from the both of them, Yellow raised a brow, glancing off to the side. She could hear Hematite's footsteps softly following behind her. Looking back ahead, she left a soft sigh escape her, expression looking blank and distant.

"You know, I half expected you to decline,” she said, neither turning nor slowing down.

–

Hematite looked up sharply at Yellow's comment. He arched a brow and looked away again, nervous.

"... Why would I decline? If a Diamond asks to spar, it would be. Rude. To refuse,” he said slowly, his words careful and hesitant.

–

Yellow didn't stop, nor did her posture change. But, what Hematite couldn't see was her gaze drifting down slightly. She frowned, furrowing her brows.

"No... It wouldn't be rude. It would be understandable," she said simply, looking back up.

–

The service gem was rendered speechless. He turned his attention back to Yellow, eyes wide. His steps faltered for a moment, but quickly returned to normal. _Understandable?_ Since when did she understand anything about him? _Or, was that not what she meant?_

Fidgeting behind his back, Hematite frowned.

–

Sighing, Yellow looked ahead. They both went quiet again. The two of them, in their silence, made haste towards the center warp that lay in the middle of the Diamond Towers. They still had a little ways to go before they got to their destination. Suddenly, the Diamond broke the silent pause after a few more long mintues.

"We've never had a _spar_ before, Hematite. Let's be honest. Those weren't spars. Those were... well, I'm not sure what to call them." She paused again, moving her hands closer together as she walked.

"I believe it's time I had one of my _real_ spars with you. At the very least, you deserve that much."

–

 _I think ‘slaughter’ is the word you’re looking for,_ Hema thought to himself, frowning as he looked off to the side.

"... And may I venture to ask what constitutes a ‘spar?’" he asked as politely as he could. He wasn't sure he wanted the answer, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what she meant by him ‘deserving’ it. Did it mean she was going to be tougher on him? Was it referring to the way she handled him? Would he be facing her in hand-to hand combat? A wave of different worrying thoughts overcame him in his anxious state.

–

"You'll find out when we get there," she responded, straightening up and clasping her palms together. She hoped this whole thing would go just as she'd planned.

–

 _He was afraid of that._ Hema looked down at the floor, a mildly pained look crossing his face.

"Yes, ma'am,” he replied quietly.

No more than a quarter of an hour later, Hematite stepped onto the warp pad beside Yellow, his hands still tightly clasped behind his back. He turned forward, his expression unreadable.

–

Yellow stood in the exact same pose, but kept her head held high. _Right, if she was going to do this, she had to put on a brave face, no matter what sort of doubts she had about the outcome._ With a bright flash of light, the warp pad activated and sent the two gems towards the Sky Arena. Upon their abrupt arrival, Yellow was pleased to notice how quiet it was. _Good_. Her request to close the Sky Arena hadn’t gone unheeded, it seemed. Looking down at Hematite, she gave a quick nod of her head, gesturing for him to step off of the warp pad.

–

Hematite looked up at her for a moment without moving his head before he stepped off the warp. He forced himself to stop fidgeting, now that she could see behind his back. He took a few steps away before he stopped and turned to her, waiting.

–

Yellow stepped swiftly off of the warp pad and made her way for the entrance of the arena. Taking another deep breath, she closed her eyes for a few steps. She felt strangely _numb_. She knew deep down that this wouldn’t be easy. As she made her way through the archway, she found her footsteps meeting the slick marblestone flooring of the arena instead of the courser ground of the entrance. Her gaze quickly lifted to the empty, warmly-lit arena around her. Remembrance flashed through her eyes, and her teeth grit together subtly. A sharp inhale rushed through her teeth, and her hair stood up on the nape of her neck. The last time she was here, she was with Hematite as well. The last time she had a spar with him, well... _She refused to think about it…_ but the mind is a fickle thing. If one gives it even the briefest escape to the often unpredictable realm of memory, it’s hard to escape.

 _Fear._ Her anxiety spiked up, much to her displeasure. Her head rung with distant crashes of thunder, her eyes ached at the memory of the flashing lightning. The cries of the panicked, screaming crowd slowly overtook her mind. And, though there was nary a soul in the arena seats… she could have sworn she saw the faces of her distressed citizens crying out for Hematite to stop attacking her, to leave her alone… to spare her. Yellow’s lips drew into a tight line, and she felt a dull, but familiar dread start to rise within her. She tried to conceal it, she tried to make it go away, but it didn't work well. She frowned and closed her eyes.

 

_That was then, and this is now. Things will be different this time._

_Things will be_ _**better** _ _._

–

Hematite followed slowly after Yellow, his footsteps falling behind as they neared the archway leading into the Sky Arena. He stopped.

The service gem was left staring at the floor near the archway. Faint scuff marks were still present in the marble tile near the exit, left there by the large piece of rubble he had placed to keep the arena guards out of his way over a year ago. He hadn't been here since. He’d never wanted to come back here. This was the place he'd lost it. The Sky Arena held nothing but bad memories for him.

It was a place of humiliation, anger, hatred, grudges, distrust. He wanted nothing to do with it. And now, here he was again. The cycle was going to restart.

And there was no-one around to witness it.

–

Yellow stepped forward, stretching her arms out forward. Placing a hand to her gem, she turned to face Hematite, standing tall and proud. She looked professional, determined, and fierce. But, little did Hematite know… it was merely a façade this time.

"Whenever you are ready."

–

The service gem finally tore his attention away from the marble floor, and he finished stepping into the arena, a little distance in front of Yellow. Hematite looked up at her, tense. He quickly looked away, an unreadable expression on his face. Suddenly, it turned to something akin to resentment despite him trying to hide it, and he closed his eyes, sighing. His gemstone began to glow. The service gem took a couple steps back as his body began to brightly gleam, and his form shifted up. But he didn't take one of his giant forms. No, he stopped soon after he began shifting, and his body ceased glowing in turn. He'd only changed himself to match Yellow's height.

His expression was far more calm and serious when he turned to her again, and he held his fists up in front of him, his knuckle dusters sparking into existence. His brows were furrowed, eyes tired, lips drawn into a tight line.

_Let's get this over with._

–

Yellow felt a faint spike of suspicion and near panic flare up in her core at the sight of Hematite shifting up, but she managed to hide it well. Swallowing thickly, she gave him a nod, her gem glowing. From her gemstone, she pulled out one of her swords and looked it over quietly. She hadn't had to use this in over a year. Swiping it around in her normal array of showmanship, she stopped with a graceful point towards him. Her eyes narrowed, fixated upon her opponent.

_**Be brave.** _

–

Hematite tensed visibly, his eyes widening. He pulled his fists closer to him, but swallowed, forcing himself to stand his ground. _Don't let this end like some of your other fights. Don't give in._

He wanted so badly to call the entire ordeal. He wanted to run. He wanted nothing to do with Yellow in the arena. But he couldn't give her a reason to degrade him. He refused to give her an excuse to go back to talk down to him.

_**Show some courage.** _

–

Yellow stood poised to strike, holding her sword up with one hand. She crouched low, her other hand behind her back. She never took her eyes off of him, moving around to the side slowly. Strangely, she made no move to attack.

–

Hematite frowned and started circling the opposite direction, keeping himself directly across from her at all times. He didn't like this. He didn't want to make the first move. _He never did._ But if Yellow wasn't going to do anything, maybe he should take advantage of the opening?

Slowly, the service gem took a step back. Suddenly, he shot forward, going in for a direct jab before he stepped back, faking her out. However, it was a clumsy and nervous move, and he stumbled slightly, his coordination greatly impaired by his unfocused state.

–

Yellow flung herself out of the way with one gracefully swift movement. She raised a brow curiously. Then, after landing, she rushed forward herself, a rather bold move. However, she too faltered when she got close enough to meet Hema's eyes. She stiffened subtly, stumbling a little and darting back once more. She held her sword up in front of her defensively. She hadn't even done anything significant yet, nor had Hematite landed a hit, but the memories came flooding back to her all the same. Bad memories. _Lots of them_. She had to do something. Something besides this awkward dance of nervous advancements.

With another quick movement, she skirted to the side again and went for another attempt to close in.

–

Hematite glanced at Yellow, his teeth gritted, and skirted back, away from her. He'd seen the moment of hesitation. She'd never done that in a spar before.

The service gem's eyes widened, and he tensed as his superior closed the distance between them. He ducked down and made a go to sweep her legs out from under her. It was a risky move, but maybe if she was already stumbling, he could catch her off-guard.

–

Unfortunately for Hematite, Yellow's reactions were at an all time high. She was on-edge and expectant, ready for anything to go wrong at any point. She leaped up in the air well above the service gem, landing skillfully on her feet behind him. As she landed, she delivered a swift punch to his back.

_She'd made the first hit._

Grasping her sword tightly, she darted back again, eyes widening. She'd gotten _one_ hit in at least, but she had no idea how he was going to react or how he'd counter her. Once again, she stood ready, her sword pointing towards him, stance wide.

–

Hematite inhaled sharply through his teeth as Yellow hit him between the shoulder blades, and he stumbled forward, turning to her quickly. He lifted his fists up in defense, but he made no move to advance toward her. He made no move to attack. The service gem stepped back, his anxiety clear as day on his face. _He couldn't hide it like she could._

–

Yellow paused, staring at him. They were both in an awkward, unmoving stalemate. The Diamond wanted to keep this spar going, she wanted them to actually make some progress. But she couldn't fight a gem that wouldn't fight back. She _wouldn't_ fight him if he didn't fight back.

Suddenly, Yellow let her sword dissipate into sparkling dust. Slowly, she held both of her fists in front of her, mirroring Hematite's stance. She watched him intently, taking a step back.

–

The service gem blinked in surprise, his stance relaxing slightly. He stopped stepping backwards.

Furrowing his brows, Hematite frowned in confusion, but said nothing. He took a step forward. Suddenly, the ivory-haired gem darted a few flighty steps to the side before making a go for the Diamond, his fists sparking with electricity. He tried to land a few quick hits, his eyes never leaving her fists.

–

Yellow kept her eyes on Hematite and blocked each of his jabs. A mildly distressed grimace crossed her face as memories raced through her mind. Without thinking, she darted back and skirted around the service gem, sweeping her leg under his feet to try and knock him over.

–

Thankful that he'd kept his eyes peeled, Hematite just barely dodged his superior's attack and leapt over her leg. He spun around on her, his eyes widening. He had a clear shot. He could easily kick her aside, or land a rather nasty blow to her arm. But he hesitated.

Taking a few quick steps back, he frowned, holding his fists up. Swallowing, he narrowed his eyes nervously, waiting for her to come to him.

–

Yellow regained her normal stance quickly, putting her fists back up. She narrowed her eyes again, her hands sparkling with electricity. _Maybe_ _ **this**_ _would get him to move more._ Advancing again, she moved in a zig-zag pattern, quickly bounding side to side and closing in fast.

–

Hematite inhaled sharply through his teeth as Yellow closed in. He fled back at a much quicker rate than before, his own fists suddenly sparking with electricity. He knew his attacks had little to no effect on her, but it gave him some false sense of security.

And it suddenly gave him an _idea_.

Eyes wide, Hematite frowned and quickly flicked his hands to the side, his lightning whips fizzling to life. Without warning, he launched toward his opponent, lashing out one of the whips at her feet, the other one readied.

–

To say the least, Yellow hadn't quite expected the whips. _Right, she forgot about those!_ With a sharp gasp, Yellow skidded to a halt, and the whip made contact with her ankle, wrapping around it. Electricity coursed through her, and while it didn't exactly hurt, it didn't feel very _pleasant_ either. It did, however, stun her in her tracks for just a moment. She took a quick step back, tugging at the weapon that clung to her, but it didn't let go.

She froze, another pang of anxiety striking through her. Yellow suddenly remembered the strings from her nightmare some months ago, and a cold wave of dread swelled in her chest. She couldn't move.

–

Hematite didn't stop.

His entire form was tense, all his flight instincts telling him to get Yellow out of the way so he could _run_. With a grunt of effort, the service gem tugged sharply on the whip, tossing Yellow to the side with a mighty heave.

–

Yellow yelled out in surprise as she was flung across the arena a fair distance, tumbling onto the ground. She landed on her arm, rolling over and shaking her head. The force of the impact knocked her out of her senses for a moment. Slowly, she stood, raising her head to face Hematite. Her expression seemed... completely blank.

–

He froze.

Eyes wide, Hematite stood up, his hands held in front of him. He'd crossed the line. He'd angered her. His weapons suddenly fizzled away in a shower of sparks. Hematite took a step back, not taking his eyes off of the Diamond standing some distance from him. When he managed to speak, his voice was soft and small, breathless with apprehension.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to."

–

A long pause followed. At first, it seemed as though Yellow hadn't even heard the service gem. She looked entirely unfazed. Then, she _smirked_ , narrowing her eyes with her old, fierce determination she usually wore. But this time, there was something new there. Something other than _malice_...

"Didn't mean to? Well that's a shame, it was a good move!" She swiftly brought her hands up again, fists alight with electricity. 

–

_What?_

Wincing, Hematite reflexively balled his hands up into fists, his weapons quickly reappearing. He didn't want to fight her. _This could only end badly!_

But... She had just paid him some.. sort of praise. _Hadn't she?_

The service gem took a few steps back and flicked one wrist to the side, preparing a whip.

–

Yellow kept her eye on the whip this time, her speed picking up as she made a run for him. She did, however, keep a short distance away. With a loud crack, Yellow struck the ground next to Hematite with a bolt of lighting she shot from her arm. Hematite yelped and clumsily dodged the strike, only having a split second to see where it was going. The service gem's balance was knocked off, and instead of focusing on getting away, he seemed to concentrate on regaining his footing. Yellow narrowed her eyes.

"Be swift, like the lightning!" she called out, turning sharply and skidding across the marble stone floor. She furrowed her brows, a dark grin spreading across her face. "Be strong, like a Diamond."

She lunged forward, her entire body alight with electricity. She moved unnervingly fast, and she reeled her arm back, going for another direct, stronger hit.

–

Hematite foolishly kept his eyes on his feet to try and avoid tripping. By the time he lifted his eyes to look at his opponent, she was closing in fast, her fist reeled back, a dark grin on her face. Hema's entire world went quiet. Time seemed to slow down as Yellow's voice echoed through his head.

 

_What's wrong?_

 

Hematite's eyes widened, and the arena around him suddenly darkened, and he found the arena around him suddenly filled with the sounds of a jeering crowd.

 

_Why won't you fight now?_

 

Despite not being struck, Hematite felt a sharp phantom pain in his abdomen, again... and again.

 

_**Are you scared?** _

 

He froze in place, completely open for the Diamond's attack.

 

_**FACE ME, YOU COWARD!** _

–

Yellow swung her fist forward, her smile fading. Just before she made impact with him, she unclenched her fist and forced her palm against his chest. That strike alone was enough to knock him back, but it was nothing compared to her fist. The electricity fizzled away, and Yellow leapt back as soon as she made contact with him. While she was pleased she'd landed another hit, she was a little confused as to why he'd stood still for so long.

–

The service gem winced and stumbled backwards, clumsily losing his footing. Yellow's lightning coursed through him, making him tense up involuntarily, despite it not hurting terribly. However, his nerves were shot, and he couldn't regain his footing. He fell onto his back. And, oddly, despite Yellow standing her ground and not going for him again... he made no attempt to stand.

Hematite sat up, his expression unreadable. His clawed fingers clutched at the tile as he stared ahead at nothing in particular. The smallest trace of tears pricked at his eyes, barely visible. The service gem grimaced in anxious distress. Everything about his expression, his body language, his entire demeanor, said one thing.

_I don't want to do this anymore._

–

Yellow stopped, placing a palm on her hip. Pursing her lips, she paused and stared across the way at the downed service gem. A chill breeze drifted through the battered Sky arena, sending small, lonely clouds of dust across the tiled floor. Wisps of sunset-stained clouds drifted over the horizon and through the very arena itself. They were so close, one could reach out and touch them. The cool gust disturbed Yellow Diamond's hair, and she lightly ran her fingers through the tuft at the side of her cheek. She gazed down at Hematite, suddenly taking slow steps toward him. Her footfall echoed through the Sky Arena. Yellow didn't understand Hematite's body language very well yet, but despite that... she could tell something was wrong.

She stopped in front of him, standing quietly. Her expression betrayed nothing, nor did her stance. She stood tall and proud as always, gazing down at her reclined opponent.

–

Hematite looked up at her, freezing in place. Despite being the same size as the Diamond, the very sight of her towering over him made him feel as though he were shrinking where he lay. He felt so small, so defenseless. He stared at her with wide eyes, managing to swallow weakly. _What was she going to do? Attack him? Kick him while he was down? Berate him, call him a failure or a disappointment?_ Hematite trembled subtly. The service gem waited with bated breath, bracing for whatever was coming.

–

Yellow gazed down at him, her eyes thoughtful, yet guarded. She didn't smile, nor did she frown. No, instead, she merely shifted her stance and leaned over. And then, without so much as a word...

She held out her hand.

–

Hematite winced as his superior reached out her hand, and he waited to be struck. But no attack followed. The ivory-haired gem opened his eyes and blinked at Yellow, his brows raising as he glanced between her face and her hand.

–

"Come on, you can't be done now. You were doing so well, and I still have much to teach you," she said calmly.

Then she smiled.

Not only was she smiling, it seemed _genuine_. There was no sarcasm to her expression, no forced stiffness. It almost looked unnatural. Never before had she let herself look like this around Hematite, in all his years of working for White. But she was determined to change that.

–

Brows raised, Hematite stared, in shock. Yellow Diamond. _Smiling_. No, not only that, she wasn't making any moves to attack him while he was down, nor was she taking her chance to talk down to him. It wasn't a trick, and it wasn't faked; unless of course Yellow was suddenly a very skilled actress. Hema had never seen that, not with the funny stories he'd tried to tell her, or the jokes Blue would crack, or even things like Yellow's Pearl tripping and kvetching about the floors being uneven. That always made _him_ laugh, at least. But Yellow had never so much as cracked more than a malicious smirk or a furious grin around him. Hematite paused, a soft breeze disturbing his hair as he gazed at his superior's extended hand.

The service gem's weapons vanished, and Hematite cautiously lifted an arm, taking Yellow's hand as he lifted himself off the ground.

"Y-you." He stared at her, utterly bewildered. "You want to _teach_ _**me?**_ _"_ he asked, glancing away. His brows furrowed together faintly as her words from their first spar stung him to his very core.

_Why don't you teach me?_

_**You don't deserve it.** _

–

The Diamond glanced away for a second, eyes half lidded. Her smile faded just slightly, but it was still there nonetheless.

"Yes,” she said simply, looking back at the service gem. Placing her hands behind her back and standing tall once more, she took a single step away from the gem before her. "That is... if you would like to give me that opportunity.” Pausing, she felt her lips press tighter together, brows furrowing faintly for a brief moment. “I believe you... deserve it."

–

Hematite felt his chest tighten, and his breathing hitched for a moment.

"... I-I'd." The service gem cleared his throat loudly, trying to cover the waver in his voice. He forced himself to stand a bit taller, a semi-professional air returning to him. However, he couldn't keep eyes from shining. "I'd be more than happy... to learn whatever you can teach me, Yellow Diamond."

–

Yellow's brows raised. _He was willing to give her another chance_. With a soft, sharp exhale, she stood a little taller. A faint, unexpected warmth spread through the Diamond's chest.

"Excellent!" she said, her smile widening. Motioning her palm to her gem, it flickered momentarily and from it, she pulled another sword. She clicked its tip to the ground. Her eyes widened, a much more serious expression befalling her. Inhaling sharply, she stood tall, stance widening subtly. "Stand proud! Stand ready!"

–

The service gem felt the smallest smile cross his face, and he took a deep, steadying breath, quickly exhaling through his nose. Shifting to his usual fighting stance, the ivory-haired gem furrowed his brows, his smile widening slightly in anticipation.

She was acting different.

She hadn't made a single snide comment.

No, instead, she was _encouraging_ him. She wanted to teach him, to make him a better gem.

Hematite's knuckle dusters appeared. He gave Yellow a quick nod that he was ready.

His anxiety vanished, replaced with a cautious sense of excitement.

Hematite was ready for her this time.

This spar was going to be different.

_He could feel it._

–

Yellow skipped back a few paces, holding her sword in front of her. Narrowing her eyes, she tilted her chin up.

"First rule! Never take your eyes off of your opponent, no matter what." She dashed to the side at lightning speed, sparks trailing behind her blurred form. She stopped to his left, the electricity fizzling away. She now stood a little closer. Then she did it again, this time running over to his other side with unnatural speed. She was closer that time as well. "Be prepared for anything. If you so much as blink..." Once more she dashed around, but this time she seemed to disappear completely. Without warning, her voice sounded behind Hematite, loud and clear. "Your enemy could be upon you."

–

The service gem tried to keep his eyes on Yellow as she skirted around him, but she was far too quick, and he wasn't as alert as he should have been. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as Yellow's voice appeared behind him, and he whirled around, taking a step back in the process.

–

Yellow stood with her sword pointed towards Hematite, inches from his body before he backed up. She didn't move to make contact with him, however. Eyes narrowed, she clicked her sword to the ground again and darted back.

"Second rule! If you wish to make any progress, you _must_ make some sort of offensive move. Your opponent won't fall unless you _make_ them! You _could_ tire them out by dodging them, but you cannot manage that forever." She stood completely still, swinging her sword up in a diagonal position, as if guarding with it.

–

Hematite frowned slightly. Alright, time to venture a question, even if every part of him told him not to speak up.

"What do you do if you're faced with an opponent with a ranged weapon?" He motioned to his knuckledusters. "These are rather limiting." As soon as he asked his question, he started to advance, though he didn't go all-out as he went in for a quick jab. He knew she'd be able to block it, and it didn't seem like he was really trying to hit her.

–

Yellow smirked and blocked his attack, her sword glancing off his knuckledusters. Crouching low quickly, she bound just past Hematite, now behind him. She swung her sword out, facing towards him. 

"Good question. A ranged fighter who relies on distance is usually vulnerable when fighting in close combat. Therefore, you must get close _quickly_. Try to disorient them!" She suddenly lunged forward, electricity swirling around her blade. Swinging the sword, she shot out a massive bolt of lightning towards Hematite, but it missed. Considering how close she was, it was clearly on purpose, as if for demonstrating her point. "They might be able to hit you, but if you are close enough and keep attacking, it can throw them and their aim off. An archer can only do so much in hand-to-hand combat.”

–

Hematite spun on his heel again, stumbling back a step as Yellow dodged behind him. As soon as he regained his footing, he glanced at the shot of lightning that'd missed him, seemingly distracted by it. His body seemed rather relaxed, all things considered. He started to turn his head, as if he was going to return to his previous position or as if still distracted by the missed shot of lightning. But instead, he turned on a dime and shot forward, closing the distance between himself and Yellow in an instant. He went in for a direct punch to her abdomen, his eyes filled with a fierce light. Yellow's eyes widened, but she had little to no time to respond quick enough, and took the full brunt of the hit.

–

Stumbling back, the Diamond gripped her sword tighter, coughing. Despite having taken a sharp hit, she looked up at him with an unwavering, confident grin.

"Good. Now do that again!” She swiped her sword up and waited for him to advance, though this time she returned to a defensive stance.

–

The service gem finally broke a bright, genuine smile. His brows furrowed as he closed the distance between them again, his jabs far more aggressive, but still measured. He wasn't trying to land a hit this time, but he also wasn't giving her any easy guards. He kept his eyes on her, his gaze flicking between her feet, her sword, and her own eyes.

–

Yellow smirked, thrusting the side of her sword forward and blocking Hematite's first initial hits. The metallic weapons clanged off of each other with bright sparks, ringing clearly throughout the arena. Yellow kept her eyes on Hematite, easily blocking his strikes with her sword. She held one hand behind her back, making measured, practiced strides away from the service gem.

"Rule number three! The same tactic won't work forever. Be clever, be sharp of wit, and think on your feet." Swiftly, Yellow ducked low and rolled forward quickly, turning to deliver a swift kick to his back.

–

Hematite smirked as well, watching Yellow dodge to the side. In an instant, he dodged back, getting a sharp scuff in the shoulder from Yellow's kick. But the hit he took was worth it. Since he'd kept his eyes on her, he caught where she was rolling to, and his hand flicked to the side, a whip snapping from his hand. The string of energy crackled aggressively, the electricity coursing quickly up the service gem's arm. As her foot started to come back down to the ground, Hematite snapped the whip toward her leg, grabbing onto her ankle. However, this time he didn't chuck her to the side. He pulled her toward him and landed another blow to her stomach, though it was far less aggressive this time.

–

Yellow stumbled again, but not quite as ungracefully as before. Her grin widened, and she glared fiercely at the ivory-haired gem.

"Excellent! You're a quick learner. That will be valuable to you," she praised. Tossing her sword up in a showy manner, Yellow watched the sword spin around in a circle before catching it upright again. Her eyes narrowed once more, and she motioned her sword out to the front. She started to jab at the air around Hematite and step forward rhythmically, eyes fixated on her opponent. She was poised in such a way that she could dodge at any given time, ready for another attack. Still, she advanced, getting closer and closer with her sword. The closer she got, the quicker her steps became.

The sky overhead was strangely clear. A few clouds floated by, but that was the extent of it. There were no dark clouds, no lightning storms, nothing out of the ordinary. Both of the fighters in the Sky Arena were in a calm, mutual synchronization.

–

Hematite smiled again at his superior's words of praise, and he stepped back as she advanced, blocking her attacks with his knuckledusters. Sparks flew, metal met metal, and he skillfully dodged each attack, his old training from Celestite serving him well. However, as Yellow continued, Hematite's smile faded.

_No, it's fine. She's just training you._

The pattern of attacks was all too familiar. Certainly, there were none of the condescending sneers or biting remarks, and he knew deep down that he was in no physical danger... But muscle memory is a _**powerful**_ thing.

As Yellow's attacks quickened, Hematite's blocks became stiffer, more erratic. Remembrance flashed across his face.

_**You are predictable.** _

_**Pathetic!** _

_**You're small. Weak.** _

Hematite visibly grimaced, trying to force the haunting words out of his mind. To Yellow, it probably just seemed like he was getting tired. Perhaps the nick to his shoulder was effecting him.

–

With one swift movement, she thrust her sword sharply towards him, past his hands. The sword rested inches in front of Hematite's chest, and she stopped taking steps forward.

"If you find yourself being overwhelmed, you can always flee. Sometimes, a fight isn't worth fighting." She retracted her sword and stepped back casually, tapping the end to the marble stone floor. "Depending on the fight, that is...." She paused, her face expressionless. Raising a brow, she looked to the service gem and observed the way he stood with sharp, watchful yellow eyes. "If you're tired, we can stop anytime."

–

Hematite was breathing heavily, frozen in place. As soon as Yellow backed off, however, he relaxed slightly. His eyes were wide, though, and there was the faintest trace of terror in them. The service gem shut his eyes and took a deep breath, stepping backwards, dropping his fists. There was a trace of sweat on his brow.

"I think that's a good idea,” he said softly. His weapons fizzled away in a show of sparks, and the ivory haired gem winced, holding his shoulder.

–

Yellow followed his motion, her gem glowing brightly. However, instead of poofing her weapon away, she actually placed it into the gem much like a warrior sheathing a sword. She took a step forward, her hands folded neatly behind her back. There were a few silent moments that followed. Yellow's professional stance remained steady despite her having a few scuffs herself. With a neutral expression, she offered a quick bow to the service gem before standing up straight once more.

"You did well. White would be proud."

–

Hematite blinked and watched Yellow's polite bow, and he returned it, albeit a bit awkwardly. He stood straight and blinked in surprise.

"... Thank you," he replied, looking a little caught off-guard. The tiniest smile crossed his face. The service gem felt the faintest swell of satisfaction at Yellow's praise, but something in the back of his mind made his smile falter.

_I know White's proud... but.. What about **you?**_

Hema cleared his throat and rubbed his thumb into his shoulder, glancing at it with a frown. He tried to set aside the discomforting thoughts. Praise was praise, after all. He rolled his arm slightly.

"Got me harder than I thought, hah. Guess I'm a bit rusty. I forgot how hard you could hit."

–

Yellow shrugged a single shoulder, closing her eyes.

"Can't say I'm much better really, I haven't sparred in over a year. These are good for keeping you on your toes, keeping your skills in check. I haven't even had a decent _fight_ in a while." She opened her eyes slightly, glancing off to the side. A soft breeze passed through, brushing her messied hair over her face. Reaching up to smooth it back out, she started for the archway behind Hematite. "You should get some rest, you did well today. If you'd ever like to spar again..." She spared a glance back, stopping just shy of him. "Don't be afraid to ask."

–

Hematite watched Yellow intently, his expression open, but unreadable at the same time. He clutched at the fabric on his sleeve, ever so slightly.

"... Right. I'll keep it in mind." The smallest of warm smiles crossed the service gem's face.

–

Yellow returned the smile as well, but turned quickly back to the entrance before the other could get a good look at her face. She continued walking, the world around her becoming silent.

She did it. A wave of relief washed over her, her shoulders hanging low. She took a deep breath, sighing heavily. Passing through the entrance way, she looked down to the ground as she walked, spotting the scuffs in the floor. To her surprise, she felt no prickle of anxiety at the sight of the old scars to the marble stone, despite what it reminded her of. _Had... had this actually worked?_ Yellow raised a brow and smiled to herself, looking baffled, but pleased.

She was glad that White wasn't around. If White had come with them, Hematite may have thought that she only said and did the things she did because she was being watched by someone. No, Yellow wanted to make a point. She wanted him to know that she wasn't doing what she did here today because someone made her, or to put on a show. This wasn't for anyone else. This wasn't to get in good favor with White, like her closure with General Topaz had been during the incident with Diaspore. All this was for him and her alone. For their sakes, for their... relationship. However small and budding it may have been.

She felt pleased that things went as smoothly as they did, however awkward they'd been at first. Maybe now Hematite would be able to see her in a different light. He could have been acting, he could have pretended to enjoy any part of that spar... but Yellow had seen his false smile before. She knew what it looked like. Deep down, she had a feeling that even if he was still wary of her, something about this outing had done some good for him. If nothing else, she could already tell it'd done some good for _her_.

_Maybe now, at last, things really would get better._

–

Hematite watched Yellow Diamond leave, and as soon as the bright blue gleam from the warp pad faded, he turned fully to the exit of the arena. He crossed his arms, his hands clutching at his sleeves. A cool breeze whispered through the Sky Arena, carrying small wisps of clouds along with it. The sunset-painted sky dyed the Sky Arena a gentle shade of pink, casting soft shadows through the empty stands. Even the half-destroyed edges of the end of the fighting grounds seemed softened by the warm light.

Despite the chill wind that blew through the Sky Arena, Hematite felt... oddly warm. It was faint, and it was cautious, but it was there.

 

He smiled.

 

For the first time after a spar with Yellow... he felt something.

No, he felt _like_ something.

He didn't feel empty, numb, hurt. Sure, his shoulder was aching, but it was overshadowed by a strong sense of pride. Hematite smiled wider and held himself tightly, the softest hum of contentment escaping him.

_He was glad he'd said 'yes'._


	51. Small Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite hides somewhere he shouldn't have.

Twilight had fallen over Homeworld's capital. Stars twinkled overhead in a bright, clear sky. There wasn't a cloud to be seen this evening, not even over the Yellow District. It was quite the refreshing sight. Surely tonight was one for relaxing, kicking back, and watching the stars.

 

"OUTTA MY WAYYY!"

 

A few gems started in surprise at the rather panicked yell, and looked around. There didn't seem to be a source.

Well, not at first.

Until a tiny, ivory-haired gem sprinted between two passing gems, not even caring how close he was to them.

Hematite was bolting down the slanted sidewalk, making his rapid way down a hillside street in the Blue District. Behind him, snapping its rather sharp-looking beak, was a bird-like gem monster. The tiny service gem glanced back, his hair standing on end when he saw how close the creature was to him. He let out a rather unflattering shriek, sprinting down the street at an alarming speed. The corrupted gem swooped back up into the air, keeping a close eye on Hematite before it made another dive for him.

 

**SNAP**

 

Hematite yelped at the sound of clacking talons directly behind him, and he pushed himself to run faster. If he could just find a hiding place, somewhere that was safer than outside!

Hema looked up. He could see the Blue Diamond tower in the distance; normally, it'd only be about a ten minute walk from where he was...

But at this size, he'd be dodging the creature on his heels for another thirty minutes, at least.

Teeth gritted, eyes wide, Hematite looked around, trying to place where he was as he ran. He hadn't been to this part of the city while he was small, and everything looked so different from the new perspective.

But then he heard the familiar, muffled sounds of dance music.

Dodging the creature as it dove for him again, Hematite rolled around a building corner, looking down the next street.

_Morgan's bar!_

Hematite sprinted toward the building, startling a few civilians that were making their way down the street. Many of them gave him odd looks, and one even had to double-take, as if they didn't believe what they'd seen.

However, all the gems jumped aside as the furious, bird-like creature made its way toward Hematite, talons outstretched.

_Just a little closer!_

 

Hematite looked up as he neared the club, and he grimaced at the sight of a group of gems standing outside the door. The tiny service gem frowned and steeled himself, sprinting under their feet, dodging to the side as one or two of them shifted, unaware of his presence.

_Don't look down here don't look down here._

Hema desperately dove in through the doorway, and it closed just after he hit the floor inside the building.

 

**WHAM!**

 

The gem creature slowly slid down the thick glass window, a few feathers falling to the ground as it did so. Well, it certainly wasn't catching its target now.

The birdlike monster shook itself off, angrily flying away from the building as a few gems shooed it away.

Hematite stood plastered against the wall, the muffled pounding of dance music filling his ears.

After a moment, his brows raised, mouth pulled into a rather straight line. He tossed his fists up over his head, taking a sharp breath through his nose.

"Still alive," he whispered, a sense of victory in his tone.

However, his celebration was cut short as the bouncer beside him shifted, turning in his direction. Hematite squeaked quietly and dashed away underneath a decorative lounge chair, out of sight.

–

The bouncer glanced over at the door briefly when she'd heard the creature's impact.

"Tch. Pesky little thing," she grunted, turning back. 

A few gems were walking in and out of the club, some dancing around idly in the main part of the bar. It was a particularly busy night, probably the most lively of the week. Morgan was out and about performing the normal routine, except tonight he was a little bit overwhelmed. He didn't show it though, and kept on grinning. After all, it wasn't really anything he wasn't used to.

–

Peeking out from underneath the chair, Hematite bit his lip nervously, eyes wide. Of course it had to be packed tonight...

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..._

A few gems walked by, talking and laughing with each other. The tiny service gem flinched back, hiding in the shadow of the chair. Alright, alright... Maybe if he found a place to hide, or got Morgan's attention, tonight would go smoothly... The question was, which of those options was safer?

As soon as he saw an opening, Hematite slipped out from his hiding place and darted to another one, underneath a table with various gems' belongings on it. He peered out from under the table, trying to see where Morgan was at the moment.

–

The pink-haired warrior was busy tending to the many gems that sat at the bar. There wasn't a single seat that was open, and all of the patrons seemed to be inebriated in some way or another. Humming an upbeat tune, Morgan had a pep in his step that he only seemed to have when he was working hard. Making one drink after another, he kept his focus. He took a glass now filled with an unusually-colored liquid and slid it down to a gem at the corner of the counter.

–

Hematite frowned. _Great... there's no opening that way._ He'd be spotted for sure, and not by the right person, more than likely. And the last thing he wanted was someone getting ahold of him like this while they were drunk. Biting his lip, the tiny service gem took a few steps from under the table. Two gems approached his hiding place, forcing him to scurry back. It was a Sapphire and an Aquamarine. The one-eyed gem of the two noticed the small movement.

"Hey, did you see that?" she asked with a slightly raised voice. It was hard to tell if she was just trying to be heard over the music coming from the room over, or if it was from her slightly inebriated state. The aqua-haired gem thumbed in the direction of the table.

Hematite tensed, plastered against the wall. _Oh no, not this soon_ _!_

–

The other gem standing near the light-haired gem raised a brow curiously.

"What? I think you're just seeing things; maybe you should tone it down on the drinks," she giggled, giving the other a playful nudge with her elbow. Back around the bar area, Morgan wiped away the sweat that had accumulated on his brow. All of the patrons were taken care of, for the moment. Time to bring the drinks to the other people in the room. Grabbing a tray of drinks he had prepared a minute or so before, he skillfully carried it with one hand, continuing to hum. He stopped by a few tables, handing off drinks accordingly. Soon, he'd arrived at the table where Hematite was hiding, spinning the tray in a showy way, stopping it suddenly and handing them their drinks with a wide grin.

–

Wait a sec; he recognized those boots. Eyes widening, Hematite quickly stepped away from the wall, making his way closer.

 

"No, seriously, hold up. I wanna check this out." The slightly-tipsy gem took a few paces away from her friend, her brow furrowed curiously. She knew she was a little buzzed, but that wouldn't make her _see_ things. Especially when those things appeared to be a certain gem she recognized.

The aqua-haired gem waited for Morgan to walk away from the table to bring drinks to some other patrons, and she looked around for a moment, narrowing her eyes.

"Ah, wait, Morgan!" Hematite objected in a hushed, almost whispered tone. The tiny service gem grimaced and looked around, watching the pink haired bartender make his way back around another part of the club.

_Damn..._

Glancing up, Hematite made sure that the patrons at the table weren't paying attention to him, and he bolted, running along the wall to try and get to the main bar without being seen.

But he'd failed to look behind him.

The aqua-haired gem's eyes widened, a soft gasp escaping her.

 _It_ _**was** _ _him!_

_Wait, why the heck was he tiny?_

_Oh well, who cares? It's HIM!_

Looking around quickly, the small gem grabbed a large empty glass off of a table, shooting a quick apology to the gems sitting at it.

"Sorry, I'm just gonna borrow this for a sec."

She looked sharply over her shoulder, a devious, excited grin on her face. Rushing over, she stuck out her tongue slightly in concentration, closing in quickly on Hema.

_Hm. He felt like he was being watched- Oh stars, that's why._

Hematite froze in place in shock at the sight of the quickly approaching gem, and he stumbled forward, trying to duck behind a decorative, crystal-like light fixture. However, he was just slightly too slow.

_CLINK_

The tiny service gem gasped loudly as an ear-piercing 'THUD' echoed through his head, and he suddenly found himself on his backside, his head hitting something hard. He inhaled sharply through his teeth, gripping the back of his head. Managing to squint one eye open, Hema felt his breath catch in his throat. He was surrounded by a glass.

Not daring to take a breath, Hematite slowly turned his head. Over the glass was a single, light-blue hand. And though the surface of the drinking utensil was slightly frosted- for decorative purposes- he could make out the face of a rather long-haired Sapphire. She was grinning cheekily. She turned away, motioning quietly to her friend, whom she'd left in the dust in her little escapade.

"Heeey, c'mon you gotta see this!" she giggled, her tone hushed.

–

The other gem made her way over, grimacing at her friend.

"Ugh, what is it now-" She stopped suddenly upon seeing the glass. Eyes widening, she leaned down next to her and looked through, gasping quietly. "Oh my **stars** , is that...." A wide grin spread across her face, and she looked excitedly to her friend. "AAAAAAHHH!" She squealed with excitement, grabbing a hold of the Sapphire's shoulder. "Look at himmmm! He's so cute!" She said, looking back to the glass in endearment.

–

The Sapphire giggled and nodded, her fists balling up in front of her.

"I knowww! See, I told you I wasn't seeing things!"

Hematite stared, bewildered, at the two gems outside the glass. He stood up, frowning, putting his hands against the glass. Well, now that the Sapphire had taken her hands off of it...

_Clink_

"I dunno why he's so tiny though, but it's adorable-! Hey, hey, wait!"

Hematite had knocked the glass over, scurrying off toward the bar as quickly as he could. The aqua-haired gem let out a distressed squeak and hopped up to her feet, quickly catching up with Hema. She scooped him up, earning a rather unhappy yelp from the ivory-haired gem.

"H-Hey! Put me down!" He tried to turn to look at the Sapphire, frowning at her. He did _not_ need another club incident, not at this size.

–

The excited screech from before hadn't gone unnoticed by many of the bar patrons. However, most of them quickly went about their normal business after they took a quick look at what was going on. Seems they were too drunk to care or just couldn't be bothered by it. All except Morganite, who was among the few that had noticed. Hurrying back out from behind the counter, his brows raised in concern. He wasn't entirely sure what kind of scream that was, but he was going to check it out. Making his way over to the duo, he had a faint smile.

"Oh, excuse me! Is everything alright?" He stopped, spotting the tiny gem that the Sapphire was holding. "Oh, dear!" He placed a palm to his mouth in shock, his smile twitching for a moment. The taller of the duo stepped forward, her eyes still gleaming with admiration.

"YES, everything is great, Morgan!"

–

Turning, the Sapphire raised her brow in surprise, but she didn't seem to let Morgan's sudden appearance bother her too much. She smiled brightly and loosened her grip on Hematite just slightly, much to his relief. The tiny gem looked up at Morgan with pleading eyes, silently asking for help.

"Sorry, Morganite! It's just that you've got a Coliseum celebrity sneaking around your bar!" she giggled cheekily, and Hematite blinked in confusion, stopping his struggling for the moment.

"Wait, celebrity?" He turned away from the warrior in front of him, arching a brow at the two excited gems. The Sapphire beamed at the ivory-haired service gem.

"Well duh! We've been to all your big matches. Your spars with Blue Diamond are great, and oh MAN that fusion fight!" she looked excitedly to her friend and suddenly snickered, throwing an arm around her. "You gotta love Diooooo!"

–

Morgan snickered quietly, looking down upon the much shorter gems. Well, he couldn't hide it; this was pretty amusing, to say the least. There was another excited, shrill squeal from the other gem as they grabbed the Sapphire's shoulder again, shaking at it rapidly.

"OH please, can I hold him?!" she asked. Morgan bit his lip quickly and took a single step forward. _Okay, the fun was over._

"Sorry gems, but this one's mine." He grinned widely, narrowing his eyes. Holding out his palm in front of the Sapphire, he stared down at them with a charming smile. "'Fraid this celebrity here has to get back to White Diamond. You know, to prepare for his next match! You wouldn't want to delay that, now would you?" he hummed out quietly.

–

While she HAD been ready to hand Hema over to her friend, she looked up as Morgan took a step forward, her brow arched. Her face turned a subtle shade darker, and she gave a soft, shy giggle before she carefully reached up, handing the service gem over.

"Noo, no, we wouldn't wanna do that. Sorry!" As soon as Hematite was out of her hands, she balled them up in front of her again and turned to her friend, snickering excitedly. "Oh man, we actually got to meet the Harvester in person- we GOTTA tell Freckledot later! She's gonna be so jealous!" she said quietly, too hushed for Hematite to hear. Though he was a bit distracted at the moment, as it was.

While he was glad to be out of the rather excitable gem's hand, he was admittedly a smidgen nervous to be passed over to Morgan. It's not that he didn't trust him! But, well.

_He couldn't really place what made him nervous about this._

He tried to shrug it off, his shoulders relaxing. _Well, at least he'd gotten his attention one way or another._

–

The Aquamarine giggled, excitedly chattering with the Sapphire.

"Gosh, I'm so starstruck!" She placed her hands to her cheeks and squished them excitedly, gushing about the tiny gem. She continued gossiping with her friend, but by this point, Morgan turned and started back for the bar. Their words became muffled with the sound of music. Looking down, Morgan raised a brow, his grin returned to a much calmer, softer smile.

"Well now, I knew you could get bigger, but this is a surprise! What happened to you?" the pink-haired warrior whispered, making his way back behind the bar counter.

–

The service gem stared at the two gossiping gems for as long as he could, but once he lost sight of them around the corner, he turned to Morgan, raising a brow.

"Oh yeah, guess I never mentioned this, huh?" He smiled awkwardly and shrugged, lifting a hand to muss the hair on the back of his head. "This happens when I push myself too hard on the job... It's. Kinda involuntary."

–

Morgan smirked, holding Hematite loosely in his palm. His back was turned to the rest of the patrons so that they wouldn't see him.

"Oh my, that sounds like quite the problem," he said softly, brushing his thumb carefully against Hematite's arm. Curiously, he lifted him up closer to his face, getting a better look at him. "I had no idea... hmhm.~" His expression was unreadable, making it hard to tell what he was thinking aside from being mildly amused by Hema's predicament.

–

Blinking, Hematite glanced at Morgan's thumb before turning his attention back up to his face, which suddenly was a bit closer. The tiny service gem smiled awkwardly, giving a single chuckle.

"Yeah, it can be a, well. ‘Big' problem. It's worse if I pass out, though. That's happened a few times." Hematite grinned lopsidedly, his clawed fingers drumming rhythmically on Morgan's gloved palm.

–

Morgan glanced quickly over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching. A few gems every now and then looked at him, but didn't seem to wonder anything out of the ordinary.

"Well, it's a good thing you aren't passed out now. How did you even get in here?" He blinked, looking back over to the service gem. Carefully, he took a few steps back, the side of his hip bumping into a shorter counter which he'd used to prepare drinks. Turning to it, he lowered his hand to its surface, allowing Hematite to step off if he so pleased.

–

As the counter came into view, Hematite perked, glad for some solid ground. He slid off of Morgan's hand and took a few steps aside, so that no passerby could spot him. He sat down with a little huff and looked up at the pink-haired warrior.

"I was being chased down by this corrupted gem and I thought, well, this might be a safer place to drop into than some others. I wasn't going to make it to Blue's tower like this, so." With the smallest, coy smile, Hema arched a brow up at the bartender. "And your bouncer isn't exactly on the lookout for gems my size."

–

Morgan grabbed onto a glass that was on the counter next to where Hematite was, picking it up and continuing his normal work.

"Hm, yes, Amber's helmet makes it rather difficult to see things at her feet. That, and she isn't really bothered by small gems coming in here. Eveeeen if I know quite a few small gems that could hold their own in a fight!" He spared the tiny gem a grin, chuckling. "I digress. You can stay here as long as you like... juuust don't cause any trouble." He narrowed his eyes, smile widening ominously.

–

Watching Morgan lift the glass, Hematite raised a brow. It was still incredibly surreal to him, watching gems do their daily tasks this close up... He'd be lying if he said it wasn't a tad unnerving.

But not nearly as unnerving as the smile Morgan gave him.

The tiny service gem's brows raised, and a small, nervous smile found its way to his face. He gave a thumbs-up.

"Yup, no trouble from me, haha. I'm just... gonna find a place to rest for a while, until I can change back. If that's alright with you..." he said, his tone trailing off towards the end of his statement. His gaze drifted back up and around the club, brows raised curiously. He'd never seen this place at this size... it was the same building, sure. But at such a tiny height, it felt completely different.

–

Morgan's warm smile returned quickly, and he turned away, pouring a drink.

"Not a problem. If you need anything, just give me a wave," he hummed out, sliding the drink to another bar patron. "Oh, and do try not to rest anywhere precarious. Glasses, bottles, crowded shelves, anywhere clearly in sight, the sink area. It'd be best to steer clear of those." He said casually. "Sometimes I get lost in my work, if you get my drift. I don't want you getting hurt.”

–

Hematite was looking around, admiring the counter top, and then the lights above him. He blinked and looked at Morgan, seeming to have zoned out for a moment. Awkwardly, he glanced to the side, lost in thought.

"Hm? Oh, right. Got it." _Got what? Something about work and glasses?_ "Thanks, Morgan." He offered the bartender a tired smile, his exhaustion finally catching up with him, now that he was out of harm's way. The tiny service gem stood, stretched, and made his way over to the edge of the counter top, peering over. Aha! He climbed down, walking along one of the edges until he found a suitable cubby.

Making his way in, Hematite looked around, walking by a few bottles and glasses, his hands lightly running over them as he passed by. The tiny gem gave a curious 'hm' as he peered into a bottle of odd-colored, sparkling liquid. He could have sworn he saw Morgan use this in Blue's drinks before.

Hematite yawned, rubbing his right eye before he took his eyepiece off, tucking it into the little insignia pocket on the front of his suit. The tiny gem walked to the back of the cubby, next to a tall glass, and settled down in the corner, leaning back against it with his knees to his chest. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

_Alright... if he could just get some rest... He'd be back to normal and back to the towers in no time._

The night went on like normal, gems coming and going. Soon, it reached late hours when things quieted down.

–

As the hours passed by, Hematite found himself unable to rest. The noisy club's sounds were echoing in the small cubby, and the squared-off corner made it impossible to get comfortable. Cracking open one eye, Hematite grumbled crossly, standing up. He could still hear muffled music thumping in the other room, and he pouted, looking around. His gaze stopped on the large glass beside him.

_This one is all the way at the back... Morgan won't need this one._

Unfortunately, Hematite failed to notice that that glass was the last one in the cubby. All the others had been used throughout the busier time of the night.

Frowning, the tiny gem huffed and hopped up, gripping the edge of the glass. He heaved himself up with a soft grunt and flopped into the glass with a soft 'tink'. To any other gem, Hematite would have looked rather uncomfortable. But a small smile crossed his face as he shifted, curling up at the bottom of the glass, one of his arms bent, his face in the crook of his elbow.

_Much better._

An hour or so passed. Hematite was fast asleep, unaware of a new arrival to the bar.

–

The club was about half as full as it was earlier in the night, and things started to relax until a familiar voice came shouting through the door.

"HEEEEYYY Morgaaan!" The rowdy voice blasted through the air. Morgan spun on his heel and faced the entrance, greeted with none other than Blue Diamond herself.

"Aaah good to see you again! You haven't dropped by in over a week. Have you been well?" he asked, placing a palm on the counter top. The upbeat blue gem made her way over to her normal bar stool, sitting down and tapping her fingers against the polished stone counter.

"Yeeeeah, just really busy! Today's been pretty hectic though; thought I'd come here and chill out." She grinned.

–

"Well then!" Morganite, clasped his fingers together, giving Blue a rather charming look. "The usual?" He asked. Blue crossed her arms on the counter and leaned forward a little, giving him a nod. Morgan clicked his tongue and spun around. At this point, a rather catchy tune was playing on the speakers. The pep in his step had returned, and he'd found himself humming yet again. He leaned down to one of the cubbies that held the mix for Blue's normal drink, pulling it out from the dark shelf. With a bouncy step, he strut himself over to the counter and placed the bottle down, giving it a spin before tapping his finger on top of it, stopping it. Blue chuckled, watching the bartender idly.

"Heey, I know this one! I haven't heard this in decades!" Blue said with a new found interest. Leaning back slightly, she looked up, staring off into space. She tapped her heel on the chair, swaying subtly to the song.

_Which was unfortunate for the much tinier gem still hiding in the cubby._

Morgan made his way back over to the same place he was before where he'd pulled out the alcoholic mix. Reaching his hand in, he tapped the bottom of the cubby with his fingertips, trying to figure out where the glass was. Still humming, he finally made contact with the glass, gently wrapping his fingers around it.

Pulling the glass out, he turned again, still swaying to the music. Eyes half lidded, he hadn't even seen that the glass wasn't empty. Placing it on the smaller counter swiftly, he grabbed onto the concoction, uncorking it and spinning around.

Closing his eyes, he seemed to dance in place, pouring in the alcoholic liquid into the glass where the much tinier gem was residing. After a moment, he stopped, and grabbed the glass, sliding it over to Blue.

"Enjoooy!" He spun around again, continuing to move around to the music. Blue caught the glass, her attention snapping back to the bartender at last, just in time to catch the glass.

“Thanks Moooor!" She cooed, lifting the drink in thanks.

–

Hematite blinked awake, groggily frowning when gravity seemed to shift. He didn't seem to process that his napping place had been completely picked up. However, the moment the cup made contact with the counter with a loud 'clink', the tiny gem's eyes opened fully.

"Wha-"

SPLASH

"!!!"

Before Hematite had a chance to react, the glass was completely filled with Blue's usual, and was quickly slid down the counter. The tiny gem flailed around in a panic, unsure what was going on.

Until he finally popped his head out of the drink, blinking in shocked confusion.

"Pah!" Hematite frowned. He looked _offended_ , almost.

The tiny gem coughed once before staring up at the Diamond in front of him. His expression didn't change.

–

Blue lifted the glass to her face, but as her eyes drifted down, she stopped and stifled a small gasp. Eyes widening, she blinked in surprise.

"Hematiiiiiiite?" she said, confused. "Whaaat are you doing in there?"

–

The gem's hair drooped into his face, his bangs half covering his eyes. Hematite's face didn't change. It was an odd mix of 'well I got myself into this mess' and 'there is nothing fine about this'. The tiny gem popped his lips once before glancing around.

"You know. Not quite sure." The tiny gem smacked his lips, grimacing at the terrible taste on them. He scrunched his nose up, huffing. " _Ugh,_ I _still_ hate alcohol,” he grumbled.

–

Blue snickered mischievously, lifting the glass and shooting Hematite a _less-than-_ _reassuring_ glance.

"Kehehe! Now isn't this something! Ya know, _I_ still **like** alcohol. I didn't know Morgan was putting such strange ingredients in his drinks!" She said, quirking a brow. Bringing the glass alarmingly close to her face, she chuckled and pressed the corner to her lips, taking a very small sip from the glass. The colorful liquid rushed past Hematite for a few quick seconds, before leveling out once more as she steadied the glass. "HMmm! Yep, tastes different! Can't say it's not tasty," she joked, licking her lips.

–

"Pardon-AH"

Hematite hopped back, hooking his arms back on the rim of the glass. His eyes widened as Blue took a sip of her drink, and he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He relaxed slightly as the glass evened out. However, he blinked in surprise and an odd sort of nervousness at her comment.

"... Hah. Hahaa, yeah, good one, Blue."

-

With another chuckle, she set the glass down onto the counter top, her unnervingly-dark expression finally replaced with a far happier, amused face.

"Sorry, I gotta mess with ya sometimes." She smirked and snickered.

–

He finally let go of the edge of the glass as she set it down on the counter, and he sighed, letting out a deep breath.

"Bluuue, that's not funny." He squinted up at her, pouting slightly. He glanced over the edge of the glass and paused. Wait, if he jumped down, he'd get the drink all over the bar. But if he didn't climb out, well. He might have to suffer more of Blue's 'teasing'. "Aagh, Morgaaan." The tiny gem called over, his hands on the edge of the glass. "Do you have a towel or something?"

–

Blue chuckled, offering a hand beside the glass.

"Sorry kid," she said, "I just coooouldn't help it!" Just as she spoke, Morgan turned his head, a brow raised. He suddenly noticed the much smaller gem, and gasped quietly.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry!!" He said, trotting up quickly to the counter. Grabbing the hand towel that was wrung around his belt, Morgan held out the small cloth to the two.

–

Hematite shot Blue a half-hearted, grumpy look before he climbed out of the glass, hopping into her hand. He lifted his arms to his sides, grimacing.

"Eeech." Hematite looked up at Morgan, brows furrowed. _How could he not notice him?! Why did he happen to need THAT glass?? It's not like-_ The tiny gem suddenly blinked, his expression going blank. He vaguely recalled Morgan's warning that he'd half-missed in his tired, distracted state earlier. "... Ooooh. _That's_ what you said." Hema huffed again, brushing his bangs away from his face. "I guess I had that coming."

–

Blue took the towel from Morgan, grinning as she ran the cloth around the service gem, drying him off. Morgan pursed his lips, squinting.

"I warned you..." he said softly, sighing. Blue took a good look over the smaller gem, wiping off the remainder of the drink.

"There!" she said, lowering her hand slightly to let him off onto the counter. "Gooood as new!" She grinned, placing the towel down onto the counter top.

–

Hematite felt the smallest shiver go up his spine at Morgan's comment, but he quickly shrugged it off. He grunted softly as Blue dried off the drink, and the tiny gem sat up once she was done, his hair sticking up in all different directions, rather amusingly. Glancing up, he gave a soft noise of distress and started mussing his hair, attempting to fix it. As Blue lowered her hand to the counter, he blinked and hopped down, still trying to fix his bangs.

Turning to the Diamond behind him, Hematite finished adjusting his hair. Well, at least it looked somewhat alright.

"Well, now that that's done with. How've you been, Blue?" He tilted his head curiously. "I haven't seen you since our last spar."

–

Blue grabbed her drink again, taking another sip. She didn't look away, raising another brow.

"Oh, I've been alright. Just really busy. What about you, Hema? Looks like you've gotten yourself into a bit of trouble today." she said, frowning.

–

The tiny service gem smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeahh, I... might have tired myself out before a mission, nooot a good idea." He shrugged, and looked to the side. There was suddenly a rather... interesting expression on his face. One he'd never had around Blue before. He seemed distracted and... well, it was hard to pin it down. "But it was worth it, and everything worked out in the end, so!"

–

Blue leaned her head on her hand, listening intently to the service gem speak.

"How'd ya do that?" she asked, taking another sip of her drink.

–

Hematite looked up to the side, a goofy smile on his face. He scratched at his hair.

"I miiight have been sparring the whole afternoon. Hah." The tiny gem tossed Blue an awkward, bashful smile.

–

Blue grinned, stifling a chuckle.

"Oh, really, now?" she said, leaning in a little closer. Morgan turned his head, glancing to the side towards the two gems. A spar, huh? That should be an interesting tale.

–

"Yeaaah." Hematite's eyes half lidded, and he bit his lip for a moment. Was he... _blushing_? "Youuu know that Hematite that showed up before you left the training grounds? Welllll she came there to challenge me to a spar, and..." He chuckled, the color fading from his cheeks for the moment. "We've been having regular fights on and off, for the past few weeks."

–

Blue's eyes widened, her mouth parting slightly.

"Whaaaat? That's awesome!" she said, grinning ear to ear. "You gotta tell me more!" she said in hushed excitement. Morgan however, narrowed his eyes curiously. _Another Hematite? Did he mean Mago?_

–

Hema chuckled shyly and crossed his arms, drumming his fingers along them.

"Well, that first spar... towards the end of it, it looked like she was going to win."

 

\--

\-----

–

 

"C'mon, I thought the Harvester would be quicker on his feet!" Ti taunted, skipping back lightly, her dodge looking utterly effortless. Hematite huffed, breathing heavily as he stood up straight again. His opponent was wearing him down, delivering barrage after barrage of small, precise punches. She had speed on her side, along with her considerable extra height. Hematite stood at least two heads shorter than her, if not more, at any given size.

The smaller service gem frowned and skipped back a few paces. Ti's smile widened, and she grinned mischievously, closing the distance between them. But her brows raised when she saw that Hema's gem was glowing, and he vanished in a flash. Her speed had her at a disadvantage, and before she could slow down, there was a sharp, electrified blow to her abdomen, and she was sent backwards, Hema having size shifted right under her.

There was a long pause.

"Hah... hahaha! Wow, you're no joke, Hema!" The lithe Hematite sat up, holding her stomach as the last of the electricity coursed through her, earning a grimace.

The smaller service gem blinked in surprise and fizzled his weapons away, walking closer.

"Sorry, are you alright-GAH!" Hema's feet were suddenly kicked out from under him, Ti having delivered a quick spinning kick to his legs. The smaller Hematite hit his head on the dirt floor, wincing and inhaling sharply through his teeth. His hands clutched the back of his head, and he groaned in pain. "Tsss, ouch." He opened one eye, brows raising as he stared up at the silver-haired Hematite. She was standing right over him, her hands on her hips.

"... Shall we call this even, then?~"

The smaller Hematite stared up at her, blinking slowly.

"U-uh. Sure."

That was a bit of a nasty trick, though...

Ti smiled brightly and offered her hand to Hema, pulling him up as soon as he took it.

"That was excellent, though!" She practically bounced in place, clasping her hands together. "I had no idea you were such a skilled fighter! I'd heard the stories, but to see it for myself..." The lithe gem smiled shyly and put her hands close to her lips, looking away. Her tone dropped slightly, much softer this time. "I can see why White chose you... You're one of the best among us, as far as I'm concerned."

A deep-purple blush found its way to Hema's face and he covered his cheeks, looking away in shock.

"O-oh. Uh. Th... thank you?" Ti glanced at him curiously and gave a soft giggle at his reaction.

"Don't be so modest, some of the other Hematites would kill to have such a position!" She tossed her hands out to the side, beaming. "You should be proud, Hema!"

The smaller service gem smiled widely, cupping his cheeks even more to hide them.

"W-well. I don't know. You really think so?"

Ti grinned warmly.

"I don't say things I don't mean, you little cutie."

Hematite fully hid his face in his hands, shaking his head slightly. Ti put her hands down, clasping them neatly in front of her.

"Do you think we could do this again some time? I'd love to learn some techniques from you... They're amazing."

Finally removing his hands from his face, Hematite peeked through his fingers, a bashful smile on his lips.

"You'd wanna learn from me? Well... sure!" He balled his hands in front of him, an eager gleam in his eyes. _M_ _ore time with this Hematite? Yes please!_ "Of course, we can do this again whenever you're free!" Ti gasped softly, clapping her hands in delight.

"Excellent!"

 

\--

\-----

–

 

"And, well. Now she and I are having regular spars. I'll teach her a few things, she's taught me some stuff... it's nice." He rubbed the back of his neck, a goofy smile still plastered to his face. He didn't mention Ti's name the whole time.

–

Blue had finished two and a half drinks by the time Hema was done with his story. Throughout the whole thing, she was beaming.

"That's incredible!" she said, spinning her remaining drink in hand. "I'm pleased to hear you've found another friend that treats you well." She nodded. Morgan had gotten quiet, listening. He too, smiled. Turning to the two, Morgan had prepared Blue a third drink.

"You'll have to show me some of your new tricks, then!" the warrior intervened, sliding the drink over to the Diamond.

–

Hematite casually swung his legs underneath him. He'd taken to sitting on the edge of the counter, one hand holding him up, and the other still on his neck. He lowered it and gripped the counter with both hands, smiling coyly at the pink-haired bartender.

"Well, unless you plan on being one of my mission targets, I don't think you'll be seeing any of the stuff she's taught me, Morgan."

–

Both Blue and Morgan's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, that kind of trick! Alright then, never mind!" The bartender shrugged with a wide grin. He didn't exactly fancy being on the receiving end of a hunting harvester. Blue, however, leaned in further, palm pressed to her cheek.

"Well it's good you're getting lessons and that you've found a new friend, Hema! You should properly introduce us to her sometime!"

–

Hematite chuckled good-naturedly and looked at Blue, smiling lopsidedly.

"Well, I dunno. She's pretty shy around other gems. Doesn't talk much with them... But I can try! She might be less shy if she knows I'm friends with you guys." The tiny gem swung his feet contentedly, nodding his head from side to side with the music playing in the club.

After a moment, the service gem perked, and he looked at Blue. "Oh, by the way! Blue, do you think you could possibly give me a lift back to the towers? I need to rest up, and I don't fancy walking all the way back there." He smiled awkwardly.

–

Blue perked up, glancing at Morganite, then back at the smaller gem.

"Hey, sure thing kid!" Blue said, lifting both glasses to her mouth and turning them both up at the same time. After a few moments, once she'd drank the rest of her drinks, she clacked both glasses on the counter and sighed contently. "A'ight Hema! I got this perfect little spot for ya to curl up when we get there. I took a cushion from White's office the other day, I've been using it to prop up my feet but you can sleep on it if you'd like!" She said, holding out her palm to the tiny gem.

Morgan chuckled and turned away, offering them a wave.

"Come back anytime!" he said, beginning to tend to the next customer.

–

Hematite smiled brightly, although he did shoot Blue a look.

"So that's where that cushion went!" He laughed and hopped into Blue's hand, quickly sitting down in her palm. He turned to Morganite and waved with a friendly grin. "See ya around, Morgan! I'll try to avoid any glasses if this happens again!"

–

Morgan turned his head and winked at them briefly, pouring a drink. _He'd better, for his own good_. He was lucky that it was Blue who had that drink. Blue cackled and got out of her seat, heading for the door.

"Heh, yeeeeeah. Don't tell White; I planned to return it! It's just so comfy! I should really find out where she gets them." Blue glanced up, opening the door. The stars flicked brightly above, brightly enough where even the lights of the city couldn't drown them out.

–

The tiny gem nodded and looked up, staring at the stars as Blue walked down the street.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." He chuckled and pulled his fingers over his lips in a 'zipping' motion before turning his face back up to the sky.


	52. Deja Vu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite and Yellow Diamond have trouble working as a team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks the end of Arc 3.

Tap. Tap. _Tap._ _ **Tap**_ _._

Rhythmic footsteps echoed through the Sky Bridge connecting the Yellow and White towers. They were medium-paced and steady, nearing the White Diamond tower. Yellow Diamond carried herself along with a professional stride, her head held high and confident. It was morning, rays of light shining through the pillars that stood high at the sides of the bridge. The Diamond stared off into the distance, her eyes half lidded and clouded over with thought. Her job for the day spun through her head, a thousand possibilities racing through her mind. Both her fellow Diamonds needed to know she'd possibly be gone for a few days, so it was time to speak with White. She had already spoken to Blue, and White was her last stop before she headed out.

After a brisk stroll, Yellow neared White's office. Standing in front of the door, the Diamond knocked three times and entered the room without waiting to be invited in. She looked as slightly annoyed and serious as ever, her entire air formal and dignified. Gazing around the room, she was greeted with an all too familiar sight. As was the norm nowadays, White and Hematite were having tea together near the east window. _How often did they do this? It seemed they were either chatting or having tea almost any time she happened to come to White's office._ Yellow stood tall, arms folded behind her back.

"Hello White, Hematite. I trust you two are doing well today?" she asked simply. White gave Yellow a subtle nod, taking a sip of her drink.

–

For once, Hematite didn't turn to the door immediately. He took a small sip of his tea, finishing it off with a content sigh. Politely putting his cup down, he folded his hands in his lap and looked to Yellow, giving her a nod.

"Very well, actually. It looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day." He offered her a small smile, clearly relaxed from his morning with White.

–

Yellow glanced to the service gem, bowing her head politely.

"Indeed," she replied monotonously. White raised a brow, looking to the other Diamond.

"So what brings you here today?" she asked.

"I am here to report that I will be going off on a rather lengthy mission today, and I may not be back for a few days, if things don't go smoothly. An old quarry of mine, which was _supposed_ to be made into a kindergarten has apparently been tampered with out in the Pink District. You remember the one, White. With the crystal spires?" she asked, already sounding annoyed.

White blinked and looked up to the side, pursing her lips. After a quick moment, she blinked in remembrance and nodded.

“Ah, yes. I remember it.”

“Yes, well. There's a small handful of rebellious gems out there that have been taking out my guards. I can't spare too many gems currently, and since I needed to inspect it myself _some_ day, I might as well destabilize two gems with one swing and take care of them while I'm out there. I can't have some nuisance faction setting up station in one of my would-be kindergartens,” she grumbled, glancing off to the side. “I'll have to up the security around there after this. Hopefully I can scrounge together a unit,” she muttered to herself.

–

Hematite's smile faded, his expression dropping to one of concern.

"That's terrible..." He bit his lip, glancing at White. "Shouldn't you take someone with you? Strength in numbers and all that? Surely some warriors would stand a better chance with you behind them, instead of on their own." He looked at her, still nibbling his lip nervously.

–

Yellow spared Hema a glare.

"I can take care of myself, thank you," she said rather bitterly. Pursing her lips, she rolled her eyes. "I've handled far worse on my own, hundreds of times. A group of warriors for this sort of mission would just slow me down. Besides, I'd be lying if I said I haven't been itching for a little fighting. Taking out a few rebels will be refreshing,” she said simply.

White stood up and looked to Yellow with a surprisingly sly grin.

"I think Hematite has a good point, actually," she said, taking a sip of her tea. Yellow raised a brow, looking mildly offended.

"Excuse me?"

"Missions like this are unpredictable, Yellow. You may have handled many like this in the past, but you never know what could happen. It wouldn't hurt to take someone with you. In fact, _you and Hematite_ have been making _such_ good progress as of late, why don't _you_ two go together?" she suggested, staring at the other Diamond with a smirk. Yellow crossed her arms in front of her, narrowing her eyes.

"Absolutely not! What if he gets hurt?" she said.

"And what if _you_ get hurt out there on your own?" White retorted, her expression unchanging. Glancing between White and Yellow, Hematite slowly crossed his arms, a look of barely disguised curiosity on his face. It wasn't apprehension or anxiety, no. He seemed to like this idea. Yellow blinked, grumbling something cross under her breath. The monochromatic Diamond continued, her tone insistent. "Come now, Yellow. This could be a valuable learning experience for Hematite. That, and having a harvester as backup could be a valuable asset to your mission! They're very good at intimidation, as I'm sure you're aware. He could very well be the key to handling this as nonviolently as possible," White said with an odd smile. Admittedly, White's intimidation comment made Hematite's expression falter for a moment, but he quickly shrugged it off. _It was true, after all._

Yellow remained quiet, eyeing the Diamond with exasperated distaste. An awkward pause filled the room. After a good moment, she sighed in defeat.

"… Are you sure about this?" she said finally, shrugging her shoulders and pursing her lips.

 

"I think it would be for the best. What do you think, Hema?" she asked, turning her head to look at the service gem.

–

Hematite's eyes widened, and he looked sharply at White, mouth slightly agape. _Did he just hear her right? She'd... never called him that before._ It took him a moment to recover, very nearly forgetting what she asked. He cleared his throat and stood from his seat, folding his arms behind him politely. However, when he looked at Yellow, there was a barely disguised gleam of excitement in his eyes.

"If Yellow Diamond would permit it, I think it'd be a great idea. I promise I'd be an asset to you, I can show you what I'm capable of on a mission!"

–

Yellow sighed heavily, placing her fingers to her mouth, grumbling. Without turning her head, she looked away, thinking.

"Mmmnn... Well... I guess you do have a point, White. It... couldn't hurt." She shrugged, crossing her arms. "Very well. I shall take Hematite on this mission with me. Maybe we can get this done faster, that way." Her eyes clouded over in thought for a moment. Her disdainful look faded, replaced by a more relaxed, almost pensive expression. She suddenly straightened up, as if White's suggestion fully sank in. Hematite was a rather skilled gem, as far as she'd been told and from what she'd seen in her little exposure to Hematite being on the job. Sure, part of her was a tiny bit nervous about being on a job alone with him, but she knew that was just her deep-seated mistrust talking. She was still working on that. But despite her apprehension, she knew that Hematite could be a valuable gem to take with her, should she need an extra pair of eyes, or someone to talk down a couple of measly rebel gems.

A look of pride suddenly befell her, and she balled one of her hands into a fist, patting it into her palm.

"I suppose if Hematite were to come with me, he could take care of the rebels while I go to inspect the kindergarten... We could cut a few days off of the search. Yes, finishing missions more efficiently! Working diligently, quickly! I like it." She smirked, furrowing her brows. White sat her teacup down on the saucer and smiled warmly.

"That's what I like to hear. Well then, looks like you have a job, Hematite. Just keep in mind, they could be a rough group. Buuut I'm sure you both can handle them! Keep your wits about you," she advised, looking to the other Diamond with a reassuring nod.

–

The small service gem smiled brightly, rocking on his heels a bit. _Yes! A mission with Yellow? He'd finally have a chance to show off what she'd taught him, let her see how he was out in the field._ Of course, he hoped he wouldn't have to fight anyone himself, lest he startle Yellow. Maybe he could convince Yellow Diamond to let him inspect the quarry while she took care of the other gems, should they even appear. Either way... he couldn't keep the flicker of excitement from his chest.

"Right! I'll do my best." He saluted proudly, head held high. "Lead the way, Yellow!"

 

–

–

 

The warp pad flashed brightly, Yellow Diamond and Hematite standing proudly on top of the teleporting device. Glancing around, Yellow couldn't help a disgusted sneer from appearing on her lips.

"I hate this place," she muttered quietly. Dark clouds were scattered overhead, overcasting the sky with a dreary gray gloom. Stepping off of the warp pad's surface, Yellow started to walk into the district. "Alright Hematite, thankfully, I know exactly where these rebels should be hiding out. We just need to get there." Placing a hand to her gem, she pulled out a diamond pad, turning it on. A holo-map projected itself above the screen and spun around. A yellow diamond insignia flicked on the map somewhere far away, information popping up next to its location once the mark was set. "Thankfully it's not too far off. We should be there within the day if we move at a steady pace.”

–

The service gem blinked and opened his mouth to say something, but quickly thought better of it. He didn't mind this place too terribly, but he remembered that Yellow probably had more... personal reasons for disliking it. He stepped beside his superior, his arms folded neatly behind his back. For a moment he considered offering her a quicker ride to the location on the map, but held his tongue. _No, that wouldn't be the wisest choice._

"I'll be right behind you. Lead the way."

–

Yellow didn't mind the journey, even if it did take a little while. She was used to traveling by foot. It helped her think better. She made sure not to travel too far ahead of Hematite, occasionally glancing behind her to make sure he was following. Part of her wanted to travel as she usually did, at near lightning-quick speeds, but she knew that Hematite had some sort of stamina problem, so he wouldn't be able to keep up. Instead, she kept her pace steady enough to arrive in a reasonable time, but slow enough that Hematite wouldn't run himself ragged. The mission details ran through her head again and again, keeping her thoughts occupied and away from where she was and who she was traveling with. Hopefully things wouldn't get too hairy when they arrived. Of all the Hematites that White suggested go with her, why did it have to be him? While her fears _had_ subsided significantly, they were still very much there, deep in her core. She knew that at any given point, they could flare up again. They'd done it before, and she was mildly concerned they'd do it once more.

She'd pushed the thought away. No, it was best not to think about that now. The more time she devoted to worrying about it, the more likely it was that it'd become a problem. They were making good progress lately. There was little need to worry about anything.

–

Hema looked around quietly as the two of them strode along the district path. The service gem idly noted that he hadn't been this particular way before. His eyepiece gave a gentle chirp as it glowed to life, and the shorter gem began to take notes, his gaze traveling around in undisguised curiosity. The Pink District never failed to pique his interest.

–

The hours ticked by silently, neither of them said a word to each other. It, surprisingly, wasn't an awkward silence, no. It was thoughtful, and focused. Hematite was busy concentrating on taking notes on whatever he could, and Yellow was concentrating on what she needed to do when she arrived at the quarry. Twilight began to settle by the time they actually arrived near their destination.

The two found themselves in a much rockier area, barren of any cities or plant life. It appeared to stretch on for miles and miles ahead of the two gems, far along the horizon. With large, jagged crystals and rocks jutting out of the solid, smooth ground, sure enough, it was a quarry. The ground rose up in some places to form gently sloping, yet high hills which were crowned with the massive, colorful crystals. Giant, spire-like rocks stuck out from the ground here and there in clusters like the teeth of some slumbering, stony monster. The ground itself was smooth and plate-like, resembling the hide of some alien, reptilian creature. Smaller clusters of crystals grew from the ground, dotting the floor with sparkling stones.

The ivory-haired service gem eyed the crystals curiously. He wondered what they looked like in the sunlight, instead of this dreary, overcast light of twilight. Hematite could see distant, kindergarten-like paths and divets dug into the ground far beyond their current location. Well, he could see how this place was being prepared once for gem production. He silently wondered why it'd never gone through.

Yellow looked around, placing a palm on one of the rocks she and Hematite stopped beside.

"Hm..." Looking around, the Diamond narrowed her eyes. She didn't hear or see anything out of the ordinary. In fact, the only thing she could hear was Hema's footsteps behind her, and the low winds blowing through the quarry. "Strange... The map lead us here, but... this is such a barren, flat land that I don't see how any rebels could ambush anyone here. Especially not such a small group. This isn't an ideal place to hide..." she whispered curiously. Something wasn't adding up, and she couldn't figure it out. There was no place to hide, except maybe behind a rock or two. Were a couple traitorous gems really attacking and destabilizing full-grown Jaspers and Ambers by merely running at them over an open field? _Surely not._

–

Hematite frowned and looked around, peering over a small rock. _Nothing_. Tapping his chin, the service gem pursed his lips and turned to his superior, his arms folded behind him once more.  
"Perhaps the base is underground." He'd dealt with tunnel systems before, they were tricky and hard to detect, but it'd make sense, if the map lead them here. They had to be around, right?

–

Yellow raised a brow, stepping further into the quarry. She peered around a few of the crystals, looking for any signs of life. They both traveled deeper into the expanse of flat land.

"The ground here is pretty sturdy, but... Hematite, you're a tracking gem, see if you can find any clues," she ordered, keeping her own eyes peeled as they walked through the area.

–

He had to agree with her. The rock in the quarry didn't seem to have any faults, at least to the naked eye. But he figured there was no harm in doing a little sweep of the area.

The service gem nodded and flicked his hand over his eyes, summoning his hunting visor. Though the screen remained transparent, his radar HUD came online.

"Scan," he muttered quietly as the piece of gem tech warmed up. He watched his map start to update, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Oh, great. Between Yellow's signal, and the overpowering signature of the crystal spires that dotted the quarry, his entire map was flooded with a confusing, warbled mess of color. He could understand why this place was a prime kindergarten location, with its flat rocks and high density of gem-based mineral deposits, but it certainly wasn't good for his radar. He started walking around, checking for any signs of a base. He couldn't find anything... He kept his focus on looking behind rocks and at the ground, checking for any seams or signs of a secret base entrance. And, just in case, he gave the silent order for his visor to start singling out the gem spires' signals, one by one. He wasn't sure how that would work, as he'd never tried it before, but perhaps he could block them out, to an extent.

–

Yellow Diamond hopped up onto one of the more low lying, flat surfaced rocks and observed the horizon. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but the dark skies were making it difficult to see much. She was, admittedly, starting to get a little frustrated, but she forced herself to keep her composure.

"Hmph..." She grunted, hopping back off of the rock. Perhaps they weren't far enough into the quarry? The land here was so flat aside from a few hills and the rocks and crystals that stuck out from the ground. Surely, they couldn't be missing something so obvious as a rebel base.

 

Suddenly, a small pebble whizzed by both Hematite and Yellow, clacking into one of the crystals beside them. Yellow shot her attention to where she heard the noise, glaring at the pebble on the ground.

"Wha-?" Turning her head again, realizing that it had been thrown, she caught a glimpse for just a split second of something darting behind a rock.

–

Hematite immediately perked up. His attention locked onto the rock, and he caught a glimpse of movement as well. Frowning, he faced towards the distant boulder, starting to inch towards it.

"Yellow, keep your eyes peeled," he said quietly, steadily closing in on the rock he'd seen the movement near.

–

Yellow glared at the same large stone, sparing Hematite a glance. Remaining quiet, she took a defensive stance, letting the service gem move closer while she stayed behind. From behind the rock, a small scout gem hopped up, staring bravely at both Yellow and Hematite. They scowled, puffing out their chest. They were small, not much bigger than a Ruby. Their skin bore small, forest-green patches, and a round gemstone laid on top of their left hand. They glared at the Diamond, eyes burning with spite. Yellow took a single step forward, narrowing her eyes.

"You! Get down from there! That is a direct order!" she called out.

Unfazed, the bold, tiny gem opened their mouth and inhaled, quickly letting out a well-carrying, angry shout that echoed across the quarry, into the darkening night.

–

Wincing, Hematite covered the sides of his head, gritting his teeth. _Stars, he hated loud noises like that!_ Glaring at the small gem, he forced his hands away from his head, electricity suddenly coursing down his arms as he flicked his hands out, his knuckledusters appearing along with two electrical whips. His steps quickened, and he closed in on the large boulder.

–

The small gem was quick to hop off the rock, fleeing away as fast as they could. Yellow felt her breath catch in her throat, and she looked around apprehensively. _Why did they yell then run away?_

 

... _Oh no._

 

Eyes widening in realization, Yellow Diamond took a step forward, her hand outstretched towards Hematite as he pursued the scout.

"Hematite, get back here!" she yelled out, her voice both powerful and commanding... and laced with frustrated regret. The ground began to tremble, and the sounds of stone scraping against itself filled the air. At the same moment, multiple groups of warrior gems, each one led by a Spinel, rushed out from behind various spire-like rocks that surrounded the two gems. They all had their weapons drawn, and were quickly closing in on the two.

**It was an ambush.**

–

Oh, stars, it _was_ a trap. He should have known when there wasn't a sign of a base!

Hematite quickly retraced his steps, now standing back to back with Yellow Diamond, his whips still fizzling wildly at his sides. He grit his teeth, growling aggressively at the approaching gems. Five, ten, fifteen, twenty... _how many were there?! Yellow said there was a 'handful' of them!_

Lifting his hand quickly to his face, the service gem flicked his fingers over his eyes, his hunting visor glazing over.

 

_Whirrrrrr_

_**Click** _

–

Yellow froze, a cold prickle of anxiety rising up in her core. _**That sound.**_ _That gem forsaken sound._ Shaking her head, the Diamond bared her teeth and shoved the unwanted spike of apprehension down. She couldn't be bothered by that now. That was normal. That didn't mean what she thought it meant, at least not for _her_. These rebels, on the other hand...

The warriors started to advance, shouting out fierce war cries. Others stood back, ready to charge. Yellow growled, flicking her hand over her gem and quickly pulling out a sword. Brows furrowed, she faced the few warriors that were coming up on her side.

–

There was a bright flash of light behind the Diamond.

Followed by a ground-shuddering **THUD.**

Hematite shifted up to his half-size in an instant and took a huge, fearsome step toward the approaching warriors, startling a few of them, stopping others in their tracks. He let out a fierce, low growl, lashing his whips at the warriors that continued to charge at him. They shouted furiously and stumbled back, visibly put-off by the gem's change in appearance.

–

Yellow faltered, flinching rather harshly. Turning her head, she stared behind her in horror. She was stuck in her tracks. Her jaw dropped, quivering as if she were going to yell. _No, be brave. Everything is okay... He's just fighting off the opposing gems._ She regained her composure, swallowing nervously. Turning back to the warriors, her wide eyes had a fierce, livid fire to them. Advancing forward, she yelled out in frustration. One warrior skidded to a halt as the Diamond closed in quick, raising their weapons up in defense.

With a loud clang, their weapons made contact, the force of the leader knocking the warrior back a few good feet. Stumbling to regain their footing, the opposing gem growled and swung forward. Yellow was just quick enough to make an easy dodge.

–

Hematite was managing to take out a few of his opponents, though he was suddenly pushed back as one leapt up to his arm, startling him. Just before the giant gem could knock them off, the warrior brought their weapon, a rather large broadsword, down onto Hematite's arm, tearing through his suit. One of the other gems called out to their fellow warriors. Inhaling sharply through his teeth, the hunter grimaced and held his wrist close, glaring daggers into the retreating warrior leapt down. It seemed _his_ opponents were starting to retreat. They wanted nothing to do with the harvester. All of them made a hasty escape from Hematite's view... all aside from two archers. Standing atop a stony spire, three gems stood tall and fierce, one of them pointing a nasty-looking spear Hematite's way. The other two had their bows drawn, the tips of the projectiles glowing with a strange, fizzling aura. The spear-wielding gem bared her teeth, her voice cutting through the dense air

"FIRE!"

 

While Hema was distracted, the archers managed to charge up two potent shots. Before he could turn his attention to them, they loosed the arrows, sending them whizzing through the air.. One of the energy arrows stuck heavily into Hema's shoulder while the other hit him in the side, earning a pained yowl. A stunning energy coursed through him, locking his body into place. His eyes widened, his hair standing on end. His mind screamed at his body to move, but all he could do was stare blankly in front of him in horror as a worrying number of warriors closed in on his legs.

**He was stuck.**

–

Growling, Yellow swung her sword around, swiping right through her opponent. Exploding into a cloud of smoke, the gemstone fell to the ground and was quickly retrieved by the Diamond. With a quick blip, she bubbled the gem away and sent it off. The other group warriors that was previously advancing on her backed up, snarling. She glared daggers into them, holding up her sword with a mercilessly cold stare. Her arm became alight with lightning, and after a few seconds, she swept her sword to the side, sending out a wave of electricity in their direction. Startled, the group of warriors went to run, but weren't quite fast enough. The lightning struck all of them in a neat row, surging through their bodies and destabilizing them quickly. Yellow darted around in a deft, swift movement and collected up the destabilized gems, sending them away. As she turned to the next group closing in on her, she was halted in her tracks by Hematite's harrowing, painful yowl.

Yellow's head turned sharply, and she quickly spotted the commotion behind her. A few of the opposing gems were upon Hematite, and from the looks of it, he was in a bit of a bind, quite literally. Sighing, Yellow ran towards them, relighting her arm with flowing electricity. It raced down her arm and over her sword, setting the blade alight with a brilliant display of sparks.

The archers were so focused on the huge gem before them, they failed to notice the other gem quickly moving towards them. With a loud grunt, Yellow chucked her sword in a sharp, spinning motion, sending them flying towards her targets. The weapon suddenly split into two smaller swords, both shooting towards one of the archers. One warrior gem turned their head, but it was already too late to react. The swords met their targets with an abrupt force, sticking into both of them and destabilizing them easily. The remaining warrior leapt down the rock, retreating away from the furious Diamond.

–

The moment the two archers were poofed, the arrows vanished into a cloud of sparks, releasing their bind on the giant gem. Hematite gasped sharply as the stunning energy dissipated, and he looked over his shoulder at Yellow, giving her a nod of thanks. However, it was slightly hard to tell with his hunting visor covering his eyes. He quickly looked down and kicked the rebels away before they could get much further along his suit. It didn't take much effort to destabilize the gems that'd foolishly gotten so close.

–

As Hematite turned, Yellow's expression became unreadable. She broke a sweat, brow twitching. With how dark it was, she could barely see anything but his glowing visor. _In all honesty, she wished she hadn't seen that._ Taking a sharp breath suddenly, she pulled out another sword from her gem, quickly coming back to her senses again. How many of these rebels were there?! She figured she could have expected more than just a 'few', but they'd already seen a good twenty or thirty gems!

–

Turning his attention back to the retreating warriors, Hematite lashed out his whips again, making a go for them. He couldn't locate the gems that had retreated away from him just a moment ago, and that worried him. He could barely keep his eyes on his radar, as it was, he didn't need missing gems complicating matters. The giant gem chased after what retreating rebels he could see, taking out quite a few of them in his wake.

-

From behind her, Yellow Diamond heard a sharp cry, and whipped around to notice another warrior quickly running up to her. Carelessly, they swung their weapon down. However, Yellow was still partially nerve racked by Hematite, so her reaction time was slower than normal. She held up her blade in time to block the weapon, but let out a cry of pain as it hit the sword with such force that it shattered her sword completely. The warrior's weapon continued down, slamming into the ground inches in front of the Diamond. She grunted, quickly kicking the warrior in the abdomen, knocking them away. More warriors were closing in on her, and quickly.

–

Unfortunately for Yellow, Hema was a little preoccupied. The giant gem latched onto two of the warriors with his whips, slamming them into the ground at his sides, poofing them instantly. In one smooth movement, he quickly crouched down, tapped both of the gems, bubbling them, and stood back up, storing them both in his gem with a quick flash. The final, ax-wielding warrior of the group he'd been chasing, a rather large, mean looking Jasper, bared her teeth at the giant gem. She stepped forward, letting out a fierce cry as she charged at him. Hematite took a step back, eyes wide, his visor tracking the rebel's every move.

But he glanced up and over her, his hunting visor also catching sight of something _else_.

More warriors were approaching from much further off, up the gentle slopes to the west. _These gems had backup._ Hematite's breathing hitched, and he snarled down at the Jasper as she swung at his legs. Looking back, the giant gem called out to Yellow.

"Yellow Diamond, fall back to me! We've got more gems incoming!"

Turning, he reeled his foot back before delivering a hard hit to the Jasper, sending them flying into one of the crystals that jutted from the ground. The impact destabilized her instantly.

–

Yellow shuddered slightly, groaning in frustration. She fled from the warrior she was fighting, running towards Hematite. If this warrior was intelligent, they wouldn't follow her. But, as Yellow had come to find in her years, a rebel's strong suit wasn't usually smarts. They followed quickly behind her, growling and readying their weapon. Yellow's fists lit up with sparks again, her back to Hematite's foot as soon as she made her way over to him. She was a little too close to him for comfort, but maybe if she kept her back to him, she'd be able to handle the close proximity.

"Keep at it! We'll wear them out sooner or later!" she called up, ducking as the warrior swiped their weapon towards her head. With a few lightning-fast electrified punches, she stunned the warrior long enough to summon another weapon and poof them with a powerful swipe.

–

Glancing back at Yellow, Hematite was glad to see she was closer by. He suddenly realized that _she_ couldn't see exactly how many gems were approaching on the horizon. But from his height, he certainly could.

"I'm not sure how many more there are, but you might want to brace yourself! There's at least twenty or so more! More could be inbound!" He turned around to her, taking a step away to face her properly since he'd taken care of the warriors on his side. Yellow turned to look at him, her brows furrowed furiously. Her gaze was caught by a few gems that skirted behind Hematite to try and attack him. Hema opened his mouth to speak, but then, before he could let her know what he'd seen... a bright flash of light appeared behind a stone spire that laid not two hundred feet behind her. Hematite felt his body go rigid as a _**new**_ gem signature appeared on his radar. He slowly looked up from Yellow, and was met with the horrifying sight of a massive, glowing figure taking shape.

 

 

Time seemed to slow down as the huge, monstrous fusion took form, quickly rising to, and then _passing_ Hematite's height. The hunter stared in horror, unable to move from where he stood. The fusion finally stopped forming and grinned down at the two gems before it, its multiple glowing eyes narrowing ominously. It bore multiple long, scraggly ponytails and multiple pairs of beastly, powerful arms. A total of five gemstones laid on its body; three laid on its forehead, and two were somewhere near its stomach.

–

Yellow Diamond didn't catch the light. In fact, she was too busy fending off a few of the warriors to even notice the massive amalgamation formed behind them, or the fact that Hema had frozen. With another heavy swing, a warrior slammed their ax down inches beside the Diamond. The more warriors appeared, the more frustrated she became. The longer she spent so close to Hematite, the more nervous she grew. Both were starting to effect her reaction times. _She was starting to cut it far too close._ Growling, the Diamond lunged forward to deliver a direct punch to to the Spinel, but was caught way off guard when the warrior grabbed her fist and stopped her. Eyes widening fiercely, she was far too taken aback to react immediately, and the warrior slammed her down into the ground violently. Yellow groaned, gasping and rolling out of the way just in time to avoid the warrior's ax which chipped the solid stone ground where she lay seconds ago.

More warriors started to close in, some of them not even having their weapons drawn. Yellow got to her feet quickly and held up her fists, sparks fizzling around her entire body. From the looks of it, there were three huge warriors. Two of them were Spinels, one was an Amber. One of them smirked and swung their weapon towards her, but she dodged it. Their smile grew wider. She fell for it. From behind her, as she had darted back, she failed to notice one of the warriors had skirted out of sight and delivered a massive kick to her back, sending her flying forward.

Yellow was being tossed around, taking blow after blow from the warriors. She'd gotten a few small hits in every now and then, but it was very apparent that they were wearing her down and catching her repeatedly off guard. She stood up fiercely, growling at the warriors.

–

Hematite took a huge step back, away from the fusion, and the warriors fighting Yellow in front of him. No more than a few moments had passed since the fusion formed, and yet time still seemed slowed for him. He looked down, eyes widening as he noticed that the warriors were getting the upper hand on his superior. His eyes flicked back up to the fusion, and the giant gem's mouth fell agape.

The monstrous gem was summoning their weapon, holding an enormous pole out above them. At the end of the handle, a massive spiked, metal ball sparked into existence, alight with a glowing aura.

That was a mace to put Blue's to shame.

The fusion was locked onto their target, their glowing eyes focused onto Yellow's vulnerable form. Hematite felt his breathing stop as he noticed where the fusion was looking.

 

 

_**Yellow Diamond was wide open for a killing blow.** _

 

 

_No, no no no._

 

_Everything is happening too fast, th-think Hematite, think!_

_Think of a plan, figure out-_

_No._

_No, there's no time for thinking._

 

_**ACT!** _

 

There was a bright flash of light, and the already huge gem was suddenly left standing at his full harvester height. To the warriors below, Hematite quickly crouched down and lashed out his hand with unnatural speed, snatching Yellow up off the ground, out of harm's way of the approaching warriors, and the fusion's attack. He brought her close to his face and backed up, both his hands cupped around her, his eyes wide as he stared at the fusion.

 

_**C R A S H!** _

 

The monstrous gem's weapon struck the ground where Yellow had been not _two seconds_ ago with a fearsome amount of force, leaving an impressive crater in the ground. A few pitiful clouds of smoke drifted out from under the weapon.

But Yellow wasn't out of danger. Hematite noticed that things around him still felt as if they were in slow motion. The fusion, now furious, slowly raised its eyes up to glare at him, starting to draw back its weapon out of the ground.

–

Without warning, before she could even comprehend what was going on, Yellow found herself clutched in Hematite's hands. She gasped sharply, eyes widening. _Wait, what's going on?!_ Quickly, she was brought up to his face, and she was left staring into his hunting visor, the world around her going quiet.

 

_Oh stars, **no**..._

–

Hematite turned his attention to the Diamond in his hands and grimaced, bracing himself.

 _"Sorry about this,"_ he whispered.

–

Her breathing stopped. The fear came flooding back within those few seconds. She was so petrified, she wasn't able to understand what he had said. It was uncertain if she even really _heard_ him. _What was this about?! What was he doing?!_

–

Within an instant, Hematite lifted Yellow Diamond over his face. He carefully held her shirt between his fingers, his mouth opening up below her.

–

Yellow emitted a small whimper as gravity shifted below her. _No, NO...This can't be happening! Why?!_ Staring down into the huge gem's mouth, she felt her form go cold, and every one of her nightmares came flooding back to her. Her voice failed her, her body couldn't move, and in that moment, she felt as though nothing, not even her own strength or the Diamond Authority could help her. She felt tiny, helpless, vulnerable.

_She felt **weak**._

–

For a moment, time stood still for both of them.

And then, without a word, he dropped her.

–

"NO, WAIT!" she cried out, grasping at the air feebly, landing onto his tongue. Small sparks fizzled around her body, the Diamond's eyes wide with terror. Before she could make any move to escape, Hematite's teeth clacked together, her world becoming dark, aside from the small bit of illumination coming from her electricity. Shivering, she was overcome with sudden panic.

_This wasn't real! This was just another one of her horrible nightmares!_

…

_No._

 

_This **was** real._

 

_This was **far** too real._

–

The giant gem tilted his head back slightly the moment he felt the tiny gem make contact with his tongue, and he closed his teeth the moment he was sure Yellow was behind them, making sure not to bite her.

The second his superior was 'safe', he turned to his approaching opponent, who now stood about equal height with him, and summoned his weapons, taking a defensive stance. The huge fusion roared viciously, swinging its weapon at the harvester.

The two were quickly locked in a battle that played out much like Hematite's spars with Blue, but this time, the stakes were far higher than glory or a friendly match. _No, this time... he_ _had someone he needed to protect._ All of Hematite's focus was trained on the fusion ahead of him. He didn't even notice that Yellow was _shaking_. The giant gem managed to get a few good hits in, and even knocked the gem's mace away, but it quickly started to draw another one. Hematite took the opportunity and lashed out his whips, latching onto the fusion's weapon handle. Expression going cold, Hematite focused all his energy into his arms, sending a frightening surge of electricity through the whips, into the fusion's form, causing it to screech in pain. It quickly let go of the handle and stumbled back, its body twitching involuntarily.

Smirking, Hematite turned his attention to the warriors that were busy attacking his legs, and he kicked a few of them aside, striking the others with the pole he managed to yank from the fusion. Smirking, he stepped back, giving the softest of chuckles.

_This was working!_

–

 _She didn't understand. What had she done wrong? Was he still angry with her? She thought everything was starting to get better. Had she made him upset again?_ A thousand thoughts flooded Yellow's mind, baring down on her with the weight of a cold, jet-black sea. All of the memories from the incident such a long time ago, as well as all of her nightmares coursed through her body, as if forcing her to relive everything over again at the same time. Tears started to sting the corners of her eyes, her desperation rising.

 _Then he chuckled._ The sound reverberated through Yellow's very core, and echoed through her mind, warping and twisting into that nightmarish form's voice.

Yellow shrieked with horror, pulling her arms and legs close to her quickly, covering up her gem. The move was involuntary, instinctual, and completely in _vain_. _And she knew it._

–

The shriek didn't go unnoticed. Hema's eyes went wide as saucers, and he glanced down toward his mouth, a pained grimace on his face.

_Yellow, hold on, it's alright! Stay strong a little longer!_

Hematite managed to poof a few more of the warriors and swept his hands down to bubble and collect them quickly, storing them in his gem. He looked around to check the horizon and battlefield. It looked like there were only three warriors left, and the fusion. Putting his fists up, the giant gem backed up a few paces, now facing the furious, gigantic amalgamation. Its glowing eyes glared daggers through the gem, and he narrowed his eyes at it, brows furrowed.

–

"No, no no no no..." she whimpered quietly, staring at the barely illuminated fangs in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she sharply sat up. _She had to do something._ She boldly moved forward, pressing her hands against the roof of his mouth and trying to force it open. "LET ME OUT OF HERE! PLEASE!" she shouted, still shaking.

–

A pained expression washed over Hematite's face, and his stance faltered. The service gem could feel Yellow trying to force his teeth open, but he kept them shut, despite her pleas. _He couldn't let her out, she'd be killed!_ At least this way if he was poofed, or worse, she'd still have a chance to get away! The giant gem steeled himself and launched forward, going in for a direct hit on the fusion.

_Get in close quickly, disorient them!_

The hunter closed in fast, landing a few quick, electrified jabs to the fusion. They were able to block him, for the most part, but it seemed the gems were slowly desynchronizing. The fusion was starting to look a bit unstable.

–

_It wasn't working._

_It wasn't._

_Working._

Her panic overtook her, tears flowing down her cheeks. She wasn't quite strong enough to pry his mouth open, and he wasn't letting her out. _He was going to kill her._ Whimpering, she gave up and stumbled back, frantically looking around her. _This was it. This was the end._ She put her arms over her head and shut her eyes tight. _She couldn't believe this._ After everything she thought she'd escaped, here she was. She couldn't bare to think of it. This couldn't be how it ended.

 

…

 

_No. It wasn't going to be._

She slowly lifted her head, brows furrowing. This wasn't her nightmare. This was real.

 _And so were her powers. So were her_ _**weapons** _ _. Like hell she was going down like this!_

Swiftly, the Diamond placed her hand to her gem and summoned her sword with a bright light. She bared her teeth, looking down at the service gem's tongue. _She still had a chance._ With a sharp force, she struck her sword down, piercing into the surface below her.

–

Hema's eyes shot open, his previously vicious glare snapping into a look of pure shock and _**agony**_. Giving a half angry, half pained shriek, the giant gem stumbled backwards from the fusion and dropped to the ground, on his knees. In the same instant, he spat Yellow onto the ground, her sword thankfully going with her. A clawed hand made its way up to his face, and the giant gem whimpered quietly, closing his mouth and inhaling deeply through his nose, trying not to let the pain get to him _too_ badly.

_Damn his sensitive mouth._

The fusion, which had stumbled back at this point, stopped in its tracks a little distance away.

–

Yellow stumbled onto the ground, quickly regaining her footing. Still holding her sword, she held out her arms in an appalled, distressed stance. Her eyes wide, face blank, she stared at the enormous fusion standing before them. She blinked, frozen, saliva dripping off of her. As the fusion snarled down at the two, Yellow slowly looked to the side. She took note of the huge crater that laid in the ground nearby. A few scattered shards laid in the crater where Yellow had been standing not a minute ago, completely obliterated by the fusion's mace.

 

_Wait... that's where I was-_

 

_... Oops._

 

She started to put the pieces together, and while she was both petrified and furious... she suddenly realized what Hematite had done.

–

The amalgamation regained its stability just long enough to summon another huge weapon, and was now charging right for Hematite and Yellow Diamond, ready to deliver a killing blow.

Hematite wasn't moving from his crouched position. His head was still hung, hand over his mouth. With his hunting visor on, it was impossible to see the rest of his face.

–

A sharp stab of regret shot through Yellow's core, and she stared up in horror at the fusion. Suddenly, Hematite's mouth didn't seem so bad. Looking back up at the service gem, she shuddered, still visibly shaken.

"Hematite! Nooow would be a good time to do something!" she yelled out, taking a few steps off to the side. There was no way if she tried that she could do anything to that... thing. _She'd only take on a gem like that with White and Blue! What if_ _ **Hematite**_ _couldn't fight it!? What if-_

–

The fusion leapt into the air, bringing its mace down over Hematite's form.

 

 

**C L A N G!**

 

 

A shuddering shock wave shot through the ground below Hematite's form, knocking Yellow and the remaining three warriors away from him. The shock destabilized the smallest of the three upon impact. Hema's hand was up, clutching the end of the mace mere inches away from his head. Within an instant, the giant gem snapped his head up, teeth bared in fury, a vicious growl rumbling in his chest.

The growl grew in volume until it suddenly erupted into a **roar**.

Shooting upwards, Hematite snatched the mace away from the confused fusion, swinging it back and landing a massive CRACK to the side of the amalgamation's head, knocking it back. It destabilized slightly. Not wasting a moment, the giant harvester clutched the mace tightly in his hands, letting out another fierce roar as he shot forward, landing one final killing blow to the fusion's head.

A huge cloud of multicolored smoke exploded around the giant gem, screening him from view entirely.

–

Yellow held her sword tightly, taking a few slow steps back, watching Hematite completely destroy the fusion. It was as incredible as it was nerve-wracking. The Diamond stayed quiet, her eyes locked on the cloud of multicolored dust. She slowly lifted her sword into a defensive position as the giant gem steadily rose up from the ground, his back turned to her.

–

A stiff breeze blew through the quarry, carrying the sparkling cloud away. The mace in Hematite's hands fizzled out of existence. There, left in a huge crater, were the shattered remains of the five fusion gems.

Hematite's hunting visor fell from his eyes, fizzing away as it hit the ground.

The giant gem turned, looking across the way at Yellow, who was some distance from him. His whole body was shaking. With a soft, worrying crackle, the edges of his form glitched and fizzled irregularly.

His brows furrowed, expression unreadable. All one could see was a faint, vague expression of... _disappointment._

 

 

_**P O F F!** _

 

–

Everything fell quiet. The Diamond stood still, staring at the quickly-dissipating cloud of gray dust. Eyes widening, she snapped her attention to the other two warriors. Without skipping a beat, she lit herself up with lightning, baring her teeth harshly. Advancing forward, the warriors braced themselves, but it wasn't enough. She barreled into one, body alight with lightning, stunning them. The force of her charging impact alone was enough to do a number on the warrior, and before they could recover, she grabbed onto their neck, squeezing tightly until they exploded into a cloud of smoke. She made short work of their gem, a soft ' _crick'_ filling the air. Her head slowly lifted, yellow eyes glaring at the final warrior.

 

Something shook in them, and they faltered, unable to move. _Huge mistake._

With a quick flick of her sword, she flung the blade forward. The warrior tried to turn and run, but was struck down, the sword stabbing straight through them. They, too, burst into smoke. Yellow stood up straight and sighed, walking over to the final gem. She placed her heel over it, and, with little effort, snapped it in two clean pieces.

She made her way around the area, bubbling all the gems that she could find. Thankfully, it seemed like they had successfully taken out all the rebels. Without the ones in Hema's pocket dimension or the ones Yellow had sent away already herself... the total tallied up to 34 gems. The mission was a success.

 

_Well... mostly._

 

She looked back, spotting one last gem sat on the ground, far off. Gray, round, and smooth, it glinted pitifully in the low light. Yellow walked over towards it, kneeling down. She gazed blankly, coldly staring at its reflective surface.

 

_He could have killed me._

 

She narrowed her eyes.

 

_But he didn't. The rebels **would** have killed me, and tried rather hard to. If he wanted me dead... I would be._

 

Slowly, she reached down and picked up the gem, holding it within her hand. She had every ability to crush it for what he did. And, some tiny part of her, _deep_ within her core _wanted_ to. It wanted so badly to crack this dangerous gem in half and spin some tale about how the mission went sour, and Hematite didn't survive. Despite her hatred of lying, despite how unjust that was... that tiny, paranoid part of her was willing to do it, to keep everyone safe, to prevent something like today's mission from ever happening again, to get rid of this threat.

Yellow scowled at herself in disdain and inhaled deeply through her nose, quickly closing her eyes. She forced that small part of herself down, gripping Hematite's gem firmly in her palm. With just a quick motion, she could break him.

But she didn't. And she wasn't _going_ to. No, she _understood_. As hard as it was at first to believe, she knew why he did what he did. Albeit, it probably wasn't the best way to go about it, he didn't have much more of an option at the time. And, well... _It_ _ **worked**_ _._

She was still alive, and he was intact. Sure, this was a tad worrying for Hematite's stability... but she'd have to worry about that later. Yellow frowned almost guiltily, her expression falling. She owed White an apology for this incident.

Turning to walk out of the quarry, Yellow carried Hematite's gemstone in her hand, careful not to harm it. It was going to be an interesting trip home.

–

–

_"Ugh..."_

 

_**R u m b l e** _

 

Eyes shooting open, Hematite sat up, looking around him. All around the gem's form were impossibly tall blades of grass. The sky above was dark, cloudy, and starless. Slowly, the service gem stood up, crossing his arms and clutching the fabric in his clawed fingers.

 

_Was this... his pocket dimension?_

_Had he destabilized?_

 

Anxiously, Hematite looked around. He felt like he was being watched. Stepping forward, he bit his lip, trying to figure out where he was. It certainly... _resembled_ his pocket dimension, but everything was so big... Was this another nightmare?

The service gem attempted to reform, but found himself unable to. He was either trapped in a hand or a bubble... and honestly, he was unsure which was worse, given the situation. Trembling, the tiny gem made his slow way through the tall grass towering over him, in the direction he hoped the tower was.

 

It took Hematite what felt like hours to finally reach the spire. Looking up at the steps, he frowned, clutching at his sleeves. _Why was he so small?_ _He'd never come here like this before..._

Maybe he'd overworked himself to the point of being _stuck_ like this. He shuddered at the thought, trying to push it aside. Clambering up the steps, Hematite turned and sat down on the edge of the stone, looking up at the grassy field that lay before him. His lids felt heavy, and his core was weighed down with exhaustion. For a while, he merely sat there, staring up at the starless sky.

His eyes widened. Glancing over at a patch of grass, Hematite could have sworn he saw something... something _dark_. He drew his knees to his chest, scooting back to the face of the next step. His eyes never left the grass he saw move.

_But, to both his relief **and** his displeasure, nothing showed up._

He could have sworn that, whatever it was... it'd been grinning at him. He knew he'd seen _teeth_. Hematite swallowed quietly, a shiver running up his back. _He didn't want to think about anyone else being in here with him._

Looking up at the sky, Hematite frowned sadly, clutching his knees close. The mission raced through his mind, playing through it relentlessly. Yellow's strange behavior, the way she seemed so unfocused, how utterly useless he was up until the very end... all of it hit him in a wave. Maybe Yellow would have been better off if he hadn't come with her. She wouldn't have been distracted, and that gem probably wouldn't have fused. For all he knew, they only fused to take him out because he was a bigger threat than she was, literally.

**_You just got in the way._ **

**_You should have stayed with White at the tower._ **

**_Now you're another step closer to-_ **

_Stop it._

 

Sighing heavily, Hematite buried his face in his knees. His mussed, fluffy hair laid over his forearms in messy tufts that he didn't bother fixing. He forced the inner voice in his head to quiet, leaving him in tense silence. _How many gems were left when I destabilized...? Two, three? She should be able to handle them, right?_

… _I hope she's okay._

–

–

It took two hours of running to get back to her towers. Without Hematite's stamina to worry about, her trip to the front of the district only took a fraction of the time it did before. After all, Yellow's speed was nothing to sneeze at.

 

She was waiting in her room, Hematite's gemstone placed delicately on a soft cushion that she'd taken from White's room some time ago. She paced back and forth, jotting down a report in her diamond pad as she walked. Another hour passed. Hematite wasn't back yet. Sighing, she made her way over to her desk and sat down, entwining her fingers. Half lidded eyes stared down at the gem, watching it carefully.

 

_He'll be back soon. He has to be..._

 

She glanced away, silent. He'd pushed himself so far for the sake of keeping her safe, and she let her fear get the better of her. Even on the way back to the tower, that small part of her was tempted to do something harmful to his gemstone. Sure, the thought was fleeting and borderline invasive, but it was still there. For the time being, it had subsided. Every minute that ticked by made it lessen more and more. Instead of the temptation to get rid of the gem, a dull, but pervasive sense of self-loathing rose up in the Diamond. _Why did she still feel this way?_ She hated this fear, this paranoia. It was degrading, and caused far more problems than there needed to be. She didn't want to see him as a threat, or to even have the _temptation_ to shatter him, no matter how small. There was no reason for it, not right now. Hematite had a very open, very clear opportunity to kill her today, but he didn't.

_He saved her._

–

Back in his pocket dimension, Hematite could tell that he was free to reform now, whenever he wanted. But something was holding him back. Sure, he hadn't been shattered, that much was clear. But Yellow couldn't have been happy about the stunt he pulled. The tiny gem buried his face in his knees. He didn't want to face her, and he sure as hell didn't want to reform to possibly find himself in some rebel base.

Still... he couldn't stay here forever. He didn't want to.

_Something didn't feel right, here._

After another 'hour' or so, Hematite finally lifted his head, his expression one of pure dread.

_Well, better not keep whoever had his gem waiting any longer._

–

The gem on the small cushion began to glow, lifting just slightly into the air. Hematite's projection began to shine as it spread out from the gemstone and cycled through his various forms. But something changed, and he suddenly got smaller. And _smaller_.

With a soft 'thunk', Hematite's tiny form landed on Yellow's desk, next to the cushion his gemstone had been resting on. He inhaled sharply through his teeth, rubbing his head. That reformation had _hurt_. He supposed it was from pushing himself so far past his limits...

It seemed his form hadn't changed much, if anything, the only difference was that the diamond insignia was gone from his back. That, and, there was something different about his overall appearance. It was nearly impossible to tell with how tiny he was, though.

–

Yellow's eyes widened, watching the tiny gem reform. _That wasn't quite what she'd expected._ Without a word, she stared down at him. From the angle Hematite was at, he couldn't see her mouth behind her folded hands. It was hard to tell what she was thinking, really. She took a slow, steady breath through her nose.

 _"Hematite."_ The word came out cold, monotonous. Her face fell neutral.

–

Hema's eyes shot open, and he looked up, tensing at the sight of the huge Diamond before him.

_No._

_No, he was in her office again._

_Not like **this**._

_**Anything but this.** _

The tiny service gem found himself unable to speak. He began to tremble, memories of that dreaded night long past flashing through his mind.

–

Yellow sat still for a moment. She noticed his shivering, but she refrained from changing expression. Then she moved her hands from her face, letting one drop beside her. The other, however, slowly reached down for him.

–

_He was right._

_She was angry._

_She probably wanted to teach him another 'lesson.'_

A soft whimper escaped the tiny gem as he looked up at Yellow Diamond's hand. He threw his arms up over his head, knees pulling close to his chest.

"I-I'm sorry, I won't do it again, I wasn't thinking! I didn't know what to do!"

–

As her hand got closer, she uncurled her fingers, casting a dark shadow over his small frame. But, before he could do or say anything else, she gently rested her fingertips on his head and back. It was a little awkward for her, but she could tell he was scared out of his wits. _Maybe this would help?_ Slowly, she lifted her hand slightly, removing most of her fingers. All except one. She ran it softly over his hair, as if 'petting' him. A moment of silence filled the air.

"I know why you did... what you did, Hematite," she said softly. Yellow looked away, biting the inside of her cheek.

–

Hematite's trembling quelled, and he opened one eye, glancing up without moving his head. He swallowed, another soft, distressed sound escaping him before he realized she wasn't trying to pick him up.

He blinked as he realized Yellow was running her finger over his hair. A soft exhale of disbelief escaped the tiny gem as he slowly moved his arms, venturing to look up at the Diamond.

–

Yellow glanced back down, brows raised slightly.

"Thank you for, um... saving me. And sorry about your tongue..." she said awkwardly, shrugging.

–

The tiny gem stared in shock at his superior, but finally moved his hands away from his head completely, wrapping his arms around his legs. He rested his chin behind his knees, eyes drifting shut just slightly at the light contact to his hair.

"... I was just doing my job. And... don't worry about it." He tilted his chin up for a moment, stuck out his tongue as if checking it for damage, and then returned to leaning his chin behind his knees. "No harm done." Hema went silent for a moment. "... I'm sorry if I-" He paused. He didn't want to use the word 'scared'. Not with _her_. "-brought back unpleasant memories."

–

Yellow lifted her hand away finally, placing it on the table.

"Don't worry about it. You did well." She got quiet, glancing away. "You must be very tired. You should be getting back to White... You'll both be happy to know the mission was successful. After you retreated back into your gem, I took care of the remainder of the rebels." She placed her other hand up on the desk, resting it over the other. She looked professional yet again, sitting up straight. She still looked like a mess, though, despite her professional air. "There were only two, but I finished bubbling the rest of the gems that I'd found. Inspecting the area can wait, for now. What we did should have cleared out the problem.”

–

Nodding, the service gem began to stand up, trying to take his own professional stance. He folded his arms behind him, looking up at her respectfully.

"Thank you, Yellow. I'm glad I could... be of some use." His expression softened. "You should get some rest yourself." He sighed quietly, rubbing one of his eyes. "We've both earned it, honestly." The tiny gem stifled a yawn. He cleared his throat and stood at attention once more. "Sorry. If you'll allow it, I should be getting back to White."

–

Yellow looked at the door, then back down at Hematite. There was a pause.

"You know, you're... rather small, right now. It's probably a very long walk to White's tower... especially at your current size," she said softly, placing her palms together.

–

Hematite's brows raised, his shoulders tensing subtly. Those words were eerily familiar.

_No, he wasn't going to fall for that trap this time._

The tiny gem gave a _very_ forced smile and cleared his throat.

"Yes, it is. But I can make it just fine, I've done it plenty of times before,” he said as respectfully as he could.

–

Once again, Yellow glanced away.

"Well... I should report to White how the mission went. Since I'll be headed that way too, maybe I could..." She looked back at the tiny gem awkwardly. "Carry you?"

–

The tiny gem blinked slowly. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then closed it.

Repeat. The second time he closed his mouth, he arched a brow, as if confused. _Had he heard her right?_

"Oh... well." Hematite looked around, wondering if this was all some elaborate prank. _Or... was she being serious?_ The service gem looked up at his superior, eyes wide. But instead of fearful, his expression was more... curious. And then he smiled, getting an idea. "Well, that would be far more _efficient_ , wouldn't it? Get us both there in a more timely manner... sounds good to me!" He beamed up at her, hoping that that way of accepting would be less awkward for her.

–

She twitched at his words, eyes widening in surprise. For a moment, there was a bright gleam in her eye. She smirked gradually, hardly masking what pride was welling up within her. However, she quickly stifled it and held out her palm to the smaller gem, her expression neutral once more. _She still had to look professional, after all._

–

_He'd caaaught that.~_

Hematite gave the quietest chuckle before he stepped onto Yellow's palm, without even a hint of hesitation. He looked at his superior's gloved hand before he carefully sat down, crossing his legs. Smiling, the tiny gem folded his hands near his ankles, fully settled. He gazed up at Yellow Diamond, eyes bright.

"Let's deliver that report."

–

Yellow stared down curiously at the tiny gem, still barely masking the gleam in her gaze. Standing from her desk, she carefully lifted Hematite up, heading for the door.

“Let's.”


	53. According to Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite encounters a unique group of rebels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arc 3 summary: [Spoilers... duh!]  
> After clearing the air with Yellow, things start to settle down a bit among Hema and the Diamonds. Hema and White go on a dangerous mission to shatter a pair of gem mothers, and are interrupted by a mysterious cloaked figure. Hema officially meets Ti, a beautiful, soft-spoken Hematite that wins him over quite easily. Yellow finally holds a proper spar with him, to try and mend the damage done through all her abusive past 'spars.' After learning that Blue is receiving threats from some mysterious group of rebels, Hema and Yellow go on their first proper mission together, which greatly tests their trust in each other. Hema winds up destabilized, but Yellow brings him back home safely.

The sun was shining warmly over the Diamond Towers, a few rolling clouds scattered across the horizon. There was a soft, relaxing hum drifting from the city, gems going about their day like usual. Each of the Diamonds was in their office, doing various types of work. Well, all but one.

 

 

"And I swear to stars, this had better be the last time I get eaten by a gem monster!" Hematite tossed his arms up, one of his hands holding his eyepiece. "So I've shrunken down, right? And so this thing takes advantage of that, and I end up in what I can only call its 'stomach'; though it was more like a cave, to be honest. And there are bubbled gems and who knows _what_ else **_everywhere._** " Grimacing, the service gem shook his head, his tongue sticking out slightly in disgust. He shifted in his seat, crossing one leg over the other. “I'm thinking to myself, 'oh, great, it's good that this thing doesn't know how to bubble me; I don't fancy being part of some gut-museum.'”

–

Blue's hands were pressed up against her face, her eyes bright and attentive. Her work was strewn across her desk, laying helter-skelter in messy piles and positions. The Diamond didn't seem the least bit interested in the tedium of paperwork and reports, as a wide space in front of her was cleared away for her to lean on her desk uninterrupted. Blue raised a brow at Hema's last few comments, and she sneered in displeasure.

"Yick... really? Stars, that musta been creepy,” she said, swinging her legs under her chair. "How did you get outta that one?" she asked curiously, leaning forward over her desk. She always enjoyed Hematite's stories. He went on the wildest missions, saw the most peculiar and exciting of things at times, and always seemed to pay such close attention to little details. She loved hearing him tell his tales, even if it meant she had to shirk work. _Well, not like this was much different than any other day._

–

Hematite chuckled and shrugged, starting to gesture with his hands again as he continued his story.

"Right, so at first I'm thinking maaaybe I can pop one of the bubbles to get some assistance, but I have _no_ clue  who any of these gems are, so I thought better of it. No, instead-" He leaned forward, putting his hands on the desk, shaking his head. "I had to wait at least **seven hours** before I could change back to normal! It was terrible!" The service gem chuckled, giving a half-hearted, exasperated sigh as he sat back in his chair. He ran his fingers through his hair, breathing deeply. "I managed to give it a good enough zap to get it to spit me out. I'm glad I didn't get destabilized, though. That thing was  nooot happy to see me."

–

Blue smiled, though she looked more concerned than amused.

"Yeah, really... Hah, I'd really miss ya if you were gone for too long. I'm glad you're alr-" Before Blue could finish her sentence, she was cut off by a familiar, rapid beeping. Perking up slightly, she stared at the service gem, then at his eyepiece. "Errr, your communicator's goin' crazy!"

–

Blinking in surprise, Hematite started at the sharp noise.

"Ah, stars, hold on!" The service gem brought his hand back to his face, placing the small visor over his left eye. He cleared his throat and tapped on the surface, mentally commanding the eyepiece to answer the call. It clicked quietly. "This is Hematite."

–

It was White's voice that followed. She sounded hurried and serious.

"Hematite, I need you to report to my office as soon as you can. There's a big problem and I'm going to need your help. I'll explain everything when you get here," she said.

Blue couldn't make out too much of what was being said, but she could tell it was White's voice coming from the visor, and she barely made out the words 'report' and 'office'. She sat back, biting her lip. _Darn, she wanted to hear the rest of the story._

–

Sitting up a bit straighter, Hematite frowned and cleared his throat again, nodding.

"Yes ma'am. I'll be right over." The service gem hung up and shot Blue an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I guess I owe you the end of that story later!" He stood up and adjusted his sleeves before standing at attention. Giving Blue a quick salute, he smiled and started for the door. "I'll see you around, Blue!"

–

Blue crossed her arms, sitting back in her chair. _Well, she **did** have work she should be doing today, so maybe it was for the best. _ Giving the Hematite a wave, she grinned in understanding.

"Alright kid, good luck with whatever it is!"

–

The service gem gave a final wave before the office door hissed shut behind him. Stepping outside, Hematite looked around and stepped out onto the sky bridge connecting Blue's tower to Yellow's.

"Mm... at this rate, it'll take me at least an hour or two to get over there, even if I run." Hematite bit his lip as he started his brisk walk to Yellow's tower. White sounded rather urgent; he needed to get there quicker. Looking down off the bridge, Hematite eyed the various diamond facilities that laid between the four massive towers. Cutting through there certainly wouldn't help; it'd take him even longer to traverse.

... If he was _this_ size, at least.

Hematite slowed to a stop, peering over the edge of the sky bridge The ground below the sky bridges were clear of any buildings, in case of incident or damage. A fall from this height wouldn't hurt a gem if they didn't hit their gemstone, as it was only about a hundred feet or so off the ground.

If White needed him, he needed to get to her as soon as he could. Perhaps if he...

He furrowed his brow, frowning. Backing up, the service gem stared ahead, across the massive expanse between him and the White Tower on the horizon. Hematite clenched his fists, suddenly bolting forward.

He leapt straight off the bridge.

The service gem's form began to glow halfway down to the ground, and he shifted up to his half height in a flash, landing with a heavy THUD on the clear ground below the bridge. He stood up quickly, and made a beeline for the White Tower, deftly making his way over the different, much smaller facilities that lay between him and his destination.

Unintentionally, he startled quite a few Peridots and other service gems that were busying themselves among the different facilities, but they didn't have much time to react as Hematite raced by. The service gem was glad he’d kept a mental map of this place where there was a semi-clear path between the towers.

The run to White's only took him about twenty minutes.

Stopping, Hematite stood next to the White tower, staring up at it, his breathing slightly heavy. The huge structure dwarfed him, even at eight stories tall. Hema couldn't help but marvel at how, no matter how tall he could get, there was always something bigger to remind him how massive the world really was. Whether it be tower, mountain, a Kindergarten cliff, or the Diamonds themselves, he was oft reminded that being the biggest race of gems in the universe didn't spare him from feeling tiny now and then.

But, he didn't have time to admire gem architecture! Looking over, Hematite neared the sky bridge that led to White's office and carefully placed his hand on the edge, sure not to put too much pressure on it. Closing his eyes, he focused on the bridge. Within a moment, he returned to his normal height, crouched on the edge of the bridge where his hand had been resting. He stood up straight and adjusted his sleeves before briskly making his way to White's office. He knocked, waiting for the door to hiss open.

–

White's Pearl opened the door, greeting Hematite with a gentle smile.

"Hello, you must be here for White, correct? Please, come in,” she said, moving aside and gesturing for the service gem to walk through. White was sitting at her desk, apparently still on her communicator. She was nearing the end of a conversation.

"Alright... thank you for your notification. I'll see to it that this is taken care of as quickly and quietly as possible," she stated, her eyes closed and hands clasped together in front of her mouth.

–

Hematite stepped inside the office with a polite, warm smile to the Pearl. He folded his arms behind his back and stopped a little ways from White's desk. Blinking, he caught the voice on the other end of the call. It was quiet, but Hema could make everything out.

"That's greatly appreciated, White Diamond. Thank you. I'll see to it that I keep my eyes open for any trouble closer to my capital. I'll order my warriors to be on high alert. Again, I'm terribly sorry to ask for your assistance out here. I would have asked Yellow if she wasn't so awfully busy at the moment. Watch your back out there, these gems are notoriously tricky."

The voice belonged to none other than General Topaz.

–

White nodded and clicked off the communicator. Opening her eyes, she spotted Hematite in the doorway.

"You got here quickly," she said curiously, placing her hands down on her desk. There wasn't the normal feel in the air this time. While it wasn't exactly tense, it wasn't entirely welcoming and warm either. There wasn't even any tea set out on the table. White looked unreadable and thoughtful.

–

Clearing his throat, Hematite nodded and stood a little straighter.

"I shifted up and cut across the facility clearing. I figured that'd be far quicker." The tiniest of nervous smiles crossed his face. The air in the office felt odd. "I was right, thankfully."

–

She raised a brow.

"Clever. Good, you'll need your wits today..." she said, tapping her fingers on the desk. "Listen, Hematite; I've got to go on an important mission today and I'm going to need your help." She still sounded highly serious. Whatever this was, it wasn't good.

–

The service gem's shoulders began to tense. He brushed his fingers behind his back, nervously glancing away for a moment. He looked anxious. This wasn't right; White didn't usually look like this. What had happened while he was gone on his last mission?

"What do you need me to do?" He finally brought his gaze back to her.

–

Blankly, White stared right through Hematite.

"I've just received word from General Topaz that there might be a worrying uprising involving a particularly evasive rebel group out on her planet. If what I've heard is true, this could lead to an all-out _war_ if we don't stop it." She closed her eyes, sighing. Clasping her hands together once more, she continued. "I need your help tracking down this group. Not only that, if things get nasty, I'll need your backup. This is a risky, dangerous task, but we need to act now if we are to avoid catastrophe. The group isn't big enough to start a full-scale war yet, but from what the general has told me, this sounds like the makings of a troublesome thorn in our side. I would normally take this job on alone, or with a small battalion, but I trust you far more. It's just going to be me and you. Do you understand?" She opened her eyes again. She looked fierce.

–

Hematite's eyes widened, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

_A war?_

That was the last thing Homeworld needed to deal with right now. Or any time, for that matter. How could anyone even think of bringing on such devastation again? But, more importantly, how could such a large group go unnoticed for so long...?

"I understand, White Diamond. However, I have one question." Hematite cleared his throat. "I am not questioning General Topaz, but how do you know this could lead to a war? How did the general find out about this? If such a large group has gathered, shouldn't it have been noticed before?"

–

White's brows lowered, glancing down at the diamond pad that lay flat on her desk. Turning it on, she flipped through some files.

"I received an anonymous message today that set this in motion. I was suspicious... so I contacted General Topaz to see if she could confirm or deny anything and to see if she had any insight as to what was going on." White paused, selecting something with a single finger from the pad. "General Topaz, as far as I've seen and heard from Yellow over the centuries, is very skilled at keeping her planet in order. Yet, these gems have evaded even her. They have been detected before, but they've only recently become an active threat. It's highly likely it's the same group that I received the aforementioned tip on. Even with Topaz's confirmation, mmm. I wanted to double-check everything, so. I called Yellow to confirm if this truly has been a problem, or if General Topaz was just overreacting, but surely enough, Yellow says that this group has been trouble for quite some time. Neither of us are sure about it actually becoming a war, but we cannot take that chance. If Topaz _and_ Yellow are having trouble, then we've got to do something. Their warriors' methods cannot seem to stop these gems."

–

Peering at the diamond pad, Hematite blinked and frowned. Topaz was having troubles with rebels? All her records showed that she was a skilled and intelligent strategist; if _she_ couldn't handle this... No, if _Yellow_ couldn't handle it...

_Then what kind of faction were they up against here?_

He nodded quietly and turned his attention back up to White.

"What was the message you received?"

–

White glanced back down at the pad, flicking her finger onto a small, diamond insignia. It appeared to be an audio file. The clip started playing. There was no picture or video, and the voice was unfamiliar.

–

The service gem stood at attention, listening carefully. There was a hint of static in the message, and as soon as the voice spoke up, Hematite grimaced in confusion. The gem on the other end was highly distorted, and the pitch of the recording shifted once in a while, making it impossible to identify the voice or to pick up on any vocal quirks.

 _"I don't have much time."_ The gem on the recording sounded hushed and hurried. They listed off some coordinates that sounded vaguely familiar to Hematite. He wondered for a moment if he'd been to them before, on a mission. The voice continued after listing the coordinates. _"There is a faction of ex- Homeworld gems that are planning to rebel against the capital of this planet, and then Homeworld's. That's where their base is. These rebels mean business, there are so many of them, I think they mean to start a full-on uprising, starting with the White District. I cannot help you. If they found out I shared this information, I'd be shattered. But I can warn you of this. Be wary of their scout. They have one in that particular area, but only one. Do not let her escape, should she spot you. I believe she's under direct orders to give the signal to start the uprising, should anyone discover their plans. Please, White Diamond, if you're hearing this, you know what to do. Do not let them get away with this."_ There was a clatter in the background, and muffled, warped voices. _"I have to go."_ _Click._

The static stopped, and the recording ended.

Hematite stared, wide-eyed, at the small device. He couldn't pick out a single feature of the voice that he could recognize, it was so distorted. Sure, the message was clear _enough_ , but it frustrated him that he wasn't able to pick up on any quirks. He didn't think he'd be finding the owner of that voice any time soon.

"I see."

–

White turned the diamond pad off completely, storing it in her gem.

"So, do you see what we're up against? At the very least, it's worth checking out. I'm just going to need your assistance if anything goes awry. Thankfully, there's a galaxy warp on her planet. We can get there in no time," she stated, standing up from her chair. "Are you prepared for anything?"

–

Hematite looked up at her as she stood, and his brows furrowed as he gave her a short, firm nod. There was a new, determined look in his eyes. He squared his shoulders and feet, standing with his chin high.

"Yes, White Diamond." He smiled, saluting her proudly. "They won't know what hit 'em!"

–

White smirked and stepped out from behind her desk. Raising her hand up, she brought it down on Hematite's head, ruffling his hair a little.

"Good. That's what I like to hear. We shall depart immediately. Come, Hema," she said, making her way to the door. _This wasn't going to be easy, but she knew they could do it together._

–

The small service gem looked up in curiosity, his brows raising. Hematite inhaled in surprise as White ruffled his hair, and he smiled brightly, closing his eyes for a moment. As she walked off, he turned, following her eagerly.

"Right behind you." 

_Another mission with White! He couldn't wait. Together, they'd take these traitors down, and nothing could stop them._

**_Whoever you are, watch out. We're coming for you._ **

–

–

White stepped off of the warp pad with Hematite, glancing off to the side. She hadn’t seen this planet for millennia, but had heard many stories from both common gems and Yellow herself about what was being done to it. The outside world seemed to be overrun by nature, yet White could pick out distinct signs of Yellow’s handiwork in what technology did lay here and there. Fascinating. She'd take time to conduct some research in any other situation, but she needed to stay focused for this. There was no time for notes. Turning, she made sure Hematite was following close by.

"Alright Hematite, you should have the coordinates already. Go ahead and enter them in, and we'll be on our way,” she said, staring ahead once more.

–

Huge, mossy, ancient-looking walls surrounded half of the area around the galaxy warp. Just beyond the walls, one could make out the tips of a few buildings, all of them seeming to rise at different heights. Their architecture resembled that of the Pink District, although bits of the structures appeared newer, more advanced. This planet was once a Pink Diamond-controlled colony, but now was under the rule of Yellow Diamond. Many of the buildings had been torn down, leaving enormous ruins along most of the ground outside the city, long since overgrown with wild plant life. But the capital's buildings had been left intact and expanded upon. No use in tearing down those facilities when they could be put to good use.

From the dense foliage and humid air, it was clear that this planet was far more taken by Mother Nature than Homeworld. While one had to search for a place as lush as this on the home planet, this one was completely overgrown with flora. In the distance rose range upon range of mountains, some seemingly capped with snow.

 

 

Stepping off of the warp pad, Hematite looked around. Now that he could see the planet's galaxy warp, he was sure he'd been here on a mission before. He was embarrassed to admit to himself that he hadn't recognized the coordinates, even though he should have. Sometimes he'd get lost in a mission and forget exactly where he was, whether it was the Pink District or another planet entirely.

Looking to White, Hema nodded, his visor chirping to life. Mentally, he entered the numbers from the recording and frowned, concentrating on his map. A small, white diamond insignia appeared over a spanning mountain range. The service gem grimaced slightly.

_Stars, that_ _was a long way to go..._

"It seems we'll be walking for a long while. White?" He looked at her and cocked a brow, giving her the same look he had the last two times he had offered her a ride on his shoulder.

–

White observed the landscape around her. While it was interesting enough, it certainly looked like a hassle to get around. The Home City was far more tidy and well-kept. She turned to Hematite, giving him a nod.

"Seems that way. What do you have to remedy that?" she said with a hint of snark. Crossing her arms, she grinned. She already knew where this was going, and she certainly wasn't going to pass it up.

–

Hematite blinked at White's hint of sarcasm, and he turned his head away slightly with a smirk, though he kept his eyes on her.

"Oh, I don't know. I can't think of any possible way to hurry our trip along."

He stepped away from the warp pad and made his way out of the slightly-enclosed cove. If he was going to do this, he needed space. Stopping outside where the galaxy warp was nestled, Hematite took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his gem glowing brightly. As per the usual, he shifted to his half height, turned around, knelt, and held out his palm for White to climb on, a contented smile on his face.

–

White stepped carefully onto Hematite's hand as she had done a couple of times before.

"Right. You know where we are headed, yes?" she called up, grabbing a hold of one of his fingers. She'd never admit it, but something within her found these little trips on Hematite's shoulder or even in his hands strangely thrilling.

–

Slowly lifting his hand and standing straight, the giant gem nodded curtly.

"Mm. Seems their base is in a mountainous range out there." He nodded toward the horizon before them. "It'll probably be a long while before we get there, even with me at this size." Looking forward, he exhaled sharply through his nose, lifting his hand up close to his chest. He held it close enough to his shoulder that White could climb up if she wanted, or stay in his hand.

–

The Diamond arched a brow, quickly climbing up onto Hema's shoulder and crouching down.

"Well, we'd best be swift then," she said quietly, narrowing her eyes while staring into the mountains. This was going to be a long ride.

–

Hematite blinked and looked forward, the softest hum of disagreement escaping his throat. Swift wasn't exactly his plan. For once, Hematite didn't break into a run, or even a jog. Instead, he walked briskly, his steps even and measured. It was an odd change from the last two times. He seemed more focused, less in a hurry to get to where they were headed.

However, he simply didn't want to use up his energy. He was finally being smart, pacing himself. The last thing he wanted was to be without his size shifting in the middle of a dangerous battle.

The service gem made his way across the countryside, his visor quietly whirring away as he walked toward the location on the map.

–

White was a little confused at first, but soon caught on to what Hematite was doing. _How wise._ With a small grin, she brought out the diamond pad that she stored in her gem before. _Well, since they were going to be a little while, she might as well take what notes she could._ The architecture was an odd mix of new and old, and the wildlife was vast. It had been a long time since she had seen a planet in this sort of condition. She found that it might be valuable to her archives.

–

–

Despite them leaving at nearly the crack of dawn, night had fallen upon the two gems before they arrived, and two moons were high in the sky as Hematite approached the monstrous cliff sides of the mountains. He looked up and frowned deeply, a soft hum in his throat. He didn't like going into enclosed spaces when enemy gems could be lurking at any turn...

"Hmmm. My coordinates say it's somewhere in here, but..." Hematite reached up, scratching the back of his head. "Tch." Putting his anxiety aside, the service gem made his way slowly into a large chasm between two of the cliff sides. This place was eerily similar to the place he and White had gone as Howlite, though there was admittedly a little less signal interference here. His visor wasn't completely on the fritz like it had been with Howlite.

–

White glanced around, curiously eyeing the cliff faces. Looks like there was only really one way to go.

"Don't worry, Hematite. We'll find them; just keep looking. Are you getting much interference?" she asked, looking up to his face. She clutched the fabric over his shoulder gently, peering around.

–

The service gem shook his head just slightly.

"Thankfully, no. It seems this place has lost its strong connection with Pink Diamond, unlike the last location we visited like this, back on Homeworld. The plant life is far less obtrusive to my radar." He looked up and around him as he walked. "It's strange... I thought we'd have seen more gem creatures by now. But, perhaps the base being nearby has chased them off." At this point, Hematite was just trying to make small-talk to ease his nerves. He wasn't used to not running into some sort of gem creature for such a long stretch of time. Surely he should have found something in the long hours he and White had walked. Something just didn't feel right to him.

No sooner had he spoken than his visor chirped, a faint signal blipping onto the screen. There was a faint screech from one of the cliff sides, and along a path that ran among some woody plants, a small, insect-like monster glared down at the two gems. Hematite looked up and frowned.

"Spoke too soon."

–

The Diamond stood up tall on Hematite's shoulder, raising her hand slightly. She was going to pull out a weapon, but she hesitated. She wasn't certain if it was worth messing with right now, and the less noise they made, the better. Turning her head to Hematite, she nodded silently.

"Careful."

–

Hematite glanced at his leader without turning his head, and gave a small nod. He stared up at the creature once more, his brows creasing as he bared his teeth. It was rather small, and wasn't exactly the type of monster that he'd normally mess with if he came across it, since it wasn't large enough to consider a threat... But this creature was acting odd. It wasn't running away. In fact, it was venturing closer, snapping its pincer-like jaws at the giant gem.

What on Homeworld did it think it was doing?

Sighing, Hematite lifted his hand up to his eyes and flicked on his hunting visor. A small target appeared and locked onto the gem.

_Whiirrrr_

_Click_

"Tch. It's just a copy." Hematite's eyes widened as he realized what that implied. "Which means there's a mother nearby."

–

White's eyes narrowed, and she summoned a polearm. She didn't want to cause a scene, but a mother monster was dangerous. Should things get dicey, she didn't want to take any chances of Hematite getting worn down before they got to the base.

"Shall we take care of them, then?" she asked, glaring at the small monster still approaching. "The quicker we get rid of these things, the better."

–

Nodding, Hematite exhaled quickly through his nose and made his way closer to the gem creature. It was far, far above him on the cliffs, and he realized he couldn't reach it.

His gem began to glow.

Slowly, the already-giant gem grew taller, soon reaching his maximum height. Unnerved by this, the insect-like monster screeched and scurried away, trying to make some distance between itself and the harvester. However, Hema was too close. Reaching up, the giant gem effortlessly plucked the creature off the wall and held it close to his visor, scanning it carefully. Snapping its jaws, the monster thrashed around, hissing angrily. The screen made a few sharp clicks and chirps before Hematite finally had a solid read.

"Gem located: Jade copy. Status: Corrupted. Mission Objective: Eliminate." Jade signature now locked into place on his radar, Hematite sharply closed his fist around the creature, poofing it easily.

–

White held onto Hematite's glowing form, watching the world around her seem to shrink. Raising her brows, she realized she'd never been on his shoulder while he was at full height before. It was incredible, albeit momentarily unnerving. She decided not to dwell much on it, after all; he was making sure he was careful with her. Even if she did fall, it wouldn't hurt her. Standing up straight again, she tapped the end of her polearm on Hematite's shoulder gently.

"Any sign of the rest?" she asked, fixated on Hematite's visor.

–

At the light tap, Hematite looked over at her fully, the target on his visor squared in the center of the screen. It wasn't locked on anything in particular at the moment. Hema's eyes, at this distance, could just faintly be made out behind the hunting visor.

"I've got the signal; shouldn't take long if it's nearby." He turned his head to the path in front of him and took a deep breath, pacing forward, silent. His visor whirred away, the target now flickering around the cliff sides and sparse plant life as he hunted for either more copies or the gem mother. He wasn't sure which he'd rather find first...

–

White blinked as he spoke, staring up at the insignia on his visor. At the very least, she could make out his eyes, so it wasn't really as unnerving as it would have been. She'd never been quite this close to his face at this size, either. White kept a steady hold of Hematite's shirt with one hand, crouched low.

"Alright. Keep steady," she said sternly, glancing around for any sign of movement.

–

The giant gem nodded without a word, making his careful way through the system of chasms. To his satisfaction, the Jade signature was slowly getting stronger. If they were lucky, he could take it out quickly and they could continue on their way to finding the rebel base. He didn't want to spend too much time or energy fighting corrupted gems.

–

About twenty minutes passed without incident. The harvester stepped out of the narrow path he'd been on for some time into a large, branching clearing. It seemed this place was a barely-used Kindergarten, as there was a single injector drill and about ten or so holes in the far side of the cliff. Five or so narrow paths branched away from the center clearing, and Hema frowned, looking around. He suddenly froze in place. His visor clicked aggressively. There was a faint screech down one of the smaller chasms, and it was approaching fast.

–

White growled, clutching her polearm in hand. She'd heard it too, just barely. Quietly, she lifted the weapon and took a steady hold, almost as if she were aiming. However, she didn't see anything yet. "Get ready."

–

Hematite nodded, baring his teeth. His visor had caught movement down the chasm. A large, powerful signal was on the move.

A huge, much more monstrous version of the Jade copy from before came crashing out of one of the chasmic paths, scurrying along the wall, its jaws snapping and dripping with acidic green saliva. The liquid dropped to the floor, bits of 'steam' burning away from the drops.

_Right, don't get that on you._

A deep growl rumbled in Hematite's throat, and his hands flashed, his knuckledusters appearing. A distant roll of thunder followed, echoing the giant gem's growling. Clouds were starting to move in.

Despite the dark of the night, Hematite had a full view of the monster before him, and stepped back quickly as it leapt off the wall and scurried toward him, jaws snapping. The service gem delivered a quick blow to the side of the Jade monster's face, earning a loud screech.

–

White couldn't remain steady on his shoulder forever like this, so it was time to move. With an agile leap, White maneuvered herself onto the gem monster's head, driving the end of her spear into the back of its neck. With a blood-curdling cry, it thrashed around violently, spitting acid up in the air in all different directions. White grunted, holding onto its fluffy mane and grabbing her polearm from its neck.

"Sorry Hematite!" She called out, scurrying down its spine. Summoning another pole arm, she spun each in her grasp before aiming and chucking them one by one at the creature’s long, segmented body.

–

Hematite inhaled sharply through his teeth, just BARELY dodging the wild shots of acid that the monster spat out.

"WHITE BE CAREFUL WITH THAT-"

Stumbling back, the giant gem froze, spotting movement near White, on the creature's neck. As his leader made her way down a few segments of the monster's spine, something shot out from the Jade's thick mane of fur, striking White directly in the back, wrapping around her. It was a multi-ended whip.

Before either Hematite or White could react, the weapon snapped back, thrusting the Diamond harshly to the stone floor below, directly in front of the giant, insect-like monster.

–

Yelping in shock, the Diamond went flying into the ground, hitting it with a painful ‘THUD’. She grunted in pain, momentarily dazed. Pushing herself off of the ground, grunting, she stared up wide-eyed at the monster. _What on Homeworld?! _Summoning another polearm, she took a few rapid steps back and pointed the metallic tip at the beast, who roared viciously at her gesture with unwavering, primal rage.

–

The Jade monster quickly snapped its head down, jaws dripping with acidic spit. But then its mane shifted. A gem twice the size of White appeared behind the creature's head, a whip in one set of hands, the monster's fur clutched in her two others. She stood high, proud, with her chin tilted up. A wide, confident grin was painted on her face. Letting out a bellowing laugh, the gem cracked her whip, the monster below her lurching up in response, clacking its huge 'beak' with a loud, piercing screech.

Hematite quickly covered his ears, inhaling through his teeth, grimacing.

More signals suddenly appeared on his radar.

_It was an ambush._

_Stars, not again!_

Over the edges of the cliff sides, more gem monsters suddenly poured in, a few of them being ridden by different rebel gems. The chasm clearing was suddenly filled with a cacophonous mix of screeching and battle cries.

–

White scowled, glaring daggers into the gem who stood upon the gem monster. By the looks of it, they weren't a standard gem. At least, from what she could tell, it had to be a fusion. Growling, the Diamond raced back towards the massive harvester. It wasn't a good idea to stand out in the open.

"Hematite! Quickly! Take out that beast!" she snarled, her eyes locking on the gems flooding over the cliffs. Summoning two more polearms, she rushed into the fray, leaving Hematite to the corrupted Jade.

–

Hematite's visor had gotten a good-enough look to identify the gem on the monster's back. The screen blinked for a moment before a set of stats appeared to the sides.

 

 

Fusion found: Zultanite. Components: Ruby and Amethyst. Status: No gem faults detected. Mission Objective: Harvest.

 

 

Gritting his teeth in a snarl, the giant gem shot forward, ready to deliver a sharp blow to the Jade monster. Zultanite cracked her whip again, and before Hematite could fully close the distance, the corrupted gem creature whipped around, slamming its huge 'tail' into him, knocking him away. Clawed hands met stone, and the harvester skidded to a stop on the rock floor, deep gouges dug into the ground by his claws. Now on all fours, Hematite snarled fiercely at the gem monster, his hackles raised. One of the approaching warriors cackled maniacally, kicking their heel into the reptilian monster they rode down the wall. The creature hissed aggressively as it leapt down, landing on Hematite's back. The warrior raised up their sword to strike the giant gem's neck, but they shrieked in surprise as a massive, clawed hand shot toward them. In an instant, the clawed tips of the giant's hand dug into the gem monster, poofing it effortlessly. His hand wrapped firmly around the rebel.

Hematite clutched the warrior tightly in his fist, his eyes still locked on the Jade monster that was now fast approaching him. Without missing a beat, the harvester snarled down at the warrior in his fist, opened his mouth, and shoved them in quickly, his teeth snapping shut behind them. The rebel shouted in panicked surprise and turned around to try and escape, but it was too late. Hematite quickly tilted his head back, his gem glowing. Swallowing thickly, he tapped his gemstone before dropping his head, glaring daggers at the monster before him.

–

Shouting with vigor, the riders approached quickly on their monsters, weapons drawn. White huffed, standing tall. Relying on gem monsters get around? That wasn't very bright. As they'd gotten closer, White lunged forward and kicked one of the warriors in the head, knocking the wind out of them. They fell ungracefully off of the creature, leaving the beast to screech and thrash about aimlessly. Swiping her polearm through it, it was quickly poofed. She glared down at the first warrior who scrambled to their feet, clutching their weapon tightly in hand. White spun her pole arm around, not taking her eyes off of them. Slowly, she turned the spinning pole arm towards them, brows furrowed. White's gaze met the warrior's, piercing through them coldly... but there was something else there. Something strange.

The blade on the end of the weapon started to glow brightly, creating a glowing trail in its wake. She walked forward towards the warrior, who surprisingly didn't move. The warrior stared wide eyed, jaw agape as they watched the Diamond approach them. They were transfixed not only by White's gaze, but the terrific display of her weapon. They were frozen in place, unable to move.

 

 

 ** _CLANG_**!

 

 

Their weapon dropped to the ground and, within seconds, White sharply thrust the weapon into the warrior, sticking it straight through them. They were immediately forced to retreat back into their gem. Retracting her weapon, she clacked the spear tip on the ground, staring forward at the other three gems who were now close by. That little trick didn't go unnoticed.

–

At this point, Hematite was grappling directly with the Jade monster, vicious snarls and cries of anger echoing around the chasmic clearing. He snapped his hands around the creature's jaws, holding them shut. The acidic spit soaked onto his hands, earning a hiss of pain from the giant gem, but he forced himself to ignore it. With a snarl, he grabbed the creature's neck, snapping it with ease. The Jade monster poofed into a huge cloud of greenish smoke, its oval-shaped gem falling to the floor, along with Zultanite.

Hematite was hissing through his teeth, holding his hands close to him, grimacing. Stars, that stung! He glared daggers at the fusion gem on the ground, lashing his hand out to bubble the Jade that laid on the floor. He quickly tossed it into his mouth and swallowed, the gem easily being stored away.

Zultanite bared her teeth at the giant gem before her, lashing two multi-ended whips out of her gemstones. The ends, however, were now alight with a bright red aura.

–

The trio of warriors advancing on White quickly stood up on the backs of their monsters, and from the looks of it, their weapons were ranged. Two had bows, and one had what looked to be a throwing glaive. White wasted no time in pulling out a second polearm, walking ominously slowly towards them. She had a fearless look on her face as she easily sized up the group. One of them hesitated, their bow twitching in their hand. Seems they didn't do well with intimidation. White plunged a polearm into the ground between her and the three warriors, much to their confusion. She couldn't have missed that easily

Unfortunately for them, it had been on purpose. During their confusion, White skirted to the side and threw the other polearm, catching one of the gem monsters in the side. It screeched out in pain, exploding into dust. The warrior that was once riding it stumbled over, and grabbed White's polearm Shakily, they stood up, holding her own polearm towards her. White stared blankly at them, and laughed.

 

 

"You shouldn't have done that," she said darkly, flicking her wrist. The warrior was suddenly blinded as White's spear exploded into unnaturally-bright rays of light, the dust catching in their eyes. They scrambled back, frantically rubbing their face to try and get the Diamond's light trap out of their eyes. Before they could manage, however, White was upon them, kicking them straight into another one of the warriors and knocking them off. The monster decided it didn't want to be there and high-tailed it in the other direction.

–

Zultanite laughed boldly at the enormous gem before her and lashed her whip out at his wrist, grabbing onto it easily. Hematite would have caught the movement, had he not been distracted by the searing pain in his hands, and he yelped as the sharp ends of the weapon dug into his skin. He glared at his arm, staring at the tiny, spiked balls at the end of the whip.

_A cry of agony suddenly tore through the chasm._

Hematite's entire form was suddenly alight with a bright red energy. The harvester suddenly crumpled to the ground, the side of his face painfully meeting the uneven rock floor. It felt as though his entire body was on fire, despite there being no flames around him. His entire body was involuntarily tensed, unable to do anything.

Zultanite approached him.

One of the fusion's four arms casually pulled out a large, very spiky flail-like weapon. The same red aura began to glow around it. Zultanite gave an eerie chuckle, her eyes wide. She opened her mouth, sneering at the huge gem before her. When she spoke, her voice was low, raspy, and had an unnatural hiss to it.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall~ You'll make a great trophy."

She took another step toward Hematite's exposed neck.

–

White made quick work of the two gems that had slammed into each other, bubbling their gems away. Now, it was just the one with the throwing glaive. They were aiming, ready to attack, when something from behind made them flinch. White, too, couldn't ignore it. She turned her head sharply, eyes widening to see that Hematite was suddenly in a lot of trouble. Clenching her fists, the Diamond completely ignored the gem she was fighting before. Before the warrior could take advantage of her distraction, however, she was already off and running towards the others. They scowled, following soon after her.

 

 

_SHINK!!_

 

 

A huge polearm sank into the ground mere feet between both Hematite and Zultanite. With a fierce growl of fury, White was quick to summon another weapon. Her eyes were wide with rage, and she quickly closed in on the fusion.

–

Zultanite's eyes widened. _Damn, she'd forgotten about White!_ Snarling in fury, the fusion leapt back, closer to Hematite's face, her whip still firmly in her grasp, the line drawn tight. The huge gem's lip curled into a snarl, but he could do nothing. A vicious growl rumbled in his chest as he glared daggers into the fusion mere feet away from his face.

–

White summoned another polearm, dragging the bladed edge across the ground as she ran, creating a small trail of sparks. Her eyes narrowed. There. The whip. In one graceful, alarmingly fast motion, she'd split her polearm in two, another bladed edge appearing on the other half. They were small, but that was all she needed. Quickly, she jutted one towards Zultanite, the weapon whizzing inches past her shoulder. In her distraction, White was able to get close and swipe the other polearm across the weapon, a loud snap resounding soon after. As she did so, she glared up at the fusion and darted back a few feet. She smirked.

–

 

 

_snap_

 

 

Zultanite snarled in frustration as her weapon snapped, and she very nearly hit herself in the face with the hilt as her hand was sent flying back towards her. She stumbled a single step back, viciously glaring at the Diamond before her.

But she suddenly noticed that Hematite's body wasn't glowing anymore.

She glanced to the side without moving her head.

_Oh, sh-_

 

 

**S N A P**

 

 

Face mere feet away from the ground, Hematite crouched, his breathing heavy. A cloud of tannish smoke and sparkles began to dissipate from around his bared teeth. Two barely-audible 'tinks' sounded from behind the harvester's closed teeth. Hematite snarled, lifting his head slightly. He tilted his chin up, swallowing quietly, his gemstone giving a flash.

Hema lifted his face to the final warrior that stood nearby, his teeth glinting in the low light his visor gave off. The screen made an eerie, high-pitched electrical whining sound.

–

White followed Hematite's gaze, unwavered and staring at the final warrior. White sighed, brushing her hand through her hair.

"Well now, glad that's taken care of."

The warrior, frozen in terror, stared back. A monstrous gem and a Diamond against them? After taking out their entire group? _No thanks._ They stepped quietly off of their monster, dropping their glaive onto the ground. The monster hissed, scurrying away without a second thought. Trembling, the blueish gem slowly held up their hands, surrendering.

–

Slowly, Hematite's form began to relax. _Well, at least this one was smart enough to know when they were beat._ Glancing at White, the huge gem sat up, albeit a bit painfully, and stared down at the final warrior, his visor the only visible part of his face. He reached down, his clawed hand hovering over the gem before he picked them up by the back of their shirt. Lifting them to his face, Hematite frowned and began to scan. The visor beeped, the target changing into the gem's own personalized insignia, and Hematite cleared his throat.

"Gem Captured: Sodalite. Status: No gem faults detected. Mission Objective: Collect and Harvest." The harvester paused, his voice draining of all emotion. "Sodalite, you have been found guilty of conspiring with criminals against the will of the Diamond Authority, and you will be detained and brought to justice. Your gem will be undamaged, should you cooperate."

-

The warrior swallowed nervously, nodding.

"Are you uh... gonna carry me back or somethin?" he asked awkwardly, with a vaguely hopeful grin.

White, standing below, cleared away what weapons were still lying around and scanned the area for any stray gemstones that needed to be bubbled.

–

Arching a brow, Hematite exhaled quietly through his nose. His visor clicked.

"Not exactly." 

 

_Vwip !_

A shining, silvery bubble appeared around the warrior, completely encasing them. Hema held up the bubble with three clawed fingers, balancing it on the tips of them. He brought the bubble closer to his mouth.

–

At first, Sodalite was confused. He placed his hands on the bubble, looking up at it...but regretted looking back behind him. Gasping, hescrambled back into the far wall of the bubble.

"H-Hey what are you doing?!" he cried out in a mild panic. He'd seen what the harvester had done to his leader, and he wanted nothing to do with it.

–

Hematite ignored the warrior's outburst and placed the bubble in his mouth, pushing it back with a single clawed finger. Thankfully, at his current size, the warrior was no problem. The harvester didn't waste any time, and soon tilted his head back, a finger placed to his gem as it began to glow. He swallowed thickly, tapping the silvery gray stone on his neck. The light quickly faded, and the giant gem dropped his head back down with a soft sigh. Looking down, he spotted White Diamond standing not too far off.

"...Well, that could have gone worse."

–

White had just finished bubbling the last of the stray gems and was now standing tall, brushing off her arms.

"Yes, indeed. You should probably consider shifting down a bit, though... I don't want you tiring out too badly," she said, turning around. "Besides, I'm fairly sure we're close now. That couldn't have been all of them." She said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Sure, that’d been a fair number, but that couldn’t possibly have been the ‘war worthy’ group they were looking for, unless this rebellion was just full of hot air. White wasn’t sure she wanted to take the chance on them being cocky rather than legitimately dangerous.

–

"Right, right." Hematite nodded quietly and sighed, closing his eyes. Soon enough, he shrank down to about his half height, and he crouched low, his hands on his knees. "Are you alright?" He looked her over. She didn't seem to be harmed in any way, thank the stars. "Thanks for saving me back there."

–

White spared Hematite a small smile, taking a few steps towards him.

"Yes, I'm alright, Hematite. Do not fret," she said, placing a hand on her hip. She paused, deep in thought. They had to be close, if there was an ambush set up here. Turning her head back to the service gem, she gave him a curious look. "You can pick me back up and we can continue, if you feel you're able."

–

The giant gem took to rubbing his hands, quietly inhaling through his teeth. _Stars, that_ _was a dumb move he made earlier._ Hematite shook out his hands and glanced up at White.

"Maybe we should wait a little while. I don't think we're in any immediate danger now, and... well. That fusion did a number on me." He looked at his hands again, clenching and unclenching his fists with a grimace. "I need to let these recover. I might need them later."

–

White nodded, turning back to the chasms.

"Very well, that's understandable," she said, glancing around the cliff faces. It seemed like this place was cleared out, from what she could see. Still, it was so dark, it was hard to make out the horizon.

–

Hematite, however, could see things just fine with his visor on. He did a quick scan of the area. No gem signatures.

"It's clean; we're safe for now." _I think._ Grunting, Hematite slumped against one of the cliff faces, still fussing over his hands. The acid ate through the ends of his sleeves that covered his palms. He idly wondered how long the pain would last. He hoped it wouldn’t be long; they still needed to find the base.

–

White took a seat on the ground as soon as she heard from Hematite that it was safe. Closing her eyes, White took a deep breath, relaxing. She appeared to be meditating, her hands clasped in front of her. All went silent, aside from the thunder rolling over the horizon.

–

-

About an hour passed. Hematite hadn't said another word, and the only sound that came from him was the occasional clenching of his fists. But as the night ticked on, something started to nag at the back of his mind. He tried to overlook it, but as the minutes passed, he found it increasingly difficult to ignore.

"...White?" he said softly, looking over at his leader. "If those gem monsters were obeying those rebels... do you think-" He paused for a moment. Last time he'd brought up corrupted monsters, White had acted strange. But he had to know her thoughts on this. "Do you think corrupted gems have some sort of... I don't know. Do you think they're still aware? After they turn into monsters?"

–

White opened her eyes as the silence was broken. She felt her breath catch in her throat. He wanted to talk about that again? Sighing, she resigned herself to the fact that she wasn’t going to be able to avoid Hema’s question this time. She couldn’t dodge it forever. There was a long pause between Hematite's question and her response.

"I doubt it. Gem monsters are primitive beasts. Beasts can sometimes be tamed. The gems they used to be are mentally torn apart, no longer resembling their old selves. Perhaps their instincts are what drive them to behave when a gem captures them. They might have some basic awareness, but..." She paused, shrugging her shoulders. "I just don't know how they think. I've studied gem creatures on occasion, but they're mysterious and highly variable. Some are more docile than others, while some will shatter you as soon as they see you. There's a lot we don't know about them... So to answer your question, I'm truly unsure. I'm sorry."

–

_Primitive beasts._

 

 

_Vermin. Filthy. Beastly. Stupid._

 

He'd heard it all before.

He just wanted some sort of hope that maybe, just maybe, he'd be okay. That whenever he did... finally fall to his fatal flaw, that perhaps things wouldn't be so bad. But no matter where he looked, he found no comfort.

_Not even in his leader._

Hematite clenched his fists quietly, the fabric over his palms bunching up between his fingers.

"... Right. It's fine. Nevermind, I'm sorry I asked." He looked away with a soft sigh, going silent. _Right._ _He wasn't going to bring that up anymore. It never ended with answers. None that he wanted, anyways._

–

White could sense a tone of pain in his voice. _It wasn't fine, and she knew it._

Furrowing her brows, she looked down at her hands, which she clasped together. She didn't like thinking about it anymore than Hema did, and she was glad for the silence that fell between them.

–

–

The night ticked on. Thunder and storm clouds were still rolling over the chasms, blocking out any of the light from the two moons that were just starting to set in the sky. Hematite was leaned up against the wall still, his head slightly tilted, his eyes closed. His mouth was slightly ajar, as it normally was when he slept, and his visor was no longer on his face. He had, however, kept his eyepiece on, and set it to scan for gem signatures every five minutes.

_Chirp!_

With a start, Hematite opened his eyes, sitting up groggily. He looked around. There was a new signature on his radar. Baring his teeth, the giant gem flicked his hunting visor back on and looked around. Across the way, in the pitch black shadows of one of the chasmic paths, Hematite saw the tiniest flicker of movement- a flicker that would have been invisible to the naked eye.

"White, someone's here."

–

Without more than a moment to snap out of her meditative state, White took a stand, stretching her arms and holding out her fists quickly beside her. Glancing around, she quickly realized she didn't see anything. Nonetheless, she trusted his judgment. After all, he was trained for this kind of stuff. Without a word, she took a few side steps towards him. Once she was close enough, she looked up at the gem with a fierce scowl.

"Looks like it's time to go, then."

–

Whoever it was, they were retreating quickly. Hematite growled and knelt down, putting his palm out for White.

"C'mon, they're headed that way!"

As soon as she'd climbed up, Hematite rushed toward the narrow path, quickly squeezing in. His shoulders occasionally brushed the sides of the cliffs, but he was too focused on his target to mind. Whoever it was, they were fast, and they were putting a worrying amount of distance between themselves and their pursuer.

–

White glared down, able to catch small glimpses of the moving gem. Not enough to make any details out, but she knew they were a gem and not a monster.

"Quickly, Hematite!" White shouted, baring her teeth. She crouched low on his shoulder, grasping the fabric to avoid falling off. The occasional brush with the cliff faces startled her, but she managed to keep hold.

–

Baring his teeth, the giant gem nodded and urged himself faster along the rocky path. The three gems wound through the chasms, turn after turn. Hematite could never get more than a quick glimpse of his target, which frustrated him. How was he supposed to identify them if he couldn't see them? As he rounded a corner, the giant gem glanced at his leader.

"Do you think that's the scout the recording mentioned?" he asked curtly, still chasing after the dark figure.

–

White kept steady, remaining low.

"It's possible, yes. It'd be safer to assume, since we're so close to the base. We need to catch them!" she said in a stern manner. They hadn't appeared to have sounded the alarm yet, so they still had a chance to divert a possible catastrophe.

–

Nodding, Hematite raced around another corner, only to stop dead in his tracks. A flash of lightning flickered overhead, followed by an ear-splitting clap of thunder. The giant gem stood in front of an absolutely massive cave entrance, its dark, craggy walls an inky black blot on the side of the cliff. It looked to be about two hundred or so feet tall, over twice Hematite's height.

"... This must be it."

Slowly, the service gem made his way inside, looking around, his visor lighting the dark cave walls dimly. Hematite frowned as the floor began to slope gently downwards. He glanced at his visor radar. Yup, the gem's signature was still strong, they were down here somewhere. Though, he feared that he'd lose it if they got too much deeper into these dense caverns.

–

White eyed the cavern with suspicion. _Odd; this seemed a little obvious._ Still, it was dark, and deep within the chasms. Perhaps they didn't need to be too well hidden. Or maybe there was something more to these caves. _Only one way to find out!_

"Let's go." White summoned a polearm, spinning it three times. The metallic blade started to glow, and she waved around the weapon as a bright light appeared at its end. She motioned it around like a torch, using it as a mildly effective light source. Well, at least she wasn't completely blind now. "Hm..." she hummed, narrowing her eyes. "Be careful in here."

–

Glancing at White's weapon, Hematite raised a brow. _Huh, he didn't know she could do that._ He nodded and turned to the task at hand, heading further into the caves.

However, the deeper he went, the more a chill started to crawl up his spine. The signature on his radar was starting to look familiar. He couldn't place it... he was sure it was a gem type he'd harvested before. It bore a semblance to a gem monster's stats. But he couldn't place which one off the top of his head.

Hematite looked around nervously. The caves were getting narrower. He realized with a cold, unsettling pang that this would be the perfect place for another ambush.

"I don't like this... White. Maybe you should..." He looked to his leader, biting his lip nervously. His eyes were impossible to make out at the moment. "Maybe you should stay here. If they're planning an attack or something, it'd be better if one of us stayed behind. We can't both be ambushed again, not in such closed spaces."

–

White's expression twitched, but before she protested, she took his suggestion into thought. Maybe he was right. She didn't like the thought of leaving him alone, but if he was nervous, perhaps it would ease his mind. She could handle herself, after all, for the most part.

"Alright, if you're sure about this. If I run into trouble, I'll run and try to find you and call you on your communicator. I can take on a few rebels by myself, but if I get overwhelmed, I'm going to need your assistance," she said, giving him a nod. "If you need my help, give me a ring on your communicator."

–

Hematite turned to his leader and nodded, carefully letting her down off his shoulder.

"I will. I'll keep my eyes open." Setting her down, he stood straight and turned to the tunnel he was headed down. "I'll be right back." With that, he continued down into the caves, soon too far into the shadows to see. Eventually, even his footsteps faded.

A roll of thunder shook the caverns, echoing against the rock walls.

–

As Hematite made his departure, White took the opportunity to look around her. It was dark, the air was stiflingly stale, and every surface in the caves was damp and cold. Holding up her polearm, she illuminated a small bit of the cavern near her. Seeing nothing of interest here, she headed down a different path than Hema. Her footsteps were quiet and steady, and she kept her eyes peeled. Within the cavern, there were a few forks in the paths. Grunting, White tapped the end of her polearm on the wall. There was a long, drawn-out, yet quiet, echo. Seemed this path went pretty far. She did the same on the left wall, and the echo died out rather quickly. Seemed the right path went on for some time. _Might as well check this out._

She headed down the path to see if she could find any signs of the scout, or the rebels for that matter. She kept her guard up in case she was spotted. Part of her thought about changing into her stealth outfit, but a blinding flash of light would be incredibly conspicuous. _Then again... she wasn't being the most stealthy right now._ Looking to her polearm, she dimmed the light just a tad, and made her way through the hall. She was bound to find something  eventually, she just had to keep going.

–

_Down, down, down. How far did this path go?_

Frowning deeply, Hematite ran his hand along the wall. It was cold and damp to the touch, though he'd be lying if he said it wasn't a slight relief to his seared palms. They certainly felt better, but they hadn't fully recovered. Taking his hands away from the rock, Hematite clicked his tongue, continuing to move forward. _That scout had to be down here, somewhere..._

_Minutes ticked by. No sign of the gem._

Until finally, Hematite spotted movement. The hunter's eyes widened, and he lowered himself closer to the ground. However, that proved rather useless, as the small gem darted away, having seen him. Hissing through his teeth, Hema shot forward, his feet slipping slightly on the damp ground of the tunnel.

Another crash of thunder echoed loudly through the caves, making the walls and floor tremble.

Hematite grit his teeth and skidded around a huge stalagmite, peering around it. _He could have sworn..._

Another dart of movement caught his eye.  


_Dammit, how fast WAS this thing?!_

His breathing picked up, and his stalking grew more aggressive as he skidded down the path. Hematite was soon stumbling through the cave, partially on all fours, chasing after the tiny, elusive gem. They outwitted him at every turn. Every dip, every nook and cranny became a new escape for them.

_Until Hematite had had enough._

With a stifled grunt of frustration, Hematite bolted forward with all his speed and skidded around a corner, his hand shooting out to a smaller branching path he'd seen the gem go down.

And then he felt something struggling in his palm.

Eyes widening, Hematite smirked triumphantly, slowly sitting up as he brought his hand close to his face.

 _Stars... this one was **small**._ Not quite as small as Sphalerite, of course, but for a non-micro gem...

Slowly, the huge harvester opened up his palm and pinched the gem's shirt between his fingers, holding them up. He stared at her, unblinking, pursing his lips.

 

"You were far more trouble than you should have been."

 

The gem was _minuscule_ for a non-micro. She was definitely smaller than Rubes, and had an  Axinite's skinny build. She couldn't have been more than two or so feet tall. She hardly weighed anything, and her desperate kicks and flails didn't make Hematite so much as flinch. A blue diamond insignia rested on the side of her shirt, much like where Rubes' laid, and she wore a sleeveless one-piece outfit with sharp little shoes. Her hair was swept back in a rather odd fashion, with a tuft of bangs in the front. Smaller tufts rested at the sides of her face, much like Yellow Diamond's hair. A small, rectangular teal-green gemstone was settled on her shoulder, and gleamed brightly in the light of Hematite's visor.

Hema arched a brow. _Ah, an Emerald._ He'd caught one not too long ago, on his first mission with White.  Though that one had been corrupted. It was no wonder he recognized the signature. _So this was what they looked like normally?_

Standing tall, Hematite held the tiny gem in front of him. His visor began its full scan.

Another crash of thunder shook the cavern.

_Whirrrrrr_

The green-haired gem stopped struggling. She looked up, eyes wide, staring with terror into the huge screen before her.

And then she took a deep breath.

**_Cli_ ** **_-_ **

 

 

**SCCCCCCCREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!**

 

 

Crying out in shock and pain, Hematite instantly covered his ears, trying to shield them from the sudden blood-curdling, super-sonic screech that seemed to pierce to his very core. His head felt like it'd split in two; his vision faded. The hunter's visor glitched out, making a horrific, static-y buzzing noise.

 

 

**Hematite blacked out.**

 

 

The screeching raced through the rest of the cave system, but the volume didn't fade. No, the sound seemed to echo just as loudly from every single direction, throughout all the tunnels. It shook the walls, the floors, a few rocks cracked.

And then the sound reached White's location, stabbing through the air in an instant.

–

White found herself in what looked to be the mouth of a massive cavern. Finally, she'd found some kind of room. But there was no time to celebrate.

Her polearm clattering to the floor, White grasped the side of her head and stifled a pained yell, the ear-splitting scream echoing through the caves as if it were being shouted an inch from her head _. Stars, what WAS that?!_ Her eyes shot open wide. _That had to be the signal, the scream that they'd been trying to avoid!_ White quickly grabbed her polearm and ran forward into the dark cave, looking for any sign of where the scream was coming from. It sounded like the scout was nearby, but it could have just been carried by the caves. _Was it ever going to stop?!_ The Diamond began to get nervous, sweat forming on her brow. Her head was spinning from the sheer volume. Whoever was screaming _was not stopping._ She suddenly wondered if she should call for Hematite. Perhaps he had found the scout? Or worse, the scout had found _him_.

 

 

Grunting quietly, she waved her polearm off to the side, illuminating some of the damp rocks. It was just too dark in here. With little choice, she made the light on the end of her weapon brighter, just enough to light the way a few good feet ahead. It seemed as though she were alone here, but it was hard to tell with all the disorienting noise. She had to keep moving, if she could. Her steps were uneven and sluggish, and every few moments, she found herself covering the sides of her head to block out the horrific, head-splitting sound. Soon enough, her steps stopped entirely, and her eyes screwed tightly shut, her teeth gritting together in pain. Her hands shaking, vision blurring in and out, White let her polearm slip from her grasp. It clattered to the floor, and the Diamond was left clutching her head in searing, head-pounding pain.

–

Another roar of thunder rumbled outside. It rolled through the caves for a solid five seconds, making the rock walls tremble.

…

…...

…

_Footsteps._

 

 

_Rapid footsteps._

 

 

There were footsteps headed straight for White Diamond's location. But through the continued screeching, and the sudden roll of thunder, the sound was completely masked. They stopped behind White. There was a deadly pause. They stood three times White's size, with two gems across their back, one on their stomach, one round one on their forehead, and another rectangular one on their leg. Two of the gems appeared to be a Bismuth and an Emerald, but the other three were hard to see through the fusion’s long, silky hair that swept over their forehead and draped over their back. Three pairs of glowing eyes adorned their furious face, slit pupils locked onto the Diamond in front of them. The screeching continued to pierce through the air. Thunder shook the caves.

 

 

The gem behind White raised a broad, massive war hammer, reeling it over their shoulder.

 

 

 

**S M A S H!**

 

 

 

 

 

**_CRICK!_ **

 

 

 

 

Eyes cold, suddenly void of emotion, the hammer-wielding gem lifted its weapon. They crouched down, eyes narrowing. Before they widened again, a gasp of horror escaping them.

**_"Oh, stars."_ **

 

The voice came out as many, all mixed into a panicked amalgamation. Stepping back, the fusion fizzled their massive weapon away. They stared at the crater in the ground, and the contents in the center of it, hesitating- before they turned tail and bolted from the tunnel, heading straight for the exit of the caves.

–

 

_"Ugh..."_

 

Head ringing painfully, Hematite finally managed to crack an eye open. He was crouched on the floor, on his knees, his clawed hand loosely trying to cover the sides of his head. _What happened... Everything had gone dark... where was..._

 

The giant gem suddenly realized the screeching hadn't stopped. Head pounding, Hematite yelled out sharply in pain as his senses came back, the Emerald's unholy screeching piercing back through to his core.

 

 

_"STOP, STOP **STOP** ** STOP!"** _

 

_VWIP!_

 

The screaming ended abruptly.

Chest heaving, eyes squinted in pain, the giant gem clutched the tiny, silvery bubble in his hand, leaning over and resting his forehead on the cold cave floor.

"Oh, thank the stars... Ugh..." Hematite felt the faintest bit of nausea in the pit of his stomach, but he swallowed, forcing it back down. The pain was finally subsiding... His ears were still ringing, but he could finally feel his senses returning to normal.

Taking a deep breath, the harvester finally pulled his face away from the stone floor and stood shakily. He held the tiny bubble up in front of his face, glaring daggers into the tiny Emerald inside. She'd placed her hands on the inside of the bubble, pushing against it as hard as she could. Hematite sneered.

"We'll let White decide what to do with you."

He had no clue if that scream had been the signal. If it was, he'd need to have her out, to interrogate her.

The giant gem mentally willed his visor to call White's communicator.

No response.

"..."

Walking up the path, Hematite retraced his steps and looked around, scanning for White's gem signature. Something didn't feel right.

–

Winding down the seemingly-endless tunnel, Hematite finally found himself in the part of the caves that he'd left White in. There was a crack of thunder. Flinching, the giant gem looked around.

"White?" 

He turned, scanning the area.

"...White Diamond?" 

_No, this isn't right... where is she?_

His hunting visor was picking up a signal, but it wasn't nearby. It seemed to be deeper in the caves, down a different path than the one he'd taken. He walked down it quickly. His breathing was starting to quicken, a tight knot of dread making itself known in his stomach.

"White?  White!"

He scanned again. Her signal wasn't moving.

"WHITE!" 

He called shakily into the caves, his voice echoing off the stone walls. His hands began to tremble.

_Where is she, why isn't she answering, something happened, White oh stars where are you, what's going on, ANSWER ME!_

The service gem finally skidded to a halt at the end of the tunnel, finding himself in an enormous room. He looked around frantically. Her signal was strongest here.

"WHITE, ARE YOU IN H-"

 

 

His visor caught sight of something.

 

 

Laying on the ground was a tiny, pale, crystalline object in the center of a large divet in the stone.

 

 

_Ckkkk_

Hematite's hunting visor gave an unsettling buzzing sound before it came online.

It scanned the gemstone.

Hematite's eyes widened in horror, and he let out a strangled noise of distress as a hand flew up to his mouth, covering it entirely. His fingers dug into his skin. His breathing became uneven, and he took a trembling step backwards.

 

 

Gem found : White Diamond

Status: G E M C R A C K S D E T E C T E D

 

 

An inhuman sounding whimper escaped Hematite's throat as he stared at the bright red words on his visor screen. He shook his head, and the visor dimmed, turning off. He couldn't look at the words right now. When he spoke, his voice was strangled, cracked, and high pitched.

"No, no no NO NO NO! OH, STARS, NO." Hot tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, the nausea from before rising in his throat, making him dizzy. The giant gem clutched his bangs in his free hand, looking around, choked sounds of distress escaping him. "O-oh stars w-what do I do, oh, White, h-how could this-!" Snapping his attention to the tiny bubble in his hand, Hematite suddenly snarled, the sound coming out far more beastly than it normally would. The tiny gem screeched in terror, though the sound was muffled, and plastered herself back against the wall of her 'prison'. Her chest heaved, and she stared up at the furious gem with eyes as wide as saucers. She couldn't make out what he'd seen in the darkness that had set him off. She looked terrified and confused. "YOU. THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" His voice's pitch faltered unevenly. "IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU-!"

He paused. He had more than half a mind to shatter her. In fact, he would have liked _nothing_ more right now.

But no, he just wanted her out of the way right now. He couldn't even _look_ at her. He'd deal with her later.

Furiously, the giant gem shoved the tiny bubble in his mouth and swallowed quickly, tapping his gem in a rushed manner. His breathing hitched, his shoulders tense. As soon as he was alone, his fury vanished, replaced only with horror and anxiety.

 

 

_White, no, this couldn't be real, this can't be real, you're a Diamond, YOU'RE A DIAMOND!_

 

 

Hematite's hands shook uncontrollably, and clutched at the front of his suit, over his chest. His clawed fingers skittered on the fabric before clutching at it tightly, one of his hands scrunching up the diamond insignia on the front of his clothes.

"I let this happen- oh stars, I was supposed to be guarding you!" He finally drew his eyes back to the tiny gem on the ground, and he felt his stomach lurch. He turned away again, gripping his head, eyes wide. His fingers dug painfully into his scalp, and a choked whimper cracked from his chest.

"W-we can fix it! Hah, ahahah! We can fix it; it'll be okay! Nothing's unfixable!"

The giant gem grinned unnervingly, though his expression was one of barely-restrained panic and guilt. He quickly made his way over to White's gem, reaching down for it. But he hesitated, his hand shaking uncontrollably above the gemstone.

He was afraid that if he touched it with his bare hands, he'd shatter her.

There was a long, agonizing pause.

 

_... Vwip!_

 

Lifting the bubble up to his face, Hematite stared in horror. There was a single, deep crack along the upper-horizontal middle of White's gemstone. She was lucky she wasn't dead.

Shaking violently, the giant gem forced an unnerving grin and held the bubble close, turning and heading out of the cave. His eyes were wide, and held a panicked, thousand-yard stare.

_It's okay, you're okay, you're gonna be okay, everything is fine, you're going to be fine!_

An off-sounding laugh escaped the gem.

"It's okay, White, we'll get you back to Homeworld, and Y-Yellow or someone will fix you up, e-everything's-" His voice was suddenly broken by a shuddering sob. Tears began to stream down his face, past the bottom of his visor. "E-everything's gonna be okay! I've got your back! I-I-"

 

 

 

 

**_… I failed you._ **

 

 

–

–

_What..._

 

 

_What happened..._

 

 

_Where am I..._

 

 

White's eyes slowly opened, staring up at darkness. Her entire body felt like it weighed as much as a ship. Worse yet, every fiber of her being was exploding in pain. Twitching a brow, White tried to move herself. She started with her hands, twitching her fingers and clenching them into fists. Then she finally moved her arms.

 

"Ugh...."

 

Slowly but painfully, the Diamond sat up, placing her hands against the side of her head. The horrible screeching had stopped, finally. Her vision was blurry, and it felt like someone had knocked her out. She couldn't entirely remember what had happened, but it felt like she had been struck with something.

Gasping quietly, she suddenly remembered where she was. _Right, Hematite! I have to find him!_

Shuddering, she weakly stood up and stumbled forward, grabbing onto her shoulder. As she regained her focus, she took a deep breath and started forward. She didn't get far. Stopping immediately, the Diamond's eyes grew wide upon realization that she was not where she was before. These weren't the caves.

The room she found herself in was dark, but as she gained her consciousness, she realized she was in a massive room with shelves upon shelves of archives and books. It was like a massive library with towering aisles. Quickly, she placed her hand over her mouth, anxiety spiking through her.

She was in her pocket dimension... But something was off.

Something was terribly off.

The room she stood within was familiar to her, sure, but it wasn't warmly-lit like it usually was. It was unkempt, messy, and the more she looked around the more she noticed was out of the ordinary.

"What happened here?..." she whispered to herself, grabbing one of the books casually off the shelf. Turning it over, she gasped in horror, dropping the book. "What the?..." She looked to the shelves and placed her hand on another row, thumbing through many different books. Upon closer observation, the titles and words of the books were all scrambled and order-less. Worse yet, it seemed as though they were scattered around in a glitching pattern. An unnerved grimace crossed White’s face. She dared to keep looking around.

 

White continued down the dark, dreary, and messy aisles of the massive library. The further she walked, the more she felt an eerie sense of dread overcome her. She felt as though fire-hot needles were pricking into every inch of her skin. Her head was pounding. Grabbing one of the diamond pads that rested on the shelf, she looked around to the other aisles before turning it on.

Her eyes widened again, and she stopped in her tracks. Instead of turning on, the diamond pad played static. That wasn't supposed to happen; these things didn't just stop working like that. She heard a noise behind her.

Turning her head, she spotted an active diamond pad on the shelf behind her. It, too, was playing static. She heard more clicking noises. Then another. Then another. The static noise became louder and louder until it was all she could hear. She started to breathe heavily, panic rising. What was going on?! She threw the diamond pad in frustration, turning on her heel and bolting down one of the aisles. The static sounded like it was all around her- loud and inescapable She skidded to a halt as she exited an aisle, finding herself in the center of a rotunda where the edges of many different bookshelves met. The Diamond fell to her knees and clutched the side of her head, eyes screwed shut.

Her breathing grew heavy and erratic, and the pain refused to go away. At least the static was starting to die down a little. It was still there, but it wasn't as overbearing. Opening her eyes with a shuddering breath, she stared up at the ceiling. There was a glass roof that hung above her, which normally sported a warmly-lit sky. Now, all that could be seen was a pitch, inky blackness. That... and some form above the glass... something that was slowly phasing into view. She squinted, rubbing her eyes. Was she seeing things now? When she looked up again, the glass roof was once more blanketed in darkness.Whatever it was, it wasn't there anymore.

Sighing heavily, she looked around the rotunda. At least she had a general idea of where she was in this place now. This area marked the center of the library. It was easy to get lost in the aisles, especially if it was dark on top of everything else. She was glad to be somewhere familiar, at least.

White sat in the center of the room for what seemed like hours. She wasn't sure how long she'd be in here, but she didn't feel comfortable reforming just yet. Whenever the Diamonds were poofed, they never came back quickly. It was more stable to take a little longer with their reformation. However, she was in a dangerous spot. She couldn't stay here for as long as she'd like. Not that she wanted to stay here, anyway.

She was meditating, almost. Calmly sitting still, she placed her hands on her knees, legs crossed. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing slowly. The pain wasn't going away.

**Crackle. Crrrrrrick.**

White's eyes shot open, a small gasp escaping her lips. An inky blackness seeped through the shelves, through the aisles, and moved as if breathing, and alive.. As if it was closing in around her. She swallowed nervously, looking behind her. All around her, the darkness crept unsteadily towards her.

 

 

**Crk** **.**

 

 

White's brows furrowed, her lips parted in curious confusion. What was that noise? She was the only one in here. Blinking, she stood up quickly. _She was...wasn't she?..._

 

 

 

**Rrrrrrgh** **.**

 

 

Gasping, the Diamond turned around, backing up a few feet. She could have sworn she heard something. This place was normally silent. She took one single step forward.

 

 

_Hisssss_ _._

 

 

She turned on her heel, looking frantically from side to side. The darkness was closing in. Faster it devoured the shelves, leaving nothing but the center of the room and White. Her eyes widened in horror. _Was this some kind of dream?_

 

 

** SCRRREEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAACCCCHHHHhhh!!**

 

 

White grasped her head, her ears ringing. _What on Homeworld was THAT?!_ White felt herself tremble, fingers grasping at her cheeks. The darkness stopped spreading. It seemed the horrendous sound had stopped it. What _was_ it, though?

Suddenly, she felt an ominous sense of dread overtake her. Something she wasn't used to feeling. Her eyes slowly drifted from side to side, but she spotted nothing within the darkness laying thick in the aisles. Then, she heard it. A faint crackling sound from far, far above her.

 

 

Slowly, she looked up...

 

 

"GAh-hhHAAAAAAAAHH!" White _shrieked_ in fear, stumbling down to the floor and scrambling back. Staring up at the glass ceiling, she stared into the eyes of something huge above the glass dome. Whatever it was, it was pitch-black and beast-like. White could only make out one detail..

Four piercing, white-slitted eyes glared down through the glass, the fog of hot breath steaming up the dome. What appeared to be huge eyes peered through the glass, narrowing, fixated on the Diamond within the center of the room. However, they remained still, watching quietly.

 

 

White fell silent, her entire body frozen in terror.

 

 

White stared up at the mysterious silhouette above the dome. Its unnervingly stark, white-slitted eyes narrowed, glaring right through the Diamond. White sat still, unsure if she should move, or if she even _could_ move. At least it didn't seem to be doing anything, whatever it was.

 

 

**Hhhhhhggghhh** . **..**

 

 

A rumble echoed through the room, creating a subtle tremor. White grasped the smooth floor, her breath catching in her throat. She remained stationary, unable to take her eyes off of the monstrosity.

 

 

Maybe it was time to get out of here. White took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

 

 

...

............

 

 

_Nothing._

 

 

Her eyes shot open, sweat dripping from her brow. She couldn't reform. Wherever her gem was in the real world, it was enclosed somewhere. _She was trapped._

 

 

 

 

–

–

_Run, get back to Homeworld, don't stop, don't look back. Get to the warp. Get White to safety._

The sun was slowly beginning to rise, casting a warm-pink glow over the landscape. Hours had passed. Hematite was approaching the galaxy warp near the planet's capital, White's bubbled gem clutched tightly in his hands. But he was normal-sized now. He'd traveled so far and so fast that he was running on fumes. He'd slowly shrunken down on the way back, and now could only maintain his normal height. And even his hold on _that_ was starting to wane.

_No, get back, get White to the towers, get her somewhere safe. You can pass out later._

Scurrying up to the cove where the warp pad was nestled, Hematite quickly stepped onto the bright blue surface. Just before he warped away, a bulky figure crested the side of the wall, staring down at the warp in surprise and confusion.

 

 

It was General Topaz.

 

 

As soon as she spotted the bubble in Hematite's hands, she opened her mouth, reaching out a hand as if she were about to say something. But a brilliant flash cut her off, and she stood there, silent, a look of genuine shock and _horror_ on her face.

 

 

_Oh, **stars**... that... that gem, was that...?_

 

 

–

 

 

He called both Blue and Yellow to White's office.

Needless to say, he had tried to keep a calm tone, but there was something incredibly off about it. He didn't share any details, nor did he tell them why White hadn't called herself. No, they only knew to meet him in the Diamond's office.

 

 

Hematite stood, facing White's desk, her bubbled gem clutched in his hands. An eerie calm had taken over the service gem. He stared at the silvery-pink bubble, eyes wide, body cold. He waited for the Diamonds to show up.

–

It didn't take long. Both Blue and Yellow had caught something off in Hematite's voice, and from the sounds of it, something was wrong. He was back far too soon, even if White was with him. Stopping in front of White's office door, Blue had arrived just a bit later than Yellow. Yellow waited anxiously outside the door, staring up at it. It looked like she had just arrived, and was standing idly in front of the door, lost in deep thought.

"Hey, Sparky, did you get called over here too?" Blue asked, running up to the taller Diamond. Yellow looked apprehensive.

"Yes. What concerns me is that White wasn't the one who called..." she said, looking down, placing a finger over her lip.

"Yeah, and Hema didn't sound so good..." Blue frowned with concern. The two Diamonds made brief eye contact, and then looked to the door. _Time to see what was up._

They didn't even bother to knock. The door hissed open, and both Diamonds quickly walked in, Blue behind Yellow. They stood at attention. Even Blue took a much more professional stance than usual. Yellow was the first one to speak.

 

 

"What's going on?"

–

Hematite's shoulders tensed, rising as his head ducked down. He held the bubble closer. He didn't turn around. The air in the office suddenly became far more tense. It felt as though the whole office were filled with a suffocating sort of heat, without feeling warm at all.

No, it felt **cold**.

The small service gem still didn't turn around. The huge knot in his stomach tightened.

"...White and I went on our mission." His voice was laced with barely-disguised emotion, even though it was, at the moment, impossible to tell what that emotion was.

–

Without turning their heads, the Diamonds glanced nervously at each other. White was nowhere in sight. An unquestionable anxiety started to boil in their cores. Neither of them found the words to reply. That is, until Blue spoke up.

 

 

"Hematite, what happened?"

–

There was an unbearably long pause. Hematite's form shuddered violently before he suddenly went still. His shoulders dropped. He slowly turned his head. Eyes wide, mouth slightly ajar, it was clear what had laced his voice not moments ago.

 

 

It was fear.

And it… _was **guilt.**_

 

 

"Something went wrong."

 

 

He turned, lifted his hands, and presented White's bubbled gemstone to the two Diamonds, the deep fault along the gem front-and-center.


	54. Black and White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Diamond studies up in the White Archives with an unexpected colleague.

The air in the room fell silent. Still. Cold.

 

The two Diamonds stood at attention, eyes drifting slowly from Hematite to the bubble he held in his hand. Seconds ticked by that felt like forever. Both of the Diamonds stared wide eyed, unable to speak. At first, they looked confused. Then, as they realized who was in the bubble, they looked stricken, shocked. Blue froze in place, a shuddering hand raising up to cover her mouth. She took one unsteady step back, eyes locked on White's gem in horror.

Yellow, however, didn't seem to process it immediately. In fact, she didn't seem to even notice the fault in the presented gem. Being a little taller, the light was hitting the gem in such a way that she couldn't see the crack. Stifling a single, nervous chuckle, she clasped her hands together and stepped forward.

 

"Hematite..." She spoke with the faintest trace of optimism in her voice. "These things happen. White has gotten poofed before, I'm glad you brought her gem back safel-" She stopped, just shy of the service gem, staring down at the bubble. Her eyes went wide as saucers, her mouth falling open with a soft, shuddering gasp. Surely, it was White's gem just as she'd seen... But now that she was closer, she couldn't miss the deep split in the gemstone.

Holding up trembling hands, Yellow slowly grabbed the bubble with her palms, carefully lifting it close to her.

"..."

A soft whimper escaped her as she stared down at the damaged gem. She was rendered speechless. Horrified. _Hurt_. Almost as if she was in disbelief, she held the gem up to her face, looking it over carefully. She was deathly silent for what felt like forever, before she cracked an uneven grin... and started _laughing_.

"IT'S OKAAAAY! Everything's going to be fine! We can fix this! Haha! We can..." She faltered, her lip twitching into a stifled, anxious smile. "We... She.... She can't be...." Tears formed in the Diamond's eyes, and she found herself unable to look away. She took a step back, hands trembling. "White..."

 

Blue was still frozen, horror plastered over her face. She made no attempt to walk forward, and found that she was unable to say anything yet. She was still trying to soak in everything that happened.

–

The small service gem was frozen in place, the same look of horrified guilt on his face as before. He couldn't will himself to move, even as Yellow pulled away the bubble. His chest started to rise and fall a bit more rapidly. Seeing Yellow Diamond in such a state wasn't helping the panic rising in his chest.

"I-I don't know what happened, I found her like this, I didn't know what to do. Yellow, you guys gotta know a way to fix her, right?" His voice was strained, hurried, and he suddenly took to wringing his hands together. He tugged at the fabric on his sleeves.

–

–

Time ticked slowly by, and White was still stuck in this horrible room with this dark creature looming over her. She remained silent. Steady. Calm. Occasionally, a low rumble would shake the room, reminding her that she wasn't alone. She refused to acknowledge this _thing_. She wouldn't. She couldn't. It couldn't stay there forever, could it?

She remained in place, breathing calmly as she could, head forward, eyes closed. The tremors had stopped for some time... perhaps it was gone? She opened her eyes and dared to look up. As her gaze drifted up to the dome, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief when she noticed that whatever was creeping around up there was now gone.

"Finally..." She whispered to herself, crossing her arms and hugging them close to her chest. Still sitting on the floor, she tried reforming again.

Nothing.

Her brows furrowing, White looked down at the floor. Was she stuck here? She didn't want to _be_ here. Maybe she was in a bubble; maybe Hematite had found her. If that was the case, why wasn't she freed yet? What was going on out there? A hundred different scenarios started racing through her mind... but she didn't have long to dwell on them.

 

She heard something akin to ice cracking. Her eyes widened, and she looked around. She didn't see anything, but the cracking noise was getting louder.

 

_Grrrrrrrggghh._

There was a rumble behind her. The Diamond froze, her entire form seizing up. She stared on straight ahead, unsure if she wanted to know where the source of the noise was coming from. Then something felt off below her.

She glanced down, soon gasping and scuffling back, still on the floor. Stark white, circuit patterned cracks began inching their way under and around her. From the way they were moving, they appeared to be coming from behind her. White turned around suddenly, desperately seeking an answer.

She wished she hadn't done that.

 

The circuit patterned cracks inched their way out from the darkness, spreading rapidly across the room. The source of the cracks, however, was far more unsettling than the cracks themselves. Four huge, piercing white eyes glared at the Diamond from the darkness, slit eyes transfixed on her. White started trembling, turning to face whatever being it was that was now inside the facility. She scrambled back, unable to look away. The cracks found it's way around her, slowly moving up her arms and legs. White cried out in surprise.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She snarled with a trace of fear. She grabbed at her hands, trying to brush away the glowing white circuit patterns that inched their way up her fingers, wrists, and forearms. The eyes continued to stare from the darkness, another rumble shaking the room.

Then it started to move.

–

–

Yellow gripped at the bubble, clinging to whatever little hope she had. _This wasn't happening. This couldn't happen... Maybe this was another nightmare._ She held the bubble close, her mouth moving as if saying something inaudible. Blue stepped closer, finally finding the strength to move at all. She stood next to Yellow, staring into the bubble with the utmost distress.

Yellow's brows furrowed, and she slowly looked up at Hematite. A darkness fell over her face, eyes filled with accusatory anger.

"How could you let this happen..."

–

He took a step back, bumping into the desk, making him inhale sharply through his teeth in surprise. He started to tremble. An audible whimper escaped Hematite as he backed against the desk fully, his hands clutching at the fabric on the front of his suit. He shook his head, eyes wide, unable to look away from Yellow Diamond's angry gaze. She hadn't even done anything to him, yet he felt as though she were about to attack him, by the look in her eyes.

"I-I didn't- I-I don't know, it was just a n-normal mission, I didn't-!” he stammered, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. Ever so faintly, below his chin, his gemstone started to glow.

–

Yellow growled, but looked down at the bubble.

"Nevermind that. We'll deal with you later..." she said, her expression softening as she looked at White's gem again. Blue looked worried, and took a step towards Hematite. She shakily raised her hand up like she were going to touch him, but her hand retracted. She never made eye contact with him, but kept staring at the bubble.

"Hematite, you understand how serious this is... yes...?" Blue said, finally gazing back at him. Her eyes were filled with dread and haunted recollection. "Diamonds are _really_ hard to crack. If you know anything, we need to know what happened."

–

Hema was staring ahead, through Blue. He barely heard her words.

He finally sensed what his gem was doing. The service gem didn't respond. His eyes were wide, and his hands suddenly shot up to his neck, covering his gemstone. Hema's breathing became uneven.

_No, no no no!_

–

As Blue spoke, Yellow sighed, pressing a finger into the bubble. An audible pop echoed through the dense air of the room. Blue's head whipped around, and she stared wide eyed at Yellow. She looked down at the gem now freely held in Yellow's hand. The warm-colored Diamond held the gem loosely, an open palm presenting the damaged gemstone. They waited with bated breath for anything to happen. Normally, once freed from a bubble, a gem reformed immediately.

But nothing was happening.

–

At the sound of the bubble popping, Hema shot his attention over to Yellow. Shaken, he watched the now-freed diamond. But nothing happened.

_Oh, stars. He hadn't been quick enough._

_The fault had somehow worsened, hadn't it?_

Hematite's clawed fingers grasped at his gem. It was glowing brightly now. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he looked down at his gem, covering it in panic. An audible whimper escaped him, and he turned away slightly from Blue and Yellow, trembling.

_Don't, not right now, calm down, don't shift, don't shift._

–

–

White tried to stand up, but her legs trembled below her. She grunted, silently cursing herself as she struggled to get up. After some effort and stumbling, she managed to stand, and she stared down at the cracks that spider webbed up her legs now. She looked up, taking a few wavering steps back. _What's going on? Why is this happening? What is this stuff? Why here, why now?!_ She lifted her head, noticing that in her panic, she had looked away from the eyes that were once right in front of her. Now, they were gone.

 

**SCRREEEEAAAAAAAAAA!!!**

 

A loud, hissing screech filled the air behind White. She turned around, putting her hands up defensively. Eyes widening, her stomach _dropped_. Skulking dangerously over the bookshelves, now very dimly lit with glowing circuit patterned cracks, was a huge, draconian figure. Its massive form was slinking over the isles, huge claws digging into the shelves. Wherever it stood, more white cracks formed, and the shelves, books, and diamond pads all fell to pieces. Its eyes were fixated on her, piercing through her very core.

She took a step back, but the beast slowly slinked forward. She couldn't make out too many details, but it's silhouette was far more clear now. It had six legs, a long thrashing tail with a blade that resembled the bladed end of her pole arm, and a mane that flowed down the back of its neck. As it inched closer over the bookshelves, the white circuit patterns crept over its eyelids.

 

But that wasn't the worst of it.

It hissed, revealing a glowing white, gaping maw. A long, ivory forked tongue lashed out, razor sharp fangs glimmering, stark-black against the white insides of its mouth. Rearing up its head, the towering creature let out a harrowing roar that resonated through the entire library. The glass dome ceiling above White shuddered and suddenly shattered with a horrifying crash.

White covered herself with her arms as the glass fell to shards around her, exploding into glitching pieces which soon disappeared as they hit the floor. A small whimper escaped her, and she forced herself to look back at the monstrosity. The beast lowered its head, eyes wide and mouth parted slightly. Their gazes met momentarily. The draconian figure's very gaze struck terror into the normally stead-fast Diamond.

For a moment, an ominous calm filled the air. White stood still, the white-circuit patterns no longer creeping up her skin. The draconian creature watched the Diamond intently, its long, bladed tail flicking back and forth, cracking the shelves as it did so. The air felt stiff, cold. The beast slowly narrowed its eyes, letting out a low, threatening hiss that made White's hair stand on end. It didn't make any move to come closer, but by the look in its eyes, White could tell it was _considering_ it.

She didn't want to be anywhere near this thing. She wanted to escape, but was too worried that if she ran, it would follow. But if she stayed, it could lunge for her. Panic flooded her core, rendering her unable to do anything.

Then, she felt something shift. Brows raising, she gasped softly and looked up. The air around her cleared, suddenly feeling far less stale and dense. She was free to reform, finally! The Diamond's form began to glow, and she looked down quickly, grimacing as she clenched her fists.

–

–

Eyes widening, Blue and Yellow stepped back as the gem in Yellow's hand glowed and lifted itself into the air. They froze, wide eyed, watching her silhouette begin to form. There was a minuscule amount of hope that overcame both of them upon realizing that nothing seemed out of ordinary with her shape as it came into view.

But then she reformed completely. Feet tapping to the floor, the taller diamond stood, head hung low, eyes closed. _Something was_ _ **very**_ _wrong_. Yellow gasped, stepping back clumsily. Blue's shoulders dropped, and she whimpered with dread. White's eyes shot open, staring past the group of three gems blankly.

–

Hematite's gem stopped glowing as White's form started to take shape, and he relaxed ever so slightly, a shred of hope fluttering in his chest. But then the bright light faded from White's form, and the service gem stopped breathing entirely.

–

Instead of her normal coloration, her once white features were now jet black, and vice versa. All of her colors seemed to have _inverted_ , except for her outfit and her gem. Her fingers seemed slightly elongated, fingertips tapered even more like claws than they normally were. Her eyes were inky black, and instead of irises, there were long white slits in their place. Around her eyes, white circuit patterns spread above and below like digital cracks in her skin. The diamond was silent, her posture _off_. She was slouching unevenly, fingers grasping at something unseen.

 

No one said a word.

–

Hematite stood, the hair on the back of his neck starting to rise again. A chilling tingle ran through his entire form, his hair fluffing out in panicked anxiety. _No. No this is wrong. White, oh my stars, w-what-_ He stayed frozen in place, not making a sound.

–

White blinked, her expression blank. Tears started dripping down Yellow's cheeks, and she took a shaken step back. Blue, however, took a step forward.

"Wh-white?" Blue said quietly, holding up her hand to the Diamond. She didn't touch her. White looked down at Blue's hand, then looked over to Hematite. Her lips parted. It was noticeable that her teeth were still white, but her mouth was _also_ white. A silence befell her, and she didn't speak.

–

Hematite was still frozen in place. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't breathe. Dread sunk deep down into his very core. _This is my fault. She's broken, and it's my fault. White, White I'm so sorry!_ He managed to blink once, though he still made no move otherwise.

–

Cold, unnerving silence filled every corner of the room. She turned to the service gem, then looked back at Blue. Then Yellow. Her brows raised in confusion. _Were they alright?_

 

"T̀h̷wą'̢ś igg̛nò n̡o̴?́ Rea͟ ҉y̕uo͠ ̸l͜a͝l̨ ̧kayo?҉ "

 

White's eyes widened upon hearing her voice. That wasn't what she'd said at all. Gasping quietly, she looked down, noticing her shoes first. They looked normal, but something looked off with her shirt. Then, she raised her hands. Crying out in horror, she scrambled back, panic striking into her very core. Heaving, she grasped at nothing, shoulders raised.

"Ho ym ͝rast͠s̴ t̕h̶aw̵ p͝dhe͢p̵ena to ͟e͘m͏?̢! ́Àht̕e͡tḿei̶!" Her voice was wavering, and an odd _static_ filled the sounds coming out of her mouth. Her volume shifted unnaturally, erratically. Her words were mixed up and broken, and no matter what she said, nothing came out intelligibly. She sounded more like a broken radio than a gem. "Aw̴h̵t͢ hèp͏p̛d͘ane?̷! Htaw ͟edna͘hp҉e̶p?͜!́" she cried out, but nothing came out right. Her words were scrambled, chopped, and distorted. Not only that, the overlay of static didn't help matters. Blue stepped forward again towards the other Diamond, carefully placing her hand on White's arm.

 

"White, Please! We don't know what you're saying, please calm down!" Blue said. White was breathing heavily, undisguised horror on her face. She flinched at Blue's touch, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

"U͟e͢l͞b́! No͠d't͘ ͢t͏o͝cuh ̷me!̀ W͜h̀t̵a҉'͢s ̨nphea͏ped̵, ͠h̸yw a͠m I ̕ki͡el ͢h̨ts͏i̶?̷!͘"

Blue's frown deepened as she stared up at White with confusion and anxiety plain as day on her face.

"White, I don't... Understand you... I'm sorry."

–

Shaking his head, Hematite quickly covered his mouth, eyes staring in horror at his leader as she cried out in broken, unintelligible fragments. The service gem glanced down in panic. His gemstone had started to glow again, and the knot of anxiety in his stomach suddenly jumped into his throat. A choked cry of grief and fear cracked from his chest, and he suddenly bolted for the office door, forcefully pried it open with his hands, and slipped out of the room, gone without a word. His efforts, though exhausted as he was, left visible dents in the side of the door.

–

The Diamonds shot their attention to the fleeing service gem, but made no effort to go after him. They had much bigger problems to worry about than him, right now. White hung her shoulders in defeat, looking at Yellow. Yellow grasped at her glove, letting go and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"White..." she spoke, stepping towards her. "Your gem is... cracked," she forced out, her voice strained.

 

White froze.

_No. No, this is a horrible joke. Yellow, don't do that._

Slowly, she lifted her hand, and touched her gemstone. She ran her finger gently across its surface, and stopped right over the deep crack. Even with the softest touch to the fault, she felt a painful, fiery stab of pain shoot through her very core. She shuddered and flinched, a glitched whimper softly rising from her.

"O̕͟n̷̕.͡.̷.̵͟I͞t͘͢h̢̕s̸̡ ̵̀á͟͜n̢͡c'̡t͘͢ ̢͞be̛͠...” she choked, the once small tears at the corners of her eyes suddenly spilling over her lower lids. Tears started pouring down her cheeks, and she raised her hands up to her face. Blue and Yellow glanced at each other nervously, taking a few steps away from the tallest Diamond. They wanted to try and comfort her, but at the same time... they didn't want to be anywhere near her.

Not like this.

Not in this state.

Abruptly, White dug her nails into her cheeks, tears dripping down her cheeks. A warped, cracked _scream_ rose in her chest, echoing past the open doors of the office and into the early morning.

–

–

_Run. Don't stop. Get away._

After about five minutes of sprinting down the twisting halls of the White Tower, Hematite finally reached his room. In a blind panic, he firmly typed in the code to open the door, and slipped in as soon as it hissed and slid into the wall. He closed it behind him.

Back plastered to the metallic surface, Hematite stared at nothing, eyes wide, his chest heaving as he tried to calm down.

_No, no. This isn't happening. This is all a bad dream. Wake up. WAKE UP!_

Hematite let out a soft whimper and grasped at his head, his clawed hands digging into his hair and scalp. Tears suddenly started to flow down his face.

_White... White!_

_What happened?! WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!_

_It's all my fault, I let this happen, they're going to shatter me for this!_

_I'm her bodyguard and she got **cracked** on my watch!_

Hematite clutched at his chest. His breathing was uneven. He began to hyperventilate. Looking around, he spotted the shelf on the closest wall to him. He stumbled over and firmly grasped the edge of one particular shelf with his clawed fingers, digging small scratches into the surface.

There was a bright flash of light.

The now tiny service gem was left hanging on the edge of the shelf before he scrambled up, stumbling unevenly to the panel against the wall. He pressed against it, slid the hidden door open, and then stepped inside, turning and closing it up once more.

_Nobody would find him here._

The tiny service gem stumbled along the long hallway before he arrived in his miniature bedroom. He turned the light on. For once, the warm glow of his crystalline lamp filled him with no comfort. Whimpering, Hematite slumped against one of the far corners, where a long cushion rested. He backed himself into the corner, crossing his arms, holding his shoulders tightly. His clawed hands dug into the fabric.

_They won't find me here..._

 

Hematite buried his face in his knees, shaking uncontrollably.

 _They could fix this... They_ _**had** _ _to fix this... She was just cracked, they could get her back to normal. Pink Diamond had healed cracked gems in the past, based on reports._

The tiny gem choked back a sob, his nails digging harshly into his suit.

_Nothing's unfixable..._

–

–

The day went on in ominous silence. White retired to her room, locking her doors and refusing to let anyone in. Yellow and Blue, unsure what to do, parted ways and returned to their own towers. With White in her room, they knew she wouldn't get any worse physically, so they had a little time to collect their thoughts and square other things away before they had to tackle how to fix this. Yellow, not wanting to talk to anyone, locked herself in her office and turned away anyone who tried to enter as well. Blue, however, tried to go about the day normally. But she had an exceedingly hard time masking that something was wrong. Anyone she spoke to, especially gems that she usually interacted with in her day-to-day business, immediately noticed that something was off about her. She was monotonous, unfocused, and all of her peppy demeanor was gone. It lead to some suspicious looks, but no one questioned what was going on with her. No one _**dared**_ to.

–

–

“Yes, that schedule will do just fine,” Blue said distractedly, her voice unnervingly flat. She was staring down at a diamond pad in front of her, one hand supporting her cheek, the other flipping through some files. The Onyx standing in front of her desk bit their lip quietly.

“My Diamond, I was... asking about the next shipment of carbonite to sector 23...” she said cautiously. Blue slowly blinked, furrowing her brows. She frowned up at the Onyx, who stiffened at their Diamond's unhappy gaze. “N-nevermind! I'll go over it at a later time with my co-manager,” she said quickly. Blue narrowed her eyes.

“Good. Now leave. I have other work to do.”

The Onyx nodded and saluted quickly, heading out the door as soon as she could. It hissed shut behind her, leaving Blue alone in the office. The Diamond sat in stiff silence for a good minute or so before she slowly sat up, rubbing her palm firmly over her face. A low, frustrated groan rose in her throat, and her eyes shut tightly. Her mind felt clouded, stormy, fuzzy. This all felt unreal, as if they were all caught in the same bad dream. This couldn't have happened. White couldn't be cracked. There were few things that could crack a Diamond, they'd made sure of that through their designs of their different gem classes. Each class had its limitations, and not a single one, by its own power, was recorded as being able to get anywhere close to damaging something as tough as a Diamond. That was, all aside from one class of gems... one _new_ class. But, surely that wasn't the case. White wouldn't make a gem class strong enough to damage a Diamond and then willingly take one as her body-guard.

… Then again, she hadn't _designed_ them to corrupt over time, either. It could have happened by accident; there could be a flaw in their code that made them far stronger than intended. Those teeth of theirs were intended to shatter gems with ease...

Blue furrowed her brows, rapidly shaking her head. _No, what was she thinking?! This was Hema she was thinking about!_ He was the only Hematite on that planet at the time, right? And he would never do something like that. But then that begged the question... what could and _would_ crack a Diamond? What could do that and go unnoticed, if Hema's rather shaken, vague 'story', if you could call it that, was to be believed? Was there someone else after White's life? Were they still loose out there? Was it an _accident?_ What pieces, if any, were they missing, here?

And, speaking of missing... _where was Hema?_ After his rather concerning 'departure' from the office that left the doors damaged, nobody had seen him. That in and of itself was... _worrying_.

Something _else_ was wrong. Something about this was _off_ , and she needed answers. She wanted an explanation, she wanted some kind of hope that these dark, barely warranted suspicions that were starting to rise in her mind were wrong. Once alone, she grabbed her communicator. The device glowed brightly, a small hologram screen appearing a few inches overhead.

 

"Contact Hema.” _Chirp_. “... Hematite? Please answer me. This is Blue Diamond."

–

The tiny service gem had fallen asleep in his room, slouched against the wall. His face twitched into a fearful expression now and then, a faint trace of sweat along his brow. Seemed he was dreaming.

 

_Beep beep, beep beep!_

 

With a start, Hematite sat up, his eyes shooting open. He let out a soft gasp, woken from a rather... chilling nightmare. But the moment he was conscious, he couldn't recall what it was. Perhaps that was a good thing. With a trembling hand, Hematite reached up to his visor and tapped it, answering the call.

"... This is Hematite."

–

Blue sighed with relief, leaning back in her chair.

"Hematite, please. I need to speak with you. Wherever you went, no one can find you. I'm not going to hurt you, I just wanna talk. Can you come to my office tonight? Preferably sooner than later?" she asked, arms crossed. All of her normal, upbeat emotion was gone entirely. She sounded professional; she sounded serious.

–

Swallowing, Hematite closed his eyes tightly, inhaling deeply through his nose. He slowly let out the breath, grimacing.

"... Yes. I'll be right there."

_Click._

Standing, Hematite made his way out of the room, shifted back to his normal height, and then left his bedroom. He made his way to the Blue tower, slowly, heavily.

His eyes stared blankly ahead, a vaguely hollow look to them. He was still visibly shaken, but at least he seemed alert. Shoulders squared, steps measured, he briskly walked along the sky bridge. A crisp night breeze blew through the high path, brushing Hema's hair aside.

He still looked like a mess.

–

Knocking, Hematite stood in front of Blue's door, walking inside once it opened. He saluted stiffly.

"Hematite reporting, Blue Diamond."

–

Blue sat up straight, arms folded over one another.

"Please, come in..." she said quietly. Glancing over to the Pearl that stood in the corner, she made a motion with her head, mouthing something to her silently. The Pearl nodded in understanding, and left without a word. Blue looked solemnly at Hematite, fingers gripping at her forearms. "Listen, Hematite. I need to know exactly what happened... This... this is _catastrophic_. We have a cracked Diamond on our hands." Just at her physically saying that, her anxiety started to spike, and she looked down at nothing. She bit her lip. "I need to know. How did she get cracked... Where did you both go, what did you both do?"

–

The service gem walked stiffly over to the azure gem's desk and took a seat. He folded his hands in his lap, staring at her.

"... Yesterday morning, after White called me, I went to her office and she told me about a recording she received. It was an anonymous tip from what I can only assume was a rebel. They told White that there was a group that was planning to start a full-out uprising against Homeworld." He took a deep breath, trying to remain professional. "They were stationed on a nearby reclaimed Pink Diamond planet. White and I left immediately yesterday morning and made our way to the location given to us by the message. It took us all afternoon to walk there. It was night before we arrived." His tone shifted slightly. "But we ran into trouble. It was an ambush. These rebels, and their leader, I assume, attacked us. They were mounted on gem monsters. The leader was a fusion, Zultanite. We took them out... And then we rested."

–

Blue locked her fingers together, bringing her hands up in front of her mouth. Her eyes narrowed as she listened to the service gem's report. Any other time, she'd find it to be an interesting tale, but she was listening for details in this one.

"Go on."

–

"... And. Well." His professional air suddenly began to waver. He looked unsure of himself for a moment. However, he pushed it aside and cleared his throat, squaring his shoulders. "The message warned us about a 'scout'. Said that she was under orders to give a signal to start the uprising, should their plans be found out. So a few hours went by, I rested, White did as well... But then my visor caught something." His index finger tapped on his hand. "It was a very small gem. White and I chased after her, but she lead us into a huge cave system. Even at my half height, it still dwarfed me. It must have been at least twice my full height." He glanced to the side. "And... So. we followed the scout into the caves. She was really fast, so she kept getting ahead of me. I started to... notice that the tunnels were getting narrower, and that we could be..." He looked confused for a moment, pausing.

 

How had White been ambushed, or, _whatever_ happened. How? He hadn't passed anyone on the way _into_ the caves, nor did he see anyone on the way out. Had they been followed, or had White found someone in the room he found her gemstone in?

"... Sorry." Clearing his throat, he looked at her again. "I thought we might be ambushed, so I asked her to stay behind." The end of the last word caught in his throat.

–

Blue continued to bite her lip, chewing at the inside of it gently.

"Mmmng.." She grunted uncomfortably and looked away. Brows furrowed, she tapped her laced hands against her chin. "And so she did, I presume?"

–

"Yeah. I figured if we ran into trouble, it'd be best if she was there for backup... and vice versa. So I continued down the caves after the scout, and left White at some forked paths." He swallowed nervously. His professional demeanor started to crumble. ".... I don't know what happened." His hands trembled for a moment. "I chased after the scout and caught her after a while, but when I caught her... she used this weird ability on me, and." Closing his eyes, Hematite drew his lips tight, his expression unreadable. "I blacked out. Then when I came to, I found White cracked in another room.”

–

Blue's brows raised, and she sat up straighter. She almost looked _angry_.

"That's it?" she growled, her voice sending a chill through the air. She wanted to say something more, but she held her tongue. "Hmph..." She looked right through Hematite, lost in thought. "I see..." She placed her hands on the desk and tapped her fingers along its smooth surface. Her suspicion was rising by the second, and that last part of Hema's story didn't help at all. She couldn't do anything about it now, though. Looking to the service gem, she gave him a curt nod. "How did you find her gem, then?"

–

As soon as he opened his eyes again to look at Blue, whatever was left of his composure shattered. She looked angry. She _sounded_ angry.

"I-I don't know, I." Hematite looked down at his hands, unfolding them, looking at his palms. "When I came to, the scout was still using the ability, so I bubbled her. That stopped it, but my head was still ringing." Hema's voice wavered. "I think I tried to call White's communicator, but she didn't answer." The service gem trembled. Tears pricked at his eyes. "So I went back for her, and-! Sh-she wasn't where I left her, so I tracked down her signature, and she-" The service gem's voice cracked, and he lifted a hand to his mouth, covering it much the same way he'd done back in the caves. But this time, his eyes were shut tight. He swallowed hard. "Sh-she was there. On the ground. I scanned her and saw that she was cr-...." He couldn't bring himself to say it. "S-so I took care of the scout and b-bubbled her gem. I didn't want to touch it."

–

Blue kept a steady expression through the whole explanation, but she couldn't null the hundreds of thoughts spinning in her head. What kind of ability did this scout even have? How could this have happened? If what he was saying was true, then _who_ did this? Something wasn't adding up in this story. There were a lot of holes, here. Holes that she didn't understand, and probably wasn't going to get answers for any time soon, especially with Hema in this state, and White in hers. She took note of Hematite's expression, and for a split second, her face softened. She seemed more concerned now than anything. _Stars, this was really upsetting him..._ She twitched her finger and hung her hands to her sides, clenching her fists. She was quiet, looking away.

"And that's when you came back, huh?"

–

The service gem took a moment to recover. When he did, he still looked distant and terrified.

"Yes. I came back and immediately contacted you and Yellow. I waited in the office until you arrived." His tone changed again, and he put his face in his hands. He sounded _terrified_. "I don't understand. I didn't detect anyone in the caves, there weren't any signals around when I blacked out, and none had appeared when I came to... I-I didn't see anyone in the room with White, either." He shook his head weakly, his shoulders dropping. When he spoke again, his voice was thick with grief and guilt. "This is all my fault. I let this happen. I should have trusted my instincts, I knew something was wrong! I should have never left her behind!"

–

Blue sighed heavily, placing her elbows on the desk.

"Look, Hematite... Calm down. We'll figure something out. Things will be alright, okay?" She looked up at him, smiling faintly. She was lying, of course. She had no idea how things were going to turn out, or if there was even any way to fix White's crack. She wouldn't get any worse, thankfully, if she didn't damage the gem further. However... she wasn't going to get better either.

And, the longer she stayed like this, well... _the more she risked corrupting._

 

The _last_ thing the world needed was a corrupted Diamond.

 

Her eyes widened at the thought, but she quickly looked back to Hematite with a forced, hopeful gleam.

"Hey, by the way... whatever you do, try not to tell anyone about this. If people find out that White's been... well, you know... they'll." She paused, the worry flooding back. This time, she couldn't brush it off. "There could be a massive panic. We don't need that... Do you understand? This needs to be kept quiet. We'll try to figure out something in the meantime."

–

Hematite blinked up at Blue, finally taking his hands from his face. He sniffed, wiped his eyes, and then cleared his throat, crossing his arms. He clutched at the fabric of his shirt.

"R-right. Okay. I understand. I won't tell a soul." Looking away to the side, Hematite frowned and pulled tighter at his sleeve. The quicker they solved this, the better. Whoever was the cause of all this needed to be brought to justice. And Hematite hoped that, whoever or whatever it was that had cracked White's gem, well. He hoped he would get to deal with them _personally_.

–

Blue stood, her palms held together formally.

"Thank you for telling me this, Hematite. You are dismissed," she said. Her face void of emotion, she looked to the side. "I'm sorry. I've got something important to do." Turning quickly, she walked for the door on the side of the room, and left without seeing Hematite off.

–

The service gem watched Blue leave with a heavy knot of dread in his stomach. He soon stood and left the office, heading aimlessly down the sky bridge. _He had to do something..._ But what? He couldn't think of any way to fix a cracked gem... He was less than a hundred years old, he knew almost NOTHING compared to the vast knowledge of other gems like the Diamonds. Hematite stopped in his tracks, his brows shooting up in realization.

_Of course!_

Sprinting off, Hema made his way back to the Blue tower, and down toward the main city warp.

_If there was any place he could find answers, it'd be White's archives!_

–

–

 

 

**Dark. Cold. Empty.**

 

Yellow opened her eyes, groaning. Running her fingers through her hair slowly, she blinked, her vision fading in from bleary darkness.

"What...? Where am... I..." She stopped, staring blankly ahead. She found herself lost in a black abyss, with nothing but a stark white line signifying some kind of horizon. The Diamond looked down sharply at her feet, realizing that while she did still have her color, the ground below her was stark black. She felt her body go numb.

 

**No.**

 

She turned around quickly, a shaken breath rattling in her chest.

**NO.**

 

Backing up, she looked frantically around her, turning in every direction, her eyes wide. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. _Why was she_ _ **here**_ _**again**_ _?_ This place was all to familiar; she'd never expected to find herself back here. It was over, wasn't it?! She'd made her peace with Hematite. But here she was, back in this dreadful place that she'd never hoped to see again.

Holding her arms close, she started walking, trembling. The last nightmare she had was the worst one she'd ever had... was this one going to be even _worse?_ She waited as she walked, watching the non existent skyline. What was this one going to be? Had her fears come crawling back to haunt her? She thought it was over. She had been so relieved that it was _over_. Now, she was left to wonder how many more of these she would have to suffer through. Was this going to destroy her again?

_Would she never truly have peace?_

–

_Tink_

 

_Tink tink_

From somewhere behind Yellow Diamond, the quiet sounds of glass dropping to a stone floor echoed. At first, they started out slow, but then it suddenly sounded as if a wave of crystalline pieces were being poured over each other. The sound slowed and stopped, though the faint sounds of settling crystalline pieces still echoed through the air.

_Tink_

Something rolled into the back of Yellow's heel, bumping against it lightly.

 

_**"Hmhmhmmm.~"** _

 

A soft, eerie hum filled the room, shaking the Diamond's very core, stealing her breath away.

–

A whimper rose up through the air. _No... Not him... Please..._ She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. She looked down at her shoe to see what had touched her, but she very quickly wished she hadn't... Eyes widening, Yellow sharply took a step back, away from the gem. It looked just like _White's._ Kneeling down, she hovered her hand over the gemstone, tears welling up in her eyes.

_Why was this happening? Why ... why this? What was going on?_

Slowly, Yellow dared to look up.

–

_**"Hmmhmhmmm. Well, now."** _

In front of the Diamond that laid before Yellow, was a trail of similar gemstones. They were all cracked. More, more, and more, until they formed a huge pile; a pile that a familiar, giant form was reclined on, holding himself up with one arm. His other hand was behind his back.

_**"See what happens when you let your guard down?~"** _

–

Yellow swallowed nervously, glancing between the pile of cracked gems and the all too familiar monstrosity she hoped she'd never have to see again. The fear came racing back, hitting her all at once. Everything she'd felt before gripped at her core once more. All of her anxiety, all of her suspicion, all of it. She trembled, taking a single step back. _This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to be like this..._

She refused to speak.

–

_**Whirrr** _

_**Click** _

The monstrous hunter's visor came to life, the eerie insignia appearing on its black screen once more. But this time, it didn't resemble Yellow Diamond's gemstone. No. This time, it looked like _White's_ gem.

 _ **"And to think, if you'd just taken care of your little problem before, this could have been avoided! Now..."**_ Slowly, Hematite turned his head, lifting his hand from behind his back. There, dangling by the back of her shirt, was a starkly-outlined White, hanging limply from his grip. _**"Your comrade is in grave danger.~"**_

–

Yellow felt everything stop. Her mind skidded to a screeching halt, her eyes going wide as saucers.

_WHITE. WHY WAS **SHE** HERE?! _

 

"LET GO OF HER!" she screamed out in horrified anger, taking a few bold steps forward. She started breathing heavily, hands trembling. She didn't bother hiding her anger, not this time. "Th-this is _my_ nightmare! Leave her out of this!" she hissed loudly.

–

The giant gem stopped, a look of 'surprise' on his face. The insignia on his visor slowly focused on Yellow, despite Hematite not turning his head.

_**Cliikikik** _

He stopped.

And suddenly, he smiled. The monstrous gem's teeth gleamed in the dark as a huge, unsettling grin spread across his face.

 **"You're right."** Steadily, he lifted White towards his face.

 

**"T̟͉͎̪h̗̮͉̙͞i̛̪̫s̸̩̬̩͎͚̼ ͏̩̪̰͇̥̳ͅIS̫ ̮̳̪̭y̛̱͉̭̳o̪̱̱u͈̳r͓̲͎̮̤ ̴̱̫̻̦̗ni̘g̷̭̮̫̩̜̻ḩt̫̤̤̩̘̭͓m̷a͚̬̜r͙̣̳̯̯̼̟e̢̫͓̞̭͙.̧̣̘"**

–

Raising her hand quickly, Yellow whimpered sharply, all her anger vanishing like mist in a scorching sunbeam.

"STOP! DON'T!!!" she cried out, taking a few more steps forward. Her legs suddenly felt heavy. Very heavy. "NOT HER! Please!" she begged, stopping completely. She froze, unable to take any more steps further. Her legs below her suddenly gave out, leaving her collapsed on her knees.

–

The nightmarish Hematite ignored her pleas. With a dark, warped chuckle, he tilted his head back. The insignia never left her. Suddenly, the pile of gems beneath the giant hunter began to _change_. A deafening cracking sound filled the air, and, one by one, some of the crystalline forms turned yellow... And then some turned blue.

Hematite cackled, the sound coming out distorted and crackly. He finally stopped and grinned again, holding White up just a bit higher over his face.

**"Y̶͙͇̤̣͙o͔̗͔̞̰ư̭͚̤̞̩̣̮'̵̴̛̜̳ŗ̴̧͎͎̭̹̳e̫̰̻̠̮̼ ̴̶̨̺͚n̴̨̦̫̗̞̞̞e̶̹̲͟x͔͇̗͖̲͇͇ͅͅt̨̲̜̹̰̜͎́͝.̻͇̲͖̘͖̥͢ͅ"**

 

–

Yellow froze, her stomach twisting into a tight knot. She was helpless. She could never do anything to stop him, and now she was forced to _watch_. Even if she'd closed her eyes, she knew what she'd hear next.

"No..." she whispered, staring up at White's limp form. "Do something...White....Wake up... Do _something_ , please..." she said quietly, tears streaming down her face.

–

Hematite snickered and turned his attention to White's limp form dangling above his mouth. Slowly, he parted his teeth, lowering the Diamond closer.

–

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!**

–

Yellow's head shot up from her desk. She inhaled sharply, clutching at her gem. _Thank stars, that was over._ She regretted taking that short nap. Then again, she didn't have any reason to believe it would lead to _that_. She was just so mentally exhausted, she assumed resting for a few minutes wouldn't hurt. She would have kept thinking about it, the horror still fresh in her mind... but she had to answer whoever was at the door. Groaning, she stood up, brows furrowed.

"Ugggh... I told everyone to leave me alone," she muttered crossly to herself, walking towards the door. _Still, that HAD woken her up from a disaster._ So she couldn't really complain too much. Stopping in front of the door, she cleared her throat and regained a professional stance. She cracked the door open a few inches, peering outside.

"I'm not available ri-..."

–

At first, it seemed there was nobody there. And then someone softly cleared their throat.

Standing at the door, just barely knee height with Yellow Diamond, was a Peridot. She had a long, clip-board like diamond pad held in front of her, covering her mouth. Though the service gem wore a pair of leg enhancers, her arms were bare and like a normal gem's. Her eyes were wide, staring up at her leader from behind her bright greenish visor. The service gem blinked once or twice.

"Terribly sorry to disturb you, Yellow Diamond!"

–

Yellow narrowed her eyes, staring down at the tiny gem. She glanced at the Peridot's arms, raising a brow.

"What do you want?..."

–

Uncovering her face just slightly, revealing her rather impressive set of freckles, the Peridot swallowed nervously and attempted to stand at attention.

"General Topaz is here! W-well, she's not _here_ but she's here on Homeworld and she says she urgently needs to speak to you!"

–

Yellow's brows raised, and she opened the door briskly.

"What? General Topaz? Well, where is she?" she asked, taking a single step towards the small Peridot. _What on Homeworld could Topaz be here for?_

–

The petite service gem held up her diamond pad in front of her again and squeaked quietly, though she stifled it well.

"Sh-she's in the main White Archives! Said she needed to keep an eye on things... And that I needed to fetch you as soon as possible!" She started briskly walking down the path leading into the Yellow Diamond tower, her limb enhancers clacking against the stone.

–

Yellow snapped to attention and followed soon after the Peridot.

"Wait- Agggh," she groaned, a few feet behind already. It didn't take her long at all to catch up, however, and was even starting to walk faster than the Peridot could keep up at times, even at a normal pace. "What is she doing in White's archives?"

–

The Peridot grunted with effort at trying to keep pace with Yellow, her comparatively shorter legs not doing her much of a service. She barely managed to keep up with her leader.

"She arrived about an hour or so ago. She showed up at the Archives and asked to see who was in charge." The Peridot glanced up to the side. "Dolomite wasn't around, so she settled for me," she said simply. The service gem stuck her tongue out as she took another few bounds forward. "She didn't say much. I left her with a few of the gems there before I came to get you."

–

Yellow looked on ahead, taking in the Peridot's words.

"Alright. Thank you," she said, her pace quickening. If Topaz was here and wasn't reporting to her, something was up and she needed to get there quickly. After she and the Peridot made their way down the elevator, she headed right for the warp pad in the center of the tower facility.

–

The freckled Peridot blinked in surprise and rushed after her leader, though her steps were far too small, and Yellow had warped away far before she could catch up.

–

–

Scrambling around a corner, the green service gem stuck her tongue out and made a beeline for the archives building, making her way inside. She headed for the room Topaz had been left in.

–

Yellow arrived not long ago, stepping quietly but quickly through the halls. The main room was massive. With a layout much like the great library, the shelves stood tall and wide, extending for many, many units in any direction. Everything in the building was made with a sleek, white metallic finish. On some shelves, there were buzzing screens that kept more important documents protected from anyone without a special code to get in. The entire facility was very well lit, and there was hardly a dark spot in any given inch.

"Hmm..." Yellow peered down the isles, passing them one by one. Occasionally she'd see a service gem organizing some of the diamond pads, but Topaz was nowhere to be seen. Then she spotted something else. In the more open area of the archives, there were large tables where gems could sit and read or hold meeting. Unfortunately for Yellow, the last gem she'd either wanted or _expected_ to see was sitting at one of the tables. Hematite, sitting with at least thirteen Diamond pads laying around him, looked scattered and distressed.

Yellow scoffed and made a sharp turn to another aisle. She didn't want to confront him right now. She didn't have the time or the patience. Quickly, she kept walking, hoping to avoid him completely. She had to find Topaz.

–

"Ah, Hematite, is this the one you were looking for?"

A strong, well-carrying voice sounded from the space that the service gem was studying in. Hema sat up straight, pausing in his efforts to thumb through some files on a diamond pad. He looked back, putting his arm over the support of his chair. Out from behind a nearby shelf stepped a huge, familiar form, a few books and diamond pads in her arms. She was looking down at one in particular. "Here, I found a few more that seem to be related as well. Perhaps they'll help?" she offered politely, looking at the service gem with an uncharacteristically soft expression.

The ivory-haired gem smiled thankfully at the massive warrior and nodded, carefully taking the items from Topaz as she handed them down.

"Thank you, General. I couldn't quite reach those ones."

–

Yellow stopped dead in her tracks, backing up to the corner again to peek around the aisle. Sighing heavily, she rolled her eyes. _Oooof course she had to be near_ _ **him**_ _._ Turning, Yellow made her way back to the two. Standing formally, Yellow stopped just shy of the table that Hematite was sitting at.

"Hematite. General Topaz." she said, addressing them in greetings. "What news do you have for me?" Yellow asked, staring at Topaz. Part of her wanted to avoid speaking to Hematite completely, if she could help it.

–

Hematite had noticed Yellow rather quickly, and shrank back in his chair, subtly. _No, why was_ _ **she**_ _here?!_ The service gem sunk down into his chair before he buried his attention back in his studying. He muttered something to himself, one hand clutching his head, supporting it, the other flipping through a diamond pad.

The General crossed her arms in front of her chest after giving Yellow a respectful nod. She glanced down at Hematite. There was an unreadable expression on her face, made even more unreadable by her covered right eye. However, there seemed to be the faintest hint of... _pity?_ Sympathy? It only lingered for a split moment before the golden-haired gem turned her attention back to Yellow Diamond, trying to remain professional.

"May I speak to you privately, Yellow Diamond?"

–

Yellow nodded simply and she placed her hands together momentarily She spared Hematite a brief glance, looking down at the clutter he had made over the table. It seemed as though he were looking for something, but she didn't know what.

"Lead the way, General."

–

Topaz nodded and uncrossed her arms, turning to head down one of the rows of archives and books. She turned her head slightly, her voice low.

"Apologies for dragging you here, I need-"

Skidding around the corner, the freckled Peridot squeaked and came to a clumsy halt, saluting the two gems in front of her. However, she quickly noticed she was saluting in reverse and righted herself with an awkward chuckle. The golden-haired gem clicked her tongue. "Ah, just in time. Peridot, can you please go monitor Hematite at that table over there?" Topaz thumbed back down the corridor. The green service gem peered around the two, standing on one leg, and suddenly perked, beaming.

"Wiiith pleasure!"

With that, she was off, bolting down the hall of archives. She came to a skidding halt as she leapt into a chair, scooting it closer to Hema. "Hiii Hematite!"

"O-oh, hey, Frecks."

"Still studying?" She leaned over his shoulder, peering curiously at his research. Hematite sighed softly, nodding.

Topaz snorted quietly with a shake of her head. She continued down the path, leading Yellow to a much more secluded part of the White Archives.

–

Yellow raised a brow without a word, eyeing the service gem as she ran past them. Maybe things would be quieter now. Shrugging, she followed Topaz, curiosity piqued. _What could she possibly want?_

–

The General led the Diamond down a few more paths before they came to a secluded room. There didn't seem to be any service gems around. She closed the door behind them.

Turning, Topaz crossed her arms, staring evenly at Yellow.

"Apologies, he has very sensitive hearing, compared to normal gems. I didn't want to risk him listening in on us."

–

"That's alright, General. We're here now, what do you need to say?" Yellow responded, crossing her arms patiently.

–

Topaz looked away silently. She drummed her fingers on her forearm. When she spoke, her voice was hushed, low, and even. She looked at Yellow without turning her head, piercing orange eyes meeting hers.

"Where is White Diamond."

–

Yellow's expression faltered, and she found herself unable to hide her brief surprise.

"Uh... well, um... She's in her tower, of course!" she said, trying to keep her expression in a neutral state. Her brows raised however, and she stared unnervingly through the warrior.

–

Topaz inhaled slowly through her nose, her brows furrowing. Her right eye was still covered by her hair. However, as she lifted a hand to her face, she quickly fixed that, brushing her hair back behind her ear. Her gaze was piercing, intense, and held the fire of a war veteran.

"Then let me ask another question. _**How**_ is White Diamond."

–

Yellow paused and gazed at Topaz's right eye, hesitant to answer the question. _So she'd caught on_. She wasn't sure how, but she knew Topaz knew something was up. Sighing, Yellow stepped closer, glancing to the side for a moment to make sure no one was around. She looked back up, matching Topaz's fierce gaze.

"Can you keep quiet about this..."

–

"You know I can, Yellow Diamond." Topaz frowned slightly, once again drumming her fingers on her arm.

–

Yellow took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She exhaled heavily through her teeth.

"I'm afraid... White's been cracked."

–

Topaz immediately closed her eyes, a pained expression crossing her face. She turned away, taking a step or two from Yellow. Running a hand through her hair, the General inhaled slowly through her teeth.

"I was afraid of that."

–

Yellow cleared her throat and opened her eyes.

"How did you figure?" she asked, folding her hands behind her back. "The less people that know about this, the better. We don't want to risk word of this getting out just yet."

–

Clenching her fist in her hair, the General slowly exhaled, squaring her shoulders. She turned back to Yellow.

"No need to worry. I won't tell anyone. I just had to..." She grimaced and looked away, a sharp-toothed sneer on her face. "Confirm some suspicions."

–

Yellow felt a twinge of confusion. _Suspicions? What kind of suspicions?_

"I see... So, what are you doing in these archives, then? Why are you here?"

–

Topaz turned her attention back to Yellow, her teeth no longer bared. She stood straight, and for once, folded her arms behind her, standing tall.

"You remember that faction we've been having troubles with, yes? Back on my home planet? Well, did White ever call you about the anonymous tip we received?”

–

Yellow narrowed her eyes in thought, but then nodded.

“Yes, I remember, and yes, she did.”

–

Topaz nodded in return.

“Well, White was adamant that she and her Hematite could handle it. So, I let her. I had other business to attend to, so I withdrew all of my soldiers from the area before they arrived. They weren't making any progress, so there was no point in them getting in the way. Of course, I knew they'd be arriving yesterday morning, and my patrols reported seeing Hematite and White headed for the location in the message. But when the same patrols reported that the Hematite was headed toward the capital _alone_ , not too long after _arriving_..." She grimaced just slightly, but quickly returned to her professional air. "I thought perhaps White and the harvester had simply completed their job quicker than expected... Which was impressive. I wanted to thank White in person for supposedly taking care of the issue at hand!" Topaz frowned slightly. "But, I was not met with the two of them. The Hematite was alone, carrying a bubble. I had been waiting near the warp pad for them, but when I saw that bubbled gem, I froze up." The golden-haired gem inhaled quietly. "I didn't get a good look. I thought it might be White Diamond. In fact, I had little reason to believe it was anyone _else_. Nobody had come along for their mission, after all. But the service gem... looked... off."

–

Yellow had not heard a report of how things had gone, so this was all news to her. She looked away, pursing her lips.

"What do you mean _off? ._.." she asked, narrowing her eyes. She kept glancing at Topaz's right eye as she spoke, seeming unusually intent on watching it. Topaz didn't seem to mind, or even notice.

–

"He didn't seem entirely _there_. He looked panicked, fearful, _hunted_." Topaz snorted and glanced to the side. "I thought perhaps he was being followed. But nobody came after him. I stayed there for a good long while to make sure. I even sent my gems in after they left, and they, for once, all returned intact. My patrols reported nothing out of the ordinary, all day. So, I thought perhaps the mission had simply gone sour towards the end, and that White had just been poofed." The General narrowed her eyes. "But the look in that service gem's eyes troubled me. After I squared things away at my home planet's capital I warped here to Homeworld not too long ago, hoping to find some answers... And. Hoping to find that my suspicions were wrong. So I asked around. Nobody would tell me anything about White Diamond, you were locked away in your tower, supposedly, and Blue Diamond was no-where to be found. I started to get, well. 'Nervous' isn't the word. So I asked around for Hematite. A few gems saw him heading to the archives, so I came by here to see what he was up to..." Sighing, Topaz stood straighter, suddenly rolling her neck with a faint 'crick' as she squared her shoulders again. "And then I saw him researching cracked gems."

–

Yellow bit her lip, suspicion rising.

"What are you getting at, General?" she asked, drumming her fingers rhythmically. _Well, of course he'd research that, he might be trying to find out how to fix her. Isn't that what we're all doing, come tomorrow?_

–

Topaz frowned and looked away. There was a pause.

"You know me, Yellow Diamond. I never 'get at' anything. I'm simply telling you how I figured what had happened to White, that's all. I believe Hematite, no matter what happened during that mission, is researching a fix. He seems very intent on it. He's barely said anything to me aside from what you saw earlier. That, and he gave me access to his mission logs, in case anything could be of use there.”

–

The Diamond stood a little taller, tapping her heel once on the floor.

"Fair enough. We're all going to be looking into fixing White. It doesn't really surprise me that he's here, honestly..." She paused, thinking hard about what information Topaz was giving her. She looked at one of the shelves nearby, her expression unreadable. "I only hope there _**is**_ a way..."

–

Topaz followed her gaze, unblinking. Her hair fell over her eye again, a look of genuine _pain_ on her face.

"As do I. I believe we'll find something. We _have_ to." She looked to her leader and crossed her arms in front of her. "That being the case! I am here, and available to you, should you wish me to assist you in finding a fix. With the rebels taken care of on my planet temporarily, and a temporary leader in place, I am free for a while, and I wish to help." Her expression softened for a moment. "It'd be far more efficient with more helping hands."

–

Yellow looked back to the warrior and nodded with genuine thanks.

"We all appreciate it. The faster we can get her fixed, the sooner our troubles will be over." Yellow said. She looked as though she were masking something, but it was hard to tell what. Her expression looked forced.

–

The General took note of the odd look, but since she couldn't place the reason behind it, she brushed it aside mentally.

"Indeed." She frowned and looked around for a moment. Stepping closer, she pushed her hair behind her ear again. "That being said, I do have to ask you one final thing."

–

At first, the Diamond didn't respond. Yellow raised a brow, fidgeting with her glove behind her back. She almost seemed lost in thought, like she was contemplating something. Suddenly, she snapped back to attention, realizing she almost missed responding completely.

"Yes, what is it?"

–

"Now, you know I never 'get at' anything, but I _need_ to know, for my own peace of mind..." Topaz arched a brow. When she spoke again, her tone completely changed. It was low, and had a dark bite to it. Her gaze burned into Yellow's, a fearsome fire in her eyes.

"Can you think of _any_ motive the service gem would have for turning on his leader."

–

Yellow froze, blinking in surprise.

"Well... If you anger him, I suppose." She shrugged, reluctant to say anything more. The pieces started to come together. It had happened before... _she_ angered him, and he turned on her.

But _White?.._. If Topaz was implying what she thought she was implying, then it raised a lot of questions. Questions she wondered if she should even ask. A prickling suspicion began to rise in her chest, mixed with a cloudy, frustrating sense of confusion. She was missing so many pieces to this, and she hated it. "I'm not sure... if he would, though. To my knowledge at least, White never _did_ anything to anger him. Nor Blue." She grimaced, thinking about herself. "He may have attacked me, but he had his... 'reasons', and I don't think he would make that mistake twice."

–

"I see. I had a feeling there may not have been anything there, but, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything important to this." She squared her shoulders and nodded. "Thank you, Yellow Diamond. Despite him not having any direct ties or motivations, I think it'd be best if we kept a closer eye on him. He has a history with instability against authority. Surely it couldn't hurt if we were to keep watch over him, when we're in the same general area. I can both help him with research and keep him out of trouble."

–

Yellow placed a finger to her chin, glancing off to the side.

"Well, do you really think that he needs to be monitored?" She asked. "Sure, he's had a history, but... Something isn't adding up. If you think he might be hiding something, why would he have come back to us with her gem bubbled as quickly as he did?" She crossed her arms, trying to make light of the story. Though she was merely trying to brush her suspicions off, she did actually have a point. On one hand, this whole thing was awfully suspicious. He'd come back on a mission with her with her gem cracked when he was supposed to be protecting her. He had run away once White had reformed. He had blown up on Yellow before... but on the other hand, he was researching how to fix the crack. He had come immediately back to the towers and faced the Diamonds directly. "Do you think he'd come back if he had done something bad?"

–

Topaz slowly arched a brow and inhaled deeply through her nose. She looked to the side, tapping her fingers on her arm in deep thought. By the look on her face, it was clear that what Yellow said made sense to her. _A lot of sense._ Her expression softened, her lips pursing.

"I suppose that's true, yes. You have a compelling point." The golden-haired gem's brows raised, as if something had occurred to her. "Actually, no, you're completely right. Only a fool would do that, if he were hiding something. A fool or a genius, and, I'm afraid I don't peg the service gem as the latter." The General smirked for a moment, rolling her eyes. Returning to her usual stoic expression, Topaz folded her arms behind her and nodded respectfully, closing her eyes. "Thank you, Yellow Diamond. Alright, I will focus all my attention and energy on helping you all find a cure." Her eyes opened, and she gave Yellow a sympathetic look. "We'll fix her in no time. By the Diamond Authority, I swear it."

–

Yellow nodded, a slightly softer expression befalling her.

"Thank you, General Topaz. If you find anything, please let me know. And remember: no one can find out about this," she said, turning to walk back out of the room. Her gaze drifted at all the different Diamond pads, leaving her to wonder if any of this immense collection of knowledge had any solution for them.

She couldn't stop thinking about Hematite... And soon, she was left to dwell on her nightmare. Did she _really_ suspect him? Sure, she had every reason to, but she couldn't draw any conclusions just yet. It was unjust, unproven, and at this point irrational. There was actually more evidence currently pointing away from him at the moment. Yes, she needed to remain calm and take things one step at a time. Whoever was guilty for this would be brought to justice. She would make _damn_ sure of it.

-

* * *

 

* * *

 

-

Days passed. Weeks passed. About three weeks later, nobody was any closer to finding a solution than they had been before. Hematite had taken to researching old Pink district locations, and had personally checked them out to see if any of Pink Diamond's fountains were still active. They weren't. Nothing he could find in the records was of any help. He'd found a few very old archives on some artificial way to heal cracked gems, but it required a plant that was long since extinct, according to the files. They hadn't been updated in some time.

 

Hematite hadn't seen White since she reformed. She'd stayed locked in her tower, sure not to be seen by anyone. As far as he knew, only her Pearl was allowed to make contact through text-based messages on her communicator. Hema was focusing all his attention on trying to find a way to fix his leader...

Until he received a message on his eyepiece from White's Pearl.

–

–

With a dense knot of dread in his stomach, Hematite walked heavily toward White's office. He didn't want to see her. Not how she was... Not after what he let happen. He had no idea how she'd react to seeing him again. She'd been clearly distressed as all get out when she reformed. Hematite could tell that she was confused, despite being completely unintelligible when she'd spoken.

The service gem walked with his arms crossed, his eyes staring blankly ahead. A warm breeze blew through the open windows of the White Diamond tower, but it brought him no comfort. He felt vaguely cold and heavy with anxiety. Slowly, he rubbed his hands up and down his arms, as if trying to warm himself. He was silent. The entire world around him was quiet, outside of the soft bustle of the oblivious city beyond the towers.

But suddenly, the quiet was interrupted by the rapid beep of Hematite's eyepiece. With a start, the service gem stopped in his tracks and hesitantly lifted a hand to his visor. His clawed finger hovered over its surface. He could tell by the pattern of beeps that it was a Hematite calling him, so maybe he should answer it. Hema drew his lips into a tight line and tapped the eyepiece, answering the call.

“Hiii Hema-dear!” chimed a familiar voice over the other end of the call. Hema's eyes widened in surprise. _Ti!_ She giggled and continued, an odd tone to her voice. She sounded slightly impatient. “You didn't show to our training session! You were supposed to meet me by the Coliseum, silly!” she said in a sing-song tone. Hema grimaced and reached up, rubbing his face. _Stars, he forgot about that._

“Ah, sorry, Ti. That was today?”

“Mmhm, iiiit's been the same day for the past few months, Hema! Remember, we were going to practice more, the closer it got to the fusion event? It's in just a few months! I mean, I still practiced without youuu, but. It doesn't really work if you're not here!” she chimed, a slightly forced-sounding chuckle in her throat. Hema frowned and rubbed his temple, sighing.

“Yeah, well. Sorry, Ti, but I kind of have something more important going on,” he grumbled, trying to keep at least a _little_ politeness to his tone. Ti paused.

“Hmm? Did you have a mission today?”

“No, Ti. I've been conducting research on... something.”

“What kiiind of something?” she cooed with only half-interested-sounding curiosity. Hema glared ahead of himself, at the spiral path leading upward.

“... It's classified.”

“Aww, even from me?”

“Yes, Ti. Even from you.”

“But Hema-deaaar.”

“No, Ti. Diamond's orders, I can't talk about it.”

Ti went quiet for a moment. Hematite blinked and glanced at the eyepiece awkwardly, raising a brow. She cleared her throat and continued.

“... Anyways. Since you couldn't make it todaaay, how about tomorrow?”

“Ti, I can't.”

“What, why not?”

“Look, I just. Can't. Okay? I probably won't be available for the next few months, even. Probably longer, with how much research I have to do.” He rubbed the back of his neck, frowning as he looked off to the side. “I... probably won't be able to make the fusion event, actually. Now that I think about it.”

A cold silence filled the other end of the call. Ti shifted in place, clearing her throat quietly.

“Mm. I see. Well... that's unfortunate, Hema. But, I'm sure we can make the next one, right?” she asked, chuckling softly. Hematite frowned.

“Maybe, I'm not sure. I'll... try, though. Hopefully this will all be cleared up before then,” he said cautiously.

“Yeah, hopefully. Well, good luck with all that then, Hema. I have to go do a job in a minute here. Call me again if anything comes up and you can come train, okay?~” Hema grimaced, but then nodded.

“Alright, alright. I'll call you if anything clears up and I can meet you there. But for now, I have to get going, okay? Good luck with your job-”

_Click._

Hema blinked in surprise, an almost offended frown crossing his face. He looked at his visor. _She... hung up on me. Tch._

_Cut her some slack, you did kind of stand her up. Maybe she's just hurt, or she's having a bad day._

_Mmm. I guess._

_You've got other things to worry about right now, anyways._

_Right..._

–

–

Stopping in front of the tall office doors, the small service gem brushed his fingers together behind his back. He didn't want to do this. He couldn't hold himself together last time he saw her, and now it'd been weeks. Why did she want to see him all of a sudden? Did she miss him? Did she even know what he was doing? Maybe she was just checking up on him.

Whatever the reason, he had a horribly heavy knot in the pit of his stomach. Slowly, he reached his hand up to the door and knocked.

–

It was the Pearl who answered. Slowly cracking open the door, she peered through with concern and worry. To her relief, it was just Hematite, not another worker asking for White.

"Oh, hello... she's waiting for you," Pearl said softly, glancing around. _Good, no one had followed him._ She stood aside, allowing him to walk inside.

White wasn't sitting at her desk where she normally was. She was near the small lounge, hunched over in one of the chairs. The windows to her room were completely sealed off with thick curtains. The room lacked its normally natural, warm lighting; The only thing illuminating it were the bright lights from the ceiling. On the table in front of her lay a tray with three cups, but only two were full. White didn't seem to acknowledge that Hematite had entered the room.

–

The service gem stepped inside. A sharp gasp escaped him upon seeing White again.

_Stars, she looked so..._

Looking around, Hematite rubbed his arm, grasping at the fabric. White's room held none of the usual warmth it had, and despite the smell of tea, he found no comfort here. Not right now.

"H-hematite reporting, White Diamond,” he said nervously.

–

Without turning her head, the Diamond raised up her hand and waved it in the direction of the lounge. She wasn't speaking. The Pearl, too, made her way over.

–

The service gem stepped over, not letting go of the fabric on his sleeve. It was so unnerving to see White like this. He'd heard of what a cracked gem could do to someone, but he'd only ever seen it once in his life, and it was nothing like this... And to see it happen to his leader, _his White Diamond..._

–

White stared solemnly, eyes half lidded, at the cup in front of her. Next to her cup, there was a Diamond pad. The Pearl stood at attention next to the two, quietly folding her arms behind her back. She was silent, but so was White. Slowly, White looked up at Hematite; ivory slitted 'pupils' piercing through him. But she looked hollow. She looked weak, defeated. She looked down at the table and grabbed the Diamond pad. After a few seconds, it turned on, and she typed in something. She handed it to Hematite. On the screen, there was nothing but glaring digital words.

 

"Hello."

–

Hematite looked blankly down at the diamond pad, holding it in his hand. He turned his eyes back up to hers, forcing himself to meet her unnerving gaze.

"... Evening." Shakily, he handed the diamond pad back to her. "... How have you been feeling?"

–

White kept the same expression as she wrote something else down. Handing it back, it read, "Not so good. What about you?"

The Pearl opened her eyes, looking sympathetically over to Hematite. Her lips parted to say something, but she didn't speak.

–

Glancing down at the screen, Hematite felt a lump form in his throat. A pained expression crossed his face, and he held back tears that suddenly pricked at his eyes. The service gem cleared his throat, his voice cracking for a moment.

"Tired. But. Mm. You know, I've been. Okay," he lied.

–

White took back the device, looking away. She didn't type anything out immediately. She looked to the Pearl and gave a motion with her head towards the table. The Pearl blinked, slightly surprised.

"Are you sure?" The Pearl said, running her fingers over one another timidly. White nodded. The Pearl grabbed the empty teacup and poured herself a glass. Standing, she looked down at the liquid with a look of faint despondency. "Thank you..." she said quietly.

White handed the device back to Hematite.

"You don't look okay. I haven't seen you since our mission. Where have you been?"

–

Glancing at White's Pearl, the service gem blinked and looked at his own cup. He wasn't sure he wanted any tea this evening. As he read the words on the device, Hematite's brows furrowed, and he looked away. The look on his face was clear as day. It wasn't as powerful as it had been when White reformed, but the emotion _was_ still there.

_Guilt._

"... I've been looking for a way to fix all this." He turned to her finally, grief-stricken eyes staring into hers. "To... fix my mistake." Hematite tried to keep a held-together demeanor, but it faltered suddenly, if only for a moment. His voice wavered. "I'm sorry."

–

White frowned, still looking noticeably upset. Letting out a shaking sigh, she clutched the pad in her hands. There was another small pause before she typed anything, but eventually she found the words. Once more, she handed the device over.

 

"Hematite. I don't know how this happened. What mistake." 

 

The Diamond's expression fell, staring blankly past him. It was subtle, but something in her eyes changed. She suddenly looked _scared_.

–

Hema's stomach tied itself into a knot. He looked away from her, finally letting go of his sleeve. He held his hands in front of him for a moment, looking at his palms.

"... I don't know what happened, either.” He clenched his fists for a moment, in frustration. He still didn't know how this had all transpired... He had no _way_ of knowing. Looking at his leader, Hema's face was once more plastered with guilt. "I caught the scout... but they used some ability on me, and I blacked out. And then when I came to, you weren't around, and..." He took a deep breath, steadying himself. He couldn't freak out. Not in front of White. "I tracked your signal into one of the cave paths. And... I found your gem on the ground."

–

The Diamond stared at her cup again, listening to Hematite's words. She noticed how nervous Hematite had gotten upon speaking. She made a small noise akin to a mumble, but all that came out was glitched static. There was a lot that seemed odd with that story, but she couldn't place a finger on what about it threw her off. She was just glad Hematite had found her at all. She could have been dead. She handed the pad back.

 

"Is that all."

–

Hematite read the words silently.

"... Yes. I couldn't find anyone in the caves, so I ran back to the galaxy warp and came here. I called Blue and Yellow to meet me in your office... And then you reformed..." The service gem suddenly had a rather hollow look in his eyes, akin to a thousand yard stare.

–

White furrowed her brows for a second, but they fell back into place. The air in the room suddenly felt off. As if the pressure was rising. However, it fell back down to normal after a few seconds. White averted her gaze from Hematite, lost in thought. She didn't want to think about that damned mission. She didn't want to think about how she was now. She didn't want to think about _anything_. For that matter, she didn't want to _do_ anything.

Her eyes started to water, and she brushed her hand across her cheek. This time, she dropped the diamond pad on the desk instead of handing it to him.

 

"What do I do now?"

–

The service gem felt his stomach **drop**.

**What do I do.**

"... We're going to fix this, White. I swear it." Hematite looked to her with a fiery light in his eyes, though there was something else behind it.

_**I have to.** _

"You just stay safe, and stay strong. I promise, we'll find a way to undo this."

–

The Diamond stared into Hematite's very core with pleading eyes. Suddenly, she whimpered, static filling the air for a second. Taking the Diamond pad, she wrote something dreadfully slow, her face twisting into horrified sorrow. Her hands shook. She dropped the Diamond pad on the floor and broke out into a choking sob, burying her face in her hands. The Pearl gasped, placing their teacup on the desk and rushing over to White, hovering her hands above her. She didn't touch her, but the concerned look in her eyes said that she _wanted_ to. Slowly, she looked at the Diamond pad and picked it up.

The Pearl went pale, and slowly looked up at Hematite.

–

Hematite gasped in surprise and took a step back, trembling.

_No, oh, stars White, please don't cry!_

He couldn't stand to see her like this. He just couldn't. But he couldn't leave like he did when she reformed.

Hematite wrung his hands together, staring helplessly at his leader. He wanted to hug her, or reassure her, _something_. Seeing her like this, he wanted to hold her close and promise everything would be okay. But he couldn't do it. He didn't dare touch her like this. For all he knew, physical contact could make her unstable. Not to mention he wasn't supposed to touch a diamond the _first_ place.

Hematite stared at the Pearl, his eyes wide.

"What?"

–

Reluctantly, the Pearl looked between White and Hematite, swallowing nervously. She handed it over.

 

"PLEASE HELP ME."

 

–

A choked noise escaped Hematite's throat, and he covered his mouth, looking away, eyes wide. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, and he inhaled sharply, biting onto one of his knuckles.

_Keep it together._

_**Show some courage.** _

Looking at White, he gently placed the diamond pad down, inhaling deeply.

"I _will_ help you, White." His voice wavered, and he swallowed. "By the Diamond Authority.... I swear it."

 

–

 

The day went on like normal. Casual, oblivious gems were walking their way down the streets, blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding within the Diamond Towers. No one had any clue anything was wrong at all. They went about their daily lives, chatting and doing their jobs like any other day. Night soon began to fall, and the cities glittered as brilliantly as they always did. The hum of content gems drifted from the close-knit districts, filling the warm evening air with a pleasant, droning sound.

 

Morganite was no different. Happily serving gems in his bar, he continued business as usual. Today had been busy, but thankfully gems were starting to slow down and stop flooding in. While he enjoyed his work, and it was good for business to be so busy, it did get a little overwhelming at times.

–

A small, dark-haired gem sat at the bar, sipping a rather colorful drink quietly. She was listening to the music from the dance club part of the bar, her eyes closed contentedly. Considering her drink was almost done and she didn't seem tipsy, seemed she'd gone for a non-alcoholic beverage tonight. A wise choice.

"You holdin' up there, Morg'? Been busy tonight." Rubes cracked open one of her eyes to glance at the pink-haired warrior.

–

Morgan turned with a sigh, staring off at the door.

"Ah, yes it has been, unfortunately, but I'm holding up well! Yourself?" he asked, the usual charm in his voice as strong as ever. Grabbing a glass, he started to clean it with a rag.

–

The Ruby smiled slyly and held up her glass for a moment.

"You know me. Give me my drink and I'm good for the night." With that, she sipped at it again, setting the glass down with a 'clink'. She stared ahead. "Hey... Morg'. Have you seen tough guy around? It seems like he's been gone a lot lately... And usually he tells one of us when he's going on some long mission."

–

Morgan grinned widely, shrugging.

"Can't say I have, actually. I'm sure he's fine, though! Have you tried his communicator?" He asked, clicking the glass onto the lower counter behind the bar.

–

Rubes pursed her lips, running her finger along the rim of her glass.

"I did. He hasn't answered any calls. From me or Puff." The ruby cocked a brow and sighed. "I mean I'm sure he's fine, but." Movement from the entrance of the bar caught the dark-haired gem's attention, and she looked over, blinking in surprise. "Well, speak of the giant."

Hematite looked around for a moment before heading over to the bar, spotting both Morgan and Rubes. For once, he didn't seem shy or peppy, or even _happy_. No, there was something different about him. He moved with purpose. His eyes were alight with a determined fierceness.

–

Morgan waved his hand in greeting, still smiling ear to ear. But he'd absolutely noticed Hematite's unfamiliar demeanor.

"Hey there, big guy. What's going on with you?" he asked, grabbing onto a nearby bottle. "You want the usual?"

–

The service gem hopped up in a seat one stool away from Rubes and shook his head.

"No." He looked up at the pink-haired warrior and frowned, an unreadable expression on his face. "Are you terribly busy right now?” he asked tersely.

–

Morgan blinked, glancing to the side.

"Well, not terribly, no. Is something the matter?" he asked, somewhat concerned. He wasn't used to seeing Hematite like this, and with the service gem being away for so long, something didn't sit right about this.

–

Looking around, Hematite tapped his clawed fingers on the smooth bar surface. He finally turned his attention back to Morganite.

"What can you tell me about Pink Diamond's old healing methods. Her springs, her powers, anything."

–

Morgan's brows raised, his interest piqued. He leaned in, smile fading. He matched Hematite's serious tone and demeanor. Their faces now sat far closer together. Morganite dropped his voice, a grim frown on his face.

"Why are you asking questions like this?..." He stared at the service gem, eyes half-lidded. A lock of hair fell between his eyes.

–

Rubes' brows raised, and she glanced between the two gems, her glass stopped at her lips, mid-sip. Slowly, she lowered it, watching them. Hematite continued to tap his fingers on the counter. He hesitated, but continued to meet Morgan's gaze.

"I need to know. A gem was cracked on one of my missions that wasn't supposed to. It's important that they're fixed."

–

Morgan narrowed his eyes further, pursing his lips suspiciously.

"Alright." He suddenly grinned again, more warmly this time. "Pink Diamond was well known for her healing powers, and healing methods. Personally, she used tears when she felt sorrow for other gems. She had fountains, medical stations, heck... even some of the wild-life had healing properties." He shrugged, looking upwards to the ceiling "Buuuut I haven't been to her district in such a long time... I'm afraid I don't know too much more than that. Everything that was once able to heal is either gone or stopped working a long time ago, as far as I know. I'm sorry."

–

Frowning, Hematite stared at the warrior for a long moment.

"... Is that all?"

–

Morgan frowned, looking back to the service gem.

"I'm afraid so. I'm sorry I couldn't provide any more information than that. I do hope you find what you're looking for, though."

–

There was a long pause.

Slowly, Hematite closed his eyes, lifted his hands, and clutched his head in them. He dug his fingers into his hair, tilting his face down slightly. He was silent. Rubes glanced worriedly at Morgan. She'd never seen Hematite like this, and, despite her normally cool demeanor, this was starting to unsettle even _her_.

–

Morgan mirrored Rubes' worried glance, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, trying to regain his casual demeanor. At first, the silence that befell the Hematite was a little awkward. But then, slowly, something else rose in Morganite's core. _Concern_.

"Are you going to be alright?..." he asked, looking at the despondent gem.

–

Hematite dug his hands into his hair further, inhaling quietly through his teeth. When he spoke, his voice was low, weak, and wavered just slightly.

 _"What do you do,"_ he muttered. Rubes blinked, setting down her glass. Hema's change in tone struck a chord with her, and she carefully scooted over one seat. For a moment, she lifted her hands near his arm, hesitating. Hematite continued. "What do you do when you have a problem you _have_ to solve, but you _know_ there isn't an answer."

The Ruby's calm demeanor fell. She looked worried.

"Hey... tough guy." Gently, she placed her hands on him, one on his back, the other on his upper arm. "Heyy, shh. What's wrong? What's going on?"

–

Morgan's eyes widened slightly. Why had that question sounded so familiar to him? Placing a glass down, he stood at attention and gazed around the club. No one seemed to need his assistance at the moment, so he didn't need to be anywhere else. Hematite's words concerned him.

When he spoke, it was soft and careful.

"We want to help you in any way we can..."

–

Sitting up slightly, Hematite let his hands fall away from his head. His eyes were wide. He looked utterly haunted.

"I have to fix this. I have to fix what I broke, and I _can't."_

Rubes glanced at Morgan. She gently squeezed Hematite's arm.

"Hey. Hema. What are you talking about? We can't help if you don't explain."

"I-I can't. I can't tell you anything. I just thought- Morgan, you're the only pink district gem I know of. The only one I can trust, anyways. Every other one I know is a rebel."

The dark-haired gem blinked. She glanced up to the side, pursing her lips.

"... You know. Tough guy. _**I**_ actually used to be a pink district gem."

Hematite lifted his head in surprise. He looked at Rubes abruptly.

"Y-you were? Why didn't you tell me this?!"

"Because it never came up, and it didn't matter? Look, that's besides the point." She paused. "Morgan is right, pretty much everything in the district is dead or isn't working anymore... Well. Except maybe one thing."

–

The pink haired bartender crossed his arms, smiling softly.

"Rubes, do you know something I don't?" he hummed out, eyeing her in a playfully suspicious manner. He wasn't really in the mood to be like this, but he figured if it helped ease the tension at all, it wouldn't hurt. That, and it masked his own rising discomfort.

–

The Ruby glanced at Morganite with a small, nervous frown. Hematite was staring her down, his eyes wide.

"Well?! Come on!"

Rubes frowned and flinched back, giving Hematite an offended glare.

" _Excuse_ you, tough guy."

The service gem immediately shrunk back a bit, glancing away.

"Sorry, I'm sorry... I-it's just." He took a deep breath, looking at her in dismay. "Rubes, this is urgent. If you know something, please. Tell me."

With a soft groan of suspicion, the Ruby rubbed at her chin, soon covering her mouth and glancing away. After a long, tense moment, she finally spoke up with a long, heavy sigh.

"We were supposed to keep it a secret, in case of an emergency. But... if you're serious about this, I guess this _is_ an emergency." She turned fully in her chair, staring the two gems down with dark, fierce eyes. "Listen closely, tough guy. Do you remember the base Puff and I were at when you came and collected us up? The one with the gem monster?" Hematite stiffened at the mention of his corrupted kin, but he nodded, regardless. "Yeah, well. It was a greenhouse, as I'm sure you noticed. And it was completely overgrown. There were a lot of useful plants there, but then... There was one thing in particular that caught our attention." She shrugged for a moment. "Axinite found it, actually. We told him not to go poking his nose around, but he did it anyways and found a tunnel system. We thought it'd be a good strategical place to hide if anyone came looking for us, but. There was something else down there. Deep at the bottom of the caves is an odd, woody-stemmed plant. I guess it grows better in the dark, or something. I remember they used to be all around the pink district before it got overgrown. It's a rather delicate plant and only blooms once every fifty years, and then sticks around until you pluck it. Axinite reported it back to us, and we all agreed we'd keep it secret in case... well. Any of us got hurt." Rubes tapped her hand on the bar. "But it sounds like you need it more than we do, now that we're settled back in the districts. I'm not sure if it could help you, tough guy. But I can say with one hundred percent certainty that that was a Pink Diamond plant, and at least, twelve or so years ago, it was alive and well. We never touched it. So unless anyone has found that place and taken it, it should still be there."

Hematite's eyes were wide, and he looked as though he might tear up.

"A-are you sure? M-morgan, no, wait. Rubes, what did it look like?"

"They had really prickly, wooden stems, looked like they had really soft petals, and I'm pretty sure they had little pink diamond-like gems in the center of the blossoms. They also had lighter pink tips at the end of the petals."

"Morgan, does that sound familiar? Were those a healing plant?" Hema gripped the edge of the counter, looking at Morgan sharply. He was incredibly tense.

–

Morganite held his hand over his mouth curiously, listening with intrigue. Brows raising slowly, his eyes shot open at the mention of the plant's appearance. He looked to Hematite, speechless.

"That sounds like the Hearthfall Flower... Those were some of Pink's primary ingredients for her medical bays! Rubes, if you really found one of those, that... that could absolutely be what Hematite is looking for!" he said, his grin widening hopefully.

–

Hematite was on his feet immediately.

_Hearthfall Flowers, the reports said they were extinct!_

"They really need to update those archives more," he said quickly, under his breath. When he looked up at the two, his eyes were shining. His old self was back, and he grinned brightly. "It's worth a shot! If it's still down there, this could be just what we need!" The service gem looked to Rubes and leaned over quickly, hugging her tightly. "Thanks, Rubes!" He let go and looked at Morgan. "I owe you both one, but I gotta get going!" Rubes flicked her hair behind her shoulder, giving an awkward chuckle. She crossed her arms.

"Alright then, head off! Let us know how it goes!"

Hopping out of his seat, he nodded, rushing for the door with a wave.

"I will!"

–

Morgan smiled, waving at the service gem. He sure was in a hurry.

"Good luck, Hematite!" he called out, sparing Rubes a thankful glance. Whatever was going on, he hoped it went well. And hey, maybe this 'I owe you one' would turn into another trip into the blue district.

 

–

-

As fast as his legs would carry him, Hematite made his way to the towers. On the way there, he tried to contact Blue to tell her the news and meet her in her office, but she wasn't answering her communicator.

_Fine, then I'll go to Yellow!_

–

Stopping in front of her office door, Hematite knocked rapidly, barely waiting for the doors to hiss open. He quickly stepped inside and saluted.

"Hematite reporting, Yellow Diamond! I think I might have a lead!"

Blinking, Hematite suddenly fully noticed who else was in the office.

–

Yellow was in the middle of a conversation with General Topaz at the time, but as soon as she heard Hematite's words, her eyes widened, and she stopped mid-sentence.

"What?!" she exclaimed, quickly placing her hands on her desk. She stood, glaring with shock at the service gem. "Hematite, you'd better not be joking. What have you found?!"

–

Topaz stopped mid sentence and turned in her seat, putting her arm over the back of it. She stared at Hematite intently, surprise and curiosity clear as day on her face.

"Yes, what have you found?" she asked hopefully.

Hematite was breathing rapidly from his run, but it was quickly slowing down. His hands were balled into fists in front of him, his eyes glimmering with optimistic eagerness.

"Okay, I don't know if you remember me telling you about this since we weren't on the best terms back then, but the first mission I ever went on with Blue, you know, uh, back before the whole ordeal with Earth, and all that," he shook his head, frowning. _Getting off topic, not a good idea!_ "Anyways! We found this rebel base not too far in the pink district where I found Rubes and Puff-" Hematite idly wondered if Yellow would even remember him talking about those two... _probably not._ "-And it was a greenhouse. There are tunnels underneath the base that have Hearthfall Flowers, still! They're not extinct like the reports said!"

–

Yellow's eye twitched, her jaw dropping.

"Hearthfall Flowers?! Hematite, are you sure?!" she said, coming out from behind her desk. She towered over the service gem, but still looked anxiously excited. "Pink Diamond used those to heal cracked gems, if we found one of them..." Her eyes lit up fiercely. _How had he learned of this? How did he get information about that greenhouse? Tch, it doesn't matter. He's found something, and that was all that counted._

–

Nodding excitedly, Hematite looked up at Yellow, only the faintest flicker of anxiety making itself known in his chest at the sight of her towering over him. He stood his ground.

"I'm pretty sure! I mean, I haven't confirmed anything, but that's why I came to you. We need to go check this out as soon as we can!" His eyes were practically sparkling. "I know the way, I still have the coordinates from the mission!"

–

Yellow gasped suddenly, glancing up at the door without so much as turning her head.

"Wait, Hematite! You said these were Hearthfall flowers, right? We might need to go do a little bit of research on them first. It's been such a long time, but..." Yellow pinched her fingers between her eyes, grimacing. "Rrrk.. I never handled these plants personally, but Pink did. She always went on about how there was something that we needed to do in order to pluck it right. If we don't, the flower will wilt immediately. We need to find out what that is. If this flower has special attributes, or something about it that we need to know, then we need to look it up. We can't risk losing it."

–

Hematite wilted just slightly, his hands falling to his sides.

"Aw, whaaat."

Topaz had opened her mouth and held up one hand, as if about to say something, but after Yellow's statement, she nodded and closed her mouth again.

"Yellow is right. if I remember correctly, there was a trick to them. Something about how to pick them and transport them." The General stood up from her seat and crossed her arms, walking over to stand in front of the small service gem. He looked up at her, craning his neck back. Topaz looked at Yellow. "But there should be some records at the archives, right, Yellow Diamond?"

–

Yellow ran her hand along the side of her face, clicking her teeth as she seemed lost in thought.

"YYyeeeeessss. In theory, I think so!" she said optimistically. "There should be, yes! If you go looking for them, in the right places!" She nodded.

–

The service gem perked up.

"Ah, I should still have the archives put aside somewhere, if Frecks didn't put them away." He quickly turned to the door and looked back, waiting for Yellow to follow. Topaz looked to her leader and arched a brow.

"Should I come with you? We can 'cover more ground' between the three of us."

–

Yellow looked to the General and nodded. "That's a good idea. Feel free to tag along. We might need your help," she said, following quickly behind the service gem. _Finally, this was what she'd been waiting for! Finally, they could fix White._ Despite her excitement, however, she still kept professional, and followed after Hematite with her head high and her expression serious.

–

–

The three gems searched through the archives for a good few hours. Unfortunately, the freckled Peridot _**had**_ put away Hematite's archive pile, and they had to search for them all over again, in bits and pieces.

Topaz was off to the side, currently speaking with the small Peridot, who nodded every once in a while. The green service gem scurried off, as if to go fetch something. The General watched the Peridot leave and made her way back to the table that Yellow and Hematite were seated at.

"I'm going to go check on something. The Peridot says there may be some extra archives in a separate building, but I'm unsure if they'll lead anywhere. Don't wait up for me, if you find what you need!"

Hematite looked up at the golden-haired gem and nodded, scratching his head.

"Right, thank you, General. Good luck with your search."

–

Yellow Diamond sent Topaz off with a curt nod.

"Right, good luck then, General. Contact me on my communicator if you find something interesting," she said formally. Looking back down to Hematite, then down at the archives, she pursed her lips. "Okay Hematite, did you find what you needed?"

–

Topaz nodded and walked off briskly, after the Peridot. The service gem looked up at his superior and nodded.

"Yeah, I finally found the last diamond pad. I wish Frecks had gotten here sooner, she could have saved us a lot of trouble." He looked back down at his archives that were laid out in front of him. Reaching over, he flicked through some files on one of the screens.

There was a stretch of silence as the two of them sifted through the research.

"... So we're going to have to find how to use these, after we gather them, right?"

–

Yellow sighed heavily, observing the files closely herself.

"Yes, unfortunately. I believe she used some kind of liquid with a special kind of mineral in it as a binding agent, buuut thankfully I do know that we use that same liquid in our Flask Robonoids." She thumbed through something, trying to pinpoint what she was looking for. "I believe that, mixed with the plant, may be the key to our success. But we need to make _sure_..."

–

Hematite nodded. Flipping through some pictures, he frowned, going silent. The service gem was quiet a long time. The further Hematite went into the files on the Hearthfall flower, the more something started to nag at the back of his mind.

About an hour later, he muttered something under his breath.

"What effect would these have on corrupted-... hm."

He went quiet again, enlarging a bit of text from a report on his holographic screen.

–

Yellow blinked, glancing over to the service gem wordlessly. She said nothing, brushing the odd statement off. Groaning with impatience, Yellow started to read the files far more carefully. She knew she was on the right track, but couldn't find what she was looking for.

"Oh come on, I know this stupid plant is in here somewhere." She growled quietly, tapping her nails on the desk. A few more moments passed by, and she gasped. "Hematite! I think I found it!" She exclaimed, quickly grabbing the Diamond pad and holding it closer to her face. Scanning the document, her eyes went wide. "This is it! Oh, I'm glad we looked for this, or it would have been catastrophic... Hematite, we need to slowly pluck these things directly underneath a small node in the blossom's stem, and bubble the flower immediately so that it does not wilt. That was how Pink safely transported those plants and preserved them so well! Stars, why does such an important plant have to be so finicky?”

–

The service gem had jumped slightly, and turned to Yellow in surprise. His eyes widened, and he blinked, a smile spreading across his face.

"Oh! That's it?! Well, what are we waiting for? Is there anything else it says we need to do, or is that all?" He leaned over, peering at the document.

–

Yellow took a quick look over the archive, smiling. She turned it off and stored it in her gem.

"Looks like this is it, Hematite. What **are** we waiting for?" She looked at him with a fierce determination. "I'll hold onto the archive in case we need it. We should get going! If you know the way, then take us there." She stood up from her seat, clenching her fists.

_"Let's go fix White."_

* * *

 

* * *

 

Soon enough, Hematite and Yellow stood upon the Pink District warp pad. The Diamond took a step away from Hematite, looking out to the district. She scowled. She didn't want to be here, but she knew she had to for the sake of saving White. The sky above was cloudy and dark, blocking out the view of the stars in the night sky. The service gem quickly stepped off and looked around, pulling up a map on his eyepiece.

"Alright, it's a few hours from here, if we walk... and even if we run, it'll take a while." Inhaling quietly through his teeth, Hematite brushed his fingers together, brows furrowed. They needed to do this as quickly as they could, and he had an idea as to how to speed up their trip, but he was hesitant to bring it up.

_No, this is for White._

They both needed to put their differences aside completely if they were to help her. The service gem turned to Yellow, looking up at her.

"If I shift up and carry you, we can get there a lot faster."

–

The service gem's words struck a nerve, causing her to flinch. She paused, slowly looking at him.

"That won't be necessary..." she said, crossing her arms. There was no way she was going to let him touch her, especially at _that_ size. Besides, she had a trick up her sleeve. She didn't need his help for getting there quickly. “You don't need to worry about me. I can keep up just fine.”

–

 _That's what I thought you'd say._ The service gem looked away and nodded.

"Right, okay. Just thought I'd ask, Blue couldn't keep up when we came here." Stepping away, Hematite clenched his fists, his form starting to glow. "Let's go." He bolted off toward their destination, his form quickly shifting as he ran. It stopped glowing as soon as he reached his half height.

–

Yellow started to pace quickly, watching Hematite shift up in the distance. He was already starting to gain some distance, so Yellow picked up speed. As she followed after the giant gem, her run turned into a _sprint_ , and she dodged over and around various obstacles with startling agility and ease. Her eyes narrowed, fixing on Hematite who was far ahead. Then, her body started to glow faintly, trails of sparks fizzling around and behind her. With a lightning fast flash, her entire form was enveloped in a yellow, electrified aura. She raced forward, her speed easily tripling. Pretty soon, she found herself matching Hematite's speed. She looked up at him briefly, but kept her focus ahead of her. She made sure to stay a good twenty feet or so away from him at any given time, running alongside him.

–

Hematite glanced down at the Diamond once he caught sight of her, and his eyes widened slightly. He shouldn't have been surprised, he'd seen her use that ability in some of their fights, but to see it being used for an extended period of time instead of for a quick second... It was impressive, to say the least.

The service gem kept his focus ahead of him. _At this rate, they'd be at the base in no time!_

–

–

Within about forty five minutes, the two gems arrived at the badly damaged greenhouse. The walls were in the same state they'd been left. Well... almost the same state. Back when Hematite was here last, sure, the building was a little overrun with weeds, and it looked decrepit and weathered, but now it looked even worse. Huge, thorny blackened vines coiled around the outside, leaving large cracks in the wall where they bore down on it. The thorned tendrils coiled around the building from every angle. Their woody stems looked to be woven in and out of the building at every crevice, every open window, every doorway. Every opening was blocked off by thick brier stems, some as wide as Hematite's arm at his _current_ size. As far as Hematite could see, the inside of the greenhouse hadn't changed. It was still a huge block of overgrown plants within the glass dome. Except, this time, there appeared to be some strange, jet-black plants mixed into the dense foliage pressed up against the glass. He didn't fancy going in there, but they had to. _Stars, the past twelve years hadn't been kind to this place, had they?_

Hema slowed his pace, panting quietly as he finally stopped. He leaned over for a moment, his hands on his knees.

"Alright, this is the place," he said breathlessly, wiping a hand over his brow.

–

Yellow halted to a stop, a glow still gracing her form for a few seconds before it faded out. She squinted, her cold, critical gaze flickering over the building.

"Ugh... disgusting," she whispered to herself, taking a few steps towards it. "Alright, where exactly in this place do we need to go?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. She kept casting disdainful looks at the overgrown facility, her lip curled up into a sneer.

–

The giant gem looked around. He suddenly looked confused, and, admittedly, a little nervous.

"Uh... I didn't ask that far." _Oh dear._ "W-well, Rubes said the plant was in an underground tunnel system, at the end of it. So I guess we have to look around in there for some sort of entrance."

_He really wished he asked follow-up questions._

–

Yellow turned her head sharply, glaring angrily at the service gem.

"WHAT?!..." she snapped, faint sparks fizzing around her form. She groaned in exasperation, looking back up at the building. Baring her teeth, she placed her hands on the rough surface of the walls. She muttered something cross under her breath, but it was impossible to tell what she was saying. _No, don't lose your temper. Just get in there and get this over with._

Running her palms along the sides of the walls, she started pacing the building, looking over for any type of doorway. But the more she looked, the more frustrated she became. All around the building, every single entrance and crack was filled with invasive foliage, vines, brambles. It seemed as though the entire inside of the facility was overgrown to the _brim,_ like a box filled with water _._ They left no room to get inside or even peer through, aside from a few places here and there. Every now and then, there appeared to be a tiny space between the briers that led deeper into the building. They were far too small for a normal sized gem to fit through.

"Of course, it couldn't just be a door, noooo. It had to be complicated..." she complained quietly, tapping at the wall. "Maybe it's around the other side?" the Diamond called up, continuing to pace along the side of the massive facility. She headed in the opposite direction of Hematite.

–

Hema was making his way around the large building. He currently stood along part of the massive glass dome. The huge structure appeared to be too tall for him to even reach the top of at his full size. He called over, his voice carrying to Yellow, even from the other end of the building.

"I don't think it'll be out in the open... Rubes said it was under their base..." He frowned and ran his hand along the side of the glass dome, peering inside best he could. Through the dense foliage and stars knew what else, he couldn't even make out the ground. From outside, the greenhouse looked more like a glass container of mulch rather than a kempt facility of neat and tidy plant specimens. "Tch."

The giant service gem stopped circling the building, having made his way back over to Yellow.

"I think it's inside, somewhere. Blue and I never went into the building, she just flushed out what we needed." A faint, brief expression of horror and recollection crossed Hematite's face. It was hard to notice, if one wasn't looking carefully. He quickly shook it off, the image of Spike's corrupted form flashing through his mind's eye. "I don't see anything around the outside... it must be hidden indoors, maybe in the greenhouse."

–

Frowning heavily, Yellow grumbled something again.

"Well it looks like we have only one option, really," she said astutely, peering up at the service gem. "You're a deconstruction gem. Why not _make_ us an entrance? There's no direct way in through all this mess." She took a few slow steps back, gradually making distance between herself and the building.

–

Blinking in surprise, the service gem looked at Yellow, then the building, then Yellow again.

"Are you sure...?"

Hematite paused for a moment, but then seemed to realize that her plan actually did make the most sense. He was going to suggest he shift down and they go inside and search on foot, but Yellow's method was far quicker. They'd have to cut through a LOT of foliage and who knows what else if they tried going in that way. It could take hours.

And time was of the essence.

If he broke through the greenhouse section, he could risk damaging the flower if it was anywhere near there, instead of being underground. Since he couldn't see inside, he didn't want to risk that. And, even if the flower wasn't anywhere in the greenhouse... with how thick the foliage appeared from the outside, it'd still take him who knew how long to get through the wall of plant life. This really was their quickest option.

Nodding, Hema waited for Yellow Diamond to make some distance between them before he turned back to the building. Despite him being over 8 stories tall at the moment, the greenhouse base still stood taller than him. He could almost reach the roof if he lifted his arm and jumped, but that was the extent of it. He'd have to work hard to get through this one.

"Alright, watch yourself, Yellow Diamond. This might get dicey."

The giant gem stepped back. In the back of his mind, he could tell that the run to the base had taken out a large portion of his energy, and that he wasn't in any condition to shift up to his full height. Thankfully, with the state of the building, he didn't think he needed to. Hematite's hands started to glow, and his knuckledusters sparked into existence, bright pink electricity crackling between the metal prongs.

–

Yellow nodded and took a few more steps back. She adjusted her stance, readying herself if debris came her way. While she didn't entirely like giving him an excuse to be this big around her in the first place, they _needed_ to get into that building.

–

The electricity quickly faded from his fists. He wouldn't be needing it here. Lifting his hand up to his eyes, Hematite frowned and flicked on his hunting visor.

 

**Whirrrrrr**

 

The screen began to glow in the low light, high pitched electrical sounds filling the thick air of the district. Thankfully, there was no clicking this time. No, he had to use his visor for a different purpose this time. A complex HUD blipped onto Hema's visor, various numbers and grids virtually overlaying themselves over whatever part of the building Hematite looked at. Certain spots on the building, mostly where there were cracks and dents, were highlighted in a pink hue.

The giant gem crouched down, peered around, did everything he could to get a good overview of the state of this side of the building. He just needed a weak point... Something that'd bring the wall down with minimal effort. He pulled aside a few thorny branches here and there, peeking inside whatever small openings he could. Now that he was getting a better look at this place, the inside didn't appear to be quite as filled as it seemed at first glance. He even spotted a few places a micro gem could easily fit in and get deeper into the building. Here and there, a small opening led into a more open-looking area of the inside. In all reality, he could get in if he shrank down, but then there was still the matter of getting Yellow in. Plus, he didn't fancy being in there by himself for any amount of time. Something about the scent of this place bothered him.

–

Yellow flinched upon seeing Hematite's visor show up. Frozen in place, she found her eyes locked onto it. _Why does he need that? What is he doing?_ A faintly nervous suspicion began to creep up in the back of her mind, but she tried to push it away. She didn't know too much about the Hematites' visors, she shouldn't jump to conclusions. She watched with visible discomfort, picking at her glove as Hematite peered around inside the building.

–

He kept looking for something, _anything_ that looked like a fault in the building's structural integrity. And then, he spotted it. In a rather mossy room, a huge crack ran down along the wall, seemingly stretching down past the floor, into the next story of the building. Hematite's visor gave a sharp 'chirp' and highlighted the crack on his screen.

"Gotcha."

Stepping back, the giant gem frowned, rolled his shoulders, and took a stance eerily similar to the one he took at the start of his spars. A long pause followed. The service gem took a slow, steadying breath through his nose.

 

_**CRACK!** _

 

In an instant, Hematite's fist and half of his arm had torn straight through the building, hitting the weak point he'd locked onto. He made it look effortless.

He pulled his fist back. His visor gave another chirp.

_ Stability at 67% _

Taking another, sharper breath, Hematite reeled his fist back again, striking the now weakened section of the building. Soon enough, large cracks began to form along the sides, spider-webbing up the surface of the dark gray walls.

–

Flinching, Yellow instinctively turned away and covered her head. The ear splitting crack rushed through the air, catching Yellow slightly off guard. Despite the fact that she knew he was going to hit the wall, it didn't prepare her for the speed or the force in which he struck it. Eyes widening slightly, she watched on with both intrigue and the slightest twinge of fear. She'd never seen him deconstruct something before, but she'd never thought she'd have to. _Stars, she almost forgot how strong he really was._

–

The service gem struck the wall in different places, strategically weakening the structure until suddenly...

_**CRACK!** _

The giant gem stepped back. With a thunderous thrum, the entire wall shifted, and the facility shuddered. Clouds of dust jetted out from the fissure that had been made in the thick stone. A huge, circular crack had been carefully broken into the building's wall, as if made by some terrible cookie-cutter. Hematite smirked to himself in satisfaction.

Walking closer, he fizzled away his weapons and dug his clawed fingers into the top of the fault. With a prolonged growl of effort, the giant service gem dug his heels into the ground and pulled, the entire chunk of wall shifting with a sickening, crumbling sound. Hematite squared his shoulders, and, with one final, abrupt shout, he yanked the chunk of wall as hard as he could, tearing it away from the building. Hematite fleetly stepped back, the massive piece slamming onto the ground with a shuddering THUD, sending dust and debris out around it. A gaping hole laid in the side of the building, all of its different floors exposed to the outside. The wall's destruction had torn out many of the more obtrusive vines and chunks of foliage, leaving a few entrances clear for getting inside the building. Hematite scanned the yawning wound in the facility, making sure to check that it wouldn't come crashing down on them now that he'd damaged it. He nodded once, humming a note of approval to himself. _This certainly wouldn't be a viable base anymore._

–

Incredibly unnerved, Yellow lowered her arms from her head as the dust settled, staring at the massive chunk of wall that lay on the floor. The faintest flicker of anxiety prickled in her chest, but she brushed it aside promptly. Slowly, she looked up to the immense hole in the wall. _Well, at least it worked..._ Albeit nervously, she walked towards Hematite and cleared her throat.

"Well done..." she said, looking into the building. "That was..... Something."

–

Hema blinked and lifted his visor from his eyes. He looked down at her with a tiny, hopeful smile, as if he was proud of what he did, but wasn't sure if _she_ was. The smile faded, and he turned serious again, turning back to the now open greenhouse facility. He lowered his visor.

"Alright, now that we can see all the floors of this place..." He peered inside, grimacing at the invasive plant life that seemed to have overtaken the entire thing. He didn't remember there being this much around last time he was here. The giant gem slowly scanned each floor, looking for any signs of the tunnel entrance. Now and then, he reached in and brushed plant life aside, clearing away briers and woody thorns. After a few minutes... he sighed in frustration and shook his head. "No luck." He sat up. "... Yellow, now that we have a clear entrance to the greenhouse, we should check there."

–

Yellow took a gradual step inside, carefully looking around her. This place seemed pretty unstable, from the looks of it. Cracks riddled many of the walls, and tiny pebbles crumbled to the floor as the building continued to settle from Hematite's rather impressive bit of 'renovation.' But, despite the outside wall being a mess, the inside was held together by plant life and the integral structure of the facility. It didn't appear to be at risk of falling apart at the moment, from the looks of it.

"Alright, lets get a move on."

She didn't want to be here any longer than she had to be. The very sight of this place set her on-edge, which worsened the further she stepped inside. "You know this place better than I do, even if that's not saying much. At least you have some kind of map..." She sneered, stepping over a root. Retracting her foot quickly, she growled with disdain.

–

Hematite nodded and closed his eyes, quickly shrinking down to about ten feet tall, the same height as Yellow. He flicked his visor away, though his eyepiece remained online. Following after her, he made his way towards the greenhouse. It had to be in there.

After clearing away some plant life from a large doorway, the two gems made their way inside the overgrown facility and looked around. Hematite trailed after Yellow, gazing curiously at the large tunnel that appeared to be cut and burned straight through the thick barrier of foliage. Hematite ran his hand along one of the long-since singed roots. That looked like a Ruby's handiwork. Probably Rubes... He eyed the cut stems and branches that arched overhead. Those seemed to be cut rather hastily with some sort of blade. Well, Puff did have a war ax. This must have been the main entrance they used, back when they were stationed here. Looking down at his feet, Hema tilted his head. While he could see the imprints of Yellow's feet, along with two petite sets of footprints, and one large set he assumed was Puff's, he spotted something else. A pair of footprints laid in the heavily-trodden ground, surrounded by what looked to be frost damage. _Strange... Were there other gems here with Puff's group? Or, stars forbid... had someone else come here before Yellow and himself?_ The service gem looked at his visor, blinking in surprise as he noticed it was on the fritz. It glitched and fizzled softly, disturbed by some sort of interference. _Oh, great. Just what they needed..._

After a minute or so of walking, Yellow and Hematite finally stepped out into the main body of the greenhouse. It was humid, sickly-sweet smelling, and had the looks of a miniature jungle. The entire ceiling of the greenhouse was formed by high, woven branches of various plants and trees. Vines, lichen, and other sorts of plants of all shapes and sizes hung from the branches, made up the walls, and blanketed the floor. The ground itself was damp, and held a sort of peaty scent to it. Thankfully, only patches of it seemed to be moist, while the rest was either made of neatly-laid, but weathered stones, or a blanket of moss. Hematite's skin crawled, and he made a disdainful noise of disgust as a strong, acrid scent filled his nose. He didn't like the smell of things in here. And, while he was rather fond of nature, this place felt... oppressive. It almost felt as though he and Yellow, as they made their way around to check for any signs of the tunnels, were being watched.

–

Hematite wasn't the only one to notice the strange air in the room. But, instead of unnerving Yellow, she bristled with anger, her eyes widened subtly. She stomped through the main room of the greenhouse, kicking plants aside, zapping things out of her way, and even taking her sword out to hack away at some branches blocking off small sections of the area. She grumbled under her breath, making her way to another area, Hematite trailing behind her. Turning a corner, Yellow flinched as a low hanging vine brushed against her. In an acute fit of anger she snatched it off the wall and threw it to the ground, gritting her teeth. She started to walk faster, muttering more harsh words too quietly for anyone to hear.

–

At Yellow's mini outburst, Hematite flinched and looked at her, his expression one of nervous concern. She seemed on-edge, and that was never good. Still, he kept his cool and continued searching around the facility. The eerie feeling of being watched never left him, and he could have sworn he kept hearing shuffling, or smelling a rather odd scent in waves. Something wasn't right here.

Soon enough, Hematite split off, and found himself in the center of the greenhouse, in a semi-clear area. Vines and thorny branches created a near sphere-like cove around a large tree that had overtaken some sort of 'pedestal'. Its roots were curled over the edges of the stone, moss covering the ornately decorated bricks. The trunk of the tree twisted up and into the overgrowth above it, the branches meshing with the thorny stems surrounding the clearing.

"... Yellow Diamond, you might wanna come take a look at this!"

–

Yellow brushed off some of the foliage that had tacked its way onto her outfit. She cursed under her breath, frustrated with her current state. Hematite's voice caught her attention, snapping her back out of her irritated grumbling.

"What is it?" She stumbled over a few loose roots, running up to the service gem. It didn't take her very long to notice what he'd seen. She gazed up at the massive tree, brows furrowing. She went quiet.

–

The service gem looked up at the impressive tree. His visor crackled for a moment, and he frowned, tapping it.

"Tch, so this is where all the interference is coming from." Despite the static, he could see something near the tree, on his radar. With a weak chirp, Hematite's eyepiece dimmed, turning off entirely. He started looking around the tree, climbing up into the roots to check out the base. "I wonder..." Slowly, the service gem climbed his way around the massive tree, peering around its roots and trunk. He dug around here and there, moving bits of foliage and stone away. Suddenly, he gasped and sat up. "Yellow, over here!" Hematite started shoving some vines and chunks of haphazardly placed dirt aside, revealing a medium-sized tunnel that was half-hidden by the tree's massive roots.

–

Yellow followed close by, glaring at the vast plant life within the room.

"Do you think this is it?" she asked, peering over at the service gem. She stepped up onto a large root, staring down into the medium-sized hole in the ground. It looked large enough to fit a warrior gem like a Jasper, easy. It led down into pitch blackness. Yellow Diamond frowned and slowly crossed her arms, glancing subtly at Hematite. Something didn't feel right about this, but she had to keep going. They needed that flower. Still... she couldn't shake her bad premonitions.

–

Peering into the tunnel, Hematite nodded.

"This is the only tunnel we've found in here, we gotta check it out." Quickly, he climbed inside, slipping down the steep slope. He could tell they'd be able to climb back up, but he still had to focus to keep his footing. Vines and roots threaded in and out of the walls of the tunnel, which, the further down the service gem went, seemed to be getting more spacious.

–

Yellow looked through the tunnel, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. She didn't like this either. Who in their right mind would ever make a base here? She couldn't fathom how gems could live in such barbaric places. Stepping through, she followed the service gem. It was dark, but at least there seemed to be a small bit of natural lighting still left. For a little while, at least. About thirty or so feet down the gradual slope, Yellow couldn't help her breathing from hitching as she realized she couldn't see Hematite anymore.

–

The deeper they went into the passage, the less dim light they had, which, admittedly, hadn't been much to start with. Soon enough, it was pitch black. Hematite frowned and lifted his hand to his eyes, flicking on his visor.

**Whirrrr**

In an instant, the tunnel was lit up by the bright glowing light of the service gem's hunting visor. The tracking on it in such cramped, interference-laid spaces was useless, but it was still a rather good source of light. Hematite continued on, his feet crunching down on dirt and plant life alike.

–

Yellow stopped for a second. If the noise didn't startle her, the sudden light in the darkness that followed certainly did. She lifted her hands over her gemstone, pulling at the wrists of her gloves. She continued following without a word. That was the last thing she'd wanted to experience in a pitch black room. It felt far too familiar.

The two gems carried on for some time, their path only illuminated by Hematite's visor. They stayed silent, their footsteps the only sound to break the silence that fell between them. That is, until about ten minutes into their trek, Yellow finally spoke.

"Do you know where we are going?" she asked, the faintest trace of irritation lacing her tone. Part of her told her to turn back, but it was unlikely that the plant they were looking for was anywhere back where they came from.

–

Hematite glanced back, his visor illuminating the Diamond behind him for a moment. He turned his attention forward again, shaking his head.

"Not exactly, but it has to be down here. Rubes said it's at the end of this tunnel. So if we just keep going-"

 

 

_HissSSSsSsccKK_

 

 

Hema stopped dead in his tracks, looking around. His eyes went wide, his chest tightening.

–

Yellow stopped as well, her brows shooting up. She suddenly held up her fists, sparks forming around them.

"Alllright, what was _that?_ " she growled with exasperated frustration. The flowing electricity provided a small bit of extra light, but not for very much.

–

"I don't know. But you heard it too, huh. I thought it might have been my vis-AH"

The service gem leapt a good foot or so back, flailing his left leg in the air. He looked down, and his visor illuminated a huge, dark, thorny vine that had latched onto his ankle.

 

**HSSSSKKKKCCKCK**

 

Summoning his weapons, Hematite grimaced and swept his fists down to strike the vine holding him. It reeled back with a hiss, retreating back into the dark. But more were closing in. In the blackness of the large tunnel, bright, bluish points of light suddenly blinked into view. Then, slowly, they started moving down the walls.

–

Yellow scowled, quickly summoning her sword. Bright flickers of electricity licked up the blade and spiraled around it, providing more light. It didn't take her long to identify what the glowing eyes belong to.

"Watch your back!" she snarled, taking a few bold steps past the service gem, walking towards the dim lights. "Vicious, feral _pests..."_

–

Hematite nodded.

"You too!"

The service gem looked around quickly. He knew he wouldn't be able to shift up much bigger in here, it was too small... The tunnel only seemed to be about two stories or so high, from what he could make out.

Hematite felt another vine latch onto his ankle, and he growled in frustration, using his other heel to kick at it, hard. The vine retreated and slithered up the wall.

Hematite turned his attention toward the dim blue lights, and his eyes widened when his visor illuminated their source. Crawling along the walls were multi-eyed, spider-like gem monsters. But instead of having normal, insect-like bodies, they were lithe, animal-like, but still had an extra set of legs. They had spindly, vine-like tails that trailed out behind them, twitching in fury. They seemed to have leaf-like 'tufts' spiked along their shoulders, backs, and ears. Hematite couldn't tell if it was some sort of 'fur', or if the tufts were solid spikes. Their bright blue eyes locked onto their targets, long, toothy jaws opening to reveal bright, glowing mouths.

 

_HSSSKKSKSKSK!_

 

Hematite backed up quickly, his knuckledusters alight with electricity. The moment they lit up, the creatures hissed aggressively and leapt, their long, jet-black claws stretched to strike.

Hematite was soon in a rather even match against the onslaught of creatures. He'd poof a few, take a couple hits, poof another, it was endless.

In his struggle to stay on top of things, he could only get glances of Yellow across the way. He hoped she was doing alright.

–

There was so many of them, it was a wonder that they could even fit in the caves with them. They appeared to flow out of the very walls themselves! Thrashing her sword in an even, measured pattern, she cut at the vines that slinked their way towards her. Occasionally, one or two of the vines would wrap around her, but were soon sliced in half with her electrified blade.

"Rraaagh!" She snarled angrily at the creatures, turning on her heel to face a few that were coming in past Hematite. Crouching low, she readied her sword and struck the ground, sending out a small shockwave in their path. The monsters hissed with pained protest, stunned for a few moments. She rushed to them, slicing her blade clean through their bodies. Cloud after cloud of navy-blue dust filled the air.

–

Thankfully for the service gem, Yellow's electricity didn't do too much to him, but it did make the vines that had wrapped around his legs retract.

"Thanks, Yellow!"

He couldn't tell if it'd been to intentionally help him or not, but it did, all the same. After a few more minutes of fighting, Hematite felt his energy starting to wane. Between his run to the greenhouse, taking down the wall, and then this fight... the service gem was quickly reaching his limits.

In a last ditch effort to end the fight quickly, Hematite summoned his electrical whips and lashed fiercely at the creatures making their way toward him. They hissed in protest, one or two of them getting hit hard enough to be poofed. The rest scurried off.

He turned his attention to the last of the creatures, which seemed to be retreating back up and... into the walls? Hematite frowned in utter confusion, his chest heaving. After Yellow poofed a last group, the two gems were left alone in the cavern.

Hema was breathing heavily, his whips dissipating into a show of sparks. He lifted his visor and wiped his brow, sighing heavily. Returning the screen to his eyes, the service gem looked around.

"... I think they're gone."

–

Yellow listened carefully, eyeing the walls for any sign of movement. Thankfully, it looked as if Hematite was right. Re-lighting her sword with more electricity, she kept a hold of the blade, just in case. It helped her rising anxiety. Stepping forward, she held up her sword and lit the way.

"Come on," she whispered.

–

Hematite looked back and nodded, following after Yellow. The two made their way further and further into the caves... Until they reached a dead end after about ten or so more minutes.

"... Is. Is this it?" He looked around, his visor lighting up the walls of the large, round cavern. "Okay, this must be it! The path stops here!” The service gem scurried ahead of Yellow Diamond, and started checking the walls and floor for the pink plant. "It's gotta be here somewhere."

–

Yellow followed behind, but her pace was far more slow and steady than Hematite. She knew better than to rush in.

"Be careful, Hematite. You don't know what is in here," she said, sighing. "There might be more of those nasty creatures. If the plant is in here, then we can't risk it getting caught in the crossfire if we get attacked." the Diamond warned, illuminating some of the area with her sword. Waving it around slowly, she was able to make out small pieces here and there of the area. Oddly enough, this place seemed barren, aside from the obviously dense plant life.

–

Hematite looked up and around, his visor illuminating the roof of the cavern. Instead of dense rock and dirt like the rest of the tunnels, this room's ceiling was unnervingly made entirely of roots. A mess of thick, wooden branches twisted and curved around the top of the room, creating an almost weblike, clustered formation. Hematite mumbled something under his breath before turning his attention back to the rest of the room.

"Alright, where is it..." He checked around quickly, looking for any sign of the pink flowers that Rubes had described. Woody stems, pink blossoms, gem-like center...

...

But they weren't there. The longer Hematite looked, the more a sense of dread started to rise in his stomach. Dread and _anxiety_.

"N-no, this isn't right. Rubes said it was here... A-at least, it was twelve years ago..." he muttered, almost too quiet to hear.

–

Yellow froze, almost dropping her sword. _She'd caught that._ Slowly, Yellow turned and held up her sword, faintly illuminating Hema's hunched-over form near the wall.

 _"What...?"_ She started to back up, staring at the dimly lit service gem from across the room. Her chest rose and fell slowly, her brows furrowing. She twitched, face twisting into a look of pure, unbridled _rage_. " _WHAT?!_ What do you mean it's not here?! TWELVE years ago?! Hematite, YOU-!" She snarled, her entire body suddenly enveloped with blinding electricity. Taking a step forward, sparks flickered out from her feet, singing the plants she walked on. Raising her shoulders, she breathed heavily, staring Hematite down with unholy fury.

–

The service gem froze.

He whirled around, plastering his back to the cavern wall, and stared at Yellow, eyes wide.

"I-I thought it'd still be here! Rubes said this place was a secret, s-so! It was worth a shot!"

Hema's body went cold as Yellow Diamond suddenly coursed entirely with electricity, her form lighting the room dimly. Hematite's chest started to rise and fall rapidly, and he gripped at the plants growing along the wall, a raging sea of panic and terror coursing through him.

–

Yellow opened her mouth to retort, but she stopped, the light around her flickering suddenly.

_Can you think of any reason the Hematite would have for turning on his leader?_

Her eyes widened with shock and realization. She took a slow step back. The subtle anxiety and horrible premonitions that'd plagued her since arriving at this gem-forsaken suddenly clutched at her chest. She tasted bile at the back of her throat, which she quickly tried to swallow down.

"You..." Her hand trembled slightly, and she started to take a few more steps back. "This was a trap. You lead me into a TRAP!" Her brows furrowed, anxious rage overflowing her very core. "I should have known... I should have known better than to trust you! You just wanted to finish me off down here. BUT I WON'T LET YOU!" she screamed, summoning a second electrified sword. Crossing the blades together, she took a defensive stance. Her piercing yellow eyes furiously locked with Hematite's gaze.

–

The service gem's mouth fell agape, and he shook his head in blind terror as Yellow Diamond pulled out a second sword and readied her stance.

"Y-Yellow! C-calm down! This isn't a trap, I thought the flowers would be down here!"

–

"NO! Don't you DARE tell me to calm down, you... MONSTER!" Her eyes pierced through him like fiery blades, striking directly into his core. She took a heavy breath, hissing through her teeth. She stepped forward, her form fizzling and sending out small bolts of electricity that struck the plant life around her, searing everything it touched.

–

The service gem physically flinched at Yellow's venomous words, and he whimpered audibly, a choked sob cracking from his throat. Hot, stinging tears began to flow down his cheeks, past his visor.

_No._

_No... NO!_

Hematite's gemstone began to glow in his blind panic. But, as soon as it began to glimmer, it fizzled out. He didn't even have enough energy to shift up.

Terror seeped into his very core as Yellow approached slowly, menacingly. Her expression was all too familiar. _He'd hoped he'd never see it again._

He felt long, ice-cold claws closing in on him on either side. He stopped breathing entirely, staring at Yellow with eyes as wide as saucers, though right now, she couldn't even see them past his visor. Opening his mouth, the faintest pitiful plea escaped him.

"Y-yellow, please-"

–

Her hands clenched tightly around the swords' hilts, poised to strike him down as soon as she got close enough.

"You think you can fool me? You think you can get the better of me? You think you've WON? No. I won't let you hurt _anyone_ else." Her tone was low, dark, and condescending. She sneered at him with a familiar, hateful look. All her fear from before was suddenly crushed under the heel of her deep-seated distrust of the service gem. Slowly, as she got mere feet away from him, she raised a sword up, never once taking her narrowed eyes off of him.

"I should have done this years ago..."

–

The ivory-haired gem felt his heels slowly slipping from under him as he pressed his back hard against the wall. His eyes were locked fearfully on Yellow. He felt his entire world crumbling around him, and yet couldn't bring himself to speak. It suddenly felt as though some outside force sank their claws into his chest, holding any words he could have said in his throat. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't speak, he couldn't move.

And then, he saw the blue lights.

Lifting his chin ever so slightly, Hematite stared up in horror at the ceiling. A set of glowing blue eyes was peering out from the roof of twisted roots, locked right onto the two gems. Its eyes looked like the creatures' that they'd fought before... but no. This one was far... _far_ bigger. _It was the mother._ Hema stared fearfully, a lump of ice in his throat. He suddenly realized that the gem mother wasn't staring at both of them. Its eyes were focused entirely...

 

_**On Yellow.** _

 

The creature opened its mouth, jet-black teeth silhouetted against a glowing blue mouth. Glittering strands of saliva dripped from the monster's jaws, falling to the tangled roots below it.

–

The Diamond's eyes darted down from his visor to his gemstone as he tilted his head back, practically _presenting_ her with the silvery gem. He gave her a perfect shot. With a sly, hateful sneer, she arched her arm back and readied her strike.

–

Time seemed to stand still. Everything around Hematite slowed, and a prickling chill crept up his neck. Yellow had her sword readied, prepared to strike him down. The gem monster above slowly lurched forward, jaws wide open. Hematite's entire body suddenly coursed with energy, a fiery surge rushing through his very core.

 

**Act.**

 

In a flash, Hematite launched himself off of the wall, shot toward Yellow Diamond, and shoved her backwards. He winced, her lightning coursing through him and locking him in place as soon as he made contact to shove her onto her back.

 

**S N A P!**

 

–

Yellow gasped sharply, taken by surprise at Hematite's sudden burst of movement. _Blast, she thought she had him!_ Snarling out in furious anger, she stood up and turned around. She immediately stopped in her tracks after righting herself.

Her eyes widened in undisguised, rageful _horror_. _He tried to push her into that thing!_ Eyes fixated on the snarling monstrosity before her, she realized Hematite was suddenly _nowhere_ to be seen. The giant gem mother crept back up into the ceiling of the room, once more The Diamond quickly fizzled away one of her swords and turned away. _Nothing here was worth sticking around for._ Without a second thought, she made a run for the entrance, as fast as her legs would carry her.

A furious, boiling rage bubbled in her stomach, making her hair stand on end. She'd been tricked, she had no Hearthfall Flowers to show for it, and she didn't even have a chance to finish Hematite off herself. There was nothing left for her down there. Whatever fate had in store for Hematite, she wasn't sticking around to find out. She didn't care anymore.

 

It wasn't her problem.


	55. Shattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue Diamond visits someone in the Yellow District.

It took a couple hours, but Yellow finally made it back to the Yellow District. After the initial shock wore off, Yellow thanked her lucky stars she got out of that relatively unscathed. That could have ended horribly. But something still didn't sit right with her.

She had _hope_ for him. She thought that things were different; that maybe things had changed. She wanted to believe that maybe she'd patched things up, but no... he just wanted her out of the picture. Leading her to a dark, secluded tunnel with a bunch of monsters, acting clueless, getting information from some dubious source, if he even _did_ get information from someone... trying to push her towards a gem mother... it was all planned. _Why didn't she just trust her gut? Why on Homeworld did she believe he'd found some convenient specimen of a long-dead plant? The suspicious behavior, his previous attempts to take you out; all of it pointed towards this. Why didn't you trust yourself?_

That wasn't the only thing on her mind, though. On top of everything else, they still didn't find the plant that they needed. It wasn't even there to begin with. Would they ever find a cure for White? As Yellow approached the head of the Pink District, she rubbed at her forehead with her palm, grimacing in regret. _You never should have trusted him. Now, not only are you without the Hearthfall Flowers, but you have to explain to White that Hematite is gone, and made an attempt on your life._

She knew _that_ wasn't going to be pretty.

 

Stepping up onto the warp pad, she teleported to the center of the tower facility. It didn't take her too long to get back to her tower at a running pace. With a heavy heart, she entered her office after making her way up in the elevator. The door hissed shut behind her, and she was left in deafening silence.

She just wanted everything to go back to normal again. She wanted White back, she wanted _peace_. Now she was left without a cure, and the responsibility of telling White what had happened. Sitting down in her seat, Yellow stared at her desk. She rested her arms on it, and her head sunk into her hands. Groaning in weary exasperation, she closed her eyes. She wanted to rest. But she wasn't going to. She couldn't, especially not after what just happened with Hematite. She knew what that led to. No, she didn't even _need_ sleep. She'd just power through it like she normally did. Sighing, she sat back up, bringing the diamond pad out of her gemstone. She turned it on and began looking through its files. Reading thoroughly over the information, she looked carefully for any other sign of hope. Another plant location, some other variant, _something_. There had to be something else.

 

_Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!_

 

Yellow flinched upon hearing the grating noise of her communicator. Groaning, she straightened herself up and cleared her throat. She pulled the communicator out of her gem, turning it on.

_Vwip!_

 

"This is Yellow Diamond."

–

The voice on the other end was low, clear, and had an excited drive to it. It was General Topaz.

"Oh, thank _stars_ the call went through, finally! Yellow Diamond, I've located the Hearthfall Flowers!"

–

Yellow's eyes widened slowly; the world around her stopped. _Did she hear that right?_ Quickly, she leaned in, clawed fingers gripping harshly at her desk as she held her communicator close.

"WHAT?! Where are you now?!" she asked frantically. She blinked, a small flicker of panic rushing through her. "Wait, General! You have to bubble the blossoms after picking them a certain way! You didn't just _pluck_ them, did you?!" she said quickly. She clasped her hand to her face and dug her nails into her skin anxiously. _Stars, she hoped Topaz hadn't just been carrying them around!_

–

It sounded as though the general were running as she spoke on the communicator, though she didn't sound remotely out of breath.

"I'm on my way back to the towers, and don't worry, they're safely bubbled! I figured out the trick to them, one of the archives in another building had the answer. I tried to call, but your communicator couldn't be reached earlier, where were you?!"

–

Yellow drug her fingers down her face and sighed with relief.

"Oh thank stars... I..." She paused, remembering the danger she narrowly escaped. "I was deep underground. I'll explain the rest of the details _later..."_ The end of her sentence came out more as a low and angry growl. "Look, just get back here as soon as possible, and I'll tell you the rest! Hurry!" she ordered.

–

"I'll be there soon."

_Click._

–

Yellow kept her communicator running, sitting back in her chair. She couldn't believe this. If Topaz really found the Hearthfall Flowers... _White was saved._ The Diamond leaned her head back into her seat, closing her eyes with a relieved smile. _Thank the stars, White was saved... She could stop hiding._

 

Ever since this whole ordeal started, White couldn't make herself known to the public. They'd done a spot-on job keeping her little 'problem' a secret, but her absence _hadn't_ gone unnoticed. With no way to communicate with her speech, and no way to show herself outside of her tower, her district lacked a good bit of leadership. It certainly wasn't as bad as the Yellow District all those months ago when Yellow Diamond had her breakdown, but the White District wasn't entirely unfazed. Managers didn't have crystal-clear schedules and instructions like they were so used to. Formal events lacked their leader coming to either speak or attend social gatherings or culture events. People were starting to get a little nosy. Other gems started to get noticeably worried, falling into unorganized disarray. They had little guidance and with no direct contact with their superior, they started to suspect something was wrong. Once in a while, mild panics broke out. With how well White kept her district, the authorities were able to keep the mild little breakouts under control, as they mostly consisted of social gatherings turning into slightly bristly, worried conferences. Unrest slowly was spreading, but now...

That was about to change.

 

Yellow leaned forward, clicking her communicator off. She had one more person to talk to, now.

 

_Vwip!..._

 

–

–

About forty five minutes or so passed. The general was no-where to be seen for a good time, until finally, someone knocked firmly on the door. Without waiting for a reply, Topaz opened the office door and walked briskly inside, saluting Yellow enthusiastically.

"General Topaz reporting, Yellow Diamond! Sorry I took so long," she said breathlessly.

–

Yellow stood at her desk, rushing over to the golden haired general.

"Thank stars you're here! I'm glad to see you, General," Yellow said, offering her a thankful grin. "Do you have it, then?" she asked, not seeing the plant anywhere in sight. Raising a brow, she looked over the gem's face curiously.

Immediately, the door rushed open, a shorter figure hobbling through.

"Ugh, Yellow! Why did you have me carry these robonoids in here?" came Blue Diamond's voice from behind the towering general. She was carrying eight or so flask robonoids in her arms, grunting as she set them down on the desk behind Yellow. Turning, she sighed heavily and waved at Topaz in greetings.

"You sounded hurried, what's going on here? And why is General Topaz here?" Blue asked, confused. She knew the general was helping them with research, but she thought the military leader was staying at the archives to study.

Yellow turned to the other Diamond, a fire in her eyes. She had a small smile on her face, which alone befuddled Blue even more. Yellow lifted her palm to her gemstone and took out a sizable jar, filled half way with a foggy pinkish liquid. Yellow stepped closer to Blue and grabbed one of the robonoids from her desk.

"Sorry, I didn't have much time to explain, Blue! I needed you to gather these up as quick as you could..." She paused, cracking one of the robonoids on the desk. Blue gasped quietly and watched as Yellow poured its thick glowing filling into the jar with the liquid. Yellow looked to Blue and gave her a nod. "We're going to fix White."

Blue stared in disbelief at the other Diamond, looking between Yellow and Topaz. Her expression brightened to pure elation, and she clasped her hands together excitedly.

"WHAT?! REALLY!? But... but how?! How did you?-"

–

The general nodded at Yellow Diamond and brought her hand to her gem. It started to glow a bright, yellow light, and the warrior gem pulled out a single, shining golden bubble. It was filled with the blossoms of the Hearthfall Flowers. They were pristine and healthy, all plucked at the correct place. She appeared to have a good amount of them, at least a dozen or so. Shooting the shorter Diamond a warm, excited grin, Topaz walked over to Yellow Diamond and offered the bubble to her.

"Our research finally had a breakthrough," she replied to her, relief weighing down her voice.

–

Yellow took the bubble and stared into it with disbelief. That was the plant alright. She looked to the general and nodded.

"Thank you, General Topaz. You don't know what you've just done for the Diamond Authority... for all of Homeworld," she said with a genuine smile.

–

Topaz handed the bubble over with a solemn nod.

"Thank you, Yellow Diamond. I'm only glad I could help, I know how terrible this has been for all of you."

–

Yellow Diamond nodded, looking down at the bubble.

"But..." She paused, curiously gazing at the blossoms. "How did you know where to get this? How did you find it?" she asked curiously. "Hematite took me to where he said the plant was... But when we got down there..." She stopped again, her brows furrowing. She looked almost pained, but it was rapidly replaced with a look of anger.

Blue frowned suddenly, her smile fading. Her eyes flicked over Yellow's expression, and the gears in her head suddenly started turning. She lifted a hand, brows furrowing in concern.

"Hematite went with you? Where is he now? What happened?" she asked. Yellow didn't look at her.

–

At Yellow's question, she arched a brow.

"..." She glanced at Blue. Inhaling slowly through her nose, the general stood a bit straighter and turned so she could face the both of them. She reached up and brushed her hair away from her right eye, subtly earning the attention of both Diamonds, Yellow especially. "Yellow, at the mention of this so-called location, I took it upon myself to look up a few of Hematite's missions. I'd already skimmed a couple to see if he had ANY information from his recon missions that could pertain to our efforts, but I found nothing.” She sighed softly, pursing her lips. “So... I looked up some rather obscure files on the Hearthfall Flower, AND I looked up the coordinates from the mission Hematite mentioned he'd gone on with Blue. I cross-referenced them with the records on the Hearthfall flower. Despite the records showing it was extinct, the archives still listed some old locations where the flower used to commonly grow. There were _no_ records of a large concentration of the plant for the location Hematite specified." Topaz sneered slightly, turning her head to Yellow. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was leaving... I had a bad feeling in my gut that Hematite might be up to something, so I took it upon myself to go check all the locations I researched. I found the Hearthfall flower _near_ the location Hematite provided,” she said, putting emphasis on the last few words.

–

Blue's brows furrowed as she frowned deeply.

"You went through Hematite's files?!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms. Yellow quickly hushed the other Diamond, a hand covering her mouth. She looked haunted. Blue scoffed and swatted Yellow's hand away, looking at her in offense. Yellow stared into space, not even noticing Blue's gesture.

"I... see," she said quietly. "You did what you could to help, and you got the flower. That's all that matters here. I don't know how you got in Hematite's files, but I'd pardon it given the circumstances..." she muttered a little quietly, gazing back into the bubble. She seemed distant, lost in her own thoughts.

–

The general arched a brow and looked away, almost shamefully.

"I'm sorry, the Peridot said they were available to look through, if the situation called for it. And Hematite said it was fine when I asked him about it a few weeks ago, if you recall.”

–

Yellow blinked, her gaze still vague and distant.

“Ah, right. I do... remember that,” she muttered, not sounding entirely there.

Blue rolled her eyes, but she guessed Yellow had a point. If this really was the cure for White's gem, then going through Hema's files was a clever idea. A bit of an invasion of privacy... but they _had_ probably just avoided a catastrophe by it. Looking up to the slightly taller Diamond, she was about to say something, but froze. Yellow looked _off_.

Lifting her head to look at the general, Yellow scowled in both fear and anger, her sour temperament written all over her face.

"So it really _was_ a trap..."

–

Topaz slowly raised her brows at Yellow's words, as if in realization. She suddenly looked _horrified_.

"What? What was a tra-"

_Silence._

After a long pause, the warrior gem lifted her hand to her mouth and took a step back. Her hair fell back over her eye.

"Oh, stars. He-..." Looking away, Topaz clenched her free hand, her knuckles cracking loudly. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she sighed, as if in resignation. "… I was afraid of this. I didn't think he was cunning enough..." Looking up sharply, she gazed at Yellow. "Where is he now?"

–

Blue took a step away from Yellow, small beads of sweat forming on her brow.

"Wh... what are you talking about?!" she hissed, staring in disbelief. Yellow still refused to look at her. Instead, she glanced at Topaz and stood up a little straighter. Her anger came flooding back to her, but she managed to keep her nerves under control. She was putting the pieces together, and she didn't like it. _Not one bit._

"He's gone. He shouldn't be a bother to us now," she said simply.

Blue rushed forward and just _barely_ refrained from shoving her, her eyes wide.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S _GONE?!_ Yellow WHAT did you do?! What happened?! What did HE do?!" she shouted with distressed fury. Yellow backed up, growling at the smaller Diamond.

 

"Calm yourself, Blue Diamond! _I_ didn't touch him." She narrowed her eyes harshly. Blue matched her gaze, but didn't back off. Yellow continued. "After Hematite mislead me down a dark tunnel, we were attacked by a group of corrupted gem monsters. I didn't think too much of it at first, but I had my suspicions. I should have listened to them... once we got in the end room, we found that there was no flower, and the mother monster attacked us. He was snatched up after trying to shove me into it, and I fled," she said. The smaller Diamond felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and she suddenly took a step back. Seething, Blue threw up her fist in anger, bringing one down on the edge of Yellow's desk. With a resounding THWACK, she left a rather ugly, sizable crack in the other Diamond's desk. Yellow turned furiously, but before she could protest, Blue took a bold step towards her.

"HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE HIM LIKE THAT?! So you _think_ he lead you to a trap just because he _miscalculated a room?!_ " she snapped, taking another threatening step forward. Yellow quickly retaliated, holding the bubble away from Blue.

"YOU don't understand, Blue! You weren't there! He tried to push me into the gem monster, he tried to get me alone; Secluded! He tried to lead me astray! You know what he's thought of me in the past, he was trying to finish what he started!" she growled. Blue inhaled sharply, eyes furiously burning into Yellow's.

"Gee, I _wonder_ why he thinks of you that way,” she snarled back.

–

Topaz listened to Yellow's story, her brows slowly furrowing in rage. She muttered quietly under her breath. A haunted look crossed her face.

"I should have gone with you..." She shook her head slowly and looked at Yellow. "Yellow Diamond. Was he shattered? Did you see what happened to him?"

–

Yellow frowned and looked away.

"I don't know. It was dark, and I didn't see any smoke... Nor did I see his gem. He could still be alive, but... I honestly am not sure," she said, pursing her lips.

–

Topaz grimaced and looked away before turning and pacing away from the Diamonds. She kept her back to them, silent for a long moment.

"Then he's still very likely out there. And he'll try again. He won't stop until his plans succeed." The general's voice lowered. "He started with White, and now you... Stars, he's more dangerous than I thought. It's a good thing you got out of there unscathed,” she said worriedly.

–

Yellow and Blue's attention shot to the general. Yellow's eyes widened, but Blue started to squint suspiciously.

"What do you mean 'his plans'? What do you mean he 'started with White?' What are you saying, General!?" she growled, stepping towards her. Yellow grabbed onto Blue's shoulder quickly, holding her tongue. She closed her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek. She stayed quiet a long moment, inhaling slowly through her nose.

 

"What _**are**_ you saying, General?" said Yellow softly.

–

Slowly shaking her head, Topaz rubbed her face quietly. There was another pause, and the general took a deep breath, letting it out in a way that sounded like she didn't want to say what she was about to. She tilted her head back for a moment, groaning reluctantly.

 

"... I... _hoped_ my suspicions were wrong. I thought perhaps I was just being paranoid. You get like that, being in a war." She let out a dry, humorless laugh. "I hoped... Perhaps Hematite wasn't the gem he made himself out to be when he attacked you so long ago, Yellow. I didn't _want_ to believe that the very gem White chose as her bodyguard was capable of such deeds." She dropped her hands to her sides, clenching her fists. "I thought that perhaps, since he brought back White's gem, and since he was looking so fervently for a cure, maybe I misjudged him. After all, what kind of gem would commit a crime and then bring back the evidence, only to try and fix what they'd done...?"

Slowly, the towering general turned, her visible eye burning with a furious mistrust.

"Only a fool, or a _genius_."

–

Blue and Yellow both shared a look of horrified shock, but Yellow hid it better than Blue. After the initial shock wore off, Blue looked _angry_ more than anything else.

"Are you suggesting Hematite cracked White?! What kind of accusation is that?!" she growled.

Yellow looked away with a bemused look of pain and realization. She remained silent.

–

"What KIND OF ACCUSATION?!" Topaz turned fully now, baring her teeth, her knuckles cracking loudly as she clenched her fists tighter. "Look around you, Blue Diamond!” she snapped, whipping her hand out to the side to gesture vaguely around the room. “The evidence is stacked a spire high!" The general suddenly closed her eyes, looked away, and took a deep breath. The edge softened from her voice, and she forced herself to relax. "Apologies. I know it must be hard... to accept that someone so close to you would be capable of such treason. But I _need_ you to hear me out. For everyone's sakes." A steely look entered Topaz's gaze, and she slowly turned her eyes back to the two Diamonds. "Because _even_ if what I'm about to tell you is wrong... if there's a chance that I'm right about that Hematite... It could save the Diamond Authority a _lot_ of grief."

–

Blue blinked, appalled by the general's outburst... but she froze before she could reprimand her. Both Yellow _and_ Blue froze, Topaz's words striking them deeply.

 

_'To accept that someone so close to you would be capable of such treason...'_

 

Yellow and Blue glanced at each other briefly, memories of Pink Diamond flooding back to them all at once. Blue's gaze was filled with discomfort and mild anxiety... while Yellow looked as though she'd already accepted where Topaz was going with this. But _Blue_...

_No. She couldn't mean this... How could she say these things?_

Blue snapped her attention from Yellow back to the general, taking a step toward her.

"You're... You're wrong!! Hematite would never do such a thing!" Blue growled, tears suddenly forming in her eyes. Her brows twitched, and her expression faltered from anger to uncertainty. Glancing away with a soft, indiscernible noise, she couldn't bring herself to say anything more. She wanted to scream, to deny it, to tell Topaz she was out of line for even saying such things... But even if she did, she knew all too well that it was possible. _It happened with Pink Diamond, it could happen with_ _ **anyone**_ _._ If a _Diamond_ was so willing and capable of betraying them... who's to say a service gem wasn't able to as well? They'd seen plenty of traitors in the war, and outside of it. Since none of them had had bodyguards in the past until now, at least, not personal ones like Hema, what Topaz was proposing was unprecedented... _but not impossible._

–

Staring evenly at the two Diamonds, Blue in particular, Topaz frowned sympathetically. Slowly, she inhaled through her teeth and gazed out the window behind them at the glittering, night-shaded city.

"Maybe it'd be best if you saw this from an outside perspective."

 

Topaz took a single step away from her superiors, folded her arms behind her back, squared her shoulders, and half-opened her visible eye, staring straight through both Yellow and Blue. After taking a long, deep breath, she began speaking evenly, powerfully, and with as much respect as she could manage.

 

"I never trusted the Hematites. They're far too powerful for their own good, and they're especially too dangerous to be kept at such a close proximity to the three of you. But, I didn't say anything when you told me she'd chosen one to be her bodyguard, Yellow. I didn't question White's judgment ... Not out loud. I thought I was being paranoid; surely White of all people would know exactly what she was getting herself into, creating such a gem... and then taking it on as her bodyguard. That all seemed fine and well." A thoughtful pause followed. "But then he went rogue and attacked you, Yellow Diamond. I do not know what his motives were, but that was a rather bold show of his true colors. I'm unsure why he wasn't shattered. But, again, I had no rights to question you out loud as much as I wanted to. But I was always troubled... worried for your safety. So I offered my services, my soldiers. And then one of them..." A faint flicker of rage passed over the general's face, but she quickly tried to brush it off, shaking her head. "One of them failed their orders. Broke their code. And because of this, my warriors had to be withdrawn. I trusted yours and White's judgment on that, Yellow Diamond. I did." The smallest hint of sympathy entered her voice. "But I never stopped worrying... Worrying about all three of you. If he was capable of attacking you in _public_ once, what's to say he wouldn't..." She sighed, frowning and looking away. "Attack you while you were _alone_."

 

An eerie silence fell upon the room. Yellow and Blue didn't respond. They stared at Topaz expectantly, picking up on the fact that she wasn't done. The general shook her head faintly, brushing her hair away from her right eye.

 

"... I will admit _right now,_ I do not know what motive that Hematite could have for wanting to shatter White Diamond. I don't. And that _is_ a weakness of my accusation, a _big_ one. However. It stands that I saw what I saw. White and Hematite went on a mission to help me with some pesky rebels, and only Hematite came back with White's cracked gemstone, far sooner than he should have. You didn't see what I saw. He looked paranoid, hunted, _**guilty**_. You _cannot_ tell me you didn't have your suspicions too, when he returned with her gem,” she implored.

 

She let her last words sink in. The two Diamonds frowned and shared a glance before Yellow hesitantly gestured for Topaz to carry on. She spared her the smallest, reluctant nod. Topaz returned it, sighing as her hair fell back over her eye. She almost looked disappointed as she carried on.

 

"At first I was confused... confused why, if he _had_ committed such an act, he would bring back White's gem... He could have finished the job and shattered her, harvested her, hid her, anything else besides what he _did,_ ” she said quietly, thoughtfully. “But as time went on...- No, when _you_ brought that very point up in the archives, Yellow, I thought of something. 'What possible effect could bringing White back here have on _you two?'"_ An edge entered her voice. "He wanted to weaken you both. Mentally and emotionally... He's been close enough to you all to know what you're like. He knew seeing White Diamond cracked and hurting would have a terrible effect on you, making you far more likely to make mistakes, to be _unfocused_. And White? In his mind, letting her reform was no problem. She was cracked, and as such, was far less of a threat." Looking away, Topaz looked pained and almost _fearful_ for a brief moment. "It was a brilliant plan, one that seems like... well. One that almost _worked_. It looks like he tried to take Yellow out first. Then, he probably would have gone for you, Blue. Or White, if presented the chance... if he covered his crime just enough to bring back a half-intact Diamond, he could look innocent and take all three of you out at the same time..."

Topaz covered her mouth with her hand, her professional air faltering for a moment as she glanced away. She looked pained, yet relieved. Her voice softened, genuine solace lacing her tone.

"I'm only glad he failed. We have a cure for White, you both are safe. And I was able to tell you all my suspicions. Even if I'm _wrong_... it's best you see this from the point of view of someone who just wants the best for the Diamond Authority, for Homeworld." She turned her head, a fierce light in her eyes as she gazed down at the two Diamonds before her. "For all of gem kind."

–

Blue clenched her fists tighter, her knuckles turning lighter in color. Tears streamed from her eyes, but instead of a furious light... her eyes held a deep, horrified pain. Unable to say anything, she trembled, looking away.

_No. Topaz was wrong. She had to be wrong. She **had** to be... _

Yellow turned to look at Blue, unsure what to do about her. She knew it must have hurt to hear all this, but Yellow was prepared for the worst. She'd seen this coming a mile away, even if she had tried her best to push it away. Neither of them wanted to believe it. But they both knew that it was feasible. Everything that Topaz had said made sense, to Yellow more so than it did Blue.

Blue shook her head rapidly, digging her fingers into her hair as she inhaled unevenly through her teeth. She tried to wipe her tears away, but they wouldn't stop coming. When she finally did speak, her voice wavered and cracked, gruff with denial.

"No... He wouldn't... HE WOULDN'T!" she shouted. Yellow frowned and gently placed her hand on Blue's shoulder, her expression sympathetic.

"Blue, please...."

 

**SLAP!**

 

Blue roughly smacked Yellow's hand away from her, sharply turning on her with her teeth grit harshly. She practically growled at the other Diamond, her heavy breaths hissing through her teeth.

"DON'T TOUCH ME," she hissed loudly, backing away quickly. Yellow looked offended, a prickling heat in her chest as she snarled at the smaller gem in anger.

"Blue! Stop this, you're being irrational! Listen to Topaz. She's right! Look at the facts, look at the evidence! Hematite isn't who you think he is.” She paused, sighing as she looked away momentarily. An odd mix of pain and sympathy addled her stern expression. “... I'm sorry," she said sympathetically, holding her hands out to the side.

Taking a deep breath, Topaz watched silently as the two Diamonds argued, her hands neatly behind her back again with a sad, compassionate countenance.

Blue trembled heavily, taking in a shaking, uneven breath. With venom in her words, she bared her teeth at the other Diamond.

"You aren't _sorry_... You're a _fool_."

 

Without giving either of them a chance to respond, Blue bolted for the door and punched it completely out of its mechanical hinges, barreling out of the room. She disappeared without a word.

Yellow stood in furious disbelief, running a hand over her face as all the sympathy and pity vanished from her in an instant.

"Ugh, she's so hard to deal with..." she sighed. Turning to the warrior, she pursed her lips. "I... should have listened to you, Topaz. All that time ago. I should have listened to my own judgment.. I should have shattered him when I had the chance. But, hopefully, he won't be a problem anymore..." she stated calmly, looking down at the bubble that she still held carefully in her free palm. "I knew there was something wrong about all of this... About _him_. I just wish I'd been wiser about all this.”

–

As soon as Blue left, the general turned to Yellow and sighed.

"It is alright. White will be fine, now. And in the end, if he does show up, we can bring him to justice. For now, let us focus on this." She motioned to the bubbled flowers. "How long until the flowers take to the fluid? Isn't it a few days?"

–

Yellow nodded and grabbed the jar.

"Yes, four and a half I believe" she said simply, unscrewing the lid and carefully picking up the bubble. "Blue will thank us later.... I know it's a lot harder on her than it is on me..." She grimaced suddenly, feeling something knot up in her stomach. _Oh, stars. She almost forgot._ "White's... not going to take this well. At all."

–

Topaz looked at her sympathetically, a faintly worried frown on her face. She stepped over to Yellow, who turned to look up at her silently. The general nodded reassuringly.

"I'll help you break it to her, when the time comes.”

 

 

–

–

_A few hours later..._

–

–

_Come on, come on... has it been long enough? Stars, how many hours has it been? I need to get out of here, it's so gross!_

_**What if Yellow's waiting for you out there?** _

_No, this thing would be dead if she was still around. That, or she would have joined me... Either way._

 

… _I think it's time._

 

Gritting his teeth, Hema opened his eyes, glaring fiercely into the grim, glowing blue 'stomach' around him. Bubbled gems lined the walls of the inside of the corrupted gem mother, glistening in the dim blue light. Hematite grimaced and stood up, looking around as he wiped his arms in disgust. Viscous teal saliva clung to his suit, plastering it damply against his form. The monster hadn't moved for some time... _it was probably sleeping, wasn't it? Well, whatever it was doing..._

_It was about to get a rude wake-up call._

Inhaling slowly through his nose, Hema closed his eyes and focused on his gem. It started to glimmer, and he braced himself as his entire body began to glow with not only the light of his size shifting... but with bright pink sparks as well.

 

The massive monster laid dormant in its web of roots and vines, watching the ground below. Its bright eyes were narrowed and vacant, as if it weren't entirely 'there.' But then, it sharply sat up, looking at its midsection with a disgruntled chirrup. A viscous screech filled the air before suddenly-

 

POFF!

 

With a surprised gasp, Hema clung tightly to one of the tangled roots. His clawed nails left small scores in the wood as he hoisted himself up, looking down at the blackened cave floor. Flicking a hand over his eyes, he lit up one of his hunting visors. The cavern was quickly filled with its pale white light which faintly illuminated the ground far below, even through the screen of dark blue smoke.

Hema grunted and slowly slid off of the root, making his clumsy way down into the cavern. He shifted down before hitting the ground, afraid to damage anything in the room. As he stood straight, he scratched his head in frustration. His hand swiped down from his hair to his arm, quickly wiping away the dampness that still clung to him.

The cavern laid in silence. Hematite stepped forward and turned slowly as he gave the cavern a thorough look. _Looks like Yellow really did leave. Of course, why would she stay and help me? She's out to shatter me all over again._

Hematite jumped in surprise as his foot nudged something on the ground that made a soft, crystalline sound. Looking down, his eyes rested upon a small, triangular blue stone. It glowed in the light of his visor, very easily catching his attention. Leaning down, Hema frowned and reached towards it, bubbling it without much effort. His visor quickly performed a scan.

 

_Gem Found: Benitoite Status: CORRUPTED Mission Objective: –_

 

Hema sighed to himself and quickly stored the bubble away in his gem. He was curious why he'd never seen this gem type before, but decided to check on it later. He had bigger monsters to catch right now. The service gem slowly moved forward towards one of the walls, placing his hands to its cold, rocky, and uneven surface. His palms brushed over small roots and patches of thick moss. He furrowed his brows, expression hardening.

_**You know, that monster probably just saved you. Yellow was ready to execute you right then and there.** _

_Well, it's a good thing she didn't, isn't it?_

_**But how long will it last?** _

_I'll go back and explain things to Blue. She can talk to Yellow, or maybe White. Everything will be fine._

_But first, I have to find that flower._

 

Hema, determined to track down the Hearthfall Flowers, began to scour the cavern. He was surprisingly calm, for what had just happened to him. But, as he began to comb through the cavern more thoroughly than he had before... his collected demeanor started to crack. Panic slowly rose in his chest once more, as if Yellow were still in the room, watching him. It wasn't there. Nothing was there. Sure, the room was big, but he was being so slow and careful, he should have found it by now. Rubes wouldn't lie to him, would she? No, she'd have no reason to.

_So then what happened? I mean... it has been twelve years, maybe one of Rubes' other group members came back for it? Axi, maybe? What if Puff came back and took it? Weren't there other members in their group..._

 

Hema leapt down from a high-hanging root, landing with a semi-pained grunt onto the ground. He grimaced and brushed himself off, walking towards the exit of the cavern. That was the last place he hadn't checked. He'd been searching now for what felt like at least a couple hours. His eyes were starting to burn, and every part of him ached from not only his and Yellow's mission, but from escaping from the Benitoite mother. Escaping from a gem monster in that manner always left him sore and dazed. How much longer did he have to search through this place? He thought that after a couple hours, he would have found something, but, no. This place was clean. There wasn't even a strong scent of anyone being there before. All he could smell was Yellow, himself, and the overwhelming stench of the Benitoite and the plant life. Then again, his sense of smell wasn't exactly the best. He couldn't tell if there was something else that he wasn't catching or not, over the strong smells that already lingered there.

With a deep, shuddering sigh, Hema stopped in front of the large exit of the cavern. He looked up, his visor dimly lighting the tunnel entrance. His chest felt heavy. _Nothing. There was nothing here, was there?_ Hematite looked at the parts of the tunnel closer to the ground, paying particular attention to the mounds of uneven rocks that almost cascaded down the lower slope of the walls. They were blanketed by different plant life of all shades and textures. Hema walked over and placed his hand on the mossy wall, his expression slowly falling. He looked down, his brows furrowed, teeth grit together.

And then, there, half-hidden under a vine... he saw it. A singular, pale pink petal laid in solitude on the floor. Hema's eyes went wide with shock, and he gasped as he knelt down, brushing the vine aside. Extending his hand, he bubbled the tiny petal, lifting it up to his face in disbelief. It floated in the middle of the silvery casing, now in full view. Hematite swallowed quietly, looking it over. The petal was half-wilted, and seemed on the verge of dying entirely. If he'd found it much later, he was certain it would've just been a browned scrap of foliage on the floor like everything else littered about the cavern. But what he could make of the petal, it fit Rubes' description. A pink petal with a lighter pink tip... either there were multiple plants that fit that description, or this was exactly what he'd been looking for.

Hematite's breathing quickened. He looked up sharply towards the exit, his eyes widening as he shot forward, storing the bubble away in his gem.

_There's still hope. The flower was here... all we have to do is track down who took it, it had to be recent! Otherwise, the petal would have been dead!_

_We can still do this, if the thief bubbled them right!_

 

_We still have a chance!_

–

–

Panting heavily, the service gem leapt over a large, downed column blocking his path through an abandoned city street. He landed roughly on the other side, stumbling. He stood straight and continued to run clumsily forward, sweat dripping off his brow.

_Stars, I should have waited longer to shift up earlier. Tch, but then that petal would have been dead... Come on... come on! This is taking forever! Why can't I shift, I know I have the energy for it!_

The service gem scolded himself mentally, grimacing. He urged his aching feet forward faster. If he could just get there before Yellow tried to report him to anyone, he could still explain himself and convince her it was all a misunderstanding. He had to. As much as he dreaded it, he knew his very fate could rest on her not convincing herself that he'd tried to kill her. Hematite's expression twisted with pain, Yellow's searing accusations stabbing into his very core.

 

_Yellow, you're wrong._

_I wasn't trying to fool you!_

_I'm not trying to hurt anyone!_

 

Slowly, but surely, another voice rose alongside Yellow's faint echos. It was dark, menacing, and familiar.

 

_**But you hurt White. You let her get cracked. This is all. Your. Fault.** _

 

Hematite grimaced and willed himself forward even faster. He tried again to reach his powers, deep within his gemstone. He felt as though something was cutting him off from his powers, directly standing in his way. It was as if some inner force had erected a wall between his mind and his inner abilities that laid in his gem. The voice hissed at him again, distracting him from trying to gain access to his powers.

 

_**Your fault. You monster.** _

 

_No!_

 

_**And you couldn't even find a simple flower to save her. You found a half-dead petal.** _

 

The service gem suddenly felt something flicker at the edge of his vision. He gasped and looked around, even more sweat forming on his brow as his running faltered.

_Those... looked like claws..._

_Was someone following him?_

_No, no of course not. He was alone._

_... Alone..._

_**And Yellow left you to die.** _

_**Because she couldn't shatter you herself.** _

Hematite shook his head, teeth bared.

_No, we'll find a cure, still! The plant isn't extinct, we'll find some more of it!_

_**That was your last chance.** _

_STOP IT!_

The service gem growled in frustration and shot ahead, only about thirty minutes away from the warp now.

_Please, Yellow, just listen to me! We have to work together so we can save White!_

–

–

 

Panting, the small service gem sprinted up the spiral hallway leading up to Yellow's office. He was exhausted, on the near point of collapse, but he had to get to her quickly. He'd gotten a few strange looks, and even some startled remarks from guards, but they knew Hematite by even a quick glance, so no-one tried to stop him. That didn't prevent them from muttering amongst one-another as he'd run through the Diamond Tower Facility, though. Now, he was in the last stretch to Yellow's office. _Just a little further..._

 

The general stopped mid sentence as she heard approaching footsteps. She'd been in the middle of a semi-pleasant conversation with Yellow about the cure, and how happy they'd be to see White back to normal. But she stopped dead in her words when she heard an approaching gem outside the torn-out door. She couldn't see them yet...

_But she had an idea who it was._

–

Yellow frowned, not yet hearing the footsteps herself. She was too busy pouring the last of the robonoid fluid into the jar and making sure everything was in order. A diamond pad laid to the side with a guide on how to add the robonoid fluid to the flask, and it looked as though she was on the last step. She looked over her shoulder, curious as to why Topaz had stopped mid-sentence.

"What is it, General?" she asked. Then, she heard it too. Her nerves jumped, and she suddenly spun around, eyeing the entrance of the doorway with bated breath.

–

Topaz didn't take her eyes off the doorway, her face completely turned away from Yellow, out of her view. Her brows furrowed into a look of apprehension and curiosity. The closer the steps drew, the more familiar they sounded.

 

Tak tak tak TAK _TAK_

Hematite skidded into view of the office. Very nearly falling over from his sudden stop, he stood straight and opened his mouth as if about to say something, but he looked at the destroyed doorway in confusion. His brows furrowed, and he clicked his tongue once.

"... What happened _here?"_ he muttered.

–

Yellow's teeth grit together in alarmed fury. She quickly placed the jar onto the desk and stepped in front of her desk, placing her palm to her gem. It glowed for a brief moment, and with a quick flick of her arm, a shining blade whipped itself from her gemstone, glimmering brightly. It clinked abruptly against the tile floor.

"How _dare_ you... you have a _lot_ of nerve coming back here. Give me _one_ good reason I shouldn't shatter you here and now," she hissed darkly. Topaz glanced over her shoulder at her leader, the faintest flicker of anxiety in her chest. Yellow stood tall and proud, staring down at Hema with a deadly look that could rip through the cores of the strongest gems, the golden-haired general included.

–

The small service gem's eyes widened, and he looked at Yellow with undisguised terror. He put his hands up in front of him defensively, backing away a step.

"W-wait! Wait. I-I know you're mad, and I know what happened back there looks bad, b-but, I-" Hematite started to lift his hand to his gemstone, which began to glow.

And then, abruptly, Topaz stood up and looked down at Hematite, glaring daggers into him, rendering him motionless with fright. The general stepped forward, turned back to Yellow, and gave her a knowing smirk.

"I can give you a reason, Yellow." Topaz stepped forward without warning, closed the distance between herself and Hematite, and grabbed his arm, pulling it away from his gemstone. "This little traitor..." She put a hand to her gemstone- which glowed brightly - and pulled out a gleaming white bracer. It was the same kind used by the Diamonds to hold prisoners, like the ones the Hematites had hunted so long ago. Topaz forcefully pulled Hema's hands in front of him, earning a terrified cry. She slapped the over-arm cuffs on, completely covering his forearms and hands. His gem stopped glowing instantly, with a sickening fizzle sound. "Needs to face _true_ justice for his crimes. An informal execution isn't the way to go about this."

She turned and smiled at Yellow, holding Hematite's bracer tightly in one massive hand. The service gem struggled weakly, trying fruitlessly to pull away or out of the cuffs.

"Wh-what's going on?! What are you talking about?” he demanded, looking up at Topaz in both fear and indigence.

–

Yellow sneered, never once taking her eyes off of Hematite. For a long, tense moment, she drummed her fingers along the hilt of her weapon, tapping its tip once or twice on the floor. Her eyes glittered with grim, deep thought. Then, slowly, she inhaled through her teeth, taking a single step back as she looked up at Topaz.

"I couldn't agree more, General... Take him away. We'll deal with him when we bring White back."

–

Hematite's eyes were wide as saucers, and he looked rapidly between Topaz and Yellow, shaking like a leaf. Despite his size not changing... he suddenly felt as though he were steadily shrinking smaller and smaller in the presence of the two powerful gems.

"W-wait! What did I do?! I-I have a petal, the plant was down ther-" Hema's eyes fell upon the jar on Yellow's desk, just behind her. He could see healthy pink flowers floating in the odd liquid. Those were the Hearthfall flowers. Hematite went quiet for a long moment, a disbelieving exhale escaping him. "W-what... How did you find-"

"Let's get moving." Topaz violently yanked Hematite toward the door, earning a pained shout from the gem. He tried to dig his heels into the ground, but was effortlessly drug along by the general by his hands. He looked sharply over his shoulder to see Yellow Diamond turning away from him, placing her sword off to the side. His chest tightened, a quick swallow catching in his throat.

"WAIT! I-IS WHITE GONNA BE FIXED? YELLOW-!"

His calls quickly faded down the hall, and were cut off entirely by the doors of the nearby elevator.

–

_The next day..._

–

 

The air held a chilling silence. It was cold, dark, sterile. A metallic thrum hummed through the air, droning on unyieldingly and sending a faint tremor into any gem that paid too much attention to it. Every now and then, a door somewhere would slam, or someone would break into a fervent fit about how they were here unjustly, or how they'd shatter the Diamonds once they escaped. The silence was a blessing when it was there.

 

Deep within the most highly-guarded halls of the Yellow District Prison, Blue Diamond stomped through the halls, eyeing every cell she came across with silent, seething rage. Every gem that was still conscious that had the misfortune of making eye contact with the livid Diamond was quickly reduced to a shuddering mess in the back of their cell. She hissed through her teeth as she rounded another bend in the massive, straight halls of the prison.

 

 _"WHERE IS HE?!"_ she bellowed, sending a subtle tremor through the room. One of the guards standing idle in the hall flinched, saluting the Diamond. They opened their mouth, beginning to speak, but Blue grabbed them by their arms and yanked them close, teeth bared. Eyes widening, the Amethyst swallowed loudly, sweat forming on her brow. The guard kept steady, despite being visibly racked.

 

"W-Who, ma'am?" asked the guard, shaking in their armored boots. The Diamond groaned in furious frustration and slammed them against the wall, her eyes dark.

 

"Where. Is. The Hematite," she snarled. Shakily, the guard pointed down the hall and motioned a few numbers with their hand. Blue let go of the guard with a snort, continuing down her path. The Amethyst clutched at her chest, breathing a deep sigh of relief.

 

Slamming through another door, Blue entered a much darker part of the prison. Two guards standing by saluted, but stood in her way. She quickly shoved them aside, fiery eyes staring straight ahead. As she made her way down a small flight of stairs. As the floor evened out, she started counting the cells. All of them were empty in this section, it seemed. There was no-one standing guard in here, either, aside from the two gems that'd been standing in Blue's way before the stairs. This was a specific section for criminals that were not to have contact with other gems before being spoken to, specifically by a Diamond. And, given her status, that's exactly why no-one was stopping the livid azure gem.

She stomped down the massive, tall room, passing by cell after cell. She quickly took note that there were even some small, secluded halls that branched off from the main one, leading to smaller, mostly empty cells that were secluded off on their own.

 

"512. 513. 514..."

–

There, at the end of one of the strange hallways, Hematite was sitting in a small, sturdy, square-shaped cell with a destabilizing screen in front of it. The service gem looked disheveled. His hair was ruffled, his suit was bunched up slightly in places, unlike its usual neat and smooth state.

Eyes staring straight ahead at the floor, Hema was backed against the middle of the wall, holding his knees close with his braced hands.

–

Blue turned to her left as she stomped ahead, squinting towards the end of another long, dark hallway that branched off of the main one she'd been walking through. Her eyes widened.

 

**There.**

 

Blue stopped for a second at the end of the hall, looking down it. There, at the other end, was a cell... and Hematite was in it. _ **Perfect.**_

 

Growling lowly, the Diamond stormed down the hall at a steady pace, swinging her fists beside her, her knuckles light in color. Everything went **red**. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and the world around her went quiet.

 

_**"HEMATIIIIIIIIITE!"** _

–

With a horrible start, the service gem looked up, eyes wide. For the briefest second, he was glad to see Blue approaching his cell. But that happiness was dashed to pieces when her angry shout echoed through the room, shaking him to his core. With a shaken inhale, he pulled his knees closer, back plastered against the wall. An audible whimper escaped him.

–

Blue was upon the cell in no time, towering above his cowering form from outside the 'door'. The buzzing screen offered no comfort to the small gem as the furious Diamond's very form cast Hematite in a faint shadow. Her lips were curled into a snarl, her eyes glaring right down at the gem, who, especially when curled up like he was, was utterly puny in comparison.

 

**W H A M!**

 

Her fists slammed down on the sides of the doorway, her entire form taking up the space of the cell entrance, making her appear even **bigger** than she already did.

–

A shriek of fear escaped the service gem, and he let go of his knees in an instant, holding his braced hands up in front of his head, shielding himself best he could.

–

There was no denying that every scrap of Blue's usual peppy demeanor was far, far gone. She was absolutely heaving with hot fury, her fingers gripping unsteadily at the flat surface of the door frame.

However, despite her rage, despite her heavy, deep breaths... when she spoke, her voice was hushed into a grieved, pained _whisper_.

_"Why...."_

–

Hematite, after a long pause, managed to crack one eye open. His trembling never quelled. When he opened his mouth, he tried to speak, but nothing but a choked 'squeak' escaped him. He swallowed hard, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

"Wh-why what? B-blue, what are you talking about?" His voice was quiet, strained, and _scared_.

–

Blue was breathing so harshly now, so quickly, the air that flowed between her teeth sounded like _hissing_. She didn't respond, her fury rising at the mere sound of Hema's tiny, pitiful voice.

Then it slowly died down again, and her brows twitched, her expression falling. Tears formed in her eyes, much to her dismay. Her core cooled faintly, weighed down with confusion and grief.

 

"Why would you do this... First Yellow, then White... were you gonna come after me next...? What did White ever do to you? What did _**I**_ ever do to you?!" she demanded, tears starting to flow down her cheeks. She furrowed her brows again, unsteadily lowering her fists from the door frame. "How could you... do something so horrible?!" she hissed, retracting her hands completely and grasping at the open air around her as she looked rapidly between her hands. "I can't... believe you! IS THIS REALLY WHAT YOU WANTED?! THIS WHOLE TIME?!" she demanded, glaring at him as she waited impatiently for an answer.

–

Hematite stared in confused horror at the sight before him. He'd never seen Blue like this. She was furious, she was _distraught_. _And he didn't know why._ Tears started to flow down the service gem's cheeks. He shook his head slightly, never taking his eyes off Blue.

"Wh-what are you talking about?!" he managed, his voice cracking. When Blue just glared at him, hissing through her teeth, something suddenly shifted in Hematite's core. His fear, though temporarily... was suddenly mixed with _anger_.

"I don't know what's going _on!_ I was just put in here without an explanation! And then you show up and start asking why I did something?!" He scrambled to his feet, shaking his head rapidly, tears flicking from his cheeks and falling to the stone floor. When he looked up, his eyes were filled with grief and confused anger. His own breath hissed through his teeth. His voice wavered. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I'M IN HERE, WHAT DID I DO, BLUE? _WHAT DID I_ _ **DO?!"**_ he cried at the top of his lungs, voice cracking. He inhaled through his teeth and sharply glared daggers at the wall beside him, slamming his braced hands into it. He stayed there for a moment, the loud 'clang' echoing down the hall. Then, slowly, he came back to his senses, his eyes widening. All his anger cracked and peeled away, leaving only the overwhelming fear and confusion in its wake.

Slowly, he slumped against the wall, his eyes shutting tight in a pained grimace. He couldn't hold it back anymore. All the pain from yesterday, all his confusion, the fact that he was in _prison_ , the uncertainty and inability to know White's current state... it all came crashing down on him at once.

Hema shook his head weakly, a weak sob cracking from his chest.

–

Through all of her anxiety, through all of her fury, through all of her grief... she stopped, albeit for a second, instinctively concerned for the service gem. The sight of seeing him so distressed made her pause, just long enough to see him slump against the wall.

But then, whatever concern she felt in that moment was gone in a flash. _Don't let him manipulate you. It's a trick. You know it is. You know how smart he is._

Angrily, she slammed her hands against the sides of the door again, inches from the buzzing screen that kept the two apart. All her rage flooded back into her core like a sea of hungry flames, making her very form boil with rage. His pitiful cries only seemed to anger her further, and she shook her head rapidly, everything Topaz said racing back to her as her clear, agonized voice ripped itself from her chest with gnashing teeth.

 

"YOU. CRACKED. WHITE," she screamed, more tears dripping from her cheeks and spattering on the cold metallic floor. With a sharp inhale, she clawed her fingers down the door frame, eyes narrowing from the hot tears that flooded them. Her tone lowered, pained and forced. "And you were gonna take us down, one by one..."

–

Hematite gasped audibly, a shuddering exhale following.

 

_YOU. CRACKED. WHITE._

 

The service gem's eyes went wide as saucers. All the life drained from his face, from his gaze. His shoulders slumped, and he stared, unblinking, ahead of him, mouth ajar.

 

_'You cracked White.'_

_'You cr a ck e d W hi t e'_

_**You cracked-** _

 

 _"No,"_ he said softly, his eyes wide and distant.

–

Blue tensed up, clenching her fists furiously.

"Don't you _dare_ play stupid with me, Hematite... You..." She lost her words, then her breath. Shaking herself back, she snorted angrily. "You thought you'd get away with it, didn't you... that maybe we wouldn't find out... maybe we wouldn't suspect you! But you..." She heaved, lashing out at the door with a readied fist. With a loud, crackling BZZZT, Blue's hand was reflected away from the destabilizing screen. Blue hissed through her teeth, completely unfazed by the strike.

 

"We trusted you... How could you lie to us?... How could you lie to ME?! How could you crack her?! Is it because you've got nothing to live for? That you're angry with her because she made you? Because you're a doomed gem?! IS THAT IT?! DAMMIT, HEMATITE!"

She lashed out again, slamming both of her fists on the screen directly again. Her eyes glared daggers into the small service gem, tears still dripping down her cheeks.

–

Hematite couldn't take it anymore. Between Blue's scathing accusations and her physical strikes to the screen, he felt his entire world crashing in on him.

 

_You cracked White._

_We trusted you._

_How could you lie to us?!_

_How could you crack her?!_

_IT IT BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO LIVE FOR?_

 

The service gem cried out as Blue struck the screen a second time, scrambling into the corner of the cell, slumping against the wall. He quickly collapsed to the floor in a shaking mess, holding his bracer over his head.

 

_You're angry with her because she made you? BECAUSE YOU'RE A DOOMED GEM?!_

_**IS THAT IT?!** _

 

 

Hematite's voice cut through the air with a desperation that not even Blue herself had heard before. Everything seemed to go silent at his cry.

 

"STOP! STOP, _**STOP IT!"**_

–

And she did.

 

The screen buzzed loudly with interference, and the Diamond's hands started shaking, fizzling. She retracted them quickly, clenching and unclenching her now singed hands. Eyes widening, Blue felt her hair stand on end as Hematite's voice echoed through the prison hall.

 

She slumped to her knees, silent.

 

But _he_ continued.

"Stop it... stop. _Please."_ Hema hadn't even noticed she'd gone silent, that her cutting accusations had stopped. Sobs wracked his small form, and he buried his face in his knees, his voice quiet and strained. It... didn't even sound like he was talking to _her_ anymore. _"Stop....."_

–

Blue stared at the service gem, looking over him thoroughly. As she gazed at him, she suddenly felt something bubble up in her core. A nausea-inducing cocktail of guilt, sudden regret, and concern prickled in her chest. She felt _horrible_. No matter how angry she was at him, no matter how hurt she was...

_She couldn't bear to see him like this._

With a heavy, shuddering breath, she looked down at the ground in front of her knees, guilt plain as day on her face.

"Hematite..."

–

He didn't seem to hear her. He didn't move. He couldn't even speak anymore. His voice failed him, and his words melted into a series of choked sobs and hiccups.

 

_**You cracked White.** _

_No... no, I didn't!_

_**Yes, you did. And they believe so too. That's why you're in here.** _

_Stop..._

_**Yellow knows you tried to lead her into a trap.** _

_I-I didn't do that either!_

_**But you** _ **did** **_crack White._ **

_N-NO I DIDN'T, STOP IT!_

_**But you don't** _ **know** **_you didn't. You blacked out. You could have cracked her. You DID crack her. Because you're a doomed gem, because she made you that way. You h a t e her._ **

_N-no... no! She's my leader! I could never hate her, SHE'S MY WHITE DIAMOND!_

 

He didn't even respond to Blue. He simply laid there, shivering, shaking his head faintly.

–

"HEMATITE!!" Blue shouted, looking at him with desperation and confliction in her gaze. "Please... listen to me..." She heaved again, holding her singed hands close to her face, balling them up into fists.

 

_They're wrong._

_They have to be._

 

And she wanted to believe it.

"If you _are_ innocent, please... Please..." She begged, gasping for air as more tears fell down her face. She looked at him weakly, all her anger from before completely gone. _"Prove it."_

–

Hematite slowly opened his eyes. The service gem laid where he was for a long moment.

_Prove it... Prove what? I didn't do anything... I-I don't even know what you all think I did, exactly. H-how could I have cracked White? I was unconscious._

He didn't answer, uncertain what he could even say.

–

Blue stared at him, sniffing.

"Tell me anything... show me anything... make me believe. I don't want something like this to happen _again_. I had so much faith in you, Hematite..." She wiped her hand against her cheek, wiping away tears. "Please. They're going to kill you for this... I don't want to see you go. I don't want you to be a traitor. I don't want to believe you are..." She placed her hands on her knees, clawing at the fabric of her outfit as she lowered her head. "Just... say... _something..."_

–

_Say something._

 

Slowly, Hematite sat up. He shifted where he crouched, and slumped his back against the wall. One knee was bent, his other leg stretched out in front of him. The look in his eyes was... _worrying_.

He looked defeated. He looked scared, confused.

But, more than that...

_He looked **hollow**._

A long pause stretched between the two. His mouth was slightly ajar, but no sound came out. Then, finally...

"I'm _sorry_."

–

Blue felt her very core _drop_ , and she frowned in confusion.

"What..."

 

_That can't be it._

_Please..._

_'Sorry' doesn't tell me anything..._

 

His expression haunted her. Nervously, she tilted her head away slightly, watching him with quickly rising apprehension.

–

After a long moment, Hematite's brows raised slightly. He cracked some sort of expression of grief.

"I'm sorry. I-I can't... I don't have... anything. I told you everything I could, in your office. Th-that's. That's all I've got." He looked at his bracer. "I didn't do it. I didn't. B-but I can't... prove anything. I've got nothing. I don't even know what happened. I-I still haven't been able to figure out what went on in those caves. No matter how many times I go through it mentally, I-I." Hematite's face scrunched into a look of pure desperation and guilt. "I can't figure it out! There was nobody down there! It was just me, White, and that damn scout, and I caught _her_! She couldn't have done it!"

 

The service gem's breath suddenly picked up, and he heaved through bared teeth, the sound coming out like rapid hissing. He suddenly shouted in pained frustration and slammed his bracer on the floor, his voice coming out as an angry sob.

"IT'S ALL THAT DAMN EMERALD'S FAULT! _SHE_ KNOCKED ME OUT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF _HER_!"

–

Blue's eyes widened further, and she put her hands up to the sides of the door frame again.

"Wait... you caught her? Hematite, what did you do to the gem you caught?!" she asked, an idea springing up in her head.

–

After a moment, the service gem calmed enough to look up at Blue. He sniffled quietly.

"... I bubbled and harvested her."

–

Slowly, a grin formed on Blue's face, eyes filled with hope.

_That was it. That was what they needed._

 

"Hematite! That's it! If you can bring out that gem... you can prove that not only were you occupied with her, but we can get her to talk! Maybe she knows what happened to White," she said proudly, smirking.

–

The service gem blinked in surprise and sat up a bit straighter. _Wait, maybe she was onto something... If they could get the Emerald to confirm that he wasn't near White...!_

"I-I, well. Maybe! I... can't bring her out right now, is that what you mean?" He looked slightly confused from his currently disheveled state. He held up his braced hands.

–

Blue faltered, raising a brow.

"What do you mean you can't bring her out right now?! Hematite, your life is on the line here..." She said with pleading eyes.

–

The gem frowned and blinked in confusion. Pursing his lips angrily, he shook his braced hands at her.

"Because of this thing! It blocks off all my gem abilities. I can barely make any contact with my pocket dimension, and I certainly can't bring out any bubbled gems!"

–

Blue scowled, glaring down between the bracer and the service gem's face.

"Hematite, I _cannot_ take that off... Surely you must at least know where she is?!" she said desperately. “If you can confirm you have her... I can probably get you an audience with White and Yellow.”

–

Hematite dropped his hands with a loud 'clink' and drew his lips tight, expression an odd mix of frustrated and nervous.

"... Alright. Give me a minute."

Slowly, the service gem lowered his face and closed his eyes. He went silent.

–

Blue sat back and crossed her arms.

This wasn't good.... _was he lying?_ Maybe she was wasting her time... But she wanted to hang onto what little hope she still had. There had to me something. Anything.

–

Getting a hold of his pocket dimension proved difficult. The bracers on his hands prevented him completely from accessing any of his gem abilities, and it very nearly cut off all mental attachment he had to his pocket dimension, even the tower. He'd never felt so disconnected from his inner self. Normally he would have been able to check in an instant where he had a gem, but now, there was a block, and he had to carefully, slowly, check each section of the tower. It felt like he was trying to stare through thick, frosted glass, when the window was usually crystal clear.

His brows furrowed, and he muttered to himself.

"Tch, I was in such a state, I think I might have put her in a cubby instead of a prison cell... I wasn't really paying attention at the time." He tilted his head slightly, a curious frown on his face. "She was rather small, she would have fit into one.”

He went silent again. Every once in a while he would make a faint 'Mm.' of refusal at finding an incorrect gem.

 

Five whole minutes passed.

 

All of a sudden, Hematite slowly opened his eyes. He looked _petrified_.

"… She's not there.”

–

Blue's expression quickly matched Hema's.

"No...” she breathed, her lower lip trembling. Slowly, she clenched her fists. “So... that's it, then..." She looked down, seeming a thousand miles away. Unable to move or speak, she let her tears fall onto her legs and onto the ground in front of her. Slowly, she lifted her hands, burying her face into her palms.

He had _nothing_. He had no evidence to prove his innocence... It was true... She didn't want to believe it, but... he had _nothing_.

–

Hematite looked up, his breathing suddenly uneven as he realized Blue was rather quickly giving up on him.

"No, _**no!"**_ He inhaled through his teeth and abruptly made his way over to the screen, on his knees. "Blue, please! You know I would never hurt White! You know I would never hurt anyone on purpose! I know I've messed up, I know this looks bad, it looks really REALLY bad! But I swear to you, I swear on the Diamond Authority, I didn't crack White! I didn't lead Yellow into a trap!" He whimpered and shook his head, all but begging the Diamond to listen to him, merely through his tone of voice. "I don't know what happened to White in those caves, and I don't know how the Emerald escaped her cubby, but I-" He held back tears. "Blue, you have to believe me!"

–

Blue stared on in agonized pain. She couldn't even bring herself to be physically furious right now, no matter how her emotions fluctuated within her. She was angry. She was confused. She was disheartened, hurt, betrayed.... And she was upset.

Upset because White was cracked.

Upset because Yellow and Topaz were so convinced that Hematite was guilty.

Upset because Hematite could not prove he was innocent, and because he, too, was distraught.

 

And no matter how hard he tried, no matter how innocent or guilty he may have been... He was losing hope fast. He wanted someone to believe him. _Anyone_. He wanted someone to listen to him. And she was his only hope.

 

She looked blank. Horrified, but blank. Looking away slowly, she didn't say a word. _How could she trust him? How could she believe him?_ All the evidence was stacked up against him, and he had no way of proving that he didn't crack White.

 

"....."

–

_No..._

_Blue, please._

_You and White are my only hope._

_And White's cracked right now-_

 

Hematite's eyes widened. He drew his lips tight, looking at Blue silently. He looked pained. He looked _desperate_.

"... Blue." He took a shuddering breath. "That stuff that was on Yellow's desk, in her office." His voice dropped to a hush. The service gem swallowed weakly. ".... Please, tell me. Is White going to be okay, now?" he asked, his voice wavering.

–

Blue snapped her attention back to Hematite, blindsided by his question. _He cared enough to ask that?_

She offered him a very faint, but genuine smile. She nodded.

"They've found the cure... She'll be alright."

–

_They've found the cure._

Hematite trembled slightly. Then, he looked down, a soft sound escaping his chest.

"Ha..." At first, the dry laugh almost sounded _upset_... Raising his brace slightly, the service gem pressed his forehead against the smooth metallic surface. The cold metal bit at his skin, making him wince faintly. His shoulders shook. "Hah... ha. Oh, stars. She's gonna be _okay_."

 

Hematite suddenly broke into an uneven, but genuine, laugh. It sounded heavy, but also relieved, in a manner.

 

_Nothing's unfixable..._

–

Blue seemed worried for a moment, unsure what to think of Hema's reaction. Her smile faded quickly, and she sighed. Well, at least the tears had stopped.

 

Blue stood up finally, looking at her hands. She was quiet a long moment.

"She'll be back to normal in five days; they're giving the serum extra time to set, just to be on the safe side... After that, you will be brought to face her." Her tone was monotonous and eerie. She stared at him wide eyed, almost sympathetically. "Whatever you are, guilty or innocent... I hope you're prepared for the worst, for your own sake..."

–

"..." Hematite looked up slowly.

The service gem dropped his hands, his posture slumping slightly. He stared ahead, the same hollow stare he had before returning to him.

 

_**She doesn't believe you.** _

_**Nobody believes you.** _

_**You may or may not have cracked her...** _

_Don't._

_**But it's still** _ **your** **_fault it happened._ **

 

"... Right,” he replied weakly.

–

Blue nodded and, reluctant to turn away, clutched her hands tightly and spared him another uncertain glance. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, she turned completely. Taking a few steps, she stopped quietly. Without turning her head, she hung her shoulders low. It seemed as though she were going to say something.

 

_Reassure him. Give him advice. Tell him it will be okay, lie if you have to!_

 

_But does he deserve it? What if he's guilty? What if he **is** lying?_

 

_You know what he's like, you've seen the way he's acted. You've seen the way it's destroying him!_

 

_Pink Diamond didn't seem like the type, either. But look what happened with her. **Anyone** can snap. Anyone can change for the worse. People aren't always who you think they are._

 

But did she really believe that he could have cracked White...?

Even she didn't know what to think anymore, but things weren't looking good for him, and that much she _did_ know.

 

Without a single word, Blue Diamond picked up her pace again and headed out of the hallway. She was gone in no time, and Hema was left in eerie silence once more without a breath of comfort to ease his anxiety.

–

_Five days later..._

–

 

_Tak tak tak tak tak_

 

"H-hey, not so hard," Hematite complained, tugging for a moment against Topaz' grip on his bracer. The warrior hadn't said a single word to him this morning after fetching him from the prison. Hema knew they were headed for White's...

And he felt a rock settle in the pit of his stomach.

The general rounded a corner and stopped in front of White Diamond's office. She knocked.

–

The door slowly hissed open. There stood White's Pearl, bowing respectively and stepping out of the way. The room was warm, welcoming, and had its old lively charm back. As refreshing as it was for things to be supposedly back to normal again, there was an eerie calm that lingered in the air.

 

And there stood White, back to normal with a fixed gemstone. She was professional, proper, and well presented. She was even smiling. Yellow stood nearby, her arms crossed. She didn't look near as happy.

As the warrior entered the room with the service gem, White's smile faded, looking upon them with great concern. Yellow narrowed her eyes, shooting Hematite a rather nasty look.

 

Blue was nowhere to be seen.

 

Stepping forward quickly, White raised up her palms slightly and looked to Hematite and Topaz with suspicion.

 

"Hematite! ... Would either of you care to explain why he is in a _prison bracer?"_ she said darkly, slowly turning her head to glare at Yellow. The other Diamond, however, matched her gaze and tilted her head up slightly. She didn't say a word.

–

The moment Hematite spotted his leader standing in the office, he perked up and let out a breathless gasp, taking a step forward. But Topaz grabbed his shoulder and held him back. She gripped tightly, earning a pained wince from the gem.

He looked up at his leader with wide, almost pleading eyes.

"Wh-white, I'm so glad you're okay." A weak smile spread across his face.

_But his eyes..._

_His eyes gave him away._

They were filled with anxiety, dread, and _**guilt**_.

Topaz didn't say a word.

–

Yellow stepped forward and bowed her head at Topaz.

"Thank you for escorting him here, General. If you would please.... " She paused, glaring down at Hematite. "There's something you should know, White."

 

White turned her head, looking at the other Diamond offendedly.

" _Excuse_ me?" she said, her hands on her hips. "You take my Hematite into your own hands _again_ , put him in your prison bracers, and for what? Was this really necessary? What is the meaning of this, Yellow Diamond?”

–

Hematite shuddered at Yellow's glare. He didn't say a word.

Topaz, however, stepped back and crossed her arms. She gazed at White evenly.

"White Diamond. We have found there to be considerable evidence backing up that this Hematite is a traitor to the Diamond Authority."

–

White's eyes widened, and she remained still.

"Wh...What?" she stuttered, double taking on the sentence. "What do you mean? How? What has he done?!" she growled, narrowing her eyes at the warrior. Yellow glanced up at White quietly, pursing her lips. _She knew this was about to get ugly._

–

The general stared evenly into White's gaze, arching a brow.

"While you were out of commission, we were all researching a way to fix your gem, as you well know. However, there was an incident toward the end of our efforts." She glanced at Hematite without moving her head. "This service gem claimed to have found a location with Hearthfall flowers. According to Yellow, he lead her to this location, which upon arriving, they realized had no such flowers, and the two of them were attacked. He took her there alone. And then to top it off, also according to Yellow, he pushed her into the path of a gem mother."

Hematite's brows shot up, and he glared at the general, teeth bared.

"I did not! I was trying to push her _out of the way!"_

–

Yellow took a step forward, clenching her fist with fury.

"You pushed me TOWARDS it!" she snarled, but White raised up her palm and shoved Yellow Diamond back in the spot she was standing in before, effortlessly. White looked back to Topaz, a look of unamused, unconvinced suspicion written all over her face.

"Is that all?”

–

Topaz narrowed her eyes.

"Hardly."

Hematite's expression faltered. The general cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. When she spoke again, her voice was almost casual, and even-toned.

"White Diamond, what do you remember from your mission with Hematite. Please specify any details towards the... 'end' of it."

–

White blinked a few times, trying to recall that dreaded night. Her expression fell, suddenly deep in thought. _Stars, it had been a while... and even when it had_ _ **just**_ _happened, she didn't remember too much._

"Well, Hematite and I went on a mission to find a group of rebels for you... but, what we found was a cave system. There was a scout we were to be looking for, and we chased it there. At least, I presume it was the scout," she stated. There was a small pause as she attempted to recount the events. Yellow swallowed thickly, shuffling her boot in place quietly. White continued. "Hematite told me that it might be risky to go on ahead together, so we split up. We went down two separate paths, and... then I heard this... absolutely dreadful screeching!" White took a deep breath, a worried look returning to her. "And, then I felt something hit me pretty hard, and everything went dark after that."

–

The service gem listened carefully and nodded at White's recounting of events. He grimaced at the mention of the screeching. _Stars, that was a terrible sound._

But then his brows shot up.

"W-wait, what hit you?! There wasn't anyone else in the caves when I came to find you."

–

White paused, glancing between Hematite and Topaz.

"I'm not sure... I think I heard footsteps very briefly, and then a...." Her eyes widened again, a mildly horrified expression crossing her face. "A heavy, blunt force hit me. I wasn't... able to turn around in time, the screech was too disorienting and I was distracted..."

–

The service gem blinked in confusion. _Okay, blunt force that was strong enough to crack a Diamond. So the Emerald was out of the question._ He'd thought for a moment perhaps she escaped his grasp while he was blacked out, but there was no way a tiny thing like her could do any damage. Hematite inhaled slowly through his nose and looked away.

He had nothing else to say. Topaz, on the other hand, certainly did.

"... A blunt, heavy force, you say?" she said thoughtfully. Topaz slowly looked at White, her gaze even.

–

White glanced at Hematite briefly, but looked to the side. Her gaze ended up falling upon the Pearl who nervously stood at the back of the room. The Pearl saluted, but stayed quiet.

"Yes... Something big," she said simply. Gears were turning in her head as she looked down at the floor. She was ominously still, her tone quiet.

Yellow was starting to get a little fidgety, shifting her weight from leg to leg. She kept glancing at White, sparing her unreadable looks.

–

Hematite pursed his lips, thinking. Maybe it was a fusion, or a gem monster that he'd missed. _But they had to have been fast... unless he was blacked out for longer than he thought. And, for that matter, why had they cracked White and not shattered her?_

He shuddered at the thought.

 

Topaz drummed her fingers along her arm.

"This service gem was seen fleeing to the galaxy warp with your cracked gemstone in a bubble. He looked afraid, hunted, _guilty_. I saw him with my own eyes. I had arrived there to see why you were back so early, but when I saw him, I stopped..." Topaz frowned and looked away. "... Tell me, White. Have there been any incidents that have made you, perhaps, _question_ this gem?"

 

Hematite's eyes widened, and he looked at White, fear and apprehension written all over his face.

"White, don't listen to her!"

–

White frowned, crossing her arms. It was hard to tell what she was thinking, but there was certainly _something_ going on in her head.

"Well... there was the incident with Yellow Diamond, some time ago..." she said simply, shooting the other Diamond a glare. Yellow remained steady, glancing at Topaz to avoid eye contact with White.

–

Topaz nodded and arched a brow.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that little _ordeal_. Which brings me to my next point, actually..." The general lifted her chin slightly. When she spoke, her voice was bold and even. "This Hematite has played you for a fool. He only needed to lay a few pieces in place before he could commit these heinous acts."

Hematite began to sweat. _What was she talking about?!_ He found himself unable to speak, any words of protest catching in his throat.

Topaz continued.

"I am unsure what his motives are. I've admitted this to Yellow Diamond. But I want you to consider something, White. There have been more 'incidents' that haven't set right with me. A plan has been forming for a long time now, even if I may not understand his motives behind it."

A pause.

"Think back to Diaspore. Didn't you find it the LEAST bit odd that not only did he have not one but two witnesses with him that day, but he also HAPPENED to have an incriminating recording of said gem? He wasn't shattered by Diaspore because that guard was never aiming to kill him that day. When I said I couldn't believe there was a traitor among my warriors, I meant it. My guards were under a _**strict**_ order: only attack a gem if they pose a serious and life-threatening danger to other gems. He arranged, and probably threatened one of my soldiers to attack him when he had a few, but not too many, witnesses. He then committed the deed in broad daylight, and had Diaspore found guilty of trying to shatter him. We cannot confirm this, as Diaspore is no longer _with us_... but I digress. Why would he do this, you may ask? Why, to make you feel the need to assist him, that he needed protection. While looking through the archives for any sort of lead on a cure, I perused Hematite's mission reports with permission. I thought since he's a recon gem, he would possibly have tidbits on something, anything that could help you in your time of need. But then I noticed a pattern that made my suspicions worse. After his 'debacle' with Diaspore, you started going with him on missions, didn't you? That was all he needed... A chance to get you out, alone, in the middle of no-where. Certainly, he couldn't _ask_ you to attend him, but he had time. He could wait for the perfect opportunity... And, sadly... he got one.”

Topaz sneered before looking away. A softer expression befell her.

“Thankfully, his chance was ultimately wasted. He didn't achieve his goal. His plan was probably to kill you before going after the other two. But he's failed. You're fixed, Yellow is safe... We still have all three of the Diamond Authority... Thank the stars.”

Hema looked up at Topaz, aghast with horror. His form began to tremble, and though he swallowed and tried to speak, his words stuck in his chest. All he could manage were a few soft, pitiful sounds.

–

The world around White fell silent. Throughout the story, White listened, but put her own pieces together. Her face twisted between subtle expressions of horror, disbelief, anger, and hurt. She never once looked at Hematite, and soon after Topaz had finished explaining, White was left staring down at the floor, wide eyed. She started to move her lips like she were saying something, but no voice came out. Slowly, she lifted her head to the general, complete shock on her face.

She thought about how adamant he'd been about letting his hands heal. She remembered the method he'd used to sneak up on that corrupted Sphene on their first mission together; how he'd shrunken down to get close and then struck. She remembered all she taught him as Howlite.

And, suddenly, she wished she didn't have such a good memory.

"I... but he wouldn't... he couldn't..." She clenched her fists, looking swiftly to the side, away from anyone else. She turned her whole body soon after, her back facing everyone. "No..." she whispered. Everything was falling into place. Everything started to make sense... _No, this couldn't be... How?_

 

Slowly, she lifted her head back up.

 

"We...we had just finished talking about corrupted gem monsters... I knew he was upset. But... Do you really think...?" Her voice sounded pained, as if she didn't want to accept what was being thrown down in front of her. She had to hear other people's opinions, she had to confirm her judgments... because she wasn't liking where this was going.

–

Hematite felt his body going cold. _Topaz was convincing White of all these lies._

"Wh-white! None of that is true, I swear! I-I wasn't upset about the gem monsters, I was just curious about what you thought of them!" Sweat started to form on his brow. Topaz clenched a fist.

"What's this about corrupted gems, White Diamond? Is there something I'm missing here?"

–

Yellow looked away completely. She knew of this all too well, but she didn't care to think about it either. White never turned back towards them. She tried to speak evenly, an odd, eerie tone to her voice.

"Hematites are... They have... a fatal flaw, that will one day lead to certain corruption... I... There's nothing we can do to help them. He... asked me if gems could retain sentience after they corrupted... but... I didn't know how to answer him," she said, her tone still laced with hurt.

–

The general's brows raised in genuine surprise. She slowly turned to Hematite, her gaze piercing right through him. When she spoke, her voice was low, even, and menacing.

"A gem with nothing to lose. Nothing to live for. Out for its creator's life. That certainly sounds like a motive to me."

–

There was a cold, dead silence.

Suddenly Yellow started to sweat. Eyes widening slowly, she took a step back from White.

"Uh...White...?" Yellow dared to speak up, biting the inside of her cheek. "Are you...-"

 

Suddenly, and without warning, the pressure in the air shot up. The atmosphere in the room grew harsher....Thicker...denser.... _Suffocating_. Until...

 

 

_**BBBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT- CRASH!** _

 

With a strained, electrified whir, the room fell dark, aside from the light filtering in from the windows. All of the lights illuminating the room had exploded from the sheer amount of pressure. If the air in the room wasn't unsettling enough, White's stance certainly was. She was slouched slightly, shoulders rising and falling with heavy, steady breaths. Silence followed... until the Diamond finally, slowly spoke up.

 

"Yes. It does."

 

Slowly turning her head to face both Topaz and Hematite, her dimly lit form stood darkly before them. A single, piercing, glowing white iris glared menacingly at the service gem. Her brows furrowed, and she slowly turned to them. She was _**livid**_.

 

Yellow had seen enough, and given the now broken state of the room, she decided it was time to leave. Without a word, she dismissed herself, quickly walking past both Hematite and Topaz. There was absolutely no way she was going to be caught in the middle of what she knew was coming.

–

Hematite's chest tightened, and his eyes went wide as the lights in the room suddenly shattered under the immense pressure change. His entire world froze around him at White's quiet, menacing words.

 

**Yes..... It does....**

 

His breathing became uneven, and he took a frightened step back the moment White looked at him. Topaz felt her expression falter, and she let go of the service gem's shoulder, taking a few long strides away from him.

 

Hematite was left alone, facing White Diamond.

"Wh-white-!"

The service gem felt his breath catch in his throat. He suddenly couldn't speak. He opened his mouth, but only a weak, choked sound came out. Holding his braced arms closer, he shook his head, taking another step back, his eyes never leaving hers.

–

Ominously slow, White walked towards the service gem, glaring at him with violent fury.

"Is this what you've been hiding from me..." she said, hissing quietly. "Is this what I felt when we fused that day...? When you wanted to feel _powerful_ , Hematite...? You were hiding your plans from me..." she continued, stopping a mere two feet in front of him. She towered over him, rolling her shoulders. Her eyes were fixated on him, lips curled into a maddened snarl. "All that power you craved... You liked feeling more powerful. You wanted to be stronger... but you just weren't satisfied..."

She leaned down sharply, inches from his face.

**"WERE YOU."**

–

Topaz stood against a far wall, her fingers drumming along the top of her arm. She narrowed her eyes, curious about this mention of a fusion.

 

Hematite, however, was far less collected.

If they weren't cuffed, he would have raised his hands in front of him in defense as White approached him, furious, towering, _terrifying_.

He wanted so badly to say that the fusion was her idea, but his voice was failing him.

Hematite physically flinched back when White leaned down, a sharp whimper escaping him. He stared up at his leader, eyes wide, his form starting to tremble uncontrollably.

–

White stood up tall again, towering over the puny service gem. Her teeth were bared, eyes wide with wrath. No longer was she whispering.

"YOU HID YOUR EMOTIONS FROM ME... I thought nothing of it... but I should have known something was wrong." She hissed the last phrase, narrowing her eyes. The Diamond rolled her head, neck cracking subtly. "Oooooh but maybe you thought I wouldn't notice that... Or, notice how you _RAN_ WHEN I CAME BACK," she snarled, the Pearl instinctively cowering on the other side of the room. She couldn't leave, but she couldn't move if she wanted to, anyway. White continued furiously. "HOW YOU BROUGHT ME BACK CRACKED, AND RAN LIKE A _COWARD_.... And because w h y?" she growled, hunching over again. "Because you couldn't look at what you'd done. Because you couldn't face me. Because you were GUILTY."

–

Hematite shook his head. Weakly, he managed to finally speak.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do- I. I was scared...!"

 

_It's your fault she got cracked._

_Guilty._

_**GUILTY.** _

–

"SORRY? SORRY?!" she growled, taking a single step back, her eyes locked on him. Swiftly, she raised her hand to her gem and, with a bright flash, summoned her weapon. Clicking the end harshly to the floor, she gripped it tightly. She was _seething_.

–

The moment her pole arm appeared, he stiffened, backing clumsily against the wall, plastered against it.

–

"WHY, HEMATITE? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS? AFTER ALL I DID FOR YOU!" She turned her head, running her nails through her hair. She shut her eyes tight, the faintest trace of tears forming in them. "WHY... After I did ALL I could to make sure you were HAPPY! After I stuck my neck out for you, when I damn well shouldn't have! After I taught you so much, after all that we did..." She sounded winded by the last word. Even as furious as she was, she was hurting.

Her eyes shot open, glaring daggers into Hematite's pitiful form.

"I TRUSTED YOU. I GAVE SO MUCH FOR YOU.... I BROKE RULES FOR YOU! AND THIS...." She lifted her pole arm, twisting the bladed end to face him. "THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!"

–

He couldn't take his eyes off the weapon, even as White spoke. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. No, nothing but weak, pitiful whimpers escaped the service gem. His form was shaking violently where he stood.

The moment her pole arm twisted to face him... the icy claws returned.

_But this time, they were closer._

_Sharper._

_**Colder.** _

_**Hematite felt them gradually close in on his gemstone.** _

 

He slowly drew his eyes away from the tip of the weapon, and met White's fearsome gaze. All the affection, care, and respect the Diamond's fierce eyes once held was gone, replaced by mistrust, fear, and _hatred_. The service gem's mouth opened, and for a moment, nothing came out.

He swallowed.

When he spoke, his voice was strained, choked, and _tiny_.

 

"Please, forgive me."

–

Furiously, White took a sharp breath and reeled her arm back, her eyes locked on Hematite's gemstone.

 

 

"There is nothing to forgive."

 

 

 

 

 

 

_**THWIK!!!!** _

 

**C R I C K!**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pearl shut her eyes, flinching with a shrill squeak. Slowly, uncovering her hands from her face, she looked to the horrific display before her.

 

Buried deep in the wall, a mere inch from Hematite's neck, rested the head of White's pole arm.

White, staring into Hematite's very core, was still heaving, her hand gripped tightly at her weapon.

No one dared to speak a word.

After a few agonizingly long moments, White stood up straight and brushed her fingers through her hair. Her anger faltered, leaving her with a blank, hurt expression as she gazed down into Hematite's eyes.

 

"… From this day forth, you are no longer my Hematite."

–

 

 

 

 

 

**C R I C K!**

 

 

 

 

The faint noises of cracked marble sounded beside Hematite's head, moments after the damage had been done. He heard every sound. Every little shift in the now split rock.

And he could vividly hear the sound of his gemstone shattering into a thousand pieces, despite it being completely intact. The noise echoed through his head. He heard nothing else. The world went dark around him. A single tear that had formed in the corner of his right eye welled up and rolled down his cheek. Slowly, as he gazed into White's eyes, the life drained from his face.

 

He looked dull.

 

_Empty._

 

He looked like _nothing_ was going on in his head anymore.

 

_**Nothing.** _

 

 

 

_**Y o u  a r e  n o  l o n g e r  m y  H e m a t i t e.** _

 

"..."

–

Turning to Topaz, she took a shaky breath, crossing her arms.

"General... get this loathsome traitor out of my sight.... I can't bear to see him right now. And If I'm exposed to him much longer there's no telling what I'll do." She clenched her fists, avoiding Hematite's eyes completely. "I will give him one chance to prove he's innocent... He will have a trial in one week. I want to be present at this trial myself. Me, you, Hematite, Yellow, and Blue. All of us... I'll make my final judgment then," she stated formally, the pressure in the air finally beginning to drop. "I need some time to... calm down. Before I can pass a fair, rational judgment... I hope you... understand," the Diamond said, narrowing her eyes.

–

 

 

Topaz nodded and walked over, taking Hematite's bracer in her hand.

"Let's get moving. White... you take care." The general gave her superior a sympathetic frown before she drug the service gem away in silence. He didn't struggle. He didn't protest.

 

He walked along behind her.

 

Quietly.


	56. Final Verdict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Take an inside look at the Homeworld Capital Diamond Courthouse.

Seven days.

He sat alone in a cold, dark, secluded cell for seven days. He spoke to no-one, he saw no gem but his guards, and news of what was going on with him never reached the outside world. The service gem had done nothing but sit in one single corner of his prison for seven days. Unmoving, silent, _**hollow**_.

It looked as though he'd been frozen in time. In fact, if it weren't for the occasional shift or blink, one would think it was a statue, not a gem, in the cell. His eyepiece was missing.

Everything around him was icy cold. In the pit of his stomach, Hematite felt a sloshing, frozen sea of dread raging. It filled his entire body, up to his gemstone. It, too, felt like a chunk of ice.

His thoughts were slow. Foggy. Distant. Everything he managed to think about even semi-coherently seemed muffled, far-off, as if he couldn't make out his own inner voice.

 

_**Pro o f....** _

 

Hematite blinked slowly. Today was the day of his trial. At least... he thought it was. He couldn't be sure.

 

_What day was it?_

 

_Ev idence...?_

_What i s th ere?_

_**You cr acked W hi te.** _

_No t my Hemat ite- is this wha t you re ally wanted- what d i d I d o?_

 

_Pe t a l? Sc out? Emer ald, g one, e scaped. No p r oof._

_No b o dy the re. W ho crac ked W hi te?_

 

_No thin g to li v e f or._

_Did I c ra ck W hi te?_

 

Nausea boiled in Hematite's stomach, and he shifted uncomfortably where he lay. There it was again... that thought, that nagging, heavy doubt.

 

_**Did** I c r ac k W hi te?_

 

He'd had seven days. Seven days to think about the events that transpired over a month ago. He had no proof. The evidence was stacked against him for that mission... and he had no recollection of what happened when he blacked out. He couldn't know how long he was out, what happened, who was in those caves, if anyone else at all.

 

Slowly, but surely, the doubt had sunken its long, black claws into his mind. It held on with a vice grip, causing him pain every time he mentally pulled away to try and think of some other scenario that could have transpired to result in White being cracked. It kept pulling him back, locking his mind in place, facing him toward one, inevitable truth.

 

_What if I'm g ui l t y._

_W ha t if I c o r ru pte d for a mom en t._

 

_Is that h o w it w or ks?_

_Y o u lo se con tr ol..._

_F o r get where you a re... who you a re... **Is** that how it works? What if it is... what if that can happen with Hematites... co ul d I have corrupted for a m om ent?_

 

… _Did **I** crack White?_

 

 

_Clang!_

 

The service gem slowly blinked. He didn't look at the door down the hallway as a large, armored Jasper made their way closer to his cell. She had something in her hands.

"You are being allotted one hour with your archives. If you are caught tampering with any of the files, you will be brought directly to White Diamond for falsification of evidence. There will be no trial."

With that, the Jasper opened up the cell, tossed the two items inside, and closed up the screen again. Hematite's eyepiece, and a small, oddly shaped power supply clacked to the ground unceremoniously. Slowly, he reached over and picked them up. It was the first time he'd properly moved in seven days. His body felt as though every nerve was pierced with a small, icy shard, and it hurt to even pick up the items.

He drew them closer and stared at them blankly. The Jasper outside his cell stood to the side, crossing her arms as she glared down at him. Hema blinked slowly.

 

_A r chi ves. Re cord ing s?_

 

He hadn't seen his eyepiece in seven days. They couldn't have him tampering with any of his files, so they'd confiscated them. But now that he was supervised, he would have one hour to look through anything he had for evidence. They'd told him this seven days ago.

And there were only two recordings he could think of, the entire time. That, and one piece of physical evidence. Silently, Hematite blinked and put his eyepiece on. He lifted his hand to his gemstone, pulling a silvery bubble out of it. He quickly held it up to his face and peered inside... only to slowly lower his hand. His eyes stared blankly at the tiny, shriveled-up piece of foliage in the bubble. The petal was dead. It held none of the tell-tale color it had before, nor did it look the least bit physically sound. Hematite had a sinking feeling that if he unbubbled it, it'd merely crumble into dust.

With a pained, crestfallen grimace, he slowly moved the bubble back to his neck, storing it away in his gem once more. That was going to do him no good. He had so little to work with... Topaz seemed convinced that he'd made Diaspore disobey her orders, that he'd framed her and set her up to attack him, only to be shattered. And while he knew that wasn't the case, with Diaspore dead, there was no way for him to prove it. He wasn't allowed to gather testimonials from gems who weren't involved in this current case against him, so he wasn't even allowed to contact Morgan and Puff. Not that contacting them would do him any good. If he supposedly 'set up' Diaspore to attack him when there were witnesses around, Morgan and Puff's words would mean nothing. He had no way to 'prove' what he was hiding from White when fused. He had no evidence saying he didn't try to attack her in that cavern, aside from his own words... and Emerald. But the tiny, elusive gem was somewhere in his pocket dimension, loose, and alone. He had nothing.

Nothing but two recordings that perhaps, had some scrap of proof to prove his innocence. If there was anything, it was there. After all, every full scan of a gem kept a video record for his archives... maybe if there was even a single glimpse of when he'd tried to scan Emerald...

 

The smallest...

_Faintest._

Glimmer of hope shone in Hema's eyes.

_**Maybe there's something here.** _

 

 

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

The courthouse.

Within the next two hours, Hematite was lead into a huge, open room with a podium on one end, and a small stand for him in the middle. The room was sparse, for lack of a more pleasant word. It bore no homey decor, no comfort, nothing. It was sterile, towering, and bore the same powerful presence as the Diamonds themselves. Hema now stood on the stand, four guards at his back. His hands were not braced. He had full access to his abilities, but was told that if he did anything but present evidence, he would be shattered on the spot. Topaz was standing to the side, near the far podium that stood opposite to Hema, her arms folded neatly behind her back. Her eyes were closed.

Hematite waited for the Diamonds to arrive. The air in the room felt unnaturally cold. Hematite stood, shoulders limp, arms at his side, staring ahead with hollow eyes.

–

It didn't take long for the Diamonds to show up. As the next hour rolled by, they arrived on the dot. Three tall figures took their stands behind the main podium and towered above the service gem near the center of the room. White and Yellow shared the same cold, condescending glares; but Blue looked upset. She looked like she didn't want to be there at all. Alas, she had to be, and she knew it.

While this was Yellow Diamond's courthouse, White was the first to speak. Her powerful voice rang out through the courtroom, striking a faint chill into every gem present.

"Hematite, you have been accused of high treason against the Diamond Authority and the attempted shattering of my gem." The tallest Diamond narrowed her eyes, stifling a fierce scowl. She forced herself to remain calm, despite the poisonous mix of conflicting emotions in her chest. "How do you plead?"

–

Hematite managed to look up at White after a long moment, signifying that he had indeed heard her. However, he didn't respond.

 

**G u i l t y.**

**Y ou're g ui lty.**

 

"..."

–

Yellow straightened up and stared down upon the gem, deadpan and professional as she ever was. "Hematite, you must plead something..." she said, her tone forced. Blue watched on in pained discomfort, staying silent. _Come on, Hematite, this isn't making you look any better. Please, you can't be guilty... You just can't be..._

–

_I h a ve to?_

_What is the re to s ay?_

 

"... Innocent,” he replied quietly, almost too soft to hear.

–

Yellow rolled her eyes, and White dug her nails into the podium. _That's what I thought you'd say._

"And what proof do you have of your innocence? Show us why we should believe you. Give us evidence that you are not a traitor. Give us solid proof that you did not frame Diaspore and create false witnesses, and, more importantly, that you did not make an attempt to shatter my gem," she said, her voice loud and clear. Blue glanced away, her arms crossed. Out of the three, she looked as though she didn't even belong up there.

–

Hematite looked down. He'd checked the files. _There was nothing._

He'd checked the two recordings... and.

 

...

 

He was already dead. Might as well buy himself a few more minutes.

 

Slowly, the service gem lifted a finger to his eyepiece. He turned it on with a soft 'chirp' that echoed hollowly around the courthouse. With his current mental state, he had to manually type in all the orders for his eyepiece to get to the two recordings he'd found. There was no mental connection left between himself and his archives.

 

A holo-screen fizzled into the middle of the court, big enough for all to see. All three Diamonds flinched at the sight of the screen, but for all different reasons. The sight of the visor seemed to unsettle Yellow, and she glanced away for a moment, messing with her glove.

 

There was a pause.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

_**Whirrrrr.** _

The recording started.

 

The visual on the screen was a matte gray color. There was a large diamond insignia in the middle of the screen, and some numbers and gem speak to the side. They were too faint to make out. All they could see were the words and insignia on a flat, gray background.

The audio of the recording kicked in.

 

A faint inhale of breath could be heard on the screen, followed by what was the start of the tell-tale click that signified Hema's visor had finished its scan... then.

 

_Cli-_

_**SCCCCCREEEAA-** _

_CKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK_

 

The screen glitched out, going from a matte gray color to a cacophony of static and feedback. It made an unholy, unnatural buzzing and clicking sound. This lasted for about two seconds, and then the recording abruptly ended. The screen never showed an image of Emerald, not even for a moment.

 

Hematite didn't say a word. He stared ahead, his finger still on his eyepiece.

–

Blue gasped softly, covering her mouth with her hand. _Was this ALL he had?_ Yellow stared down furiously at the gem, her eyes narrowed. But White... White was eerily haunted by the sound. She waited, wondering if Hematite had had anything else to present.

 

But, unbeknownst to the other Diamonds, Blue's eyes widened. Glancing away quickly, she kept her hand over her mouth, looking like she had recognized something. _Was...Was that a...?_

–

There was another long pause.

.............. _Tap._

 

_CCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK- **whirrrr**_

The screen was still glitched out, static filling the entire field of view.

_Click_

The screen suddenly went dark, but not pitch black. The visual on the visor was illuminated by the odd night vision it bore. The diamond insignia was now a mere outline instead of a solid shape, and it was focused on a tiny white shape from far, far above. It was _painfully_ obvious that Hematite was currently huge, in the recording. He was staring down at White's cracked gem in the center of a massive, cracked crater in the cave floor.

Bright red words flashed on the screen in gem speak. The screen faltered for a moment, a strangled sound of distress could be heard on the video, followed by uneven breathing.

Gem found : White Diamond

Status: GEM CRACKS DETECTED

An inhuman whimper sounded on the file. And then the screen went black.

–

The room fell quiet. White started to shake with anger, and Yellow almost felt sick to her stomach. But somehow, she managed to keep herself held together. Taking a deep breath, Yellow Diamond glared daggers at the puny gem before her.

"I don't know what kind of game you think you're playing Hematite, but if this is _all_ you have..."

–

He looked up. His hand fell away from his eyepiece, and the holo screen in the middle of the room fizzled out. Silence. He stared up at the Diamonds helplessly, with a worrying look of grim acceptance in his eyes.

–

Narrowing her eyes, White felt her lips twitch into a teeth baring growl. The pressure in the room started rising, but Yellow quickly took a bold step towards her fellow Diamond, placing a hand on her arm. Leaning towards her, she whispered something too quietly to hear. White's shoulders sunk, the pressure in the room falling back a little. Not quite back to normal, but it was better than it was before. Blue hadn't said a word throughout this entire trial. She looked pained, uncomfortable, and almost scared. Her gaze was elsewhere, as if distracted. The tallest Diamond inhaled slowly through her teeth.

 

"Well, Hematite... if this is all you have to give us...." White started, her jaw parted even after she paused. Completely engulfed with grief and fury, the tall white gem looked away for a brief second. Her look of fury had all but vanished, now masked with betrayal, hurt, and almost disbelief. Even now, she looked conflicted and hesitant, aside from her anger. Some part of her hoped this was all some misunderstanding...

But he couldn't provide anything. All the evidence was stacked against him, and all the proof said otherwise. The only evidence he did have made him seem even _more_ guilty.

 

Blue lowered her fingers into her mouth, biting at her nails nervously. She couldn't bring herself to look at anyone. Was that... that _scream_. She _knew_ that scream. She knew what kind of gem COULD scream like that... Her eyes went wide, small tears prickling at the sides of them.

–

Meeting White's eyes, Hematite opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. He slowly lowered his head.

 

The claws hovered over his gemstone.

–

Grimacing, White closed her eyes and sighed. Yellow crossed her arms, standing straighter, and shot Blue a curious glance. Blue returned her gaze, swallowing nervously. She shook her head 'no'. Yellow, too, looked away and closed her eyes.

Blue remained frozen, clenching her fists. She couldn't say anything... no. _No, she'd have to be smart about this..._ Shooting Hematite a sympathetic, worried glance, Blue frowned. Her eyes were wide with undisguised panic.

 

 

White clicked her nails onto the podium and, slowly opening her eyes, a horrible mix of fury and pain struck her to the very core.

 

 

"Then you are hereby found guilty." Taking a quick breath, White straightened up, her gaze piercing right through the service gem she once called her own. "By the order of the Diamond Authority... Hematite... You are sentenced to **death**."

–

 

"..."

 

_So that's it, then._

 

At least he cherished the time he had. The icy claws gripped fiercely at his gemstone, sending a burning cold chill through his entire form.

He went numb. All the life drained from his face, and whatever hope he'd held onto sank deep into a dark fog that had been hovering over his mind as of late, never to be seen again.

 

_Morgan, Puff, Rubes...... Blue. **I'm sorry.**_

 

–

"General Topaz, please escort Hematite to the Shard Morgue in the Blue District. Someone will be sent out tomorrow at dawn to take care of him. Just..." She leaned her elbow on the podium, running her palm along her face with exasperation. "Get him out of my sight... Please."

 

Blue's heart dropped, and she looked away from everyone. Yellow, However, looked unmoved; she'd been ready for this. Looking to the General, she gave her a nod. None of them offered any more words for the service gem before them.

–

The general looked up at the three Diamonds on the podium with a solemn stare. She nodded.

Slowly, she walked over and put a bracer on Hematite. He didn't struggle. He didn't make a sound. Topaz, without a word, drug him off, the four guards following behind her. Hematite followed, his steps heavy and slow.


	57. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two friends are unexpectedly reunited.

"RRAAAGH!"

 

**CRACK!!!**

 

With a vigorous punch, Blue sent one of her training dummies flying straight into the wall. Heaving relentlessly, the Diamond clenched and unclenched her fist. The thoughts of today's trial were still racing in her mind, and while she was still heavily upset about Hematite's final verdict... Something else was bothering her. Something about Hematite's trial set storm of different thoughts in motion. Something had shone a _small_ ray of light upon the situation. It was tiny and bleak, but it was there. And she knew she had to act on it _now_ or never now that she was away from White.

 

Quickly, the Diamond made her way over to her desk and pulled out her communicator. She chewed her lip for a moment, contemplating if she should even do this.

 

_Hematite's life is in grave danger... and if what you believe is true... His shattering could be unjust. You need to do what's right._

 

She bared her teeth in frustration, groaning to herself. Clicking on the communicator, she cleared her throat and sat up straight.

"Blue Diamond reporting to Yellow Diamond. Do you copy?" she spoke, the communicator flicking up a small holo-screen. Soon, what appeared onto the screen was a clear video of Yellow. _Oh, thank stars, she picked up._

"This is Yellow Diamond. What is it, Blue?" the other Diamond responded formally. Blue frantically leaned forward and gripped at her desk, clutching the communicator tightly.

"Yellow, there's something you should know about the trial today!" she said. Immediately, Yellow frowned and stifled a small grunt. Blue scoffed. "No, listen to me for once! Hematite might really be innocent!" she said quickly. Yellow's eyes widened, but she didn't look pleasantly surprised. No, she looked annoyed.

"What?! Why didn't you say anything in court? How do you believe this?" she hissed.

"Because, when I went to visit him before he faced White, he said something about capturing an Emerald scout!"

"You went and saw him without me knowing?"

"YES! Okay?! That's not the point, listen! Emeralds are really adept at screaming at such a frequency that ends up interfering with gemtech! It's a high possibility that the Emerald scout could have cut out that transmission! And, if he DID have the Emerald... Then they could prove he was apprehending them, and couldn't be anywhere NEAR White! They split off in different ways, after all!" she said. Yellow pursed her lips, not entirely convinced... still, she did seem to momentarily take it into consideration.

"And, if he really did capture this 'Emerald'... why didn't he take her out as evidence during his trial? That's a very valuable asset, surely he's not dense enough to overlook that?" she inquired. Blue's expression faltered, a bead of sweat forming on her brow as she glanced away uncomfortably.

"Er... well... he claims to have uh, _lost_ it..."

Yellow's eyes narrowed with unamusement.

"I ssseeee... Look, Blue... I know you want to give him the benefit of the doubt. I know this must hurt you, but look, that's just another ridiculous claim. He can't even prove that he has the Emerald. Just... move on, Blue. You're a Diamond, he's a service gem. He's not worth this much stress," she said with a hint of sympathy. Blue gnashed her teeth and dug her fingers into her hair.

"Nooo, NO, Yellow, you don't get it! Rrrgh he's... Fine! If you won't listen, then forget it! I can't believe you're so-" Before Blue could finish her sentence, Yellow ceased communication. Blinking, Blue slammed her hands into her desk with rage. "UUUUUGH!! OF COURSE you would hang up on me! You... mmnnngh..." she grumbled, tapping her fingers on the side of her cheek rapidly.

 

_I had a feeling you'd be impossible to convince...good thing I have a plan B._

 

With a sly smile, Blue turned the communicator back on, but this time started to dial for someone else. From the looks of it, she had a second signal queued up to call.

"This is Blue Diamond. Rubes the Ruby, do you copy? Please respond."

...

.....

.......

No answer.

Frowning, Blue tried once more.

...

....

No answer.

 

Groaning, she clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth repeatedly, thinking hard. Suddenly, something came to her. Turning on the communicator one more time, she scoured for the number she needed. She still had one more person she knew that she could turn to for this.

–

–

Puff was sitting on her couch, listening to a lecture on ax-fighting techniques that she'd downloaded to her communicator. She bobbed her foot in place, a faint smile on her face. Her apartment was dimly lit, and as cluttered as always. Off to her left, she appeared to have a small stack of incredibly thin 'diamond pads,' which each displayed a digital document. She had her cut, district, facet, and all her other personal information filled out on most of them. She appeared to be in the middle of taking a break from them, though, to listen to her lecture.

 

_Beep beep beep, beep beep beep!_

Blinking in surprise, the Jasper adjusted her communicator, answering the call. Blue's voice sounded over the device.

_"This is Blue Diamond. Puff the Jasper, do you copy? Please respond."_

Sitting up straight, Puff gasped softly and very nearly dropped her communicator.

"B-Blue Diamond! Oh, uh. Ahem." She glanced around for a moment. "Yes, I copy?"

–

Blue sighed heavily with relief.

"Oh thank stars, someone I can actually TALK to! Look, Puff, we don't have much time. I need you to head over to the Blue District Shard Morgue as fast as you can, alright? I'll meet you there and fill you in with all the details." Biting her lip, she looked away. "I'm... gonna need your help with something very important. You're the only one I can trust with this, and only you're available right now. I'm sorry to drop all this on you at such short notice, but we don't have time to chit-chat here. Please be quick!" She ordered far more seriously.

–

The Jasper's eyes widened, and she started scratching nervously at her face. _The Shard Morgue? What could Blue possibly want her_ _ **there**_ _for? ... Did this have something to do with Hematite being gone for so long?_

"I'll be right there."

_Click._

–

\---

 

Night hung over the Blue District, as beautiful as ever. Not a single cloud was in the sky and the stars glimmered brightly overhead. But, even so, the air felt stiff and still. A certain tension hovered thick in the air around the Shard Morgue. Blue stood out at the side of the massive building, back pressed against the wall. She tapped her foot, arms crossed anxiously. She frantically looked everywhere from any sign of the Jasper. _Come on, hurry up... we don't have much time..._

–

Soon enough, Puff stumbled around a corner, looking around for Blue in confusion. As soon as she spotted her, she perked up and rushed over, saluting her respectfully.

"Sorry, the guard at the gateway gave me some trouble." She bit her lip for a moment. "What's going on?"

–

Blue's eyes widened and she took the Jasper by the arm. Rushing inside the doorway, she started to run down the halls. Nobody seemed to inhabit this particular area. She made sure to only speak to Puff when there were no guards around as they ran.

"Look, Puff, to make a long story short; We have a huge problem and Hema's life is on the line here! I'm probably gonna ask you to do something really weird, so I hope you're on board with me..."

–

The Jasper yelped in surprise as she was pulled along behind Blue, but soon enough her steps picked up, and she was able to follow along without being dragged.

"W-wait, WHAT?! What do you mean Hema's life is- What on Homeworld is going on?!"

–

Blue stopped abruptly, glancing from side to side. She had gotten a few odd looks from the guards, but no one made a move. This was her district. Muttering something quietly, she perked up and made a sharp left turn down a hallway.

"So, uh, you probably don't know this, and that was a good thing but I guess it's necessary now; White got cracked a few weeks ago, and Hematite's been found guilty of being responsible for it." She stopped, turning quickly to face the Jasper head-on. "But I don't think that Hema did it!"

–

Puff felt an icy chill shoot down her spine.

"... White was _cracked_?" She was speechless for a long moment, her eyes wide. She was trying to process _that_ alone. "... If he's been found guilty..." she started, disbelief lacing her tone. "I-is. Is he here? Wait, Blue what are we _**doing?!"**_ she said sharply, looking around in confusion.

–

Blue placed her hands on the Jasper's shoulders and smiled awkwardly.

"White's okay now... But Hematite isn't. In the morning, he'll be shattered. And that's where we come in..." She took the Jasper's hand again and bolted down the hall once more. Winding past a few more guards and doors, she found herself at the end of a wide hall with a large sign overhead that read "Death Row."

–

 _Shattered_.

Puff's eyes widened further, and she put a hand over her mouth before Blue started to drag her off again. Down the halls they ran, and the Jasper couldn't help but give nervous and confused glances to some of them. She looked up at the sign when they stopped. A heavy shudder passed through her.

_Death Row._

_No, no this couldn't be real, Hematite wouldn't do anything like this! He wouldn't get himself..._

She thought back to the incident with Yellow Diamond.

–

Barreling through the doorway, they were sent into a dimly-lit room with a staircase leading down. Blue stopped, taking a sharp breath. Placing her hand to her gem, she summoned her weapon and swung it over her shoulder.

"Play it smart, alright? If anyone asks... you're my bodyguard. Don't say anything unless I tell you to," she said with a curt nod, staring straight on ahead. She started down the stairway.

–

 

Puff slowly looked down the staircase as they entered the next room.

"... B-but...” Blinking, the warrior bit her lip, glancing behind her uncertainly. Slowly, Puff followed after her as Blue pulled her along.

–

As they headed down the staircase, it seemed like it was winding down forever. Blue eventually let go of Puff's hand and let her walk freely behind her. There was an ominous silence.

Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, there was an immediate doorway that was blocked by one of the electrified holo-screens. Blue stepped forward and punched in a code on the device that was next to the screen, and promptly disabled it. She turned briefly to nod at the Jasper before continuing through the doors.

"We're here," she whispered. As they entered the next room, another rather massive hallway opened up before them. It wasn't quite as big as the Yellow District's prison halls, but it did its job. There were a few small gems angrily huddled up against the corners of their cells, a fair bit of them looking absolutely defeated. Blue's frantic demeanor dropped completely, and the look on her face was now replaced with dour seriousness. She rolled her neck and walked forward, brows furrowed furiously. The cells were spaced out a fair bit with one guard by each cell. However, there was one to the left with two guards standing stationary. Blue made her way to them.

–

The mere sight of this place was enough to send a deathly chill up the Jasper's spine. All these gems in here had done horrid things worthy of shattering. They were murderers, kidnappers, gems that performed illegal experiments on other gems, leaders of small rebel factions...

_So how had **Hematite** gotten himself found guilty of cracking White, of all things?_

 

The Jasper attempted to peer into the cell from behind Blue, but when she couldn't make out the form inside, she stepped back and crossed her arms, looking serious. She did her best to keep calm and collected, as if she were meant to be there.

–

Stopping, she stood in front of the guards and clanged the end of her weapon to the ground. The guards looked at each other, then back to the Diamond.

"Stand aside." Blue said, unwavering. The guards shifted their weight, but didn't move.

"Sorry, Blue Diamond... we have direct orders from White Diamond to not let anyone in, not even-"

Blue slammed the guard up against the buzzing holo-screen, glaring darkly into their face that laid half-hidden by their helmet. Puff winced as Blue shoved the guard up against the screen, but she covered it quickly. She didn't like where this was going... Blue narrowed her eyes.

“ _ **I**_ have direct orders from White to go ahead and finish this gem off myself. If you have something to say about that, I'm sure White will _**love**_ to hear how you stopped me," she growled quietly. The guard twitched and cried out in pain for a moment, holding up her hand in defense.

"R-R-R-right, y-Yes ma'am! As you wish, I'm t-terribly sorry. You may proceed..." she spoke, shakily saluting the Diamond. Blue shoved the guard off of the screen and to the side, glaring up at the other guard as well.

 

"You don't need to be here either. I can take care of this myself." She narrowed her eyes, sending a chill up the guard's spine. They, without a word, saluted and left with the other guard. Blue turned and looked at the rest of the hall, gritting her teeth. “All of you! Set your cells to lock-down mode and leave! I demand privacy here! None of you are to tell anyone that I'm here, under any circumstances, is that clear?! And don't come back in here until I come out!” she ordered, clanging her mace down on the floor. The guards along the hall flinched and did as they were told. The clanging of heavy doors sliding down to block off the already-protected cells filled the air. Each cell was now sound-proof, and virtually inescapable, along with being completely blocked off visually from the outside world. The guards all shuffled out, muttering among one another. After a minute or so, all went still.

It was just Blue, Puff, and Hematite now.

Blue watched the guards leave without a word, slowly turning her head to look inside the cell. What greeted her wasn't a pretty sight... But despite the image she was met with, she forced herself not to shake her act just yet. Holding her weapon tightly, she slowly punched in the code to Hematite's cell screen. She had a murderous, dark look in her eyes, and stared him down with a cold, merciless sneer.

–

As the guards left, the Jasper drummed her fingers on her arm. As the cell opened, she looked around warily and stepped inside a pace or two. _What was Blue planning... and for that matter, what were the details to this whole mess?_ _How_ had Hema been found guilty of-

Puff stopped dead in her tracks as she finally spotted the form inside the cell. A soft, disbelieving exhale escaped her.

"…Oh, _S_ _crap_ …”

 

_The sight wasn't pretty._

 

As if he hadn't looked bad enough in court... he somehow looked even _worse_ mere hours later.

Hematite was laying on his side, his back against the wall, his head in the corner of his cell. His hair was half-hiding his face, his visible eye staring dead-ahead, half-lidded. His knees were drawn to his chest, his cuffed arms wrapped limply around them. He didn't seem to be breathing.

He didn't even _flinch_ as the two entered his cell. He did, however, slowly look at the Diamond without so much as moving his head.

"…"

 

_So they sent Blue._

_Huh... thought Yellow would be the one to do it._

–

Blue stepped further into the cell, motioning with her free hand for the Jasper to follow. The room was fairly small, but could comfortably fit about six or seven gems if it needed to. However, the ceiling was lower here, only about fifteen or so feet high; whereas most of the cells here stood at least twice that high. As soon as they were both inside, Blue pressed the timed switch on the outside of the security lock. From the top of the device, a digital key slid out. She took it, quickly retracting her hand back into the cell. A small buzzing sounded for three seconds, and the holo-screen fizzled back up. They were all trapped in the room together now, and the only way back out was the key Blue held in her palm, or if someone came and let them out from the outside. Blue slowly turned to the service gem, placing the key into her gemstone with a soft glow. Silently, she gripped at her mace... And poofed it away.

 

Her serious demeanor immediately dropped, and she held her hands up close to her, looking worried and hurt.

"Hey, rookie..." she said sympathetically, taking a few steps towards him. Blue dropped to one knee, getting a tad closer to the service gem. _Stars, he looked really bad_... It haunted her, _hurt_ her even, to see him in such a state. "I would ask how you're holdin' up, but I don't think I really need an answer for that..."

–

Puff glanced momentarily at the holo-screen before turning back to the two gems. She cautiously stepped forward, wringing her hands together. The service gem still didn't move. He seemed to be looking straight through Blue, as if she wasn't even there.

The only thing that changed was that his brow twitched ever-so-slightly as she spoke. But that was it.

–

Blue spared the gem a warm, hopeful smile.

"So I..." She paused, unsure how to say what she needed to say. She gripped at the leg of her pants, glancing away uncomfortably. Time was ticking by, and they were racing the clock. They didn't have time for this. "Hematite...." Blue's brows furrowed, her fists clenching over her legs. For a moment, her lip quivered, as she searched for the right words. Grunting, the Diamond stood up tall and puffed out her chest. "Hematite! I believe you..."

–

For the briefest moment, Hematite's visible eye widened. But, it slowly drifted half-closed again, and the service gem stared at the wall, past Blue.

"It's a little late for that." His tone was flat, monotonous, void of emotion. It sounded like a completely different gem was speaking, instead of Hematite. He sounded _empty_. "… I'm out of time."

–

Blue's heart sank. _No, she couldn't give up on him now._ The sight of him so defeated did weigh on her chest, but it brought something new with it. A fire. A burning, tight feeling in her chest made her inhale deeply, frowning with concern. She had to make things right. She had to help him.

"Hematite, it's _not_ too late... Listen." She looked to Puff and gave her a nod. "That Emerald that you lost in your pocket dimension... let Puff and I go find it for you. If we can get that gem, we can prove your innocence! Please, kid, it's not too late!" she pleaded, her fists clenching so tightly they lightened in color. Puffed looked in shock at Blue, taking a step back.

"W-what?! Are you out of your mind?! I'm not going back in _there!_ ESPECIALLY not with him about to be shattered!"

Blue shot Puff an alarmingly-fierce glare. "Yes. You are... because I'm going with you."

–

There was an eerily-long pause. Hematite almost seemed like he hadn't even heard her. That is, it _would_ have seemed that way if his eyes didn't slowly go as wide as saucers.

He was silent for so long, Puff started to speak up, but she was suddenly cut off. The service gem's look of utter surprise was quickly replaced with one of _fury_. Hematite scrambled to his feet, shaking uncontrollably, and lurched forward toward Blue, shoving her weakly away.

Despite being furious and putting all his effort into it... the push was weak. He couldn't have budged her more than an inch...

"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME, GET _OUT_ OF HERE!" he demanded indignantly. Hematite backed up against the wall, looking around him frantically. He had a wild, hunted look in his eyes. "Y-you're crazy, Blue! Just leave it alone! The Emerald is GONE! She escaped the tower and I don't even know if she was there in the first place!" At this point, his voice was less of a shout, and more of a _shriek_.

–

Blue, even when shoved, remained undeterred. She matched his fierce gaze, shoulders tensed. But what look was in her eyes wasn't one of anger, frustration, or even hurt. No, she was determined to help him. She wasn't going to back down, not even in the face of his rage.

–

Puff's eyes widened, and she took a few big steps back, placing her hand on the wall. She began to sweat quietly, a frightened grimace on her face. Hema continued.

"IT'S _OVER_ , BLUE DIAMOND! If you wanted to help me, you should have done it _before now!_ You're not going in there to look for some gem that i could have made up! I blacked out, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!" He inhaled shakily, the very breath sounding painful to take.

"I don't know anything anymore! JUST SHATTER ME, GET IT _OVER_ WITH! BUT DON'T COME IN HERE AND GIVE ME SOME FALSE HOPE WITH SOME NONSENSE PLAN THAT COULD GET YOU KILLED!" He looked at her with a burning fury in his eyes. But it was more than that. Everything he'd been feeling the past few weeks boiled in his tired, furious gaze. _Fear. Guilt. Betrayal. Grief. Confusion. Hopelessness. … Doubt._ He heaved and shook his head, taking a step back.

"I DON'T DESERVE IT!"

–

Hissing through her teeth within a split second, Blue snatched Hematite close by his bracer, nearly colliding with him as she pulled him close. A squeak of fear escaped the gem as Blue pulled him closer by his bracer, and his eyes widened, staring up at her. He started shaking.

"BE QUIET!" she growled, staring down at him with a passionate fire in her eye. "Stop saying things like that, Hematite. And listen to me. That's an _order_." She lifted the gem off the ground by his bracer and moved him a few feet back into the corner, setting him down gently. She placed her hands on his shoulders, face twisted into a hopeful grin. He lowered his eyes after she set him down, his breathing was uneven, and he couldn't meet her eyes. Blue gently squeezed his shoulders for a moment.

"You _do_ deserve it... And do you wanna know why I'm choosing to believe you?... Are you gonna calm down and let me talk?"

A shudder ran down Hema's form, and he swallowed quietly. Slowly, Hematite looked up at her. Tears were streaming down his face and dripping down his chin. He looked _terrified_. It almost appeared as though her words hadn't completely sunken in. Overcome with dread and fear, he looked distant, desperate, and _hollow_.

"... Please... _help me."_

–

Blue took a deep breath. _Keep steady... you know he's petrified._ Her hands gripped slightly tighter on the service gem's shoulders, but not uncomfortably so.

 

"Hematite, I believe you... the Emerald is a Blue District-specific gem, and Emeralds are capable of interfering with gemtech. That could have been the reason your recordings were faulted, and it's why the other two didn't really recognize the cry... If we can find that Emerald, it'll prove that you were off capturing them during the time that White's gem got cracked! We can probably get them to talk and prove your innocence!" she said, grinning ear to ear. "Puff here has been in your pocket dimension before; maybe she can help me look around! We can find her; I want to find her! I.." She paused, looking back to the Jasper.

"… Hematite, I know all too well what it's like to have a friend that can turn on you in the blink of an eye, even if they aren't the kind of gem you'd think would do it." Slowly, she drifted her solemn gaze back to him. "But I've got a good feeling about you... And, I've seen the way this whole ordeal has hurt you. The way this truly affects you...." Her brows raised, and she frowned with concern. "You wouldn't have done or said the things you did, or reacted quite that way if you were really guilty... I mean sure, maybe if you were a really good liar, but I... I just don't see it.” Drawing her lips into a tight line, she swallowed quietly and forced herself to stay composed, despite the faint mist that stung at her eyes.

“Hematite, I've felt the kind of spirit you have, when we fused. I've felt what makes you happy and seen what makes you sad. I at least like to think I knew you pretty well... I considered you a pretty close friend." Her brows furrowed, and she found herself grinning again. "And I still do. So _please_ , Hematite, _let me do this for you._ It might be risky... but... I'm willing to take that chance! If you are guilty, if you are lying... hey. You'll be shattered anyway..." She pulled him into a tight hug, still gripping at his shoulders.

"But I really think you're innocent, and I want to prove it... to put this aside once and for all. You're not just a service gem. You're not just a common, throwaway worker... No matter what anyone else may say. _I_ think you're worth the risk. I still trust you... Even if it’s foolish." She pulled away slowly, giving him a reassuring nod. "If everyone wants justice, no matter what happens here tonight... we're going to get it. But I need you to trust me. "

–

Hematite stared at her, eyes wide. His face slowly scrunched into a pained grimace, and he shook his head, leaning forward and holding his arms close to him. If it weren't for the bracer, he would have latched onto her. Sobs wracked his small form, and he buried his face in her neck. The service gem whimpered quietly, everything Blue said sinking in little by little.

_Hematite, I believe you. I've seen the way this hurts you. The way this truly affects you. I've felt what makes you happy. I considered you a pretty close friend. And I still do._

 

_You're not just a service gem. You're not just a common, throwaway worker..._

_**No matter what you may think.** _

 

After a long moment, he pulled away and wiped his face on his shoulder.

 

_I still trust you..._

_I need you to trust me._

 

"... I do trust you. Just... please." Hematite looked at Blue directly, his eyes wide, still brimming with tears. " _Please_ be careful. Homeworld can't lose another one of its leaders."

–

Blue felt a wave of relief wash over her, but it was short-lived. She still had to get the job done... she still had to save him. There was a very good chance she might not ever come back out, but she had to risk it. She knew they could get in and out of there in time, if he was telling the truth about Emerald. Nodding, she turned to Puff, quietly giving her a firm look.

"You'll be there to assist me, should I need any help.... I know you don't fancy going back in there, but if you want Hematite to live, then you need to trust us both. Do I make myself clear?" she asked, more professionally this time.

–

The Jasper had been silent this whole time. She stood against the wall, eyes wide, watching the scene transpiring in front of her. When Blue turned to look at her, she had her palms pressed together in front of her mouth, fingers resting gently on her lips. There were tears in her eyes.

 _Okay... so she didn't know everything that was going on._ She didn't know what had happened, how White had been cracked, how Hema had been proven guilty of hurting her, or how Blue had gotten to the point she was at right now...

But.

She just couldn't shake the feeling in her gut that Blue was right, about whatever was happening. No, she didn't fully believe it either. Hematite wouldn't hurt a soul. Not on purpose... And to see him in such a state; so scared, angry, confused. Sure, she didn't know him INCREDIBLY well. But she _did_ know him well _enough_. Hema was a gem to be trusted, as far as she was concerned. Did she still feel some hesitation with going back into that gem-forsaken place in his pocket dimension? Yes.

But if it could save him... If it could right whatever was wrong. She was willing to do it.

She was willing to find this...-

...

This _**Emerald**_.

Something faltered in Puff's mind. Her eyes widened slightly. However, she quickly pushed it aside and shook her head a tad. Opening her eyes again, Puff took a deep breath and stepped forward, her arms falling to her sides, fists clenched.

"Crystal-clear, Blue." She arched a brow and crossed her arms. "Just one question, though. How exactly are we supposed to find this gem? And... for that matter." Giving Blue a rather leery, yet half-hearted look, she leaned on the wall and motioned to Hematite. "How are we supposed to get in _there_."

–

Blue smiled, nodding to Puff with thanks. Turning back to Hematite, she grabbed a quick hold of his bracer. Placing her palm over her gem, she summoned the key that she had gotten from the door's security device.

 

_CLICK!_

 

Hematite's bracers hissed open, clanking to the floor. His hands were now freed. Hematite rubbed painfully at his wrists, adjusting his sleeves. _Finally_. He'd been in that for almost two weeks now... He felt the mental block to his pocket dimension lift, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Blue placed the key back in her gem and cracked her knuckles.

"Alright, Puff... Hematite can't really size-shift up here, and even if he did, he couldn't do it by much." She looked up to the ceiling awkwardly. "We're gonna have to retreat into our gemstones and have Hematite... well, more or less... harvest us." She shrugged, looking back down at the two. "Once we're in, we'll head out and try to find the Emerald. There's just, one other thing." Crossing her arms, Blue poked out her bottom lip a little curiously. "Hematite... do your hunting visors work if other gems use them? Do you think it's possible I could borrow one?"

–

Looking up at Blue, he stared curiously at her as she explained the plan. He blinked as she asked about the hunting visor.

"O-oh, uh. Yeah, it works." Looking down slightly, he lifted his hand up to his eyes and flicked it over them, his hunting visor sparking into existence. Puff grimaced slightly. Instead of booting it up himself, he suddenly took it off, looking up at Blue. "Here." He lifted it up to her, turning it around.

–

Blue took the visor, eyeing it carefully. She was gentle holding it; she didn't want to risk breaking it, no matter how sturdy it may have been. She knew she often miscalculated her own strength, and this was probably the only one she was going to get.

"Alright, so... like this?" She placed the visor over her eyes, fitting it over the bridge of her nose.

–

The visor was perfectly formed to fit Hematite's face, so while the front fit, the sides were a bit weird on Blue's face. With an awkward frown, the service gem took notice and stood on his toes, reaching up a finger.

"Hold on." He carefully placed the tip of his index finger to the center of the screen, which still laid dormant. "Alright, Blue. Now think really hard about what you want the visor to do. Try to boot it up. Usually a command like 'Activate' will work. If thinking it doesn't work, try saying it out loud."

–

Blue bit her lip, straining to focus on the visor. At first, nothing happened. Was this really how this worked, or was he pulling her leg?

"Er... Come on... Activate!" she said awkwardly.

 

_**Whiiiiirrrr.** _

–

The visor seemed to shift, and the once awkwardly-fit screen morphed subtly to perfectly match Blue's face. Snugly, the sides adjusted to fit her face, and the front shifted so it laid comfortably over her nose and cheeks, a small hole forming to accommodate her gemstone. It glowed to life with a soft whirring sound. Hematite removed his finger, a diamond insignia resting underneath where he'd had it pressed.

Blue's vision was now a far more interesting array of gem-speak and graphs, and the area around her was now illuminated with a grayish night vision. There was a round grid in the upper right corner of her view. It appeared to be blank.

–

Blue took a step back, mouth open with awe.

"OOooohhhh..." she hummed out, lifting her hands to touch the visor. She stopped though, just shy of actually making contact with her fingers. "Hematite, this is neat!" she said, grinning. But, her smile soon faded as she remembered the task at hand. "Er, right, how I go about looking for the Emerald then? I know there's some trick to you finding gem signatures and locking onto one, if I'm not mistaken?" she said, daring to lift the visor just slightly.

–

Hematite nodded. He was oddly calm for his situation, but it came from having something to finally distract him _._

"Right, lower the visor again." He waited for her to do so. "Because you don't have my eyepiece, I'm afraid this might be a little more difficult." Clearing his throat, he rubbed his forehead. His eyepiece chirped to life. He quickly read through some numbers. While his visor hadn't gotten a visual of Emerald, it still managed to store her gem signature. When Hema spoke again, his voice was clear. "Gem signature input. Emerald. Facet 45GH, Cut, X24." He read off some strange, archaic numbers, and the visor started to click. " _Lock_."

_**Whirrr** _

_Click!_

Blue's screen blinked for a moment. The diamond insignia spun slowly in a circle, as if processing something. It then gave a sort of error noise, but the screen remained the same. Blue lowered the visor again and tapped her finger onto her lip. She had been caught off -guard upon hearing the error noise, and she jumped a little. That certainly wasn't a noise she'd heard before. Some of the graphs had gone away, leaving the insignia, the round grid, and a blank box to the bottom left.

"Don't worry about that. The Emerald's signature is now locked in. Unfortunately, it can only give you a vague direction of where she'll be, until you get close enough. You'll see some numbers on the grid to your right, along with different color signatures. I think you'll be able to take it from there. The visors normally have a limit of two or so miles, but I'm not sure if that will apply in a pocket dimension..."

He bit his lip for a moment.

"You'll need to know how to scan. If you think the Emerald has made a dash for it, or that you're not going in the right direction, you have to tell it to ‘Rescan’ or ‘Scan’. Also, you'll need to confirm it's the same Emerald, just to be sure. There are a few I've harvested in there, though they _were_ corrupted... Just. Be on the safe side. In order to do that, you can think "Identify Target", or say it out loud, when you have her in your sights." Hematite stood a little straighter. "Blue, try to scan my gem right now, to see if you can do it."

–

"Alright!" she said, getting quiet. If she was going to be tracking down this Emerald, she'd need to do it as slyly as she could... so the less she had to speak, the better.

She thought for a moment, and it seemed at first, nothing was happening. Until...

_Whiiiirr..._

 

Click!

 

A target appeared in the dead-center of her visor with a diamond insignia, locked onto the service gem. "Woaah..."

Suddenly, it looked as though text started appearing on the screen, and Blue took quick note of it.

–

Hematite stood straight, his expression unreadable.

In the bottom left corner, an outline of Hematite's gem appeared, along with a few lines of archaic gem speak and numbers. Seemed they were signature stats. To the lower-right were some statistics in far simpler language.

_Formed: Yes_

_Conscious: Yes_

_Emotional State: Distress-Anxiety-Fear_

There were a few details about Hematite gems themselves in much smaller writing, but at the top-left...

Were some more worrying words, in dark-red letters.

_Gem Located: Hematite_

_Status: Gem Instability Detected_

_Mission Objective: ---_

–

Blue's smile faded silently, but she brushed off what she'd seen for now. She'd worry about that later...

"Right, I think I've got it now... Hang on." Blue turned, now facing Puff. "Er... Rescan?"

–

Hematite quietly turned his head to look at Puff. The Jasper pursed her lips, brows raising in surprise. She uncrossed her arms from in front of her gemstone and huffed her bangs away from her face awkwardly.

 

_Whirrrr_

_Click!_

 

_Gem Found: Jasper_

_Aliases: Puff, Fuzzball, Jaspuff_

_Status: No gem faults detected_

 

_Emotional State: Anxiety_

–

Blue smiled faintly, turning back to Hematite.

"Alright, I think I got it this time! Is there anything else I should know about these things, kid?" she asked, taking the visor off for a moment.

–

Hematite nodded.

"The signatures are based on movement. Like I said, if you think you're going in the wrong direction, rescan. It'll update the map. But it will take a moment to refresh, and you can't rescan immediately. Do _not_ overload it. Let it have time to cool down, about thirty seconds or so, or it could freeze up on you. It's happened to me. And _don't_ break it. I can't get you another one in there, if you do. You'd have to go to the library on the floating islands to get another one. They're stored in a glass cabinet near the entrance. And once you do find the Emerald, you must return to the inside of the tower, in a prison cell. All of them are currently open. I won't be able to detect you guys or let you back out otherwise."

The service gem suddenly paused and crossed his arms, looking away for a moment.

"... And be careful in there. I don't... _think_ anything can hurt you, but just... be on the safe side. There's some unique stuff about Hematite pocket dimensions that nobody's studied up on yet, and... mine's a bit unpredictable."

–

Blue gave Hematite a curt nod, taking the visor off and storing it within her own gem. She rolled her shoulders and took a solid stance.

"Right. You ready, Puff?" Blue asked, a fierce look on her face. _This was it. It was now or never. No turning back now... Was this risk really worth it?_ _A Diamond putting their life on the line for the sake of a service gem?_ Blue turned to Hema with a resolved frown, her eyes glittering with determination. _To her... yes. It was._

–

The service gem took a step back. He seemed to be mentally preparing himself. _Blue was putting her life at risk for him. She was willing to sacrifice everything to try and save him._ Even when there was still a nagging doubt in his mind that he wasn't innocent... But they had to try, right?

Puff looked at Blue, and after a moment, she gave her a determined, albeit nervous, nod.

… _If I don't come back... take care of yourself, Rubes._ She closed her eyes. _I love you._

"Ready." The Jasper sighed with a frown and focused. Her gemstone started to glow brightly.

–

Blue folded her arms behind her back, closing her eyes. Her gemstone, too, began to glow. Before she did anything, however, she opened one of her eyes slightly, peering at the service gem before her.

"Oh, one more thing before I go, kid... Whatever happens... If we don't make it back in time, if something happens to us, if something happens to you... If you don't let us back out..." Her gemstone glowed even brighter now, and she closed her eye again. She smiled widely. "I'm still glad to have met you at all." Not a moment later, Blue's form enveloped itself with light and vanished, leaving a vulnerable, square-cut Diamond on the floor.

–

Jasper's form soon followed, leaving behind a small, almost cubic gemstone on the ground. Hematite stared at the two crystalline pieces on the ground before leaning down, ever-so-gently scooping them up in his hands.

"... Good luck."

_Vwip, vwip!_

A bubble in each hand, Hematite brought the two gems close to his neck. His gemstone started to glow, and Puff's bubble shrank down before transferring to his pocket dimension. Hema stared down at the vulnerable Diamond floating above his palms, his breath catching in his throat. Blue's gem floated defenselessly in the silvery-pink bubble, glittering faintly in the low light. Quietly, Hema swallowed, bringing the gem up to his neck like he had the first one. The bubble shrank down and vanished in a flash.

Hematite covered his gem lightly with his fingers, his wide eyes staring straight ahead. He went silent, and the prison hall around him fell deathly quiet.

 

–

–

 

**Cold.**

 

_Vwip, vwip!_

Blue and Puff's bubbles appeared in two separate, but adjacent, cubbies in the wall of the tower, about halfway up the lower section of the structure. The fronts of them had the same glass panes as all the others. However, after a long minute of nothing, the glass panes flickered away in a show of sparkles, and the bubbles slowly drifted out. They lowered to the floor. Thunder rolled overhead, making the tower tremble.

_Plip!_

–

With a blinding light, Blue's gem started to glow and lift from the ground slowly, a humanoid form silhouetted in white soon coming into shape. After a few very brief seconds, her form came into view and flashed brightly. Landing on the ground with a soft thump, Blue blinked, moving her hands around as she looked down at herself.

"Woah... It..." She looked up at the tower she had found herself in. "It worked!... We're ... We're in! I think?"

–

Puff's form had soon followed, and she took shape just in time to hear Blue's question. Touching down on the ground, she looked up and around the tower. She felt a shiver go up her spine.

At the open top of the spire, the Jasper could see dark, rolling storm clouds. Lightning flickered between them, flashing bright, harsh light into the tower every once in a while. The air felt cold, dense, and charged with electricity.

"I think so, but. It didn't look quite like this when I was here. At the very least, it was sunny before." She frowned, scratching her cheek. Well, it had been sunny for a little while. Strangely enough, Puff did remember the weather changing after a while. "But, yeah. This is the tower." Stepping forward, she peered over the side of the ornate spiral staircase. "I'm pretty sure Rubes and I were stuck down here. I haven't been to the top part...” She looked around at the rows and rows of empty and occupied cubbies, and unoccupied prison cells.

–

Blue frowned, looking up to the sky. It was incredibly hectic up there...she wondered what the rest of this place was like.

"So, you've been in here, but never outside? Do you have any ideas of how to get out of this tower? Maybe there's a door..." she muttered quickly, starting up the staircase a few steps at a time. She, too, caught herself peering into the cubbies. Were all of these trapped here? Were they waiting for judgment? Or maybe White made him hold onto these. She didn't dwell on her curiosity for too long; They had a job to do, and time was of the essence.

–

Puff looked around and followed after Blue. The two of them passed by cubby after cubby, the screens in front of them dim, but still readable

A Peridot, a couple Amethysts, a cracked Aquamarine, a Jade, a Ruby. With a grimace, Puff paused and stared at a cubby that Blue was about to pass by.

 

Inside was a pale-yellow gem, shattered into three large shards, which were contained in a silvery-pink bubble. The date read about twelve years ago. Puff narrowed her eyes. In fact, if she remembered correctly, this gem was marked as shattered the day before Hema came and got her and Rubes out of the Pink District.

"Tch..."

She shook her head and tried to ignore it, continuing up the steps. She didn't want to see Hema's handiwork. Not right now.

–

The Diamond had one focus in mind; getting outside of this tower. It seemed to go on for ages, and she wondered for a moment if there were even an end to it. Eventually, they'd wandered high enough to enter a second floor. At the very least, it was much more well-lit than the floor beneath them.

"How’re you holding up, Puff?" Blue whispered, not taking her eyes off the stairs.

–

Puff looked around quietly.

"Fine, but. Something's off about this place. It was a lot warmer last time too. This just doesn't feel right." Her eyes suddenly rested on something, and her brows raised. "Blue, over there!" Not waiting for a response, the Jasper rushed over to a row of cubbies toward the bottom of the second staircase that lead up to the top of the tower.

There was a single cubby with a shattered glass pane in front of it.

–

Blue's eyes widened, quickly following after the Jasper. After a few seconds, she knelt down to look inside the cubby.

"Woah.. .what happened here?" She blinked. What on Homeworld could have done this? Then it hit her. Gasping quietly, Blue bounced back up, standing straight. She tossed her arms up in the air excitedly. "PUFF! Do you think this is the Emerald's cubby?! The one that got loose?!" she asked, a fire blazing in her eyes.

–

"Well, I mean, it's gotta be, right? All of these have bubbled gems, none of the others have shattered screens like this!" She picked up a piece of the glass, turning it over to observe it. "..." The glass seemed to have been broken in an... Odd fashion. Instead of the pieces being messily shattered into large chunks, there was a hole punched out in the middle of the glass. A spider-web like cracking pattern seemed to have weakened the glass until it had shattered into a spray of tiny, cubic pieces.

_She'd seen this before._

"... Yes, I _definitely_ think the Emerald was in here."

–

Blue nodded, looking back up.

"Then....he wasn't lying..." Blue felt the faintest trace of tears sting at her eyes, but it was so subtle that they quickly dissipated. Shaking her head, Blue nearly cheered. Grinning ear-to-ear, she grabbed the Jasper by the hand and started to run again. "Come on Puff! We've gotta save Hematite!" she called out, elated.

_If this evidence proved true... If this was what she'd hoped... then it wasn't all for naught._

–

Puff let out a sharp yelp as she was dragged along, but she quickly matched Blue's footsteps. She seemed a bit distracted, but she tried to push it aside with a frown.

_It's not her, don't get your hopes up. It's just another Emerald._

 

The two gems soon found the door leading out of the tower at the end of a long, cold hallway. As soon as they stepped out, they were met with a rather worrying sight.

Wind was howling, buffeting the grass fields that spread out around the huge spire. It was dark gray in color, and patches of it seemed to be far taller than others, here and there. Dark storm clouds rolled overhead, lightning crackling between them at an alarming rate. Thunder shook the ground every once in a while, the sound far too loud for comfort. The tower seemed to be on a hilltop amidst rolling plains of grass. The hills were surrounded on all sides by sheer cliffsides, but from where Puff and Blue stood, it was easy to see what laid beyond the cliffs.

Far in the distance, a cluster of floating islands were just barely visible against the dark sky. Some of the smaller islands leading up to the largest one looked as though they were slightly crumbled, though they were still floating. Closer than the islands was a huge line of trees of varying sizes and species. They stretched as far as the eye could see. But to the west, past the line of trees... were the three Diamond Districts. The Yellow and White Districts seemed unnaturally huge, towering thousands and thousands of feet in the air, above anything else on the horizon. Lightning crashed around the buildings, occasionally striking them.

Puff frowned nervously and looked around.

"... This is _awful_."

–

Blue threw her arm behind her head. Admittedly, she was pretty unnerved by the sight of things... But she had to deal with it. Placing her hand to her gemstone, she brought out the hunting visor that Hematite had handed her before. Staring at its lens carefully, she shot Puff a glance.

"Stars, this place is a mess..." Turning to look at the districts in the distance, her curiosity was piqued. Eyeing the huge buildings, she quirked a brow. _Huh, why are those there?_ But, instead of dwelling on it, she placed the visor over her face, eyes narrowing. "Heeeeeey, how come Sparky's district's bigger than mine? Hmph." She chuckled, starting off in no direction in particular.

–

Puff shot Blue a rather puzzled look, as if wondering how she could be so casual about their situation, but she brushed it off and sighed, following after her.

"How big _is_ this place? My pocket dimension certainly doesn't feel this... vast."

–

Blue adjusted the visor a little bit, making sure it was comfortable on her face. With a wide grin, she kept walking forward, starting through the vast expanse of gray grass.

"Your pocket dimension is what you make it out to be! Sure, they've got their basics, but they're all unique to each gem. For all we know, this place could be as big as Homeworld!"she cackled. Her usually bright and cheery tone was failing on her in her attempt to mask her rising anxiety, but hey. It was the best she could do right now.

"Hmmm... Activate." she whispered quickly. The visor flicked on, emitting a soft light. Blue's smile widened. Yes, it worked in here... at least, so far. "Scan."

–

Whirrrrr

Chirp!

_CCKK_

 

For a moment, the visor glitched out, the radar going fuzzy. However, it quickly dissipated, and a set of numbers appeared next to the round grid. A wash of gray color had taken over the entire radar. According to the numbers beside the small HUD, the signal belonged to Hematite himself. His signature was very nearly washing everything out.

But faintly, ever so faintly, there was a dim, green-blue hue toward the top of the radar, in the direction of the districts.

–

Blue was confused for a second; the massive wave of gray seemed rather unnatural. But perhaps it was to be expected, given where they were. _Was it normal?_ She couldn't really tell. Her eyes narrowed, fixated on the only other color on the map. _That must be them._

"Alright, I think I've got something," Blue said quietly, rushing forward. "Come on, let’s get going!"

–

"Lead the way, Blue!" Nodding, Puff followed after her, as quick as she could.

If she had something, Hema was telling the truth, right?

_Everything pointed to that, at least..._

_She just hoped they'd get out of here in time._

–

–

The signal lead the two gems up and out of the grassy fields, to the top of the cliff sides. They soon were rushing through to the line of trees that created a huge wall along the horizon. Puff had never seen so many different kinds of plants in one place.

"What even are some of these?" She asked curiously as she briskly walked alongside Blue. They had to slow down; the trees were giving off some interference, making the signal a little harder to track.

–

The Diamond grimaced, scanning the horizon of plant life before them.

"Looks like it's an assortment of trees from not only Homeworld, but maybe a buncha other planets he's visited before...Not a hundred percent sure, though." Tapping her finger on the lens of her visor, she frowned. That didn't work. Looks like she was going to have to just keep going with this. She hoped it wasn't breaking or anything.

"Rescan."

–

_Whirrr_

The radar updated. The signals that were all mingled together in a hodgepodge of various colors suddenly sharpened, narrowing down to more condensed splashes of color. The Emerald's signal was visible again. But it looked like it'd moved. Instead of leading between the White District and the floating islands in the distance, the signal seemed to be headed directly for the Yellow District.

Emerald was on the move.

–

Blue pointed towards the direction that they needed to go in.

"Well, good news is that I've got a read on where this possible Emerald might be!" she said, turning to walk in said direction. "Bad news is, they're moving, and they're moving towards the Yellow District." She paused, making sure the Jasper was following. "If she makes it in any of those, things could get interesting," she stated, brows raising slightly.

–

Puff's brows raised, and she blinked in confusion, making sure to keep up with her superior.

"What do you mean, _interesting_?"

–

–

The signal moved again. At the top of a small rise, a copse of trees surrounded the two gems. A _tiny_ copse of trees. Not knowing that Blue's visor was changing again, Puff finally stopped and kneeled down, poking at one of the miniature trees.

"Huh. I didn't know they grew that small." _I wonder if Sphalerite would like these._ She looked up at Blue. "How's the scan going?"

 

_**Whirrrr** _

_Click!_

This time, the Emerald signal appeared in the heart of the Yellow District, which lay not too far in the distance. A crash of thunder shook the ground, startling Puff to her feet.

–

Blue sneered, stifling a small groan.

"Weeeell... I got some bad news, Puff. You up for runnin' around in this pocket dimension Yellow District?" she asked, frowning. _Stars, of all places, why did she have to be there?_

–

"... Well I guess that depends." The Jasper chuckled nervously and walked up beside Blue, crossing her arms. "There isn't a pocket dimension Yellow Diamond running around in here, is there?"

–

Blue didn't respond. Actually, that made her a little nervous. There wasn't.... _was there?_ Starting off towards the District, she looked up to the harsh, stormy sky and wondered how this place could sustain such violent weather. At least in her pocket dimension, the skies were almost always clear.

–

"... Blue. B-Blue that WASN'T AN ANSWER." Puff nervously followed after the Diamond, looking around as they made their way down the hill toward the massive district block.

-

-

Soon enough, the two found their way to the outside of the city. It was odd, really. The district seemed to starkly end at a clean-cut line with the trees that surrounded it. The entire block appeared to be just that, a _block_. Instead of the massive, outstretching city back in the real world, this was more-or-less a cookie-cut section of the Yellow District. Puff wondered if the others looked like this.

However, despite resembling the Yellow District, there was something very, very _off_ about it. The buildings and everything else were absolutely _massive_ , towering at least a few thousand feet high, for the tallest of the towers. Lightning struck the tops of the towering structures, coursing electricity down through them once in a while.

On top of all that... an overwhelming _feeling_ was coming off of the city in waves, like a terribly oppressive aura. It was hard to tell what it was from here, but it didn't feel positive.

The Jasper stood at the edge of the district, not having stepped past the border yet.

"... That doesn't look safe."

–

Looking far up to the towers, Blue felt her jaw hang ajar. What on Homeworld?...What was up with this place?... Stepping forward, she shrugged and beckoned the Jasper to follow her again.

"Is any of this safe, really? Let’s go."

Taking a few more steps within the city, Blue could definitely feel the odd air that filled this place. Something was chilling to her... Something felt _wrong_. Finally, she stopped, looking around to see if she recognized any part of the city in which she was standing in.

 

_Rescan._

–

"Mmn. There better at least be a cool version of my apartment in here." Puff grumbled to herself, trying to ignore her rising anxiety. The moment she stepped into the city, however, she _couldn't_ ignore it. In fact, it got _worse_.

The further the two headed into the city, the more oppressive the aura became. It started to seep through to the two gem's cores. _Anxiety. Fear. Anger._

But underneath all that... there was a faint, _hollow_ feeling. It wasn't terribly overpowering, but it was there. Puff didn't like this. She didn't like feeling like this. Confused, she tried to brush the feeling off, but it kept crawling back, making her scratch her face in frustration.

_Was this what Hema was going through right now?_

 

Blue's hunting visor gave a rather strained whirring sound before it clicked. The Emerald signature was still there... but so was something else.

A wash of golden-yellow color had taken over the radar, overlaying the previous gray wash.

–

There was a twinge of horror nipping at the nape of Blue's neck. Why was it suddenly yellow? Could this visor _really_ pick up gem signatures for a gem that wasn't present in the dimension? Unless... there was something more to it. Swallowing nervously, Blue kept her pinpointed location in mind. Her focus was the Emerald; she couldn't back out now. It was probably just the district itself, anyway.

"Keep your eyes peeled, Puff. We might be closing in soon."

"Right. Right..."

 

 

**CRASH!**

A ripping clap of thunder echoed through the Yellow District, shaking everything around the two gems as they walked. They were getting closer to the center, to the Emerald signal. It seemed to be getting more potent.

–

Blue flinched at the massive lightning bolt, but kept her wits about her.

"Easy, just... follow me." She whispered. She was strong on the green gem's trail; wherever they were, they were close. Not incredibly close, but they were definitely nearby.

The air in the district seemed to get thicker with its already-overbearing aura. Blue was beginning to worry that the weather was going to start posing a problem. Just keep focus...

–

Puff was trying to keep her breathing under control. She didn't understand this; why did she feel so terrible?! Sure, she'd been nervous about this mission, but as soon as they entered this district, she felt ten times worse.

"Blue m-maybe we should get out of here."

Her face paled, and she quickly stepped closer, looking around. Her voice was hushed. "I feel like we're being watched."

–

Blue clenched her fists tightly and grabbed onto Puff's shoulder, stopping.

"Look, we’ve come too far to give up now. Wherever this Emerald is, they're in here. We need to keep going... You can do it. We can both do it." She said, grinning to the warrior. She, too, was masking quite a few strong feelings of dread. She couldn't place a finger on it, but Puff was right. There was something really off with this place. She hadn't expected anything in here to have any sort of physical effect on her. Oh well, it was like she had said. Pocket dimensions were what you made them, and White had mentioned some time ago that Hematites had an odd relation to their pocket dimensions. They more honestly represented the individual, to make them closer to their skills mentally.

 

And she, unfortunately, had a pretty good idea of why Yellow's district was this way.

–

Of course, Puff knew Blue was right, her senses told her to listen to her. But the overpowering sense of dread in her chest made it impossible to think clearly.

"Y-you're right, it's just-"

 

**S L A M!**

 

Puff shrieked in surprise and jumped back from Blue, staring in horror behind her.

From between two buildings, a massive, pitch-black arm was extended, a clawed hand having slammed down behind Blue Diamond, mere feet away. Because of the angle, Puff couldn't see who the arm belonged to. But she didn't have time to figure it out.

As soon as Blue turned, the arm flickered and vanished, leaving a huge crack in the cement where it'd struck.

–

Blue gasped, stumbling forward a few feet and holding up her fists. Spinning around, she had no time to see what had happened, staring down at the massive fissure now slammed into the ground.

"WHAT ON HOMEWORLD WAS THAT?!" she shouted, taking a few abrupt steps back, nearly bumping into Puff. "Was that a lightning bolt or what?!"

–

Puff stumbled backwards, shaking her head.

"BLUE, that wasn't lightning, thaaat was a hand!" she shouted.

 

 

**Y̪͚ ̷͙̭o̼͍̟ ̬͎̪̞͎̦ͅu̗̪̟̳͔͓̖ ̖r̀ ̰̘̞̜̳f̘ ̛̼͎͇̯̰ͅa̪̩̭̼̳ͅ ̛̱̲̘̻͉̼u̘̻͇͉̹͇͠ ̷l̺ ̶̠͚̹͈̩̼̼t͎̯̖͓͖ͅ**

 

–

Blue's eyes shot upwards, a massive crack of lightning splitting through the sky.

"W-what... Was that..." She stepped back again, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. That voice sounded all too familiar

–

_**S L A M!** _

Puff shrieked again and ran forward as a massive black fist slammed down behind her. This time, she didn't stick around. The Jasper bolted down the street, heading in the direction Blue had been heading before. Blue's eyes went wide as saucers as she stared at the massive, dark fist.

 

**Jus̱͎̕t͏̰͕̳̠̲̩ ̶̼̞͓͍a҉͔̝̲͎̣ͅc̺̝c͟e̻̘̥̙p̀ṭ̞̖͈ ̼̪̭͕͖̲̹w̦͚̦h̫͘a̳̥̱̮̥̣̖͝t̜̺͓'̩̰̩̭s̞̫̟̭̜̼ ̻̙̩̻̩͈c̝͕͚͈o̟̙̳̘m͇̕in͎̟̯̪g̥̰͡.̥̳**

 

 

"NNOOO WAY!" Blue shouted out, the world going cold around her. There was no way she'd missed **that** one. "WAIT FOR ME, HEY!" The Diamond bolted after the Jasper, hardly able to breathe as her breath caught in her throat. "HEMATITE, what is this?!” she called to nobody in particular.

–

"What the hell has hema been harvesting in here?!" she orange gem shouted back, her pace never slowing. "Blue! Where's the Emerald?!"

 

**C R A S H**

 

One of the nearby buildings, just behind Blue and Puff, suddenly crumbled to the ground, shaking the district violently.

Blue flinched, picking up the pace.

"Shake a leg, Puff!! It's time to get moving!" she yelled out.

_RESCAN!_

–

Puff let out a rather unflattering squeal as she ran faster down the street, trying not to trip or stumble.

The screen fizzled for a moment, but then returned to normal. The Emerald was on the move again, heading for the Blue District.

Slow, thundering footsteps suddenly rumbled behind Puff and Blue.

 

**I̛ ̴shouļd ̸h̨av͜e d͞o̕ne t̢h͞i̢s̢ y͝e͢a̛ŗs͠ a̵g̕o..̧.̕**

 

–

Blue kept up a speedy pace, breathing heavily.

"They're headed for the Blue District, this way!" she said, taking a sharp left turn. _Don't look back don't look back, don't-..._ As she ran, she slowly dared to gaze behind her, swallowing anxiously.

–

Thud. Thud. **Thud**.

 

Slowly, rhythmically, _ominously_ , a huge, stark-black figure was making her way down the street. The only thing visible on her was a pair of piercing, narrowed eyes, which were locked directly onto Blue's retreating form. Her fists were clenched at her sides, lightning striking them every few seconds.

–

"HOLY _STARS_ , SPARKY GOT BIG!" Blue cried out, horrified. _No way was she looking back again!_ She took a sharp turn again and ran as fast as her legs could take her. "OKAY THAT'S IT! WE'RE GETTING OUT OF HERE, NOW!" The Diamond grabbed onto the Jasper completely and hoisted her over her head. Lightning struck from above, illuminating their forms for a few milliseconds.

–

Puff glanced back at one point to see what was following them, and she wished she hadn't.

"RUN FASTER, BLUE."

–

After an agonizingly long chase, Blue caught sight of the entrance to the next district.

"There, quick!" she shouted, tossing the Jasper back up on her feet.

–

As soon as she was back on her own two legs, Puff scrambled toward the exit to the next district. She didn't stop until the Yellow District was far behind them, and she felt the terror starting to ebb.

She slowed to a halt and leaned over, breathing heavily.

"... There's not going to be another version of _you_ in here, is there?"

–

Blue stopped somewhere near the Jasper, sweat dripping from her brow.

"Stars, I hope not.... Does this guy have big, freaky versions of all of us or somethin?" She thought out loud, standing up straight. Thankfully, they appeared to have given the nightmarish monstrosity the slip. "Okay... where are we now..." she huffed, taking a few forcibly calm steps forward.

_Rescan._

–

The screen quietly whirred.

Slowly, the wash of yellow faded, and was replaced by a gentle wave of blue color. Emerald's signal was a little harder to see, but it was still heading in the same direction, now moving toward the White District.

The aura from the previous city block was starting to fade away... to be replaced with a new one.

Despite the still-stormy skies, and the howling winds, this district felt... calm.

There wasn't a strong aura coming from it, but it was enough to notice.

Puff looked around and arched her brows, letting out a soft exhale. This place looked like the block of city around Morganite's bar... As the fear from the terrifying chase ebbed, Puff felt something replace it.

She felt vaguely _hopeful_.

 

_Right, they were still on track. They'd catch the Emerald... Terrifying Diamonds or no terrifying Diamonds, they'd get to the bottom of this._

 

**–-**

**_Back in the Shard Morgue..._ **

**–-**

Hematite shifted in place, sitting quietly in the corner of his cell. He'd rested the bracer over his hands to make sure that if anyone glanced into the room, nothing would look suspicious. He just hoped everyone stayed away... At least until Blue and Puff came back. The guards didn't seem to be coming back any time soon, not after Blue's orders to stay out. He was left alone in the quiet.

But he'd started to wonder... Wonder who was going to come to shatter him...

Would it be a guard? Or... Were one of the other Diamonds going to finish the job.

The service gem's eyes widened slowly, and the hair on the back of his neck prickled at the thought. _What if they came before Blue and Puff returned...?_

**–-**

**...**

**–-**

 

Blue started pacing quickly down the street, glancing over all the buildings. She couldn't help but smile, a warm feeling flooding her core.

"Heeey I know this place!" she said, stopping in front of one of the stores. She knew it likely didn't have much in it though, so she didn't stop for very long. The Diamond muttered something under her breath curiously, placing a hand to her chin. "Man, that Emerald sure is fast..." She frowned. "I don't wanna know what will happen if we get to the White District... come on, Puff. There's no time to lose." And the Diamond was off again.

–

–

Unfortunately, they were going to find out. Emerald was far too fast, and was quickly cutting through the White District before they even reached it. Puff looked up nervously at the far bigger buildings. She stopped at the threshold.

"Blue. Wait."

–

Blue stopped, running her fingers through her hair frustratedly.

"Ergh... Yeah, what is it, Puff?" The Diamond asked, looking up at the immense buildings of the White District.

–

"... Maybe we should go around. What if there's something... some _one_ in there."

Puff's arms were tightly crossed. She stared up at the district. "Those buildings are even bigger than the Yellow District... And I don't know about you, but I'm not too keen on seeing what's in there."

–

Blue frowned, adjusting the hunting visor just slightly. She went silent.

"..."

_Rescan._

_Whirrrr_

A wash of white bled into the radar, just beyond where Puff and Blue stood. The grid was split half-and-half with blue and white hues. But there, toward the center of the next district, was Emerald's signal. And it wasn't moving.

–

Blue groaned loudly in exasperation and started walking towards the White District.

"Oooof cooooourse, you little..." She grumbled crossly. Motioning her hand to follow, Blue kept her eyes peeled. "Unfortunately, we have to go..."

–

Puff hesitantly followed after Blue Diamond, rapidly drumming her fingers on her upper arm.

However, she stopped about ten paces into the White District.

 

_Cold._

 

The stale scent of tea hung in the air, making it thick and hard to breathe. Slowly, as the two continued... their field of vision grew smaller and smaller. It seemed as though a foggy blackness was closing in on them, until it stopped, restricting their vision to about twenty feet in front of them.

Everything else was black.

–

Blue stopped dead in her tracks, frozen. This is worse than the Yellow District! Trembling, Blue raised her hand up and ran her fingers through her hair again. _Rescan._

Something nagged at the back of her mind. She understood why Yellow's district could have been in such a horrific state, but White's? She’d always thought that Hematite never got into any arguments with White. Frowning, she backed up close to the Jasper.

–

Puff was frozen in her tracks as well. After a long moment, she managed to back up close to Blue.

 

**Whirrrr**

 

The Emerald's signal was suddenly gone, completely washed out by the now-overpowering white wave of color.

"... Blue, anything?"

–

Blue's eyes widened again, her heart sinking.

"No..." she whispered, stepping boldly forward. "NO, give me SOMETHING! ARRrgh!" She called out in frustration, barreling towards the darkness.

–

"B-BLUE! WAIT DON'T LEAVE ME HERE-" Puff called out, chasing after the Diamond. The two of them rushed toward the center of the district, heading where Emerald's signal had been before.

The darkness was getting closer.

 

Suddenly, a soft, menacing voice cut through the darkness.

 

**A͍̤f͎̦̺ͅt̮̙̤̼̖e͉r ̢͙a̡ḻ̠͈̟̘̣͡ͅl̯͚̖͎ ̬Í ̸̗d͇̬̦̭̠̕ͅi̶͔̙̤̫̬͕d̳̺̼͓̜͘ͅ ̸̬̟͙̥̜̭f̻͍̟̤̼̗̞̀o̜͍̩r̰̱͝ ͕̺̫y̖̤̹̬̭͓̺o̪̻͔̳̙͖̲u**

 

 

Puff stopped dead in her tracks, looking around.

–

Blue cringed, but forced herself to keep going.

"Argh, not this again!" Though this time, the voice was different. But she could still recognize it. She came to a halt as well, breathing in quickly. "Okaaay, Sparky is one thing..." She stopped, glancing around nervously.

 

_But White is another..._

–

From behind Blue, Puff let out a sharp, horrified gasp. She backed into the Diamond, quickly righting herself.

"B-B. Blue."

–

Blue stopped, narrowing her eyes. She didn't even bother looking behind her. It was getting too quiet, and the darkness was creeping in fast. _What was going on here?_

"... I think we need to go."

Grabbing onto the Jasper's arm, Blue frowned, the sinking feeling in her gut getting worse.

She bolted.

–

_THWICK!_

 

Directly in front of Blue, now buried halfway into the marble floor, was the blade of a _massive_ polearm. The two gems’ forms reflected faintly off of the metallic tip. And slowly, far, far above the two, a pair of piercing, monochromatic eyes opened, staring down at them with absolute fury.

–

Blue felt herself seize up for a moment, staring right into the polearm. She let out a soft whimper, her grip on the Jasper's arm becoming tighter. The Diamond dared to look up.

She immediately regretted it.

"Puff... it's... absolutely...Time to go _NOW_!" She yanked the Jasper to the side and ran swiftly into the darkness.

 _Light! Give me a light or something!_ _Rescan_! She knew this visor could give off a bright light, so why didn't it seem to be helping her see?! Panicked, she dared not stop. Honestly, she'd have rather taken her chances with Yellow!

–

For a long moment, it seemed as though the monstrous figure wasn't in pursuit.

Puff stumbled behind Blue, whimpering quietly as she kept her eyes on the 'sky', looking for any sign that they were being followed. It was dark, sure, but as long as she didn't see anything-

 

_THWICK_

_THWICKTHWICKTHWICK_

 

Suddenly, a barrage of polearms shot down from the dark, burying into the ground and creating a circle around the two tiny gems. But one last weapon hovered, glinting in the darkness. Slowly, the piercing white eyes opened again, looking down upon the trapped Diamond and Jasper.

 

Bỳ͈̼̗̗̰ ͔ț͉̫͍͔͝h̷̙̺e̫̩͔̞ ̥͈̟͍̮̙͉o̻͟r͖̩̞̰d̩͈͉̠̹̙͞e̬͡r̹̰ ̹o̯̗͓͖͡f̘̭͎̰̳ ͍̣̀ţh̶e̜̼ ̥̹͕̜̺D͔͍͘ị̱̹̦a͝ͅm͉o̝̠n̤̱͚̦͝d̖̮͇͔̹̣ ̠̺̹͜A̲͇u͔̫̯̲̬̺t̼͠h͔̥̙͚̦o̜̠͔̬̭͢r̩̲͚i͜t̸̖y͉͓̣̮̩̞ͅ

 

 

 

The polearm stopped waving around, and aimed directly down at the two, the massive pair of eyes staring right through them.

–

Blue froze, unable to look away from the dreadfully-familiar eyes. No... No, they couldn't have come this far for nothing! Without thinking, Blue grabbed onto the Jasper again and backed up slowly. _This was it._ _They failed._

"W-White..."

–

The polearm lifted slightly, reeling back.

Eyes widening in rage, the massive form suddenly sneered, stark-white teeth standing out against the blackness surrounding them.

 

**Y̠o̻̼͙̬̥u̜͎̠͚̺͈͚ ̜̖a̞̠̖̱r̛̺̖̳͓͉͍ͅḛ̘͎̙͓̕ ͕̤͎̼ͅṇ̠͉̹̹o͍̹̩̦̳ͅ ̮̼͞l̹͇͡o̖̬̤̣̖̲̹͞n̛͎g̸̝͈e͖̮̪̺̱̘r̤͙̬̱̀ ̯̺̟͜my̘̞͖ ͉̖H̳̭͙͡em̀ḁ̥t̢͖̬̬i̳͍̫̰̥͙t͈̬̰̠̻̝̰͢e͈̹.̪̣̥͖͎̝̫**

 

 

 

_SHOVE!_

 

**T H W I C K!**

 

Puff, in a blind panic, had pushed Blue aside, out of the way of the polearm. But _she'd_ stayed directly in its path.

–

Before she could even comprehend what happened, Blue was on the ground. Scrambling to get her bearings, Blue coughed and quickly sat up, eyes shooting open in horror.

"OH NO- PUFF..... JASPER! ARE YOU OKAY?!" she exclaimed, frantically turning around.

–

Standing in petrified horror, Puff stared ahead of her with wide eyes. She was shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes slowly drifted down, to the blade jammed into the marble floor.

The polearm's metallic blade was dug deep into the floor below the Jasper. At a slight angle, the weapon's tip had aimed straight for Puff's gem.

 

But she wasn't poofed.

She wasn't shattered.

She was completely intact.

 

In fact, she seemed to be phased straight through the massive blade. About three inches around her at any point, the weapon was glitching out, not even touching the orange gem. Almost like a hologram. Slowly, Puff dared to move.

_I don't think anything can hurt you._

She backed up. The weapon's blade fizzled as she moved away, and the 'hole' that she'd just created in the weapon closed up. Without her standing in its way, it seemed completely solid.

Puff furrowed her brows and reached forward, trying to touch the metallic tip. Her hand phased right through it.

"... AAAAAUGH. AAUUGH MY STARS ARE YOU KIDDING ME."

Puff clutched at her gem with an exasperated, but relieved, groan falling to her knees. "HEMATITE, YOU COULDN'T HAVE BEEN A LITTLE CLEARER?"

–

Her breath caught in her throat, but after a moment, Blue breathed out a massive sigh of relief.

"Oh thank stars you're okay..." She stood up quickly, taking a step towards the Jasper. Go figure, White wasn't actually here so... "We... should get out of here...I don't wanna take any more chances with this..." she muttered.

_Rescan..._

–

_**Whirrrr** _

The screen refreshed.

It was faint, but the Emerald's signal was heading away from the White District.

Puff was still reeling.

"ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT GIANT YELLOW DIAMOND WAS HARMLESS TOO, DAMN IT." She finally scrambled to her feet and glared at the circle of polearms. "Yeah, me neither, come on!" The Jasper rushed out from the intangible circle of weapons and turned as she ran. "Which way, Blue?"

–

Blue nodded and pointed to the left.

"Come on, this way!" she said, picking up her pace. This Emerald was proving to be very elusive and problematic... _Were they even going to catch up to this thing?!_ She felt her frustrations starting to rise. Brows twitching, she kept her focus on the map on the inside of the hunting visor.

 

**–-**

**...**

**–-**

tap.

tap.

Tap.

TAP.

_TAP._

 

Multiple sets of footsteps filled the silent, cold air of the Death Row hall. Someone was headed towards Hematite, and whoever they were... they weren't alone.

–

Hematite's brows shot up, and he looked out of his cell, toward the end of the large, empty hall.

_No..._

_No, we need more time-_

_NO!_

–

The voice that carried through the hall was close, and monotonous.

Professional... and dangerous.

 

"It's time."

 

"Yes ma'am, Yellow Diamond, right this way..."

–

Hematite felt his body run cold.

It was Yellow.

His breathing picked up. _No, no no no Puff and Blue weren't back!_

He checked the tower.

Nothing.

_Guys, where are you?!_

 

**–-**

**…**

**_\--_ **

 

Soon enough, the two escaped the White District. Puff slowed her running and looked around. It seemed this was the end of the city blocks, so where... Looking up and around, she quickly caught sight of the floating islands hovering not too far in the distance. There seemed to be some sort of structure at the top of the largest island, and-

_Wait._

_Wait a second._

Puff suddenly stopped and gasped. She'd spotted a flicker of movement on one of the islands leading up to the structure.

"BLUE!"

She whipped her arm up, pointing directly at the faintest glint atop one of the islands. It was moving fast, and moving up.

–

Blue's attention shot towards where the Jasper had pointed, and she was quick to act.

_Rescan._

"Come on, come on... We gotta hurry!" Blue shouted, a determined edge to her voice. Wasting no time, she started to hop up onto some of the smaller floating rocks that drifted above the surface. Then to another, then another. Like a floating staircase almost, the smaller platform-like islands hovered higher and higher, acting as a path to the primary island.

–

The tiny figure was moving fast.

But not fast enough to avoid the radar.

The moment Blue had visual on the gem, even the slightest bit, it clicked and locked on, the insignia on the inside screen narrowing slightly.

It was tracking Emerald's every move, even from a distance.

Puff followed behind, slightly slower. She jumped and clambered her way up the rocks, occasionally protesting for Blue to slow down. But, with how far ahead Blue was, Puff was pretty sure she hadn't heard her.

Swiftly, the tiny, green gem leapt up the last rock, running toward the facility on the island. She was out of sight before Blue reached the top.

–

Grunting and cursing under her breath, Blue was actually picking up speed. Her increasing frustration was adding to her agility. Eyes darting back and forth, she kept a steady eye on the Emerald's small target. Within a few minutes, she'd reached the top, quickly righting herself. She would have looked back to check on Puff, but she was hell-bent on finding the fleeing Emerald.

–

Puff was about six or so islands away from where Blue stood, and she grunted with effort as she climbed up the next one. She looked up. Blue was already gone.

"W-wait, aagh, Blue!"

Lightning flickered across the sky, briefly illuminating a tall, ornate building that laid in the center of the island.

The door was _just_ swinging shut.

–

As Blue barreled her way into the building, she huffed quietly and stopped.

_Rescan._

The room was filled to the brim with bookshelves covered in both books and diamond pads of all shapes and sizes. The shelves were so vast in fact that they themselves made up the walls of the gigantic room. Blue went silent, narrowing her eyes. She was close.

–

**Rumble**

The large room had a single, massive main shelf that nearly reached the high ceiling. It was absolutely _covered_ in diamond pads, screens, books, and assorted souvenirs from Hematite's missions. In front of the shelf was a large, circular floor. The walls around the floor were also high shelves, but they tapered back down behind the main shelf, leading to two staircases that seemed to go down into the library. In the middle of the circular floor was a large, glass case. It contained what appeared to be multiple hunting visors, eyepieces, and in the center, Hematite's archival power source. The walls and floor were a warmly-colored stone, though everything currently felt cold to the touch.

The insignia on Blue's screen flickered around, looking for the Emerald's form, but it could find nothing. Still glowing brightly, however, was her signature. She was definitely in here somewhere.

_Rescan_

The radar updated. Emerald seemed to be directly _below_ Blue now, despite there being nothing but floor there.

She'd gone to the lower levels.

–

Blue frowned, taking a few quiet steps into the room. Looking around the shelves, she wondered how many of these were real- and if they were, where did he even get this many? It seemed endless. But she had no time to admire the room. Biting the inside of her lip, she started to look around for any entranceway to the lower floor. Walking behind the main shelf, Blue was surprised to find two huge staircases leading down into the library. She furrowed her brows, setting her jaw. It was time to be silent... It was time to be quick... It was time to be efficient.

 

**–-**

**...**

**–-**

Tap. tap........tap.

Standing in front of the doorway, there stood Yellow Diamond and two massive, armored guards with weapons drawn. The Diamond took a deep, quiet breath and stared into the cell, expressionless.

–

Hematite stared up at the Diamond, his eyes wide as saucers. He certainly didn't look like he had for the past week. He looked alert, conscious, and thoughtful.

The bracers were still 'cuffed' over his hands to make it look like his restraints were intact. He scooted further back into the corner, a soft whimper escaping him.

_He felt the claws hovering._

–

Yellow punched in a code, entering the room quietly with both of the guards standing at the door. The holo-screen soon buzzed back up, trapping all four of them in the room.

Yellow's entire form looked as though she were cast in shadow from the poorly-lit hall. _Her eyes, however, almost seemed to glow._

–

Hematite felt his last nightmare crawling up in the back of his mind.

The world around him went dark. All he could see was Yellow and her two guards. He suddenly felt like he was being squeezed in a massive, powerful fist. The service gem's voice failed him, and his breath caught in his throat.

_**You can't hide from your fate.** _

_**You can't outrun it.** _

 

 _Blue, where_ _**are** _ _you?!_

 

–

Yellow Diamond placed her palm to her gem and summoned her sword. A tantalizingly-bright light lit up her face from below for a moment. She clicked the sword's blade to the ground, eyeing the puny service gem.

 

"Hematite... It's dawn. You know what this means, I presume. White couldn't be here, so she... sent me out to... take care of you," she said, her tone unreadable, but professional nonetheless. She took a single step forward, dragging the sword along the ground slowly. She stopped, brows raising ever so slightly. She looked as though she were about to say something else.

–

Hematite pulled his knees closer to his chest. He covered his gemstone with his 'cuffed' hands, staring up at Yellow in fear. He could tell she wasn't done... He stayed silent.

–

Yellow shrugged her shoulders, glancing off to the side. She seemed almost... pained? Sighing heavily, the Diamond shut her eyes. She furrowed her brows, frowning solemnly.

 

"I was so proud of you, Hematite... And now... look where you are."

–

Hematite felt his heart sink. Tears suddenly pricked at his eyes, making him blink rapidly to attempt to clear them.

"... Y-you." He swallowed heavily. "You were?"

–

Yellow looked back at him, nodding once.

"I had thought... you'd made such good progress. I thought that _**we**_ had made good progress. But..." She stopped, brows lowering once more. Her eye twitched, and she took another single step towards him. "I knew you had a thing against _me_ before, and sure... I deserved that. But _White_?... What did White ever do to you? What did she ever do to anger you so badly? What did _Blue_ do to you?..." she asked, pain and anger lacing her voice. It almost didn’t sound like _her_.

–

Slowly, Hematite's shoulders drooped. He still kept the bracer in front of his gem.

He checked the tower again.

He needed to buy himself some time.

"They didn't do anything... _I_ didn't do anything... Yellow, you wouldn't be talking to me right now if you didn't have some doubt in your mind that I'm guilty..."

–

Yellow sneered, raising her sword up and pointing it towards him. She didn't advance, but she continued to speak.

"I speak when I want to speak, and say whatever I want to say... with or without motive. Don't you try and _tell me_ what reasons I have for talking to you. Once a traitor, always a traitor..." she growled. The guards tensed up, clutching their weapons a little tighter. But, it wasn't their job to step in.

–

The service gem tensed up, glancing at the two guards before his eyes rested on Yellow again.

"... Do you really think I'm a traitor, Yellow?"

–

Yellow said nothing, frozen in place. She looked cold. She looked unsympathetic.

"You have nothing to prove otherwise."

–

Hematite winced slightly.

_I would if they'd show up!_

"... That's not what I asked. Do you truly believe I'm guilty? Do you really think that I cracked White? If there's even the smallest doubt in your mind... is that really justice?"

–

Yellow snarled, taking another few steps towards Hematite. She was practically upon him now, sword held up dangerously close to him. It hovered just above his bracer.

"Justice is law. Justice is order. Justice is what is right. Justice is not formed by a singular opinion... I don't expect a traitor like you to understand that." She narrowed her eyes, hissing spitefully.

–

Hematite winced and flinched back, holding his bracer closer, directly covering his gem.

_Alright. Time's up._

_Talking to her isn't working._

"W-wait!"

–

Yellow narrowed her eyes again, lips curled into a snarl.

"You're delaying the inevitable, this is pointless...."

–

Slowly, Hematite looked up. When he spoke, his words were slow, measured.

"Yellow Diamond. You can't. Shatter me." As he spoke, a strange look crept into his gaze. His eyes seemed to darken, a faint look of malice tingeing his expression.

–

Yellow's eyes widened furiously, and she slowly raised her sword under his chin.

"I'm afraid you don't have a say in that."

–

Hematite did his best not to shake. He looked at her sword, shifting his gaze slowly to hers without lifting his head.

"... Yes... I do." A dark look entered his eyes. He lifted his hands, his bracer falling away with a clang. He covered his gemstone, meeting Yellow Diamond's piercing golden gaze with a grim, threatening look of his own. When he spoke again, his words were cold and slow.

"I have Blue."

**–-**

**…**

**–-**

 

The signal was close enough to directly track through the lower levels of the library. Without being commanded to rescan, the visor was keeping its radar updated. The lights in the building flickered now and then, the halls going dim every few moments.

Down in the lower levels of the library, the staircases lead to various 'halls' of books. The walls were made almost entirely out of tall bookshelves, and if you looked up, you could see staircases crisscrossing at different levels, little paths leading around the various sections of the archives. Blue was closing in. And within a few minutes, Emerald's signal stopped moving. Blue was in her general area, but the visor couldn't pick up any visual. It seemed as though the fleeing gem were standing right beside Blue Diamond, but she was nowhere to be seen.

–

Blue's head whipped around in every direction trying to find the Emerald. _What? This doesn't make sense..._ She took a few steps towards where the signal was coming from, but alas, she found nothing. She squinted, placing her hands on her hips.

"Hmmm...." she grumbled, looking back up to one of the tall bookcases. To be fair, this looked like an easy place to get lost in.

–

Silence.

The visor continued looking for movement, any sort of flicker of motion that it could lock onto, but there was nothing.

Until something moved silently behind Blue.

 

Puff scrambled down into the lower levels of the library, trying her best to locate Blue. Her anxiety was rising by the second. She'd gotten a look at the Emerald. It was faint, but she'd seen her. _And she didn't want to believe it._

 

Carefully, slowly, Emerald poked her head from behind a book that she'd hidden with. Her eyes were wide, focused, _terrified_. Now that she could see her up-close, there was no mistaking it. _That was Blue Diamond._ The stealthy gem put down her book silently, and stood up a little, her fists clenched.

Blue was distracted.

If she could just get a single, strong hit to her back... She'd be good. She didn't want to, but it was her only option.

The tiny, green gem took a single pace forward, about to leap off the shelf.

 

Stopping and looking around, Puff's anxiety spiked. She couldn't find them... _Come on come on_...

The Jasper blinked. The orange gem took a deep breath, cupped her hands to her mouth, and shouted with a booming voice down the hall, the sound echoing off of the shelves loudly.

"EMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

 

The Emerald faltered with a surprised cry at the incredibly-loud shout, and she stumbled clumsily off the shelf, landing with a soft 'thud' on the floor.

Sharply, she looked up at Blue and scrambled away, trying to make some distance.

–

Blue whipped around suddenly, teeth bared. _PUFF, NO_ \- But she stopped, gasping quietly as she spotted the small, green figure dashing away. Within a second, Blue charged after her, shoving herself around corners and keeping her eyes on the fleeing gem as best as she could. She certainly wasn't as limber or graceful as the other two Diamonds, but she was powerful, and could keep up speed. But just barely. She was also much bigger than the Emerald, and couldn't make sharp turns well.

 

The shout knocked a couple books loose of the shelves, and without warning, a few of them fell into Emerald's path, tripping her up just enough to slow her down... And let Blue catch up.

Skidding to a halt around the corner, Blue managed to spot the Emerald just in time.

"YOU! HEY! STOP!" she shouted, quickly advancing upon her. If she could just grab her, they'd be golden!

–

The Emerald couldn't get up in time. She stared back at the quickly-approaching Diamond and suddenly took a sharp, deep breath.

–

Blue's eyes widened, and she lurched forward. Instinctively, she held out her hands, and there was a small flash of blue.

 

VWIP!!!

–

The tiny green gem gasped in surprise, pawing at the bubble she found herself in.

"H-hey!"

The sound was practically silenced behind the blue casing. Emerald grimaced and summoned her weapon, a rather odd, rounded spike that covered the entirety of her hand, and reeled back to punch at her tiny prison.

–

Gasping quietly, Blue held up her other hand and waved frantically at the Emerald. Hoisting the bubble up with her other hand, she couldn't believe how small this Emerald was. Sure, most Emeralds were tiny, but this one just looked like a _runt_.

"No, wait!" she pleaded. With no time to think, she popped the bubble and grabbed the Emerald with one hand, pulling at her weapon with the other. She was small enough to wrap her entire hand around her midsection. Sweating bullets, she was careful not to squeeze too hard. Her mind raced. She couldn't afford to lose this gem. She couldn't afford to poof her, and she couldn't afford to hurt her, either, in case she retreated into her gem. She needed her conscious, and she needed her alive.

–

The tiny green gem squeaked in surprise and struggled as well as she could, though her strength was a fraction of Blue's. She barked something out in protest as the Diamond tried to tug her weapon away. Suddenly, the tiny gem yanked Blue's hand close to her body and CHOMPED down on her fingers with painfully-sharp teeth.

–

"YAAAGH! YOWCH, STOP THAT!" Blue tensed slightly, rapidly dropping the Emerald. Waving her hand in dismay, she mouthed something under her breath. "Shhhit... WAIT, we're not gonna hurt you!" She started to panic, desperately turning back to where she'd dropped them. _No! This was their only shot!_

–

Emerald wasn't listening. The moment her feet touched the ground, she bolted. But she didn't make it far.

"GYAH!" She suddenly found herself snatched up by Puff, who had just rounded the corner. Letting out a fierce cry of frustration, the tiny green gem took another deep breath.

"MPH-" Puff used one of her hands to cover the gem's mouth.

"EMMA! Emma... it's _me_." There were tears in the Jasper's eyes. The Emerald stopped struggling, her eyes going wide.

–

Blue stared in shock at the two, lifting her visor up for a moment.

"What the..." Quickly, she put the visor back on and took a deep breath. Now that Puff had captured her and rendered her screaming useless for the moment, she decided to take advantage of it. Just in case...

 

_Scan._

 

_Whirrrr_

_Click!_

The visor started recording.

_Gem Match Found: Emerald_

_Status: No Gem Faults Detected_

_Mission: Collect_

 

Puff held the Emerald carefully, slowly moving over to Blue.

"It's alright, Em, it's alright. We're not going to hurt you, we just need to talk." Slowly, she took her hand away from the Emerald's face. The tiny green gem panted shallowly, staring in horror at the visor Blue Diamond wore.

"Wh-what's going on, why are you after me?" Sweat began to form on her brow.

–

Blue slowly took the visor off, staring at the Emerald with desperation. She walked forward, placing the visor back into her gem. She hopefully wouldn't be needing that anymore.

"Listen, Emerald, we really need to talk to you...there isn't much time, but something bad has happened and you're the only gem that can set things right!" She stated, keeping a fair distance from them.

–

Emerald stared at Blue, her chest still rising and falling at a faster rate than it should. Her eyes darted around.

"What are you talking about."

Puff looked to Blue, willing her to continue. She didn't have anything to say; she didn't know the details of what was going on.

–

Blue bit her tongue for a second, running her hands nervously through her hair.

"Look I don't have much time to explain this, just... Hematite, the big guy that chased you some few weeks ago, you guys were in some caves, right?! I need to know- was he there with you the whole time?! Was White Diamond around you? What happened?!"

–

Emerald's body went cold. She slowly shook her head, horror flashing before her eyes.

"No, no, I can't tell you anything!" She started to struggle again. Puff grimaced and tried to keep her careful grip on the tiny green gem.

"Emma, please!"

"NO!"

–

Sweat dripping from her brow, Blue realized she had to fix this quick Emerald was starting to panic, and she could easily try and escape again. _Snap her out of it, make her talk, do something!_ _This... this is our only chance!_

 

"WHITE WAS CRACKED, EMERALD!"

–

Emerald stopped dead in her struggles. Her mouth hung ajar, her eyes wide as saucers. She gripped tightly at the edge of Jasper's hand, her arms trembling.

"N-no. No... Wh-White... I-I knew she was with him but-!" She started to hyperventilate. "I-I! How! Th-that wasn't it, that wasn't supposed to happen! IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HIM! AND THE REBELS! TOPAZ SAID-"

She froze up, her face going pale.

–

Blue flinched noticeably, her entire body tensing up. Slowly, her brows furrowed in shock.

"Wait... back up... What's this about Topaz, now? What was supposed to happen? What are you not telling us?!" she demanded, clenching her fists. Her whole body began to shake, and the world around her started to go _red_.

–

Emerald slowly looked at Blue. Her eyes were filled with raw, unbridled, haunted _terror_.

"... I can't." Her gem started to glow. And then her form began to glimmer as well.

Puff's eyes widened, and she looked rapidly between Blue and the gem in her hands.

_What is she doing?!_

–

Gasping, Blue stepped forward, holding up her hands. _She's retreating into her gem. SHE'S RETREATING. INTO HER GEM._

"WAIT, NO WAIT! Please, don't leave! We need you! No one's gonna hurt you... ghhk... BY THE DIAMOND AUTHORITY, I SWEAR IT!" she shouted, digging her nails into her scalp.

–

Emerald's voice cracked as she shouted back at the Diamond, her form still alight.

"YOU CAN'T PROMISE THAT! SHE'LL KILL ME!" she cried out, voice laced with unbridled panic.

–

"NO SHE WON'T! I'll kill her myself before she gets to you! BESIDES, IF YOU DON'T LISTEN TO US AND CALM DOWN... NONE OF THAT WILL MATTER ANYWAY, CUZ WE'LL BE STUCK HERE FOREVER!" she screamed back at the gem, tears starting to flow from her eyes. She looked up as the lights in the strange, narrow passageway dimmed and flickered.

 

_Time is up._

 

–

"…" Emerald slowly stopped glowing, her form returning to normal. "What are you talking about? … D. Do you swear to me that sh-... She won't. Shatter me."

Puff bit her lip, looking at Blue.

–

Blue stared with disbelief at the Emerald, slowly shuddering and lowering her hands over her cheeks. She took a deep breath.

"I swear it... I'm a Diamond, and you are a Blue Diamond gem. It's my job to ensure your safety, now isn't it?" She stood up straight, a shaky smile quickly appearing back on her face. She froze... Slowly, she started to chuckle, which erupted into a fit of laughter. Dropping to her knees, the Diamond broke out into tears, grinning ear-to-ear. Quietly, in her fit of emotion, she whispered something to herself.

"Oh my stars... He _is_ innocent."

Relief flooded over her, making her feel weak. Relief, and realization weighed down on her with one, clear thought.

 

_Hematite had been telling the truth all along._

 

**–-**

**…**

**–-**

Yellow's eyes widened slowly, a stab of horror and anxiety taking her breath away at Hematite's words.

 

**_CLANG!!!_ **

 

Her sword dropped to the floor, and she took a solid step back. She looked absolutely _terrified_.

"Wh... What do you mean... You have Blue..."

The guards looked at each other quickly, shifting their weight to walk forward. Yellow shot out her arms without moving any other part of her, stopping the guards dead in their tracks. She didn't want them to touch him. She stared down at him with indescribable disgust and terror.

–

The service gem stared at her with wide eyes. This was _working_.

_C'mon guys, hurry up!_

"I mean. Just that." His tongue felt dry. In an attempt to keep his voice even, he swallowed and covered his gemstone entirely with both hands. "You can't. Shatter me. I have Blue Diamond." He paused. "If you kill _me_ , you lose _her_."

–

Yellow's terrified expression quickly twisted into one of indignant rage and offense.

"HOW DARE you use such ridiculous claims to buy yourself more time!" she hissed hatefully. Clenching her fists, the Diamond took another step back, looking frantically between the guards. Hovering her palm over her gem, she summoned her communicator. "Y-Yellow Diamond reporting! Blue Diamond, do you copy?!"

...

....

_No answer._

 

She froze, slowly looking up to the service gem.

_No. **How?!**_

 

Turning to one of the guards, she shoved them with her palm.

"GO! Go to the Blue Diamond tower and ... and see if she's there! Go _now_ , you idiot!" she growled. The guard scrambled back and left the room, leaving only Yellow, Hematite, and one other guard.

–

Unmoving, Hematite never took his eyes off of Yellow. There was a cold, serious look about him. One that he hoped wouldn't falter.

He had to keep her convinced that Blue was being held hostage. He had to buy them more time.

"…"

–

–

Pacing frantically, the Diamond was furiously grumbling words to herself for some time now. Every now and then, she'd turn to the guard and whisper something, glance angrily at Hematite, then stop.

 

_BEEP! BEEP!_

 

Yellow flinched, picking up her communicator again.

"Yes? What did you find?" She asked quickly.

 

The voice on the other end sounded mildly nervous.

"N-Nothing, ma'am! Blue is nowhere to be seen! She's not in her room, and her Pearl says that the last she heard, she was headed to the Shard Morgue to take care of something!" they said.

Heart sinking, Yellow nodded with furious disdain.

"Alright... Come back as soon as you can, then," she said breathlessly, slowly staring at the floor in shock.

 _Stars, he really did have her! Had Blue come to take him out before she or White could?... Somehow, Hematite had escaped his bonds and..._ No, she couldn't think about it. It was too horrible.

Turning to the service gem, Yellow shook with rage and sorrow. Her face was twisted into a conflicted look of both fury and hesitation. She wanted so badly to shatter this gem. So badly to get this over and done with. And now, he was in control. And she _ **hated it.**_

"GIVE HER BACK.... Please..." she growled harshly, slowly summoning another sword from her gem.

"Give. Her. _BACK."_

**–-**

**…**

**–-**

 

Emerald stopped shaking for the most part, but she quickly frowned and looked around.

"Who's innocent, why-" Puff stepped over to Blue, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Blue, we gotta get her out of here. We're running out of time."

–

Blue stood up again, taking a drawn-out breath in through her teeth.

"You're right... Look, Emerald, we'll explain on the way!" The Diamond said quickly, bolting for the door. Her emotions were out of control right now, and the longer they stayed in here, the more anxious she felt. Even if they did finally find what they were looking for.

"Let's get out of here!"

–

Puff rushed after Blue, holding Emerald carefully in her fist. The tiny green gem protested, and looked between the two gems rapidly. Then her gaze drifted to the library.

Suddenly, all of her confusion, all of her frustrations, all of her absolute bafflement came to a head, and she clutched her hair in her tiny hands.

"WHERE IS 'HERE’?!"

–

–

"And so that's why we're stuck in here! Well, I mean, we aren't stuck in here! We're leaving now, but...that's why we needed to find you! Do you understand, Emerald? We need you now more than ever! Look, I promise you won't be shattered for this. You won't be cracked, and you won't have to worry about Topaz. But I need you to tell me... What did Topaz _do_?..." Blue rambled, heading out towards the fields. It wasn't too long now- they had been running for a good thirty minutes or so, and found themselves just shy of the chasm that separated them from the main tower.

_Just hang in there, Hematite! We're coming back!_

 

"I-I understand, but..." She shook her head, biting her nails anxiously. "... I-I. T-Topaz-" her breath ran out as she said the General's name. It seemed she physically couldn't bring herself to confess what she was hiding.

Puff finally looked at her. Blue had explained everything that she knew about the situation at hand. Hema returning with the cracked gem, finding a cure, being accused of treason, having no evidence to back up his innocence... And how, if Hema was telling the truth, there was still a mystery attempted-killer.

But there was no way... It couldn't have been Topaz.

Puff slid down the steep, rocky slope with Blue.

"Please, Emma. Hematite is one of our best friends, **please** tell us what you know."

There was so much more that Puff needed to ask the small gem about... but now wasn't the time.

She'd get answers about where Emerald had been all these years, later.

Emerald closed her mouth on her fingers, biting them nervously.

".... Th-there. Mmn. I-I owed Topaz my life. S-So I started working for her. I told her I'd do whatever to asked me to do, even though she kept assuring me I didn't owe her. I-I couldn't just not repay her... S-so one day she came to me and said if I really still wanted to pay her back, I had one job. She said that... That... The rebels on her planet were getting more rowdy. That they were getting more dangerous. That, and... And that there was a traitor was working for White Diamond. One that attacked Yellow." She started shaking uncontrollably. She swallowed.

"S-so she gave me orders that morning. I was to lead the Hematite into the caves... and not be caught by White Diamond. S-someone was supposed to split them apart, but they naturally separated... the plan was going well. There... Th-there was a fusion that was supposed to take the harvester out, I think. B-but they never... came..." She bit down on her knuckles, her free hand clutching at her bangs. She looked horrified. "Wh-White wasn't supposed to be hurt. It was supposed to be him... Wh-why did she get attacked..."

 

**–-**

**…**

**–-**

The service gem furrowed his brows at Yellow's demand to give back the Diamond. His eyes were filled with a steely determination, and his voice remained firm and heavy.

"... No."

–

"WHAT?!!"

The Diamond furiously slashed her sword to the side, a look of horrific anger and fear plastered all over her face.

"What do you mean _NO?!_ THAT'S AN ORDER, HEMATITE! Do you have ANY idea what you're doing?!" She gripped her sword tightly, holding it unevenly in front of her.

–

Flinching ever-so-slightly, the service gem continued to glare up at his superior. He glanced at the sword, then slowly met her eyes once more. His expression remained dark. And then he narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. I do."

**–-**

**…**

**–-**

 

All the while the group made their way down into the chasm. Blue felt sick to her stomach. Boiling with fury, she listened to and analyzed every word. Fury dug into her core like fiery needles with every detail she learned. The Diamond gnashed her teeth angrily; just the thought that Topaz was behind such a heinous act and had tricked them all was enough to infuriate her.

"But why would she do such a thing..." Blue whispered, staring off at the ground as she ran. Topaz had never made any trouble for them before... "Thank you Emerald; this information's gonna prove really valuable to us!" she called back.

_That is, assuming we get out of this place in time..._

–

Puff looked up at the tower as they approached. She remembered Hema's instructions. The Jasper looked at Emerald.

"Alright, look. We're going back into the tower, and we're going to stand in one of the cells. We might possibly come out bubbled or retreated into our gems. There's no telling what will happen." Her face turned serious. "Em, please don't back down if that happens. We need you out there."

The Emerald started to tremble, but she frowned and nodded with nervous determination.

_It's okay, you're okay, Blue promised you won't be hurt... You can do this..._

_She won't get to you._

As the three neared the tower, the sky suddenly went black. No clouds, no lightning, nothing.

Puff's running faltered. Sweat started to form on her brow.

"What on Homeworld!? Oh, stars, Blue are we too late!?"

Just one more hill... they were so close!

–

Blue came crashing to a halt, staring up at the sky with dread. Eyes widening, she stared on in disheartened agony. But then she furrowed her brows, and continued to run.

"No, it can't be too late! We have to try! We have to keep going, come on!" She cried out fiercely. She started up the hill.

–

 

The three ran up the last hill, a mere fifty or so feet away from the tower door now.

_Almost there!_

Puff felt a tiny, hopeful smile cross her face.

_Come on, just a little further!_

 

_**Cold.** _

 

Though the temperature in the pocket dimension was already low, it suddenly seemed to _plummet_. The air the gems breathed in was now ice cold, and almost painful to take in. Emerald stopped breathing entirely.

"I-I know this... This happened before."

She looked around, eyes wide. _**Where is it?**_

Puff glanced at her as she and Blue approached the tower door. She turned her attention forward again, gritting her teeth.

"What do you-"

 

**F l i c k e r**

 

The Jasper stopped dead in her tracks, a sharp yelp of terror escaping her. She blinked rapidly, staring in horror at the tower.

It was brief. It'd only been there for a split second. In fact, if you tried hard enough, you could pass it off as having blinked, and that nothing had been there.

 _But there_ _**had** _ _been._

For only an instant, long, black, clawed hands had been clutched near the door of the tower, blocking it off from the approaching gems. They were massive. And though Puff had only seen it for an instant, she could have sworn that, in the upper corner of her vision... she'd seen the huge figure the hands belonged to, their huge arms wrapped around the tower as they crouched behind it.

But all she'd gotten a clear glimpse of was a bright-white diamond insignia... and a target.

 

If her eyes weren't fooling her... It'd looked like a monstrous version of Hematite had been blocking off the exit for a moment.

–

Blue took a shuddering breath, slowly looking over to the Jasper. She too had seen something, but she wasn't sure exactly what.

"What was that..." She whispered, walking up just in front of the warrior. "Alright, I've had it with this place...Hematite's niiiice and allll, but his pocket dimension's messed up. Lets..." She paused, staring nervously at the tower. She couldn't shake the image of the figure out of her head. It almost didn't seem like it was anything, but it looked vaguely humanoid. But it was gone too fast. "Let’s get out of here..."

 

**–-**

**…**

**–-**

It was hard to see her like this.

It was even harder to pretend that he'd use Blue to try and prevent his punishment.

But he had to. For Blue's sake, for Puff's... and for his own. He just hoped she wouldn't snap.

"Because I have to. Now take a step back, and I may be willing to cooperate."

–

Yellow dug her nails into the side of her face with her free hand, wanting to scream out in frustration. She held her tongue.

"HOW DARE you make such vile demands... You think you've won, Hematite? Oh this is far from over..." She snarled. Though despite her anger, she took a step back just as he'd asked. The guard, too, stepped back and stood near the wall.

**–-**

**…**

**–-**

 

Soon enough, the three were back in the tower. Puff quickly lead Blue down a path to the lower half of the tower, where the larger cells were contained. Thankfully, it seemed all of them were currently void of prisoners. She stepped into the nearest one she could find that would hold all three of them, and looked around.

"Come on, come on!" The Jasper was still holding Emerald in her hand. The green gem nervously chewed her lip and looked around.

"... What's supposed to be happening?"

–

Blue was quick to squeeze in with the other two gems, eyes nervously darting around the room. _Come on kid... please be okay._

 

**–-**

**…**

**–-**

Watching her step back, Hematite narrowed his eyes further, his shoulders slowly relaxing. He looked down.

_This is it... I can't hold this up for much longer._

_Blue... Puff, where-_

He felt something shift. His eyes widened, and his hair stood on end.

It was faint, but he detected someone entering the tower. No, not some _one_ , some three. The service gem could sense _**three**_ loose gems running around the prison, and his breathing hitched for a moment.

_Oh... oh my stars they're back. They're back, they did it!_

Slowly looking up at his superior again, Hematite felt the smallest of satisfied smiles cross his face.

"No, it's over _now_." He sensed the three enter a prison cell. Blue Diamond. Jasper. Emerald. All accounted for. The service gem didn't take his eyes off of Yellow Diamond. "Now. You're going to lower the screen. Back out completely. And put it back up." He kept his hands over his gemstone. "Do I make myself clear."

–

Yellow's eyes widened again, as she shakily moved her sword to face him. With a shuddering, furious breath, she took another few steps back. What did he mean by that... what was he doing...

"Wh-why?..." she growled quietly, holding her hand up to the security panel. The guard, glancing over between the two, gave Yellow a nod. She acknowledged them, but never turned her head. She was quick to lock back onto Hematite. Slowly, she lowered her sword and turned off the screen, taking a single step out of the cell.

–

Hematite frowned at the guard. After they didn't move, he gave a quiet snarl, and they too backed out of the cell with Yellow Diamond.

"Now put the screen back up."

–

Yellow did as the Hematite said, but never once took her eyes off of him. Like hell she was leaving, if that's what he'd wanted. She too, returned a fierce gaze.

The screen fizzled back into place.

–

Slowly, the service gem sat down and crossed his legs. Hematite closed one eye, trying to focus. He didn't take his open eye off of Yellow.

_Alright. This is gonna be a lot harder at this size. I don't wanna risk poofing them in the transfer, so..._

Hema was used to transferring gems at their full, unpoofed size from his pocket dimension to the real world. But only when he was big. He'd never tried to take out an unpoofed gem from his pocket dimension while at any size smaller than fifty or so feet. It just hadn't happened.

And right now, he wasn't about to try and experiment.

The service gem's hands started to glow, his gemstone glimmering beneath them. Slowly, he stopped guarding his neck. His form shimmered, and slowly, but surely, started to shift up.

I don't have much room in here, but it should be enough...

Hematite shifted up as much as he could. Since he was sitting, he had more room. The cell wasn't terribly large, about fifteen feet or so tall, so that allowed him around... maybe thirty or so feet, while seated?

He hoped it'd be enough...

The service gem's form stopped glowing, one of his hands rested over his gemstone. He was slightly hunched over, his head touching the ceiling of the cell. He glared down at Yellow with a look that told her not to try any funny business.

And then his gem glowed.

 

**–-**

**…**

**–-**

_Vwip!_

_Vwip, Vwip!_

Puff gasped quietly as a shining, silvery bubble suddenly formed around her.

"Ah- There we go!"

 _This_ much she remembered. Hema had done the same thing right before she was presented to White Diamond. The door to the cell suddenly closed up, a glass screen now locking the three bubbled gems inside.

–

Blue jumped quietly at the sudden appearance of the bubble, pressing her hand gently to its surface. "Woooahh.." She cooed with momentary intrigue. So this was what it was like to be in one of these!

 

**–-**

**…**

**–-**

Yellow took another involuntary step back, sweat dripping from her brow.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" she called out, gripping her sword tighter. The guard stood firmly behind the Diamond, readying their weapon in case Hematite tried anything. Yellow did not like the look of this. _Why on Homeworld did he want to shift up? Was he just trying to scare her?..._

–

Closing both of his eyes now, Hematite inhaled slowly. His gem flashed brightly, and he steadily drew his hand away. Three shimmering bubbles appeared from the bright light, rather small at first. But as soon as his gem stopped glowing, they popped to different sizes. One was tiny, one was rather well-sized, and one was even bigger. Hematite sighed in relief. Good, none of them had destabilized in the transfer. He stared at them, mouth slightly ajar.

Slowly, he lowered the three bubbles to the floor of his cell, directly in front of his crossed feet.

He popped Blue's first with a clawed finger, then Puff's. But he didn't pop Emerald's. He glared at her, teeth bared in a subtle snarl.

**You.**

–

Blue opened her eyes, spinning around and staring wide eyed at the cell. _They did it. They made it...and now they were back. Hematite had pulled through after all!_ Grinning ear to ear, Blue jumped up with a loud cheer, throwing her fists in the air victoriously. Yellow gasped, quickly stepping forward and dropping her sword on the ground. She placed her hands on the sides of the door frame.

"BLUE?!" she shouted, unable to believe what she was seeing. Regardless, she was relieved to see her back and... unharmed? Her jaw hung open slightly, staring in bewildered confusion at the group suddenly formed in the room. "What is going ON here?! What's the meaning of this?! BLUE... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Blue spun around to face Yellow and held her arms akimbo.

"Stars do I have news for you, Sparky." She sneered with a small hint of pride. Gesturing towards the smallest bubble, Blue narrowed her eyes and slowly frowned. "I think you're gonna want to see this."

–

Hematite folded his hands over his gem in case things got nasty. He stared at the gems in his cell, then looked at Yellow. He was quiet.

Puff turned to Yellow and nervously saluted, taking a step back from Blue. _This was allll her._

And honestly, she could tell that Yellow Diamond was not in the mood to listen to a common gem.

Emerald was staring up at Hematite fearfully, her tiny frame trembling. Slowly, she turned around.

And spotted Yellow Diamond.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she backed against the wall of her bubble.

Hematite arched a brow. Slowly, he raised his hand to his face and flicked on his hunting visor.

 

_**Whirrrrr** _

_Click_

 

Before anyone could question him, he sighed and forced a reassuring smile.

"Before anyone freaks out, I just... need to document anything that's about to be said. For my own sake."

–

Yellow gasped quietly, suddenly wishing she hadn't dropped her sword. _No, remain steady. He's on the other side of this door anyway._ Slowly, she looked down at Blue, brows furrowed angrily.

"What is the meaning of this, Blue?..." she said, her voice still irritated, but far less booming. Blue reached down, picking up Emerald's bubble and shooting the small gem a fierce glance. She popped it.

Holding the gem in her hand, her fingers wrapped around her midsection.

"Don't bite me this time..." she said quietly, pursing her lips. She took a step towards Yellow and stared directly at the other Diamond with an unsettling seriousness about her. Needless to say, it raised even more suspicions from the Diamond behind the holo-screen.

Gradually, Yellow's gaze drifted from Blue to the Emerald, her eyes widening.

That was an Emerald... _just like Blue had said..._

Blue shifted her hand slightly, motioning the tiny gem slightly forward. Her grasp was firm, but not hard enough to hurt her.

 

" **Talk**."

–

Emerald nervously nodded and tried to shift so she was semi- '''comfortable''' in Blue's grasp, but she tensed up the moment she was faced with Yellow Diamond.

_Thank stars for the holo-screen._

"..." The tiny green gem swallowed nervously. "... E-Emerald. Blue District Gem. C-currently employed under the order... of..."

–

Yellow crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Come on, spit it out." She said with unmasked annoyance. Blue swallowed nervously, taking a single step back. Even if Yellow was on the other side of the door, she didn't want to be near it.

"It's alright Emerald." Blue spoke softly, reassuring her with a small smile. "We really need to hear what you have to say."

–

The tiny gem started to tremble. At Blue's reassurance, she glanced back and calmed slightly.

_Right. She promised. She swore I'd be fine._

Running her hands through her hair, the gem slowly looked at Yellow again, her eyes wide.

"... L-let me start from the beginning."

She took a deep, steadying breath. Closing her eyes, she started speaking. Maybe if she couldn't see Yellow, she could keep her nerves.

"A long time ago, I'm unsure how many years it's been now, I went on a mission with my friend Rubes. We were hunting down a gem monster, but it got the best of us. It... It nearly shattered me." Eyes still closed, she rubbed her arm. "I don't know how long I was in there. I don't think I was in its pocket dimension." She grimaced. "But, one day. The monster vanished, and I was set free. I was. Set free by my current employer."

Puff's eyes were wide.

_So **that's** what happened to her...?_

Shuddering, Emerald bit one of her nails.

"I was indebted to them. I owed them my life. So I begged them to let me do jobs for them... To help fight rebels that were creating trouble for them. This went on for years. They never demanded my services, but I helped out where I could, anyways. And then... They came to me recently. And said that this would be the most important job I'd done, and the only one they ever expected from me. They said that I was to help them take down a traitor to the Diamond Authority, someone who had tried to kill you, Yellow Diamond, and who had shattered innocent gems. They said they worked for White, and that they needed to get him away from her..."

Biting her knuckle, she continued.

 

"It was a simple job that would take care of both him and the rebels on her planet. My orders were as follows. Follow White Diamond and Hematite, don't be seen, don't be heard. Wait for them to take out the first part of their mission, get them alone. Then I was to lead them into the cave system. They told me to avoid being caught by White at all costs... I was lucky that they split up naturally. If they both caught me, I was to disorient them and kn-knock... White out with my abilities. B-But that's it! I was given strict orders _not_ to harm her if I came across her!" The shaking returned. "N-not that I could, in the first place..." She shook her head.

 

"But they split up. The rest of my orders... were to wait until the Hematite caught me. And then I was told that once he started scanning me... I was to use my sonic ability until I physically couldn't anymore... That was supposed to be the signal for a fusion to come in and take out Hematite, I think. They said something important would happen when I gave that signal... They were so vague on the details... I-I didn't know if he'd be poofed or shattered, they wouldn't tell me. But the fusion never came! The Hematite came to after I knocked him out with the screech, a-and... And I don't know what happened! I didn't know if the fusion failed to hear the signal, o-or if it was all an elaborate set-up to get me killed! I didn't want to know what'd happen if I refused to do it! Th-they didn't force me, but-! I owed them my life. B-but!" She was shaking violently now, her eyes still squeezed shut.

"I-I don't know why White was cracked! That wasn't supposed to happen!" Her voice was laced with pure _anguish_. "I-I know she's better now, but-! She wasn't supposed to get hurt!”

–

Yellow's hands started trembling halfway through Emerald's story, her eyes wide with fury. As she finished, Yellow seemed stuck in a state of horrified disbelief. Sweat accumulated on her forehead, and she stared dead on ahead, right past Emerald, and to the huge service gem behind everyone else. She glared up at him, her lip twitching. Her expression was mixed and almost unreadable.

 

"A fusion... A fusion? What kind of fusion?..."

–

Hematite's eyes were hidden behind his visor, but his mouth hung ajar, in disbelief.

All the pieces were starting to come together.

"I-I don't know their name. All I asked was how they would take down such a huge Harvester, and they said the fusion had a large war hammer"

–

Yellow's eyes shot open further, the final word striking a nerve. _That was it._ _ **The blunt force**_ _. The crater in the floor from Hematite's video... It... it all made sense now... She almost couldn't believe it._ She looked slowly between Hematite and the Emerald with conflicted emotions.

–

Hematite leaned back slightly, hand still covering his gemstone.

He didn't understand this...

 

_Okay, so someone had set up a plan to kill, poof... whatever. Someone planned to lead him into a trap and do something to him. But it went wrong? The fusion just didn't show up?_

 

_No, worse... They did show up... and._

A war hammer. The fusion attacked _White_ instead.

So if it didn't go after him like it was supposed to... Did the fusion go rogue? Did it have something against White? _Emerald_ was ordered not to harm the Diamond, so then what was he missing?

 

That had to be it. The fusion was supposed to attack him when Emerald disoriented him, but for some reason, they went after White and attacked _her_. Which resulted in her being cracked.

 

Hematite felt his stomach boil with indignant fury.

 

 _No wonder they never showed on his radar!_ He was so busy tracking Emerald, even if they had been following him, he was too distracted to notice. Worse than that, they probably had some ability that let them get in and out of the cave system quickly. He still had no idea how long he had blacked out, it could have been a solid minute, for all he knew. That'd give a fusion plenty of time to get in, attack White, and then get out.

 

So then...

_Why did they attack White and leave her?_

 

Why go through the trouble and the risk of going against a plan, attacking an ultra-powerful gem, just to leave her cracked gemstone behind? Had they left it on purpose? Did they forget it? Did something happen to the fusion? What on Homeworld would make them go after White, hit her hard enough to crack her, and then leave her gem?

 

Of course... he was beyond grateful that they _had_ , it allowed him to bring her back to safety before anything worse happened, but it didn't sit right with him. If the fusion were aiming to shatter White, they would have done it. She was defenseless. There'd be nothing stopping them.

 

For a little while, there... He'd thought maybe he corrupted, blacked out in rage... did something that he wasn't aware of that resulted in White being cracked. But no, this Emerald proved that he had indeed been knocked unconscious, and didn't move from where he was.

 

Hematite frowned. All he could think about was the fusion. They were still out there, and they could have been anywhere by now... Would they ever catch them? Or would justice never really be served?

–

Yellow stood for a good, long moment. Then, slowly, she lifted her hand to the security panel.

 

_BZZT!_

 

The door fizzled away, and Yellow took a bold step into the room. The guard stepped forward to follow, but Yellow held up her hand and stopped them. The guard was confused, but the door remained open. The Diamond stood in front of the group, now within the same room... But she didn't look as violent or bloodthirsty as she had been. No, she looked eerily calm. A deadpan wave swept over her, giving her very presence an ominous feel. Blue looked between the Emerald and Yellow, unsure what to think. Slowly, Yellow looked at the Emerald, staring hollowly into her eyes.

 

"Who was responsible for this, then?..."

–

The tiny green gem opened her eyes when she heard the holo-screen drop, and she looked up at Yellow in fear.

She wished she hadn't.

 

Hema caught Yellow's question and narrowed his eyes.

 _Yes._ _**Who** _ _._

 

Glaring down at the Emerald, the giant service gem lowered his hands from his neck, and reached down to limply grip at his ankles. He leaned forward slightly, looming over the group.

Emerald felt a bead of sweat roll down her face. Slowly, she shook her head.

".... I-I." She trembled. Her voice dropped to a terrified hush, and she gripped at her head, shutting her eyes tight. "I-I can't, I CAN'T! They'll kill me if I tell, I know they will! They'll hunt me down, they never give up on a target, I-I don't want to be their next one!"

–

Yellow curled her lip up into a sneer, eyes narrowing.

"Oh, don't worry. We'll all make sure that you have somewhere to go so whoever did this will **never** find you."

–  
The tiny gem shrunk back best she could, her eyes widening. She gripped onto Blue's hand, her entire form shaking.

".... G." She swallowed hard. When she spoke, her voice was clear, albeit wavering a tad.

 

"General Topaz."

–

Yellow's eyes widened with unmasked fury. Slowly, she looked up at Hematite, wordless.

 

_General Topaz._

 

_**General... Topaz?...** _

 

Blue took another step back, away from Yellow. Slowly, she held the Emerald closer to her body and wrapped her other arm around her, as if protecting her. Blue's expression fell, and she stayed quiet.

Yellow's lip twitched, her breathing slow and steady.

She started _sparking_.

 

"She... That..." Her brows furrowed. She had to force herself to stifle a wicked snarl... then, she fell grimly stone-cold yet again as a boiling mix of betrayal, disbelief, and confusion rose within her.

 

Why? Why Topaz? Why her?! She couldn't believe this! Her general... her most trusted general- That traitor... that horrible TRAITOR! And to think she'd gone with everything she said! Why had she done it? What was her motive?! What could they have possibly done to warrant such a heinous act? Thousands of years of service, of never causing trouble once... she almost couldn't believe it. But with how she'd been acting, her sudden involvement... the fact that she'd been so determined to get Hematite pinned as the culprit in this case...

There was just as much against Topaz as there had been against Hematite not hours ago.

 

Fury. Pure, unrelenting fury flowed through the yellow gem and made her form boil.

 

But on the outside, shockingly, it didn't show quite as dramatically as it normally would have. No, she remained still. Standing stationary, hands clenched tight. She stared right into the eyes of Hematite, a passionate hatred stinging within her glowing yellow irises.

But this time, it wasn't aimed at _him_.

–

_**General Topaz.** _

_Of all the gems._

"......."

Hematite's mouth hung ajar, his lips slightly parted. With his eyes covered, it was impossible to see his expression.

But then his shoulders started to rise, tensing.

_She'd set up someone to attack him. The plan went wrong. White was cracked._

 

_**A n d  s h e  f r a m e d  h i m  f o r  i t.** _

 

 _Why, WHY?!_ What had he ever done to her?! Sure, there was the incident with Yellow, yes! He'd attacked her leader, okay, so she'd be bitter about that! But the DIAMONDS had taken care of his punishment, she had no right! She called him a traitor?! Tried to get him KILLED because of a mistake he made almost two years ago? Was she _that_ convinced that he was dangerous? That he'd strike the Diamonds again?

 _Wait, it didn't matter! Her plan almost got White killed!_ Fusion or no fusion, SHE was behind it! He'd worry about the fused gems later. He could bring them to justice at another time.

 

_For now..._

 

Hematite's eyes met Yellow's, despite her not being able to see them. However, as he tilted his chin up just slightly, the shine on his visor shifted, and his eyes were faintly visible.

He looked furious. But not at Yellow.

No, there was something else there. Understanding, realization, a mutual desire to right what was wrong.

_For the first time in their lives, they were both on the same page._

Without breaking eye contact with Yellow, Hematite bared his teeth in a subtle snarl.

_"Is that all."_

The Emerald flinched and pulled herself closer to Blue.

"... Yes."

–

Blue stepped back with the Emerald, just off to the side. She could tell Hematite was _livid_ , and rightfully so.

 

Yellow, matching Hematite's fierce gaze with a steely cold stare, gave him a slow nod. She knew what she had to do.

What Hema had to do.

 

Without breaking eye contact, Yellow stepped to the side and narrowed her eyes darkly, leaving the door wide open for an exit.

 

**"Get her."**


	58. Hunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two harvesters are given a hunt with a new challenge.

_If something goes wrong, I may need you for backup. If you would, please stay in the vicinity of the morgue. Thank you, General. We couldn't have done this without your help._

 

Tap

_Tap_

_**Tap tap** _

 

A sizable, golden-yellow claymore glinted in the faint-pink dawn light as it was effortlessly tossed up into the air. General Topaz was atop a building near the massive Shard Morgue, having a rather casual 'sparring' session, which mostly consisted of her performing moves and techniques, with a small, imaginary partner. Taking a few smooth steps to the side, she caught her sword's hilt and spun it around effortlessly. Topaz wore a relaxed, prideful smirk on her face as she lunged forward at an unseen enemy, quickly flicking her sword back to stand straight again. She spun around to swing behind her, her long, golden hair trailing behind her movements and shining subtly in the milky light of the rising sun.

From the sound of things...

She was humming.

 

_Hmhmhm.~ Nothing more satisfying than a plan gone perfectly._

 

The general turned about and rested the tip of her claymore to the roof. Her pleased smile faltered as the image of White’s cracked gemstone flashed through her mind.

 

_...Well, almost perfectly._

_But that doesn't matter now._

_She's fixed up; things worked out._

 

The general smirked again and closed her eyes, dragging the tip of her large weapon across the rooftop with a loud scraping sound. The sword left a long score mark in the stone roof of the building, sending up bright-yellow sparks as it made contact. She flicked it up into the air again, turned around, and caught it perfectly behind her back.

 

_No sign of Hematite. Good._

 

While she wished she could have gone in with Yellow to see him shattered in person... the Diamond didn't seem too keen on anyone but her guards coming with her. She respected Yellow's wishes, and resisted the urge to follow her into the Shard Morgue behind her guards. Topaz frowned subtly. Speaking of her guards... She'd sent one of them out of the morgue not too long ago. Must have gone quicker than she thought.

Surely if Yellow was sending them out, her job was done and the warriors were merely excused from duty. But, then again, wouldn't she have sent out all of them, if that was the case? It was quite a few minutes ago, and Topaz couldn't help but feel something was off. If something was going wrong in there... she needed to be ready. Little did she know that all her plans had just come crashing down. _All thanks to one little Emerald._

 

 

The hunting visor on Hema's face gave an aggressive chirp before vanishing in a show of sparks. Lunging forward out of the cell, Hematite skidded to a halt, on all fours. He was _bristling_. He sharply looked at Yellow, eyes narrowed.

**"Where did you see her last?" he growled, teeth bared.**

–

Yellow turned on her heel, facing the service gem with a fierce glare. But, for a moment, something in her expression faltered.

“Hematite, I’m not against you going after her; I know you’re a perfectly capable harvester, but… are you sure you’re in any condition to face her? Perhaps we should do this a bit more tactfully, now that I’m thinking about it-”

-

“And give her a chance to get away? Yellow, with all due respect, if she catches wind that we’re onto her, I don’t think we’ll get another chance. Besides,” he hissed between his teeth, glaring out at the door at the end of the hall. “…I need to face her.”

-

Yellow frowned faintly, but looked off to the side, her eyes narrowed. She was quiet for a long moment.

"…She should be in close proximity to the Shard Morgue. I told her to come with me, should anything go wrong, and stand by outside. She's close, but probably not in plain sight. Good luck," she said, face still covered with unmistakable coldness.

–

The giant gem grit his teeth, gave his superior a curt nod, and looked to Blue, Puff, and Emerald. The tiny, green gem and the Jasper were staring at him with wide, fearful eyes. Puff was masking it a bit better, but still looked visibly nervous. Hematite relaxed slightly, and his expression softened for a moment. Looking at each of the gems, he sighed through his nose and slowly, but surely, a smile crossed his face. For the first time since his rather unfortunate last 'meeting' with White... _he was smiling._

"I'll be back soon. Okay?"

With that, he turned toward the end of the hall and rushed for the door. His form shifted back down to about ten feet tall as he ran so that he could make his way out of the hall.

 

–

Blue gave Hematite a respectful nod as he started down the hall. Slowly, she looked down to the Emerald and loosened her grip.

"Now, uh... as for you... I think you need a little bit of a break, eh? Your own involvement won't go unpunished, but not to worry; you won't be cracked or shattered for your actions. I'll give you until tomorrow to calm down and let everything sink in. Puff?" she said, turning to the Jasper. She handed Em over to her, shooting Puff a stern look. "It's your job to look after her until tomorrow. Make sure she doesn't leave, make sure no one hurts her, and bring her back to me safely. We've got other pressing matters right now... I'm trusting you with this.”

 

Yellow stared down the hall, unmoving. She was still boiling from everything she had heard. _Topaz...one of her best generals, turning on them like this?... Creating such calamity and disarray?_ She had no idea... she. She had no reason to believe Topaz would do such a thing, she'd never caused trouble before. Clenching her fists tighter, she bared her teeth at seemingly nothing. Despite Hema being out of the room, and Topaz on her way to being apprehended, she wasn't getting any calmer about the whole ordeal. Topaz had made a fool out of them all and had them wrapped around her finger. She was going to regret this, and Yellow would make sure of it.

–

Carefully taking Emerald from Blue, the orange gem nodded. Instead of holding her in her hands like she had previously, she gently placed the green gem on her shoulder. After shooting her a 'you have a lot of explaining to do' sort of look, she turned her attention back to Blue.

"Don't worry, Blue Diamond. I'll keep a close eye on her. She's not going anywhere, and I'll make sure she's unharmed."

Emerald put one hand behind Puff's head to steady herself, her other hand clutching at the Jasper's suit. She sighed deeply.

 _Right, right. Okay. Not gonna be shattered or cracked. Stars, I got lucky with all this..._ Quietly, the tiny green gem rubbed her face in relief.

\----

The closer Hema drew to the exit, the darker his expression grew.

 

_This was all Topaz's fault._

_She caused all this._

_**She hurt White.** _

_**She hurt everyone.** _

_And it was time she gave him answers as to why._

 

SLAM!

 

Hematite practically broke down the door to the Shard Morgue as he bolted out, and he skidded to a heaving halt, looking around rapidly. _**Where. Are. You.**_ The service gem looked up and around, trying to find any sign of the general.

 

Hair standing up slightly on the back of her neck, the warrior gem stopped swinging her sword and quickly whipped her gaze to the building in the distance. She took a few measured paces to the edge of her perch. But the moment she spotted the entrance to the Morgue, her eyes widened, and the tip of her claymore hit the ground with a loud 'CHINK!’

 

_No... NO!_

_He escaped?!_

_**...Yellow.** _

_Where is Yellow Diamond?!_

 

Topaz's eyes widened in horror. Her body went cold as the service gem looked up, _directly_ at the rooftop she was standing on. Hema bared his teeth upon seeing her, stiffening.

"YOU!"

Topaz inhaled sharply through her teeth and growled, holding up her weapon and pointing it down at the gem. He was a good distance from her... But not _too_ far for...

 

_FLASH!_

In an instant, the general's bright-gold helmet appeared on her head, a vibrant, glass-like yellow screen covering the hole in the front. Her entire face was no longer visible.

 

_**Whirrrrr!** _

_CLICK-CHK_

_Gem Located: Hematite_

_Current Core Status: No Gem Faults Detected_

_Mission Objective: Harvest--Shatter if Violent_

 

Down below, Hematite snarled and took a running start toward the building. He flicked his hunting visor on.

 

_Scan._

 

_**Whirrrr!** _

_CLICK_

_Gem found: General Topaz_

_Aliases: Topaz, the Golden General_

_Status: No Gem Faults Detected_

_Mission Objective: Harvest_

His body began to glow. In an instant, the service gem shifted up, now at his full height. He charged towards the tower Topaz stood upon, teeth bared.

"TOPAAAAAAZ!"

–

–

The warm-colored Diamond slowly clenched and unclenched her fists. Her being was still prickling with fury, and it only seemed to worsen the longer she stood there. Sparing Blue Diamond a glance, Yellow turned for the door and started quickly for it. This didn't go unnoticed. Frantically, Blue turned with a startled gasp and rushed out of the cell, charging after her.

"Wait, Yellow! Where are you going?!" she called out, quickly catching up to the taller Diamond. Yellow whipped around rapidly and glared right into Blue's eyes, making her take a half-step back.

"I'm following them."

Blue's eyes widened, and she grabbed onto Yellow's shoulders.

"WHAT?! Are you CRAZY?! You can't get in the middle of that! What if you get hu-"

"I'm not getting in the middle of it. I'm following them. And you can't stop me."

Yellow's eyes narrowed, cold and unwavering. Blue was slightly unsettled by the Diamond's intensity, but she was more concerned about Yellow's own wellbeing than she was afraid of her. She knew it took a lot for her to be around Hematite while he was big. And Blue also had a strong feeling that Yellow might not like what she witnessed if she chased after the livid harvester. But what _she_ didn't know was that Yellow was fully prepared for what she may see. And she was so angry with Topaz that she honestly didn't care. Her fear had all but disappeared, only leaving her with rage and spite.

Yellow yanked herself away from Blue and turned her head sharply.

"I want to make sure the general is caught. I won't get involved... Unless I absolutely have to." She looked back at Blue and gave her a nod. "Topaz is a damn powerful gem. I know Hematite is too, but... I want to make sure Topaz is brought to justice, if she really _is_ behind all this. I still... have my doubts, but I will not act on them until they're proved otherwise, this time. I'm sure you understand."

Blue sighed and backed up, giving her a forewarning glance.

"Alright, but... just be safe in case anything gets nasty! And keep an eye out for him!"

Without another word, Yellow turned and made a break for the door.

–

He was closing in quickly. Topaz bared her teeth in fury and quickly backed up a few paces. She glared down at the rapidly-approaching service gem, suddenly standing her ground. Her eyes, and the glowing target on her helmet's visor, were trained on Hematite's gemstone. The general's visor bore a grid radar over the right eye.

 

_Focus._

 

_**Whirrrr** _

 

The target narrowed. Suddenly, any and all other gem signatures on her visor's radar faded.

_Lock._

The screen gave a sharp clicking sound. The only visible signature on her screen now was Hematite. And it would stay like that until she commanded it to unlock.

 

Hematite's eyes were wide, furious. He was closing in on the building across the way. Topaz wasn't moving.

 

_Focus._

 

_**Whirrrr** _

 

_Lock._

The service gem's radar dimmed, the only visible signature a bright-golden color. Until he chose otherwise, hers would be the only one he could see.

 _And it was all he_ _**needed** _ _to see._

 

Within another few moments, Hematite was upon the building. It stood a good few heads taller than him, but he could still reach the rooftop. Careful not to damage the facility, the giant gem growled and reached up to the rooftop, grabbing at Topaz with his huge, clawed hands.

_She was ready for that._

Hematite yowled and withdrew his hand, looking at the rather impressive cut it now bore. Snarling, he looked back up to the roof. Dammit! He couldn't even see her up there! He backed up a quick pace.

And his eyes widened.

Topaz had leapt off the building, her claymore readied, pointing down to strike him directly in the head. She now bore her half-suit of armor, protecting her gemstone.

Unluckily for her, his visor was able to track her movement to a pinpoint, and he snatched her out of the air, earning a surprised grunt as the wind was knocked out of her.

Topaz adjusted quickly. The instant Hematite brought her closer to his face, she turned the hilt of her claymore around to face him, the blade now in the opposite direction it should have been. The end of the hilt bore a large, yellow gemstone, similar to her own- though it was a circular shape instead of a triangular one.

"Topaz, in the name-"

 

_**F L A S H!** _

 

Hematite let out a cry of pain and surprise as a bright, golden light blinded him and made his eyes ache. He hissed sharply through his teeth, covering his face with one hand. However, he shouted again when Topaz swiped her sword at his wrist, cutting right through the fabric of his suit. He dropped her.

Hematite heard a heavy 'thud' on the ground below him, followed by rapid, solid footfall. _She was making a break for it._ Angrily, Hematite rubbed at his eyes and lifted his face toward the sound of the footsteps. He opened his eyes.

 

**Black.**

 

The service gem's body went cold. He touched his face, his fingers pressing to his visor. _**He couldn't see anything.**_ His eyes were wide open, but his entire world had gone **dark**.

Letting out a horrified gasp, the gem 'looked' around, trying to pinpoint Topaz's location. He could still hear her faint footsteps retreating away from him, and he followed after her, hoping against hope that his sensitive hearing would serve him well. _But now, his visor was useless._

–  
Yellow Diamond barreled out of the doors of the morgue, frantically looking around. To her satisfaction and relief, she spotted Hematite. Narrowing her eyes, she bolted after him and made sure to keep her distance. Seeing a far-off glint of gold, Yellow spotted Topaz briefly, but from the looks of it, she was getting away, fast. Hissing through her teeth, she held herself back and kept far behind Hematite. She had half a mind to bolt after her herself, but she wasn't going to. _No, this was Hematite's job this time._

–

–

_To his dismay, and slight horror, Hematite lost his target._

He was lurking through the open facility that surrounded the morgue, careful as he could be not to damage anything. It was slow going, however, and he couldn't ignore the rising anxiety in his chest. He was almost completely vulnerable right now. If it weren't for his sheer size, Topaz could ambush him at any moment. _Though, honestly, she still_ _ **could**_ _._

 

As far as he could feel, he found himself in a rather open, paved 'clearing'. Some sort of lot? The service gem frowned and closed his eyes. They weren't doing him any good open. He inhaled deeply and held in the breath, concentrating.

...

.....

.

..

Nothing...

Hematite stifled a low growl in his chest, and he lowered himself closer to the ground ever-so-slightly, putting a hand over his gemstone. **Where are you.** The service gem was poised to pounce, his entire body tensed. He stayed like that for over ten minutes. His patience was starting to wear thin, when suddenly-

 

_CHINK!_

 

Hematite's eyes flew open, despite him knowing he wouldn't see anything, and his head flew up to look in the direction of the sound. About a hundred-or-so feet off, he'd heard some sort of weapon make contact with something solid. He lunged for it as quickly as he could without causing damage to anything in his way, and he felt around where he'd heard the sound. There was a faint, odd noise, almost like a 'shimmer'. Hematite frowned and placed his hand down where he'd heard the sound. His fingers brushed over a small score in the ground, but he found nothing else.

Unfortunately for him, his head was lowered close to an unseen building, and he suddenly cried out, reeling back. His hands flew up to his hair, clutching at his scalp tightly.

_Topaz had made a direct slash to the top of his head._

The giant gem inhaled sharply through his teeth and lunged toward the building, accidentally putting a long crack in the ceiling. The sound of the damaged stone made Hematite grimace, but he couldn't pay that any mind right now. He could hear Topaz retreating again.

She seemed to go off the roof of the building and run into a rather cramped alleyway. Hematite snarled in frustration and chased after her best he could. At least now he could hear her!

–

Yellow made sure to stay hot on their trail, quietly hiding behind a few buildings. She had caught onto what had happened, given that Hematite was moving about aimlessly. Topaz must have used a nasty light trick on him... She was careful not to make much noise, staying within a reasonable distance. Grimacing at the harvester's snarl, she eyed the fleeing warrior not too far off. Growling, she started after them again.

–

–

This chase went on for another twenty-or-so minutes. Topaz was dodging him at every twist and turn. She could track his every move with her visor, and even when he did catch up with her, a quick swipe of her sword kept him in place long enough to get ahead again. Hematite was getting increasingly frustrated.

_And, to anyone watching... he seemed to be slowly getting smaller._

 

The last few weeks had taken it out of him. This last one in particular. He wasn't rested, he wasn't relaxed, and he wasn't mentally prepared for a hunt. His energy was already starting to wane on him, and it was worrying him. He couldn't be blinded AND shrunken down around Topaz.

_That was a one-way ticket to being shattered._

 

Hematite rounded a corner, crouching down on all fours. He peered around, tilting his head in different directions, listening. Topaz's footsteps stopped. The giant gem's eyes widened in surprise.

 _No, no, why did she stop._ She was still nearby, and now he couldn't tell where she was.

The general stood silently, her weapon readied, her target focused directly on the gem before her. He was barely a hundred feet away.

Her fingers drummed and shifted on the hilt of her claymore. She almost seemed _nervous_.

 

_He isn't wearing down as fast as I thought he would._

 

The stand-down lasted a few minutes. Hematite had slowly, but surely, taken to moving down the street that Topaz stood in the middle of. Her eyes widened ever-so-slightly. _Wait for your chance._

One pace at a time, the service gem crawled closer, cocking his head in different directions to listen. _C'mon._ _ **Move**_ _._ Slowing his pace, he blinked rapidly, his head starting to ache.

"Nng..."

The service gem reached up to his face, rubbing at his eyes underneath his visor. He inhaled sharply through his teeth. A sudden, severe headache was making his eyes sore, and he stopped in his tracks, growling to himself.

He was directly in front of Topaz, but she still didn't move. She knew what was about to happen.

 

After a moment, the giant gem moved his hand away from his eyes, blinking in the warm dawn light.

_Wait._

_**Light** _ _._

 

Gasping softly, Hematite realized that his vision was slowly coming back. It was foggy and dark, but the blackness was starting to fade. He immediately squinted at his radar, checking for Topaz's signal. It was right under him. Eyes widening, the giant gem looked down to see Topaz aiming the hilt of her sword at him again.

In a split second, his hand was upon her, pinning her arm and her sword to the ground.

The general snarled indignantly and struggled to get her arm free. She inhaled sharply, seeing Hematite's other hand reaching to pick her up. Gemstone glowing suddenly, she summoned a second claymore and swiped it at his hand, keeping it away just long enough for her to point the tip of it down the street.

_FLASH!_

There was another bright flash of golden light, though this time Hematite looked away in time to avoid being blinded.

Little did he know that was not the intent of the light this time.

He gasped quietly as his pinning hand suddenly met the pavement. He stared at it. Topaz was gone. He looked up just in time to see her retreating form sprinting down the street. She pointed her sword up at the rooftop of a nearby building, sending a bright flash of light from the end of her weapon. A little ball of golden energy shot forward, stopping at the rooftop. Topaz's form shimmered brightly before vanishing and appearing on the building where the ball of light had been not moments ago.

_Wh-what?! Teleportation?!_

The giant gem snarled and chased after the general, making sure to be careful not to cause any more property damage. His vision wasn't 100% yet, and it was still hard to see everything in front of him.

–

Yellow cursed under her breath from afar, dashing between buildings. _Dammit, tricky as ever. Keep your wits about you, Hematite. You're going to need them._ With a quick movement, Yellow made sure to stay low to the ground to avoid being spotted.

–

–

Hematite's vision soon fully recovered, although because of her teleporting, he'd lost Topaz. _But her signal was still on his radar._

_Rescan._

Hematite frowned as the map updated. Alright, Topaz wasn't too far ahead. She seemed to be heading for the Coliseum?

The giant gem was now moving much quicker. With his vision restored, he was stalking directly toward his target instead of wandering around based on sound. Crawling carefully over a small building, the service gem narrowed his eyes and looked around.

_Rescan._

_Her signal hadn't moved._

Hematite felt a satisfied grin cross his face. _**Should have kept moving, Topaz. You can't hide now.**_ It only took him a few minutes to reach her signal on the radar.

_Rescan._

Suddenly, as he rounded a tall building, it vanished. The radar refreshed, and now showed Topaz's signal a good couple miles away. _What the hell? She couldn't teleport that far in one go, could she?!_

Hematite grit his teeth and headed for the new signal location. He started picking up speed.

 

The same thing happened again. He closed in on a stationary signal, and as he approached, it vanished. He picked up speed again.

_**GET BACK HERE!** _

_Again._

_Again._

One of the signals, he even prevented rescanning as he looked around. There was no sign of anything. He heard a faint 'shimmer', and the signal vanished, but other than that, he didn't see anything. She couldn't teleport without using that ball of light, could she?! Hematite was slowly getting further from the morgue and closer to the Coliseum. He was still a good distance from it, however, and it was at least another half an hour away. He didn't know if he could even make it that far.

The harvester had, at this point, shrunken down involuntarily to his half size. He could feel his powers starting to slip out of his grasp.

_But he couldn't stop._

_Not now._

He couldn't stop until he had answers, nor until she was brought to justice.

 

After being outmaneuvered a countless number of times, Hematite found himself exiting the small block of the Blue District. The buildings thinned out, and Hema found himself faced with a vast, flat expanse with sparse, browned grass. He stood up straight, next to a rather tall building. Topaz's signal was out in the middle of the large field. The training grounds stretched out beyond it, and far on the horizon, he could see the Coliseum. Slowly, he stepped out of the 'security' of the city buildings, and made his way toward Topaz's signal.

_Don't vanish again._

He picked up speed. It wasn't moving again, just like the others.

_But she couldn't teleport away out here without him seeing!_

The giant gem soon came to a skidding halt in a large field of short, dry grass. There was a dirt 'lot' nearby that was used for training. But that's not what got his attention. He saw something glint in the grass. Rushing over to it, he was suddenly upon Topaz's signal.

"AHA!"

He dove for the glint in the grass, but he quickly heard a shimmer, and he was left with nothing but a handful of dirt and plants.

Arching a brow in confusion, he dropped the clumps of dirt and looked where he'd seen the signal. _Nothing..._ In a fit of frustration, the giant gem pounded the ground with his fist and looked around, his teeth bared. And then he caught sight of something. Far, far in the distance, Topaz was rushing away from the fields, toward the arena.

"Ah-!"

_Yes, FINALLY! A visual on her!_

The gem scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward the retreating gem. She was a good few miles in front of him, and it looked like she was using her teleportation method to skip ahead at a rapid rate. Hematite growled and willed himself on faster.

_C'mon, hold out a little longer! Corner her in the Coliseum if you can!_

_This is almost over!_

 

He could feel it.

–

Yellow kept steady. Admittedly, she had begun to get frustrated, herself. Topaz was crafty, and Hematite was seeming to lose energy. Topaz was wearing him down... But she couldn't get close enough to her, either, so she primarily tracked Hematite. She was growing tired of the constant running around, and wondered why Hematite had kept getting confused.

Between Hematite's size and Topaz's teleporting, Yellow was finding it a little harder to keep up than most times. While she was fast, she couldn't risk using her lightning dash and being seen. Hematite specialized in hunting gems, and she knew if she was in the picture, he might get distracted or falter. She didn't want to add any more pressure on him than he already had, so she was forced to stay back. Even if part of her did want to take Topaz out herself.

–

–

It only took him about another ten or so minutes to reach the arena.

Topaz's signal was strong. She was in there. The giant gem stopped at the huge, carbonite gate and looked around in frustration. At his current state, he couldn't make the jump over the walls, but he didn't want to break the bars, either. And if Topaz was waiting inside, he didn't want to risk shifting down to get inside, either. He couldn't make out what was at the end of the large entrance tunnel, but he could have sworn he saw something glinting behind a piece of rubble, probably left behind by a fusion fight event.

_He couldn't stand around; time was running out!_

 

_**Clang** _

 

Hematite leapt up, grabbing onto the top of the drop-down carbonite gates. With a mighty heave, he pulled down as hard as he could. The gate budged.

Brows raising, the giant gem grunted and pulled harder. It started to slide down into the floor, like it would on command, should someone be there to open it manually. However, it put up far more of a fight than it would under normal circumstances. His form started to glow, and, to his dismay, he shrank down just a little further.

Soon enough, however, Hematite had lowered the gate enough to leap through the now-open top half, and he sprinted down the long corridor Seemed the arena was completely closed down today. Probably for repairs.

_They were all alone._

_**I've got you now.** _

Soon enough, Hematite burst out from the end of the dark, stone tunnel, but he skidded to a halt. Just beyond the piece of rubble, the service gem could see the hilt of one of Topaz's swords.

But Topaz was nowhere to be seen.

Hematite's eyes widened. The signature on his visor was coming directly from the lone sword.

"What-"

The giant gem gasped loudly in agony, his head shooting back as a sharp pain stabbed through the bottom of his neck. He cried out and gripped at the back of his neck, his fingers brushing against a retreating form. He suddenly heard a booming, furious voice close to his head.

 

_"Diaspore should have killed you when she had the chance!"_

 

Hematite's eyes widened, and he gripped at the gem on his back, but she was too quick. She summoned another sword and slashed at his hands, quickly leaping down and making a cut into the back of his leg. The giant gem shouted in pain and managed to kick Topaz away, some distance down the arena floor. He painfully pulled the claymore out of his neck, noting its location. Seemed she hadn't gone for a killing blow. The gem glared at his target and bared his teeth.

"So you were behind THAT attack too?! Did you steal those Hearthfall flowers from where I said they were?! How did you even know how to bubble them; how did you get so far ahead of us?! What did I ever do to you, Topaz?! What did I do to deserve any of this?!"

 

The general was quick on her feet. She pointed her sword at the service gem with grim determination, though her eyes were still hidden behind her helmet's visor. As she spoke, her voice carried well. It was clear, powerful, and angry.

"You attacked Yellow Diamond. You're an unsafe and mentally-unstable gem! There's no telling what kind of death and destruction you could cause if you turned on everyone!" She grit her teeth. “And of course I took those flowers; where else would I have gotten them?! I already knew how to handle them; I just needed their location, which you so _conveniently_ provided!”

 

Hematite snarled angrily at the general and launched forward, letting out a fierce battle cry. His knuckledusters appeared on his fists, coursing with electricity.

–

Unbeknownst to the other two dueling it out in the arena, Yellow Diamond had skidded to a halt just behind the bars. She narrowed her eyes, grunting with curious frustration. What now? She couldn't just take the standard entrance in. Eyeing the enormous wall, she walked over away from the main gate.

With a flash, her body lit up with glowing sparks and she accelerated up the vertical wall-face. The lightning pulsated around her, and, as if she were defying gravity, she advanced upwards.

_**Quickly.** _

Soon, as she'd neared the top, the electricity was gone in an electrifying wave. Fizzling out completely, she managed to reach the top edge, grabbing it with her hands and hoisting herself over the top. Easy. Brushing her hand through her hair quickly, she took a deep breath and stepped forward. A few hundred feet or so away was the other edge of the wall, where she could look down and see almost everything in the arena.

She peered over the edge, squinting down. They weren't hard to spot at all, and weren't very far away from where she was, either. Perfect.

–

The two were soon locked in a heated battle. Despite Hematite's size advantage, Topaz was easily keeping up with him, even more so than Morgan or Blue had when he was at this size.

And it was starting to unnerve him.

"That wasn't your job! That was almost two years ago! The Diamonds were the ones to make the final judgment! You had no right to take matters into your own hands!"

 

Topaz deflected a huge hit from the giant gem, his fist glancing off of her claymore.

"The Diamonds made a mistake in letting you live! You should have been shattered for your crimes!" She dodged a few of his attacks deftly. "You attacked Yellow before; you'd do it again! You did back in the morgue!"

"WHAT?! I didn't attack anyone in the morgue!"

Hematite winced as Topaz tried to blind him with another flash, but he was ready for it that time. However, in the moment that he had his eyes shut, Topaz had gotten behind him. She slashed at his ankles, earning a pained yowl.

"Then where is Yellow Diamond?! How did you escape?!"

Hematite snarled and whirled around, stabbing his pronged knuckledusters into the ground, sending out a violent web of electricity through the arena floor.

"Yellow let me go! She's back at the morgue!"

Topaz managed to dodge the attack by leaping up onto a piece of rubble, but she stopped, her eyes widening.

"What?!"

Hematite panted heavily, his gemstone glimmering faintly as he glared down at the warrior gem. _No, not now!_

"She knows all about your plan, Topaz! All about your lies, your manipulation! You went through all that trouble to frame me, to blame me for something I didn't do!"

He lunged forward with a fierce battle cry, going in for a direct hit. Topaz dodged out of the way, and Hematite smashed the piece of rubble she'd been standing on.

"I did what I had to! You needed to be brought to justice! And the Diamonds certainly weren't going to do it."

Hematite bared his teeth and glared at his opponent, lunging for her again. He grabbed at her, but was constantly warded off by the quick swings of her claymore. But she was on the defensive now.

"Brought to justice for what?! For 'attacking' Yellow Diamond, for doing something that wouldn't even physically harm her?! Something that I've been punished for already, that I regret almost every day of my life?! Is that what I should be killed for, Topaz?!" Hema was outright _shrieking_ at this point.

–

Yellow listened in carefully from atop the walls. Good thing they were shouting- it made it easier for her to understand what they were saying. Clutching at the wall, something was burning deep inside her. She kept her calm, steadily peering between the two.

He was right...she shouldn't have taken that into her own hands. She felt her lip twitch, a subtle snarl raising up for a few seconds, soon fading back into a neutral frown.

–

Lightning flashed overhead.

Topaz rolled back and glared at the giant gem. She held her sword at the ready, much in the same pose Yellow would during her old 'spars' with Hematite.

The familiar sight made him falter.

"Like you regret ANYTHING! HA! That's a real LAUGH!"

The general's claymore suddenly flashed a bright-golden color, now surrounded by a powerful aura. She slashed out the weapon in a sweeping motion, sending out a cutting slice of light energy that shot toward Hematite's chest. The attack caught him off guard and he stumbled back, quickly trying to regain his footing.

"You don't know me! How DARE you act like you know a _thing_ about me?!"

Topaz sneered in disgust and contempt.

"I know you're a monster! A monster that can't be trusted!"

 

She launched forward and sent out another blade of light energy, making Hematite flinch back again. That one nicked his shoulder, putting a deep cut in the fabric.

"That's real funny, coming from you! You say that you were trying to bring ME to justice, and then you have a fusion attack White Diamond!"

Topaz growled loudly at the giant gem before her, her attacks unrelenting now.

"Don't you _dare_ question me!"

Hematite barely managed to block her attacks. But he was being sent backwards. His gemstone glimmered brighter.

"I'm going to! Who was the fusion, why did you have them-"

"You don't have to worry about that fusion! They've been dealt with already! They went against their mission, and they paid the price!"

Hematite's eyes went wide.

"So you admit it! You admit you had that fusion try to shatter White! And then you pinned it on me- GCK"

Hematite stumbled back, stopping mid-sentence He clutched at his abdomen, Topaz's claymore now buried into his stomach.

"WHITE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO GET CRACKED!"

–

Yellow stifled a small gasp, nails digging into the sturdy building. _Oh stars, please... Don't get poofed-_ Yellow's expression twisted into a pained worry for a moment, as she was unable to tell which way this fight was going. He seemed to still be standing, so that was a little relieving. Even though she felt the smallest bit of anxiety prickling up within her, she kept watching. _Come on, Hematite. You took on me... You can take on her too._ Her brows lowered, and she glared daggers down at the General.

–

Rather painfully, the giant gem crushed the sword in his hand, poofing it away. He inhaled sharply and gripped at the wound to his abdomen. But the moment distracted him. Topaz leapt at him with another sword readied, and made a direct slash for his gemstone, just barely missing. Her feet met his shoulder, and she leapt away just in time to dodge his hands.

"If you must know, that fusion went rogue! One of the gems had a personal grudge against White, and they took over long enough to crack her! I miscalculated, and White paid the price for it!" Topaz's voice was laced with guilt and anguish. "It was supposed to be _you_! In the end, YOU were supposed to take the fall! They were to capture White, poof her, that's it! They wanted to bring you down, they knew they'd suffer White's wrath when she was released from her bubble later, but they were ready for that!”

She growled loudly and made another slash for Hema, though he was able to knock her away this time.

"We would have kept her hidden, you would have gone back empty-handed! EVERYONE would have seen you for the monster you are! But no, she got cracked and everything went wrong! But then you started to slip up. Made yourself look guilty. And to top it off, you helped us find a cure to fix my plan's mistake." She grinned cruelly, though it was impossible to see. "Despite everything going wrong, it worked out! You were being brought to justice, FINALLY!"

She lunged for him, nicking him heavily in the side. He was focusing all his attention on not shifting down, that it was getting harder to get out of the way. He was fully on the defensive.

"And now you're telling me they just let you go?! WHY? I bet that damn Emerald squealed, didn't she?!"

Hematite frowned and started to say something, but was cut off as Topaz chucked another sword at his abdomen. He barely got out of the way. She summoned another weapon.

"It isn't fair! I just wanted to see you pay for what you did! For what you took from me!"

–

Yellow's eyes widened slowly. _So it was true...She really was behind it all. But no, it was worse than she'd thought..._ She took a few heavy, livid breaths. The more Topaz spoke, the more it fueled the raging fire of fury and betrayal burning within her.

 

_Yes, Topaz. Tell me everything. Tell me how guilty you are. Tell me how you messed up. Tell me your plans; why you did this to Hematite. Tell me why you did this to all of us. How is it that you, a once well-respected General, threw everything away for the purpose of getting revenge on one little service gem._

 

_What happened to you?..._

–

**Monster**

**Traitor**

**Pay for what you did**

**For what you took from me**

 

Hematite's eyes slowly widened, and he bared his teeth in a vicious snarl... That quickly turned into a roar. Topaz stepped back quickly, off-put by the sudden outburst, but she didn't have long to stare.

The giant service gem launched after her on all fours, a feral battle cry ripping through the arena. A crash of thunder quickly followed, and lightning struck the ground near the charging service gem.

Topaz was frozen in place. And suddenly, she found herself pinned underneath the giant gem's hand, from the waist down. Her sword had been knocked away, and fizzled out some distance away from her. She stared up at the livid gem.

He was absolutely _seething_. His chest rose and fell in ragged, uneven breaths. But suddenly, when he opened his mouth and spoke, he sounded clearer than he had in a long, _long_ time. His voice was powerful, ringing, and had a force behind it that he'd never used before.

" **NOTHING** YOU DID WAS JUSTIFIED! Nothing I took from you could be worth this! You cracked my leader, you put her through hell! Your mistake nearly killed **my** White Diamond!" He reeled his fist back and SLAMMED it down on the ground beside Topaz's head, purposely missing her. The general looked terrified, but a fury was starting to build. Hematite wasn't finished. "You hurt White, you hurt Yellow, you hurt Blue! You hurt **everyone** to get to me! You turned them all against me, just when things were starting to get better!" He snarled down at her, though his voice never lost the powerful, well-carrying tone it had. "You put the entire Diamond Authority at risk! You put all of homeworld at risk for some petty, misplaced revenge! But i can tell you this! So long as i stand, so long as my gem is intact, nobody like you will harm those three again! NOT ON MY WATCH! You've made your **last** mistake, General Topaz! Whatever you think I took away from you, it damn well wasn't worth everything you've done!"

Slowly, the golden-haired gem's expression twisted into utter disgust and appalled fury. Topaz started to absolutely _**seethe**_. Her entire form began to tremble violently.

Hematite raised his head proudly, a serious, furious frown on his face.

"Gem Captured: Topaz. Status: Undamaged. Mission Objective: Harvest!" He bared his teeth. "Topaz, you have been found guilty of conspiring against the will of the Diamond Authority. Your gem will be undamaged, should you cooperate." He leaned down ever-so-slightly. "AND YOU **WILL** BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE!"

–

The Diamond froze.

 

Eyes widening slowly, her expression gradually softened into something new. Something other than her cold, blank glare and furious snarl. Her brows gradually raised, and her lips parted. Something welled up inside of her core, a mix of emotions she'd _never_ felt before while looking upon the service gem. And, in fact, she hadn't felt for a long time in general.

 

_Pride._

_Satisfaction._

_Admiration_.

_Acceptance._

 

 

_**Warmth**._

 

As if a new door had opened up within her very core, a thousand thoughts and emotions flooded through her. With a shuddering breath, Yellow stared down fiercely at the service gem... and she smiled.

 

This whole time, he'd been innocent.

This whole time, he'd been loyal. Far more loyal than she ever seemed to truly believe he could be. All the doubts she still clung onto, all the mistrust and old walls from past betrayals that she held against the ivory-haired gem...

 

Everything he said shattered them in an instant.

 

He was furious... passionate... truthful.

 

He was good.

 

He was justified.

 

He was _Hematite_.

 

_And she finally, **truly** felt proud to realize that._

–

Topaz didn't say a word. The service gem above her narrowed his eyes and and growled lowly at the warrior gem. Hematite raised up his fist high above Topaz, ready to poof her. He wouldn't shatter her. He'd let Yellow, White or Blue take care of that. He wasn't about to stoop to her level.

 

_FLASH!_

 

The giant gem gasped and winced, covering his face with his hand. He quickly removed it and snapped his attention down to the gem under his hand, his face dangerously close to her.

A big mistake.

 

**C R A C K!**

 

An ear-splitting sound echoed through the arena, quickly followed by a crash of thunder. Hematite reeled back, his form suddenly alight. A crystalline form fell away from him, split in two.

 

 _It was his visor._ A clean crack had been snapped through it by Topaz's sword, and she now stood on her feet, shaking violently, her eyes wide. She launched at the glowing giant gem and slashed at him mercilessly. Every strike made him reel back, his form rapidly shrinking down from both the shock and his exhaustion. Topaz's voice echoed around the empty arena.

 

"How DARE you say it wasn't worth it?!"

 

_SLASH!_

_shrink_

 

"That was all I had!"

 

_SLASH!_

_shrink_

 

The general's voice wavered, cracking with emotion.

 

"SHE WAS ALL THAT MATTERED!"

 

_SLASH!_

_shrink_

 

 **"AND YOU. TOOK. HER.** _**AWAY FROM ME!"** _

 

**S M A C K!**

 

Topaz slapped away the now Pearl-sized Hematite with her claymore. He smacked heavily against a large piece of rubble, his form no longer glowing. However, his gemstone continued to glimmer, even as he slumped down onto the floor, gasping for breath. He grasped his hand over his gem, panting. Slowly, he lifted his head, staring at the livid general.

Topaz chucked her helmet away, standing her ground as she stared a the floor. She was about twenty feet or so away from the service gem. Her armor vanished in a show of golden sparks, her face toward the ground. When she lifted her head to turn to him, the sight froze Hematite where he lay.

 

The general was _**weeping.**_

 

"She didn't deserve it! She made a mistake! A mistake in self-defense! She never wanted to be part of the war... It was my fault, I pushed her to stay. A-and then to be sent into hiding because she cracked some power-hungry general, out of self defense-?!" The golden-haired gem looked away in anguish, gripping at her bangs in one hand. She took a hissing breath through her teeth, but the sound came out as a _sob_ when she exhaled. "We were happy! Despite her having to hide from the Diamonds, we could still be together! Our lives were just fine! I had my city to manage, and she could live in peace... I never would have had to lose her if I just kept her a secret....."

She shook her head and glared down at the service gem, her hair falling over her right eye.

"And then YOU came along! White made you MONSTROCITIES to hunt down gems! And you did! You tracked her down and tried to harvest her-" her voice was a shriek at this point, and cracked with grief. "-AND YOU _**SHATTERED**_ HER!"

–

Yellow's body went numb.

 

 _Beryl?! So that's where she had gone... she was SHATTERED?!_ _So that's why she was out for him... She had wondered about where the warrior had gone off to after she’d escaped from prison… Topaz was..._ _**protecting** _ _her, all these years?_

–

Hematite felt his entire body go cold. Slowly, he felt a familiar phantom pain in his mouth start to creep up on him. It felt as though little needles were stabbing into his front teeth and tongue. He shivered and stared up at the livid gem before him, the very act of swallowing a painful venture. Topaz heaved and shook her head faintly.

 

"She didn't deserve it... She didn't. She just wanted to keep living... To be free. She cared so deeply for gemkind." Topaz took a single step forward, dragging her claymore along the floor. Another step. And then another. And another. Hematite was frozen in place. Soon, Topaz stood mere feet in front of him, her fist tightly clenching the hilt of her sword. She lifted her chin, her chest heaving. Her expression was one of pure agony and _grief_.

 

"Her name was Beryl. She was _**my** _ Beryl. And she didn't deserve to die."

 

 

 

 

Beryl.

 

_Beryl._

 

 _**Beryl** _ _._

 

 

 

 

–

_Twelve years ago…_

–

_"HELP, PLEASE! Stop! I'm innocent I swear, please don't bring me back there!"_

_"N-no, what are you doing?! Spit me out! Please! I'll cooperate, just don't tell the Diamonds I'm here, they'll shatter me!"_

_Lightning flickered overhead, and freezing rain stung at Hematite's back. Thunder rolled over the landscape. Hema was hunched over on his knees, blocking off a tiny, dead-end alcove in some tall stone walls. His long, ivory hair laid flat against his form, soaked from the rain._

_"You're making my job very difficult. Hold still."_

_"NO, LET ME GO! Stars, someone get me out of here!_ _**STOP!"** _

 

_C R A S H !_

 

 

_GC-CK!_

 

 

 

_**C R I C K** _

 

 

_A stabbing pain shot through the giant gem's back, and he bit down **violently** out of reflex. Hematite gagged in pain and horror, leaning over, his hands planted firmly on the ground. A puff of light-yellow smoke cleared around his mouth, drifting past his eyes. He stared down at the ground in absolute aghast horror._

 

_He felt three tiny, crystalline pieces on his tongue, pricking into his mouth unpleasantly. Letting out an inhuman cry, the ivory-haired gem spat out the three pale-yellow pieces onto the ground, covering his mouth. His entire world went dark as he stared down at the shattered gem._

 

_**Whirrrr** _

_Click_

 

_Gem Found: Beryl_

_Status: SHATTERED_

_Mission Objective: Harvest – Shatter if Violent_

 

_**...... No.** _

 

 _His entire mouth tingled, as if_ _**filled** _ _with gem shards. It stung and pricked like a thousand shards of glass were stabbing into his tongue, his mouth, his teeth. The dull pieces of gem laid pitifully on the dirt floor, stinging drops of rain rolling down their lifeless facets._

_The service gem covered his entire face, retching quietly as he leaned down, his eyes shutting tightly._

 

_NO!_

_**NO, NO NO NO!** _

_**\--** _

_**...** _

**\--**

 

_Glimmer_

 

_Flash!_

 

Hematite suddenly laid on the floor of the arena, only a few inches tall. Topaz towered before him. She glared down upon his pitiful form, taking another step forward.

 

_His time was up._

_He couldn't hold out long enough._

_**He'd failed.** _

 

"If the Diamond Authority won't bring you to justice..." She slowly lifted her claymore, glaring down at him. "Then I will."

–

Yellow went cold at the sight of Hematite’s now-tiny form on the arena floor. Eyes widening, the Diamond stiffened, teeth gritting. She'd heard all she needed to. She had little time to react now; _Hematite was vulnerable... and if she didn’t move, he’d be dead. There was no time for thinking._

 

**ACT.**

 

Placing her palm to her gemstone, she summoned her sword.

_Sorry Blue, looks like I'm not staying out of this one._

–

Hematite stared up at Topaz's sword as she stepped closer.

 

… _I'm sorry. Guys..._

He weakly covered his gem, bracing himself as the ice-cold claws he'd become so familiar with lately closed in on his pitiful, weakened body. He closed his eyes, a tiny whimper escaping him.

_**I won't be back soon.** _

 

_._

_.._

…

_Chirp!_

Hematite sharply opened his eyes and looked at his eyepiece. A new signature had appeared, and its signal was familiar.

_Yel-_

 

_SHINK._

 

Buried deep into the ground right between the tiny service gem and the general was Yellow's sword, fizzling with sparks that quickly faded away. Hematite felt an icy chill shoot up his spine at the sight of the sword. But, an even colder shudder ran up his form as the ground directly behind him gave a subtle tremble.

 

**THUMP**

 

Landing right behind Hematite, Yellow Diamond hunched over as she landed, slowly raising her body to stand up straight.

With a cold, unreadable gaze she stared right at General Topaz. Never averting her piercing, yellow eyes from the other gem, she slowly grabbed the hilt of her sword and shifted it, pulling it only an inch or so out of the ground. Quietly, she tapped it onto the floor in front of the Hematite, the sword's tip inches from his trembling body, shielding him.

–

The tiny service gem whimpered quietly, glancing up at Yellow Diamond for a long, fearful moment.

_This had been a trap. She'd followed him. They were working together to get him killed!_

_SHE-_

_...._

_She was protecting him._

 

Hematite let out a soft exhale of disbelief, his form trembling. He slowly averted his gaze past the shining sword, to the bereaved general standing before her Diamond.

Topaz stood up straight, taking a few paces back. She stared down at Yellow in appalled disbelief, and swept her sword to the side aggressively.

"YELLOW! With all due respect, _step aside!"_

–

Yellow didn't move an inch. She didn't so much as flinch.

 

"No," she said, the word dry and bone-chillingly cold. Slowly, she narrowed her eyes, glaring hot daggers into the general. She lifted her sword and pointed it right at her triangular gemstone, tapping the tip of the blade gently to the surface of the smooth, golden stone. "You will not harm this gem."

–

The general's eyes widened, and she glanced down at her gemstone a moment before the sword made contact. The instant the metallic tip touched the faceted stone, she felt a sharp, piercing chill shoot through her. She stepped back, dropping her claymore. It vanished in a flash, and she clenched her fists, teeth bared.

"...."

–

Yellow's own lips twisted into a dark sneer.

 

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?..." She stepped closer, just over Hematite. "Did you think you'd get away with this?" Another step. "How _**dare**_ you play me for a fool, Topaz. I trusted you. We all trusted you..." She hissed quietly. Despite her cool demeanor, Topaz could see everything in Yellow's eyes, clear as day. She was furious, fearless, and held an unspoken, deep _disappointment_.

–

The general frowned deeply, and, after a moment, her sneer faded... And she looked away in shame.

"… How can you defend such a monster?" she scoffed weakly.

 

"I'm not defending _you,_ " she growled menacingly.

 

"Tsss." Topaz visibly grimaced and hissed through her teeth, her hands clenching and unclenching. Slowly, her expression shifted into one of grief. She couldn't meet Yellow's eyes. "… Nobody was supposed to get hurt aside from him."

–

Yellow took another step forward. Her sword never left the general's gemstone, but she was careful not to harm it.

"It wasn't your place to take the life of a service gem like Hematite. It wasn't your place to put anyone at risk, regardless of your intentions or your _reason_. Your actions nearly cost White her life. You're lucky you aren't already dead where you stand,” she growled, words laced with venom. She slowly shifted another step closer, eyes narrowing.

–

The general grimaced and met Yellow's gaze.

She looked _afraid_.

_Guilty._

_Grieved._

But there was still unspent anger there. A light still burned in her eyes, and she spared Hematite a glance every few moments.

_She was still up for a fight. And Yellow knew it._

Yellow pressed the sword up against Topaz's gemstone again, her brows slowly furrowing. Her expression finally shifted into one of undisguised fury. The taller gem felt her body run cold as Yellow's expression changed to one of unrestrained fury, and she went stiff as she closed the distance between them, her sword still on her gemstone. Yellow sneered faintly.

"Topaz; formerly of the Yellow District. In the name of the Diamond Authority, you are charged with treason against your kind and with responsibility for White's cracked gemstone..."

She tilted her arm so that her sword wouldn't move from its spot; but she stepped even closer, now only a few inches away from the taller gem. Their eyes locked, and she glared up at the war veteran. They shared a long, pained, but meaningful look. Years of trust, comraderie, loyalty, _friendship_ , even. It all laid within each gem's gaze... but was quickly, and tragically vanishing like mist in a hot sunrise. The golden sun gradually peered over the Coliseum wall, casting the gems below in a cold, milky-blue light. A chill wind swept through the arena, disturbing Yellow's hair as she drew her lips into a tight line.

"You are hereby stripped of all of your titles. You are banished from the Homeworld capital. Consider this a merciful punishment... it's far better than you _deserve,_ directly responsible for White's cracked gem or not. For your millennia of service, good works, and loyalty, I grant you this _**one** _ favor. Do not make me regret it."

 

Narrowing her eyes again, Yellow took a single step back and gracefully swung the sword into the ground in front of her, holding its hilt valiantly. She stood tall, professional, and fierce, her feet planted firmly at either of Hematite's sides.

–

Topaz made sure to listen quietly to her punishment, then slowly took a single step back as Yellow removed her sword's tip from her gemstone.

"… Hmph." The ex-general narrowed her eyes and took another step back. Slowly, she closed her eyes and held her hands out slightly to her sides. "Very well, Yellow Diamond. You'll never see me again." She bowed respectfully, opening her eyes as she stood straight. She turned and started to walk away. Once she was a fair distance from Yellow, she broke into a full-on sprint, quickly making her way up the stands of the arena.

 

She reached the top and stopped, looking back. The sun illuminated her regal, powerful form with a bright, golden glow. Another chill wind whispered through the Blue District Coliseum, blowing her hair out beside her. It shimmered in the early morning light, settling into slightly mussed, thick locks around her shoulders and sides. Drawing a hand over the front of her suit, Topaz covered the diamond insignia below her gemstone, and her suit glimmered. She lifted her hand. The once pale-yellow diamond insignia was gone, replaced with the same dark red as the rest of the band of her suit. She lowered her hand, fist clenching as she stared down at Yellow and Hematite.

 

...

 **This isn't** _**over** _ **.**

 

The war veteran turned slowly, taking a long, deep breath. She glared out over the district, her teeth grit into a pained grimace. Slowly, she inhaled through her nose and closed her eyes, tilting her head up slightly, brows furrowed in resignation. She leapt down the side of the Coliseum, landing heavily on the other side.

 

And just like that, Topaz was gone.

–

Yellow didn't move from her spot, watching the Topaz sprint off. Once she was sure that the ex-general was gone, Yellow gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, silently staring off at the sky just above where she'd watched her former warrior gem vanish. She already almost regretted not shattering her... Any other time, any other place, she would have without a second thought... But Topaz had served her well... and she'd never known her to cause such grief. This was a merciful punishment for that reason alone, but there was something else. Something important, something... no, _someone_ that she had to protect. Someone who she couldn't have risked getting caught in the crossfire, should she have tried to shatter the ex-general. She knew Topaz's fighting like the back of her hand, and vice versa. She would have been a serious threat, should she have struck back at Yellow and made a go for Hematite... but now. Topaz was gone, even if she _wasn't_ shattered. That was all that mattered.

 

Turning quickly, Yellow immediately placed her sword back into her gemstone with a soft shimmer. Her furious expression softened into one of concern.

"Hematite." She faced him entirely now, starting to walk towards him.

–

The tiny, ivory-haired gem was staring up at the spot that Topaz had vanished behind. He had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach... Something that told him this would come back to haunt them later. But, it was quickly brushed aside by the towering gem approaching him.

For a split second, he thought maybe she was angry... But then he looked at her face.

Hematite stared up at Yellow, still-fresh tears staining his cheeks. His trembling had calmed, but it hadn't stopped entirely.

–

Carefully, Yellow knelt down onto one of her knees, placing a palm to the ground. She turned her hand over, offering it to him.

"You did well, Hematite..." she said, brows raised. To Hematite's utter surprise... Yellow's face bore not a look of spite or malice, or even faint anger from having to exile Topaz. No... she was smiling proudly, and _warmly_. Hematite felt his chest tighten up. _But not in pain._

He felt something. For the first time since this whole ordeal with White started... he felt _something_ other than fear, anxiety, dread, when he looked upon Yellow.

 

_He felt hopeful..._

_He felt warm._

_He felt_ _**safe** _ _._

 

Whimpering quietly, the tiny gem struggled to his feet and ran forward, scrambling onto Yellow's palm. He clung to her thumb, half-burying his face in it. His entire body trembled faintly, and he went limp from exhaustion, sniffling softly.

–

Yellow inhaled sharply, a little surprised that he had run to her open hand so willingly... so _quickly_. Slowly, carefully, she lifted her hand and stood up, awkwardly cupping her fingers at his side to keep him from rolling off.

"Everything is alright," she said, holding him close to her. She started to walk towards the entrance of the Coliseum, but kept her pace even and steady, sure to hold her hand as still as she could. She glanced down at the tiny gem in her palm, lips parting slightly. For a moment, it looked as though she were searching for the right words to say... but then she smiled, eyes half-lidding. "… I'm proud of you, Hematite. We all are."

–

The tiny service gem gazed up at his superior as she held him closer. He drew his knees close to his chest, staring ahead after a moment.

"...Thank you."

He sniffled quietly. It wasn't that he didn't feel warm, safe... like everything was going to be okay. Because, part of him did feel like that. He wanted to believe that this was all over now, that everything was alright. In Yellow's surprisingly careful hold, he did feel safer and warmer than he had in weeks, but as relieved as he felt, as much as his very core swelled at hearing that Yellow was proud of him... that they were all proud of him... he couldn't help but think of White. No matter how well things had turned out, no matter how much he wanted to believe White would be proud of what he'd done... _he wasn't sure if she'd ever be proud of him again._

 

After all...

_He was no longer her Hematite._

 

The tiny gem huddled closer to Yellow's thumb and closed his eyes, resting his forehead on the soft fabric of her glove. Yellow Diamond's footsteps overtook his senses, and he felt the world around him slowly fade into muffled darkness. His body felt heavy with exhaustion, and, finally... he let it overtake him. Within mere minutes, Hematite relaxed entirely, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	59. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite talks about his time on Earth.

The air in the White District was cold and still. It was a calm morning, not a cloud in the sky. Warm sunbeams peered in over the sky bridge. Yellow Diamond walked in and out of the light rays, occasionally cast in shadow by the pillars that blocked the light. Carefully holding him close to her chest, Yellow had her palms cupped around Hematite's worn out, tiny form. She stared straight on ahead, mentally preparing herself for what was coming.

White had to know... and she had to be the one to tell her.

 

She steeled herself, keeping a steady and professional pace. Occasionally, she'd glance down at the small gem she held gently in her hands. He seemed to have nodded off between the time she left the Coliseum an hour or two ago and now. She couldn't put a finger on what strange new feeling seated itself in her core when she looked upon the tiny service gem. It was a warm feeling, something she hadn't felt before, or, at least, not for some time. She tried not to concern herself with it too much, but she couldn't help but be curious about it. Perhaps it was merely a new found respect for the Hematite. After all, he had performed valiantly, and through his actions, exposed a rather well-hidden scheme. Perhaps, Yellow thought, this foreign emotion was merely her mind trying to push aside the last fragments of doubt she'd held onto until a mere few hours ago.

–

Not too long after Yellow began walking back to the towers, Hematite had passed out.

He was completely and utterly exhausted.

The past month as a whole had taxed him. And while he normally would have woken up rather quickly...

He stayed asleep.

Loosely clinging to Yellow Diamond's thumb, the tiny service gem rested, his chest rising and falling subtly. His mouth was slightly open, as it normally was when he slept.

But this time, as he rested...

He wasn't plagued by nightmares.

He found himself in his pocket dimension, warm rays of sunset bathing the landscape once again. The Blue and Yellow Districts had shrunken down to a normal size on the horizon. Harsh wind no longer blew. Lightning no longer riddled the skies. Now, all that was out of the ordinary was the White District, still standing tall and dark. But, Hematite tried to ignore that. He sat on the steps of his tower, his hair being blown by a gentle breeze. He stayed like that for the entire walk to the White Tower. The service gem, in his dream, had closed his eyes contentedly.

_He'd done it._

_He proved his innocence._

And in the process, he unveiled a dangerous, traitorous gem.

Blue was proud of him.

Yellow was proud of him.

He'd done well.

He'd done so much good.

 

But there was still a part of his heart that ached. A part that knew something was wrong, something was missing.

 

_**White.** _

–

It didn't take too long to get to White's tower. About another thirty minutes of steady walking or so, and Yellow found herself behind the sturdy, carbonite doors. She stood up straight, making herself look as presentable as possible. Fortunately, she hadn't been involved in any sort of direct conflict, so her projection was spared from damages. Hematite, however, wasn't so fortunate. If White saw him, it'd be painfully clear he'd been in some sort of fight. That wouldn't matter though; she'd make sure White didn't see him, if she could help it.

 

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.**

 

With a hiss, the door peered open, and Yellow was greeted with White's Pearl. The Pearl's eyes widened in confusion, but she gave Yellow a respectful salute and let her in. Subtly, Yellow held her hands over Hematite in a way that hid him from sight. From afar, it would seem as though she were just holding her hands over one another, nothing too out of the ordinary.

–

The familiar sound of an office door hissing open snapped Hematite's attention back to the real world. He opened his eyes, both in his dream, and then in reality.

He was met with the dark fabric of Yellow's gloves. The tiny service gem looked around in mild panic for a moment. He was closed in Yellow Diamond's palms.

But he calmed after a moment. Right, right. Yellow was carrying him to safety. Stars, he needed a rest. Maybe she'd let him nap on that cushion she'd taken from White's office...

–

From her desk, White glanced up momentarily, her brows furrowed darkly.

 

"Yellow Diamond."

 

"White Diamond..."

 

"Is the job done?"

 

"... About that."

 

Yellow cleared her throat and gazed away from White. The door closed behind her, leaving her locked in the same room with the rather unpredictable Diamond. White's eyes narrowed with _quickly_ rising suspicion.

" _What_."

Yellow flinched, holding her hands close. Hematite tensed as well. His groggy mind was starting to wake up, and he shifted ever so slightly. Was Yellow keeping him hidden? Quietly, he closed his eyes, listening. _Seemed Yellow was about to drop the news..._

"Listen, White. There's something you need to know..." She stepped closer, boldly looking back into the other Diamond's eyes. She almost wished she hadn't. There was a deep-seated fury and pain there, as if it still wasn't spent from finding out about Hematite's 'treachery.' Yellow swallowed quietly, trying to keep steady. White's anger was infamous. Yellow Diamond knew not to test her. But this time, she had no choice.

"Spit it out, then, what happened?!" White hissed, her patience already wearing thin. Yellow closed her eyes for a moment, but soon opened them again, keeping them calm and half-lidded.

"Hematite was not the one responsible for the crimes against you and the Diamond Authority... it was General Topaz."

The room was quiet for a moment, but the peace didn't last too long. Baffled, White stood behind her desk, glaring right through the other Diamond.

 _"What?..._ " she hissed, confused and still bristling with rising indignance. Yellow soon continued. She knew it was best to get this out as smoothly and quickly as possible.

 

"I went to Hematite's cell today to do as you requested, but when I got there...well, Blue was with him... and so was the scout from your mission. They explained everything. Topaz was behind it all, in the end... I sent Hematite to capture her, but... I was worried that because of his current state, he might have some trouble apprehending her. I wanted to make sure he caught her, so I followed after them both and stayed out of sight. And, for a moment once I had caught up to them, it looked like he was _going_ to apprehend her..." She paused, looking away. "But she got the best of him. She confessed everything. Admittedly, there was a small part of me that had wondered if this was another elaborate trick... but Topaz proved it. Hematite was innocent the whole time, White... I heard it from the general herself-"

 

"WHAAAT?!!" She was quickly cut off by an enraged yell. Yellow flinched, backing up a few steps. "White!! Are you alr-"

"TOPAZ? TOPAZ?! THAT... HORRIBLE... VILE EXCUSE FOR A GEM DID ALL OF THIS?!" She snarled, the pressure in the air steadily rising. Yellow started to sweat. _Keep calm._

"She won't be a problem any longer,” she said quickly.

 

 **"Tell me you shattered her..."** Her tone was laced with hatred. Yellow swallowed nervously, glancing back at White.

"....." White started to tremble in her fury. Gripping her nails into the surface of her desk, she tensed, lips curled into a vicious display of fangs. Yellow's eyes widened, and she took another step back. "She's gone. That's all that matter-"

"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH. She will PAY for what she did... I..." White's voice cracked towards the end of her sentence, and she slowly lifted her hand to her face. She covered her eye with her palm, soon running her hand up through her hair. She took a deep breath... and she glanced down at Yellow's hands. The seething gem suddenly went quiet. "… And. What of Hematite?"

 

Yellow blinked, stifling a twitch. She'd caught where White's eyes had drifted... had she figured it out?

"He's safe." Yellow's hands cupped a little tighter, but not enough to completely smother the small gem that she protected.

–

Hematite listened silently to what was going on in the office, occasionally flinching at White's furious outburst. He huddled closer to Yellow's thumb, though he still remained hidden. Without a word, Hematite reassuringly squeezed Yellow's thumb with his hands. He gently pressed the side of his face against her finger, looking up at the hand covering him.

–

The taller Diamond blinked and slowly looked down, her hand falling from her face. Her lips parted faintly, as if she was muttering to herself, but nothing came out. With a trembling hand, she supported herself on her desk, the room around her going dark for a brief moment. Suddenly, everything she'd said and done to Hematite came rushing back to her in a painful, guilty torrent. She lifted a hand to her chin, covering her mouth. White hunched over her desk, staring down in disbelief and horror.

 

_Oh **stars** , what have I done..._

 

The tall Diamond remained silent for a tense moment, her eyes closing. Then, after a slow inhale, she finally broke the silence.

"Yellow Diamond," she spoke, her voice now dark, pained, and monotonous.

Yellow felt a chill run up her spine.

"Ah... yes, White?..."

Slowly, White lifted her head, stark-white irises piercing through Yellow's very core.

"Take him somewhere safe, for now... I will speak with him later... I need some time to process this and calm down. Please come speak with me later. I will call you."

Yellow's eyes widened. _So she did know! Hm, not that she was terribly surprised. She never_ _ **was**_ _easy to fool or hide things from._ She glanced down between her hands and White's face nervously.

"I... Alright," she said, offering White a nod of understanding.

Turning, the shorter Diamond started out the door without a word. She'd done her job, and she wasn't sticking around here much longer, lest she and Hematite suffer more of her wrath.

The door hissed shut behind them.

–

The tiny service gem finally stirred when he heard the door shut behind himself and Yellow. Slowly, he peeked out from the side of her cupped hands, looking up at her curiously, but with a twinge of worry.

"… Is she going to be okay?"

–

Yellow opened her palms up, finally giving the tiny gem some room to move around more freely. "… She will be. But for now, I think this all has come as quite a shock to her...When White gets upset, she doesn't like to be around other gems. She tends to deal with her frustrations and grief alone if she can help it." Yellow stopped, turning and starting to walk down the spiral halls leading down into the tower. She wasn't sure where she was headed, but it didn't matter as long as it wasn't here. "I don't think she wanted you to be around her while she was angry again. Quite frankly, I'm glad... I didn't want to be in there, either. Even _I_ don't like messing with White when she's livid..." Yellow bit her lip, staring distantly ahead of her.

–

Biting his lip for a moment, Hematite sat up straight and crossed his legs. He folded his arms over his chest and looked up at the Diamond.

"...Yeah." Recollection flashed over the tiny gem's face for a moment, but he hid it quickly. "...Yellow? Could you take me to my room? It's just down a few halls. I can point it out."

–

Yellow blinked, glancing down briefly at the tiny gem.

"Ah, of course..." She started walking a little faster, peering at the doors on the side of the walls. She'd never been to Hematite's room before; she'd almost forgotten he even had a room here.

–

The tiny service gem went quiet but, after a few minutes, he perked up and pointed at a tall door.

"There." He looked up at her. "I can punch in the code if you hold me up to the pad," he stated simply with a small smile.

–

Yellow nodded, stopping just shy of the door. She turned to the security pad and held Hematite up to it. Curiously, she stared down at him. _You know I could have put it in myself if you'd asked..._

–

Smiling, the tiny gem stood up and walked closer to the pad, flipping up a small screen to uncover the number pad. Sticking his tongue out just slightly, Hematite put a fair bit of weight into pressing in the buttons, giving little noises of effort.

"Mmm, and- okay."

He pressed a secondary button to turn the lights on before the door opened.

_Hsssk_

 

_**It wasn't a pretty sight.** _

 

The normally pristine and tidy room was absolutely riddled with papers, books, diamond pads, diagrams, gem tech that he'd gotten a hold of, cushions for him to sit on... It was an absolute mess. Shelves were disorganized and the cabinets even laid noticeably crooked here and there, research was strewn about. One of the cushions to his couch was across the room. And, the curtains to his window were pulled shut. Though, considering how gossamer they were, that didn't account for much.

 

The tiny gem's smile faded as he gazed upon the room.

–

Yellow half-reluctantly walked into the room, peering around. This room was huge...a lot bigger than she'd expected. And a lot messier, too....But perhaps she couldn't blame him. Stepping inside, Yellow looked around and spotted the couch. Making her way over to it, she sat down and held her hand out, letting the smaller gem step off.

"… Nice place you have here."

–

Hematite grimaced as he looked around the disheveled bedroom. Right... he hadn't been in here since that day that White asked him for help, and he went to the bar.

He sighed quietly, his heart sinking.

Stepping off of Yellow's palm, he stood on the couch cushion and crossed his arms, gazing around.

"It's usually much tidier. I didn't care much for organization while I was trying to." He paused. "...Never mind." The tiny gem's expression fell, and he clutched at the fabric of his sleeve. "It doesn't matter anymore. After today, I'll probably be moved to the Kindergarten with Mago."

–

Yellow raised a brow, looking down at the service gem. Folding her arms in her lap, she seemed more concerned with the tiny gem than she was with the room.

"What makes you say that?..."

–

Flinching, Hematite pulled at his sleeve.

"...Right. You weren't there."

Hesitantly, the tiny service gem explained, to the best of his ability, what had happened after Yellow had left the room, over a week ago; what he could remember White saying, or doing.

His voice wavered once or twice toward the end.

"… _'From this day forth, you are no longer my Hematite.'_ Her exact words."

–

Yellow looked away solemnly.

"I see..." _Stars, that must have been hard to take in_. "I'm sorry, Hematite," she continued, raising her brows. She looked down at him with a sympathetic look, but was unsure of what to say. Slowly, she lifted her hand up and brushed a finger over his hair. _He seemed to like this before, at least. Maybe it'd provide some sort of comfort now?_

"I'm sure things will work out, regardless... Just stay optimistic, alright? White's...well, as hard as this is to believe right now, I'm sure, she's pretty understanding. There is a chance you won't have to go back to the Kindergarten. After all, now that she knows you're innocent... I'm sure there's a lot she'll want to say to you. Hopefully good things... But." She paused, faltering near the end. She glanced away once more. "Just be prepared for anything..."

–

Blinking in surprise, the tiny gem leaned into the light touch to his hair. His eyes closed contently for a long moment, humming quietly. As Yellow spoke, Hematite opened one eye, gazing up at her silently.

_Be prepared for anything..._

After seeing what happened last time he faced White, he wasn't sure he could be.

"I'll try."

–

 

 

A few hours had since passed, and Yellow eventually took her leave, leaving Hematite alone to his room. Time ticked by, the afternoon soon drifting over into dusk. Warm light rays gently peered through the curtains, giving the room a soft, almost orange, hue. For a while, it was quiet. Until...

 

 

_Knock. knock._

 

_No reply._

 

For a moment, there was a calm silence; a stillness to the air that seemed almost unnatural.

 

_knock_

 

The door hissed open, not waiting for a reply this time. There, in the doorway, stood White Diamond. Her hands were clasped together, fingers entwined. She took a step in.

She seemed sad. Concerned. Pained. She didn't speak, glancing around the room slowly, looking for any sign of the tiny gem.

 

"Hematite?..."

 

The room was in the same disheveled state as before. It seemed, perhaps, that Yellow Diamond had helped Hematite pick up a few things, but not much had changed.

Hematite was nowhere to be found.

 

White looked solemnly around the room, sighing heavily. Shrugging her shoulders low, she started for the shelf. Kneeling down a foot or two away from one of the cubbies, she eyed the back panel. Slowly, she lifted her hand and tapped on the panel with her knuckle.

 

"Hematite?" she repeated.

 

The panel seemed to be shut tight. There was no reply.

 

Biting her lip quietly, White stood up and headed back for the door. But she wasn't leaving. Tapping a code into the pad near the door, she heard the faintest _shhk_. She turned again, looking at the section of wall directly to the right of the door. A thin panel of the wall receded in and slid to the side, revealing a clear screen that looked into the tiny room.

Her heart sank, eyes widening faintly.

–

Soon after Yellow had left, Hematite had retired to his hidden room. He cleaned up a _little_ bit and reformed his clothes so they wouldn't be as torn up, but he still looked like a mess. His face was scratched up, his hair was in messy tufts, and he was covered in dust and dirt from his fight.

Well... at least he looked relaxed.

The tiny gem was laying on his stomach on the cushion in his teacup bed. His arms were folded in front of him, his head resting in the space between them. He seemed to be asleep.

 

_Ping, ping!_

A soft, dinging 'alarm' sounded in the small room, unheard from the outside as the wall panel slid open. It took a moment, but the sleeping service gem soon stirred. His relaxed expression faded, his brows furrowing in confusion.

_What was that sound? He'd never heard it before._

Hematite shifted and propped himself up on his elbows, stretching out one leg at a time behind him.

He opened his eyes groggily, staring at the huge gem taking up most of the view outside his room's see-through wall.

 

_Oh, White._

 

… _**White.**_

 

Hematite's eyes widened, and he shrunk back slightly, laying on his front in a submissive gesture. He didn't look happy to see her. No, he looked utterly _terrified_.

–

White stared through the panel, lips parted slightly like she was breathing softly. She looked faintly _horrified_ for a few moments, but her expression softened, and she shook her head subtly, as if trying to get a hold of herself.

"Hematite... I'd like to speak with you," she said quietly, calmer than the service gem had heard in a long while.

–

White's words reached him through a small speaker that lay near the clear panel. Without responding, the tiny gem relaxed. She didn't seem angry... That was a good sign, right?

Slowly, Hematite looked around his room and started to climb out of the teacup. Glancing out of the panel, the tiny service gem slowly made his way to the narrow hall that lead to the shelf. He was soon out of White's view.

...

_A long pause followed._

...

..

.

 

_Csssh_

 

The tiny entrance panel slid aside. A moment later, a soft glimmer lit up the cubby, and Hematite's glowing form leapt down. Before he hit the ground, he'd shifted up to his usual height.

He adjusted his sleeves before slowly turning to stare up at his leader.

An unmistakable look of apprehension was written across his face.

–

White had stepped back, away from Hematite. Her fingers pressed against one another anxiously. She seemed mildly distraught. As if searching for the right thing to say, White looked away, lifting a hand to her face. She placed her fingers over her mouth, turning away from the service gem completely. She was at a loss for words. She started to pace, muttering something quietly every now and then, too quietly to hear. Admittedly, White's behavior wasn't helping to soothe Hematite's anxiety. At first, she'd seemed agitated, frustrated. And that was the last thing he wanted. After a solid minute or two of unintelligible grumbling, White looked back up. Her back was turned to Hematite, shoulders tensed. But, they relaxed, and she spoke.

 

"I... have a lot to say. A lot that I regret not saying sooner." She sounded noticeably upset. It carried audibly in her tone, every word she spoke laced with pained remorse.

She walked over to Hematite's couch and sat down, burying her face in her palms.

–

Hematite's brows raised in concern. She sounded upset. Really upset.

And as she walked over to the couch and sat down, burying her face in her hands, Hema felt his chest tighten up. After a pause, he stepped closer. The service gem slowly made his way to her side, sitting beside her. He folded his hands in his lap neatly, looking up at her with sad, expectant eyes.

–

White lifted her head, staring hollowly at the room in front of her. She hadn't really seemed to acknowledge that Hematite was right next to her, but she knew he was there. She took a shuddering breath, hesitating.

 

"I'm... sorry, Hematite... I'm so sorry..." she started, tears forming in her eyes almost immediately. She ran her palms down the sides of her face, clasping them together as they left her face.

"For everything... Everything I've done. That I've put you through... everything that I've caused. This is all my fault..."

–

The service gem blinked, his shoulders raising in distress as White teared up. _No, no, please don't cry!_ He bit his lip, glancing to the side.

"…" Slowly, he lifted his hand to his face, removed his eyepiece, and set it aside. Turning back to White, he frowned sadly. "...It wasn't your fault. Topaz caused all of this." Swallowing, he continued. "I don't blame _you_."

–

White sat up straighter, her form shivering.

"No... You don't understand, Hematite..." She closed her eyes again, face riddled with agony. Tears started flowing, dripping heavily down her cheeks.

 

"I created you. I trusted you. I taught you so much... I was so proud. I was so happy for you every time I saw your smiling face... because I knew that despite everything you went through, everything you knew, you stayed optimistic, and that was so incredible to me..." She forced a small, warm smile.

"And then I..." She paused, the anguish coming back tenfold. "I turned on you in an instant. I didn't believe you. I didn't trust you anymore... I was so hurt, I had... wondered why you could have possibly hated me enough to do what you did... or, rather, what I had been _convinced_ that you did." She paused, raising her hand to her face again and rubbing her hand over it with exasperation.

"I almost killed you for something you never did..."

–

Hematite swallowed hard. _It was starting to get to him, seeing her like this. And in the pit of his stomach, he felt it was only about to get worse._ And in his chest, he felt something tightening up, making it harder to breathe. He swallowed again, barely keeping back tears that pricked at the corners of his eyes.

"..."

–

At this point, White already looked awful.

"Everything I said to you... back when SHE spilled out those horrible accusations...!" Her tone suddenly hissed into a violent anger for a moment, tears still flowing freely. "I was so angry... so distressed... so confused, hurt, and betrayed... _Stars_ I get so irrational when I get upset... My judgment was so clouded." She inhaled sharply through her teeth, running her fingers through her hair.

 

"I was scared... So scared, Hematite... I had only heard thousands of horror stories about becoming cracked, but... Being a Diamond, I had never even fathomed what it could be like." Her eyes widened with a thousand-yard, horrified stare. "I'm so sorry, for everything I said... My anger cannot excuse my words or actions." She slouched over, crossing her hands over one another. She stared down into her palms, eyes half-lidded. Tears softly dripped between and onto her fingers.

"I was wrong. I thought I'd known you better than that... But I knew how people could turn out. I knew that, no matter how much you trusted or thought you knew someone, they could change within the blink of an eye...I was worried that you might have done the same." She faltered, looking completely away. “Especially knowing that you _must_ harbor some sort of spite against me... how could you _not_?”

–

Hematite ached to his very core. He thought about all the horrible things White had said to him. All the hurt, hateful looks. He remembered the raw terror he'd felt when he thought she was going to shatter him.

And he remembered that horrifying empty feeling that had taken over him in an instant.

How everything seemed to shatter around him, leaving him with nothing.

Nothing but a broken heart and a thick, black abyss that took over his entire being.

 

_And she regretted causing all of that._

 

He'd had a lot of time to think in his cell. He’d already figured that Pink Diamond had a lot to do with how the Diamonds could turn on him so quickly. It didn't lessen the pain, but it at least helped to explain it.

 

But what he didn't understand was what White meant by her last statement. He arched his brows in concerned confusion.

"Spite...? White, what are you talking about?"

–

White didn't respond for a few moments. Slowly, she finally looked over to him, making some kind of eye contact, albeit pained. She looked away swiftly. She couldn't bear to look at him.

She started to sob. Burying her face in her hands again, she buckled over. Hot, sopping-wet tears flooded down her face, dripping from her hands. She couldn't speak.

–

The service gem physically flinched at White's sudden breakdown. His hands unfolded from his lap, and he nervously hovered them over her arm and shoulder. Slowly, the tightness in his chest worsened, and he felt hot tears prickling at his eyes.

"Wh-White, please..."

...

Fingers twitching for a moment, Hematite hesitated. He knew he shouldn't do what he was about to... but he couldn't bear to see White so distressed. Slowly, nervously, Hema gently placed a hand on his leader's arm.

–

Gasping softly, she lifted her head slightly at the sudden contact. She felt numb. But she had more to say.

"I... cannot forgive myself. For what I've done..." She muttered, forcing the words past more quiet sobs. "Your existence, your coding, your eventual corruption... It's all my fault... I created a doomed species, and I cannot fix them... What sort of monster am I." She shuddered, covering her face with her palms. "I've always felt horrible ever since the day I found out that your generation of Hematites, too, was doomed." She grimaced, wiping the tears from her eyes again. "I've put you through so much, and for what?... I've provided you false hope, that perhaps everything would be okay. I did everything I could to make you happy, to try and make up for the fact that I'd created you simply to one day become corrupted. And every time I saw you happy, it filled me with some kind of hope... It may have been empty hope, but if you were happy, even for a moment... I was happy. But it never made up for anything I'd done. It never will."

–

The service gem stared up at his leader in pained disbelief.

_She still thought he was mad. She still thought he was bitter. She was tormented by his fatal flaw, far more than he ever could have imagined._

_She cared so much. So much that it was still tearing her apart, to this day._

Hematite's expression slowly changed from concern to pained distress.

At first... it seemed he was upset. Upset about her reminding him of his condition. It seemed that he was about to say something in retaliation.

 

But instead...

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed the side of his face against her shirt. He was trembling.

Tears began to stream down his face, his eyes staring ahead at a point on the wall. When he spoke, his voice was strained, laced with a deep-seated pain.

"It wasn't empty."

–

White flinched again, staring wide-eyed ahead in shock. She shook subtly with each inhale, face wet with tears. It seemed like she'd never stop crying. Subtly, slowly, she lifted her hand and grabbed onto Hematite's fingers, gently holding his hand.

"Ha..." She blinked, frozen in place. Shuddering again, a new wave of tears dripped down onto her legs. "Hematite... Please. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything..."

–

The service gem's gaze dropped.

He took a deep, steadying breath.

For a few moments... it seemed he wasn't going to respond. He was silent, still, only sniffling once in a while. Tears dripped down his chin, onto White's shirt.

"… I've had a lot of time to think. Back when I was stranded on Earth, I had a lot of time to myself.” He paused. “I guess you never got anything from my communicator, but. I sent you guys a bunch of messages. I... Suppose it wouldn't have mattered anyways, but I thought you might have been getting them, so for the _most_ part, I kept my thoughts to myself. And then when my power supply ran out, I didn't even have my logs to distract me.”

–

White had paused completely, letting the service gem speak. She was concerned, but interested in whatever it was he had to say. _What were you thinking about?..._

–

"Ten years is a long time to be alone with your thoughts."

 

Hema went quiet for a long, poignant moment as he gathered his thoughts.

 

"There was a period of time when I couldn't come to terms with what you told me. I was angry. I was scared. I dreaded every single day, because I never knew when my gem would fail, and I'd corrupt."

A soft breeze disturbed the curtains hanging at Hematite's window. "But it didn't last long. I started thinking about what you told me. About how I needed to cherish the time I had..." He paused. His voice lowered. " _Every single gem_ has the potential to corrupt. It's not just me."

 

He painfully remembered Celestite.

"Nobody's safe from that. It's a fact of life. You can usually avoid it if you're careful, if you stay safe, stay comfortable. But it can still happen to anyone. That being said, it's not something a lot of gems worry about. With the war over, I guess not many gems are at risk. There aren't many situations that'd make you reform over and over, or reform too quickly."

Hematite shrugged a little.

"So, a lot of gems just kinda. Go about their lives. Do whatever they feel like, between their jobs. A lot of them just look out for themselves, or don't care too much about others. Many are suspicious, selfish, arrogant. They can do whatever they want, live as long as they want, as long as they're careful."

The service gem sniffled.

"… _I_ can't do that, but. It... made me start doing something else. I was already ready and willing to serve you, to serve the Diamond Authority, despite my past troubles with Yellow. But then when I found out... about what would happen to me one day, and I realized that it was going to happen, whether I was bitter or not..."

He closed his eyes, nuzzling his face just slightly into White's shirt.

"I started trying to value each day. Every good thing seemed that much better. I strive to make the most out of every hour. Even through the toughest situations... I just wanted. I wanted to be remembered, to have gems know who I was, not who I _could_ have been if given more time. I didn't think about my corruption nearly as much. Instead, I started taking life a day at a time. I tried harder to get along with people, to see the good in even the worst of times, or in the worst of gems. I wanted to make gems happy. I wanted to make _you_ happy."

He looked up at her, his eyes wide, brimming with tears.

"I wanted you to know that, despite my flaw, despite whatever you may blame yourself for, I was still finding happiness in my life. I wanted you to know that even with the knowledge that one day I would corrupt... That I was still your Hematite."

A warm, pained smile crossed his face.

"You say you're sorry... that you can't forgive yourself. But, White." He buried his face in her chest, hugging her as tight as he could. "There's nothing to forgive."

–

White stared wide-eyed at the service gem, unable to move. Unable to believe what she'd heard... But it soon sank in. She sat there with Hematite's arms around her for a good few moments, staring off at the wall behind him.

Without warning, she turned slightly and wrapped her arms around Hematite, embracing him. Another choked sob escaped her, hunched over his smaller form. She was filled with grief, that much was true- but she finally felt something else.

Relief. Peace of mind. Happiness.

 

All this time, she thought he may have resented her for what she'd done. For his own existence. For the fact that he was one day going to corrupt. But no...

He was hopeful. Optimistic. It filled her with an unspeakable warmth to see that despite all that was working against him, he'd taken on such an admirable outlook on life.

Wordlessly, she lifted her hand, though didn't let go of the rest of him. She gently stroked the back of his hair, gently running her fingers over the soft, white locks.

 

"Hematite..."

–

The service gem exhaled contentedly as White returned his embrace, and he trembled happily, squeezing her tighter for a moment. A soft hum of comfort escaped him as White ran her fingers through his hair, and he relaxed in her embrace, sniffling quietly.

"Life goes on. Things continue, despite what we do. We can't worry about the future... The best we can do is focus on each day and make the most of it."

–

White stared on ahead with an expression of solace.

 

 

"Cherish the time that you have today..."

–

Hematite gave a tiny nod and closed his eyes, sighing with content. Another breeze disturbed the curtains, gently blowing them into the room, in front of the couch. The ivory-haired gem was quiet.

–

Gradually, White pulled herself away from the small service gem. Sitting up straighter, she took a deep breath, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. She still had one more important question to ask.

 

 

"Hematite... If I may..." She spoke softly, glancing off to the side. She felt a twinge of nervous worry rise up within her. She didn't expect this to go positively, but she needed to ask anyway. "I... understand if you wish to decline... I wouldn't blame you at all. But..." She looked to him again, frowning, and almost sorrowful. "Would you... wish to be my Hematite again?"

–

Hematite had cocked a brow in curious confusion, but soon enough, both his brows arched in surprise, and he blinked silently. Staring at White for a moment, he slowly folded his hands in his lap. His gaze fell slightly.

 

He thought back to the first time he’d answered this question.

Granted... it had been phrased differently.

 

‘ _This chosen gem will be given a special opportunity to work directly under me, White Diamond, as my bodyguard, among other higher ranked jobs. This gem will be given a new life under special protection and order under the direct Diamond Authority, if they so choose.’_

 

That 'special opportunity' led to so many things...

 

His first traumatizing night with Yellow Diamond.

The mistrust and anxiety he’d felt for years because of said night.

Being spited and disliked by almost all of his fellow Hematites.

Beryl's accidental shattering...

His first mission with Blue, which led to them discovering his batch's fatal flaw.

It led to him finding out that one day, he'd corrupt, and he wouldn't see it coming.

It led to him being stranded on a gem-forsaken planet for ten celestial rotations.

Which led to him making- and losing- a close friend.

It led to his return home, and Yellow's less-than-enthusiastic response to him being alive and well.

His utter breakdown and loss of purpose.

The incident with Yellow at the Sky Arena...

His choice led to him nearly being killed by Diaspore.

It led to Yellow having terrible nightmares and anxiety for so long that her district was plunged into utter chaos.

It led to him being framed for the near-murder of his own leader, his role model, the person he cared about the most.

 

It nearly led to him being shattered for a crime he didn't, and wouldn't ever, commit.

 

...

..

.

 

But it had opened other doors as well.

 

That special opportunity led him to become a stronger gem, a better fighter, a more adept hunter, a more effective recon gem.

But it had done even more than that.

It led him to meet some amazing gems.

The warm and awe-inspiring White.

The ever-confident and encouraging Blue.

The powerful and loyal Yellow.

The intimidating- yet compassionate- Morganite.

The quiet and thoughtful Rubes.

The energetic and optimistic Puff.

The enthusiastic and inquisitive Frecks.

The understanding and open-hearted Celestite.

He thought back to all the arena matches... the calls from the adoring crowds, the cheers, the smiles. He thought about the two gems back in the bar that had seemed delighted at the mere sight of him.

His choice led to him fusing with not one, but _two_ Diamonds.

It led to the joy, confidence, self-assurance, and glory of being Dioptase.

It led to the cunning, strategy, fierceness, and peace of mind of being Howlite.

He thought about the talks he'd had with these gems. All the meaningful conversations, the heart-to-hearts. He now felt like he could discuss most anything with at least one person in his life; things he wouldn't dare bring up to anyone, years and years ago.

 

He thought about his morning tea times with White.

His spars with Blue, or evenings spent stargazing.

His now-fixed relationship with Yellow, and the possibilities that held...

 

_Surely... If he could do it all again..._

_He wouldn't take anything back._

 

 

Hematite slowly returned his gaze to White's face again, staring into her eyes with an unreadable expression.

And then he smiled.

"If you would have me back... then..." The ivory-haired gem closed his eyes happily, tears forming at the corners. He gave her a wide, joyous grin.

 

_"I accept, White Diamond."_


	60. Where No-one Goes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite makes a promise to one of his close friends.

Thick, rolling clouds filled the brisk, morning air of the White District. A cool breeze brought upon more chilly weather, though not uncomfortably so. It was a peaceful morning; perfect for tea.

"Ahh, hmmm... let’s see... this one? No, it's certainly three more doors down..."

A soft voice mumbled quietly, making its way around the main tower. Staring down at a tea tray held carefully in her hands, White's Pearl was making her way around the hall in search of a room. More specifically, Hematite's room. She'd never visited his room before, so she had to go by word of mouth to find out where it was. White had given her the room number, but she had gotten confused and backtracked a few times.

"Ah, here we are!" The Pearl smiled quietly and stared up at the door. Moving the tray to one hand, she gave a quick knock.

–

A soft breeze blew back the long, gossamer curtains of Hematite's room’s window. Soft, morning light was filtering in through the open pane, giving the large living quarters a warm hue. Unlike the previous day, the room looked rather tidy. Hematite was currently busying himself with putting things away, throwing away old papers and such he no longer needed, and reorganizing his archives he'd used for research. Only one corner of the room was still terribly messy, but the rest was as nice and clean as it usually was.

At the soft knock, Hema lifted his head and put down what he was holding- some sort of old gem tech, it seemed. It looked to be no longer functional. The service gem stood and fixed his sleeves as he walked over to the door, and he put on a casual, professional smile as he entered the keypad's code.

The door hissed open, and Hematite's brows raised in surprise to see White's Pearl standing at the door. And with a tray of tea, no less!

"O-oh! Good morning, Pearl." He smiled politely.

–

The Pearl bowed her head respectively in greeting.

"Hello, Hematite. White sent me to see how you were doing and assist you in the cleaning of your room. She sends her regards!" Pearl said softly, beaming politely at the service gem. As soon as she took a step inside, the fragrant smell of peppermint began to fill the air.

–

Hematite stepped aside to let the Pearl enter the room, and he blinked in delighted surprise at the scent of peppermint.

"Ah, right! Thanks. I've almost finished, though, so there shouldn't be too much left to pick up." He shut the door and followed after the service gem.

–

Pearl made her way into the room, curiously peering around it. _Stars, this place is huge!_ She stopped beside the table and placed the tea tray down.

"She thought you would like some tea as well, and said that we may have some if we so wished. It's your favorite!" She said with a warm smile. Turning back to Hematite, the Pearl clasped her hands together and waited.

–

The service gem smiled warmly and nodded.

"That actually does sound nice. It's been too long since I’ve had any, honestly." Hematite looked over at the messier corner of the room and motioned for the Pearl to follow. "You'll have to excuse the mess. It was pretty bad in here from the past few weeks." Stopping next to a large pile of papers, Hematite started shuffling them together, trying to create some kind of order. "There are some archives over there, if you could just put them on the shelves over there-" he nodded toward a half-empty cubby in the main bookshelf in the center of his room. "- in alphabetical order, I'd appreciate it!"

–

Pearl saluted promptly and immediately got to work.

"So is your room always like this?..." She asked, picking up some of the papers and starting to shift them around, taking note of the gemscript that was written at the top. He must have been researching a lot. She'd seen White's room in shambles a few times here and there whenever she had a problem she was trying to solve. It was awful; White was always one to keep as neat and tidy as possible. She wondered if Hematite was similar to her in that respect.

–

Hematite nodded and gave Pearl a quick glance.

"Well, it's usually pretty tidy, yes! I find it easier to relax and think straight if it's clean in here." He tapped the top of a pile of papers to straighten it. "That and it makes it a lot more comfortable to nap in." He shrugged. "That's usually why I come in here, so, you know." The service gem picked up the large stack of papers and walked over to a sort of filing cabinet. Pulling it open, he started putting away the different sections of stacked papers.

"So, how was White this morning?" he asked gently, a tinge of concern in his voice.

–

"Ah, that is good!" Pearl walked over and, having quickly sorted through all of the papers, placed them neatly on the shelf that he'd directed her to. "White is far better this morning, fortunately! She took a few hours to think last night, so I think that really helped her." She said, walking back over to a couple of strewn-about diamond pads. Picking a few of them up, she carefully stacked them on top of one another. "I think something you said to her hit home. She seemed lost in thought for the rest of the night, but she seems to be doing very well again today!"

–

Turning, Hematite gave a bright, warm smile and finished filing the last papers.

"I'm glad to hear it... I was hoping she'd be better today." The service gem stood straight and looked up to the top of his largest bookshelf. He frowned for a moment. "Tch, so that's where those ones ended up." Hematite walked past the Pearl and stepped to the other side of the shelving system, to the half of the room that had the high ceiling. Without so much as a word, the service gem began to glow and shifted up, to about 15-or-so feet tall. He now stood a little taller than the bookshelf. With a satisfied smile, Hematite began arranging a few things that were on the uppermost shelves and top of the case. "Sometimes I forget where I put these things in the midst of all my studying, hah." He chuckled quietly and knelt down to place a few diamond pads on a small, nearby table.

–

Pearl's eyes went wide, taking a few steps back. She had only heard about the Hematite's sizeshifting abilities, but to see it firsthand was something incredible all on its own. At least that explained why the room was so big! Though, despite his size usually bothering smaller gems like herself, she didn't seem to mind all that much. In fact, she seemed awestruck more than anything. Walking casually up to the much larger service gem, she glanced up at him and lifted the diamond pads in her hands.

"Do you perhaps know where to put these?" She asked.

–

Hematite looked at her and smiled with a nod.

"Yeah, actually! They go right up here." The service gem reached down and carefully picked up the diamond pads with practiced ease. Seemed he was used to handling things delicately, even at this size. He turned and started to place the devices into currently-empty slots on the shelves, carefully adjusting them so they were all lined up properly. "Let's see... That should be everything." Hematite stood up straight again and finessed with a few trinkets at the top of the shelf. "Aaand done!"

Putting his hands on his hips, Hematite looked around, a satisfied smile on his face. He let out a contented sigh before looking down at the service gem. "Thanks, Pearl. Why don't we have that tea now that we're done?"

–

The smaller service gem peered up at the shelves, taking note of how tidy and organized the cubbies were. It brought a warm feeling to her core. Pearl clasped her hands together and offered him a pleasant grin.

"That would be lovely, Hematite!" She said, turning back to the table. "If there's anything else you need, just let me know!"

–

The service gem chuckled good-naturedly and shrugged.

"I shouldn't need anything else, but I'll keep that in mind."

Hematite's form glowed for a moment, and he returned promptly to his normal size. Following after the Pearl, he smiled a bit awkwardly. He wanted to say 'sorry you had to see all that mess from the past few weeks', but figured it wouldn't be appropriate tea time chat. Instead, he sat down and motioned for her to take a seat across from him. Surprisingly, he turned the teapot's handle toward himself and picked up the kettle, pouring the Pearl a cup first.

He seemed like he had something on his mind.

–

Pearl blinked in minor surprise, a faint, pastel blush flushed against her cheeks.

"Oh, are you sure I... shouldn't...well...a-alright!" She said, the color fading quickly again as she took a seat. No one had ever poured her tea first like that before. Did he not know it was her job to do that? "So, Hematite, are you enjoying your morning?" She asked politely.

–

The service gem smiled and carefully pushed the teacup and saucer to her before starting to pour his own tea.

"Yeah. It's uh." An unreadable expression crossed his face. "It's been nice to be home." There was a warm, yet oddly distracted, tone to his voice.

–

Pearl looked down at the glass, her fingers idly entwined. Gently taking the cup from its saucer, she closed her eyes and blew on the hot liquid, cooling it off.

"Is something on your mind?" She asked, having noticed his strangely off demeanor. Then again, perhaps it was just recent events still running through his head. She couldn't really blame him, having witnessed White's wrath against him firsthand. Surely he must still be shaken.

–

Hematite glanced up at her with a soft, sad smile. He quickly shrugged and picked up his teacup, idly chose one of the small spoons on the tray, and stirred his drink. A pause.

"I wanted to thank you, Pearl."

–

Pearl's eyes shot open suddenly. Well, if she wasn't confused before, she certainly was now.

"I... pardon?..."

–

The service gem glanced at the Pearl across from him and gave an almost amused smile. But it was kind-hearted enough.

"Sorry, it's just." He looked down at his drink, furrowing his brows slightly. "You're always so welcoming and kind to me, and you're always there for White, even in her most dire times. I mean... I know it's your job and all, but." Giving a small shrug, he tilted his head slightly and lifted his tea closer to his face. "You're the only Pearl in the towers I actually _look forward_ to seeing open the door." He gave her a quick, friendly glance.

–

Pearl felt something well up inside her. She couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was, but it was... nice. Looking back down to her cup, she seemed tranquil.

"Thank you, Hematite..." She said kindly. "That...means so much to me. It's always nice to see you too." She smiled.

–

Hematite smiled brightly at her thanks and gave a tiny nod. He sipped his tea, closing his eyes contentedly.

"You and White make the best peppermint tea," he said softly, almost to himself. The service gem idly, quietly swung his feet under his chair, his toes not quite reaching the ground.

Glancing up, he gave her a quick, friendly grin.

"Hey, if you ever need a ride around the district for any reason... call my communicator. If I'm not on a mission, I'd be more than happy to give you a lift."

–

Pearl placed her fingertips to her mouth, her cheeks becoming warm once more.

"Why, thank you... I'd appreciate it, if White would allow it, of course!" She said, taking a sip of her tea. Before Pearl could say much else, there was a steady knock at the door. Turning her head, she leaned forward to stand up, but didn't get a chance as the door had already hissed open.

 

"Hello, you two. I trust you are both behaving?"

A tall figure walked through the entranceway, arms folded neatly behind her back. White made her way into the room, raising a brow in bemusement.

–

The service gem blinked in surprise and turned to the door, his teacup still at his lips. As soon as he realized who was in the doorway, he sat up a bit straighter and finished his sip, putting the cup down quickly.

"White! Yes, we're uh. We were just having a chat." He looked up at her and smiled respectfully. "I had already cleaned most everything up in here, so we had time to talk. I was just telling Pearl here that if she ever... well. Needed a lift around the city that I'd be willing to help. If you'd be alright with that, that is."

–

White looked between Hematite and Pearl while he spoke, smiling softly. Pearl looked away nervously, unsure if she'd be upset with Hematite's suggestion or not.

"I think that's nice of you to offer, Hematite. Of course, only if she'd be comfortable with it. So long as you take care not to drop her or anything." White stated, only half-joking. Pearl glanced up, somewhat surprised.

"Really?" She said, looking back to Hematite with a gleam in her eyes.

White shrugged and brought her arms out to her sides.

"I don't see why not."

"Oh thank you, White Diamond! It would be lovely!" Pearl said with a twinge of excitement, holding her teacup close. White stifled a small, amused chuckle, almost too quiet to notice. "And how are you this morning, Hematite? I would have simply let Pearl take care of things here but I decided soon after she left that I should pay you a visit as well. I see you've cleaned up your room a fair bit. It looks a lot nicer now!"

–

A bright, excited smile found its way to Hematite's face, and he nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll be careful, of course! I thought she might like a lift to make her work a bit faster. Eeeeven if it was just for one afternoon or something." The service gem shot Pearl a friendly, bright smile and picked up his tea again. "Yeah, it didn't take long once I actually got around to it. I couldn't stand it being such a mess in here." He took a quiet sip of his tea. "And Pearl here helped me clean up the last bit even quicker! Hah, maybe I should borrow her more often, huh?" He gave both of them a look that said he was clearly joking before he drew his attention back to his tea.

–

White glanced down to the teapot and continued smiling. "Well it's good that she was able to help. Maybe I should have her check up on you every now and then!" She grinned. There was a brief pause, and White felt her expression fall. _Ah, that's right. I came here for a reason._

"Hematite, I almost forgot to mention. Blue would like to see you for something important, when you are done with your tea. She's out near the main central station. You remember the place." She stated formally.

–

Putting his cup down, the service gem looked up at White and nodded.

He figured he had some idea what Blue might need him for... but he'd wait and see.

"Right, well... I just finished, actually." He offered her a small smile before standing and giving Pearl a polite little 'bow'. "Thank you again for the help. I'll see you around." Looking up at White, the service gem folded his arms behind him and headed for the door.

White turned to watch Hematite leave. Pearl raised her hand quickly to wave politely at the other service gem as he made his way out of his living quarters. The Diamond looked down at Pearl curiously and raised a brow, smirking to herself. Some unspoken, deeper thought glittered in her eyes, but she said not a word. Hematite left promptly and made his way to his meeting with Blue.

–

–

Soon enough, Hematite found himself approaching the central station tower that laid somewhere near the central ground between the Diamond Towers. It was the same place White had presented him to Blue and Yellow all those years ago, and the place she usually sent him to present rebels or criminals to her. If Blue wanted to meet him there... he had a pretty good guess as to why.

 

Puff stood near Blue- but not too close- and had her arms crossed. She tapped her foot quietly, occasionally sparing a glance to the tiny gem beside her.

Emerald was standing near Puff's legs, idly chewing on her nails. Sparing a glance at Blue every once in a while, she felt her anxiety rising. It was true that Blue Diamond promised she wouldn't be shattered or cracked for her involvement in Topaz's plans, but she could think of plenty of terrible punishments that didn't involve those two things. But, her leader was fair, right? She hadn't known Blue to be terribly cruel with sentences before, so there was still hope that perhaps she'd get community service.

But then again... if that were the case, she couldn't help but worry that Topaz would be out there, watching her, waiting for her to be alone so she could get revenge.

Nobody could keep her safe from that hunter. Topaz had a reputation for never letting a target get away... aside from Hematite. Emerald couldn't help but feel that the ex-general wasn't planning on breaking that record again any time soon.

No matter what her punishment was... she'd be left vulnerable. Open to Topaz's revenge, whatever that may be.

She wondered if she'd be sent to a high-security prison.

 

Soon enough, the three gems on the rooftop heard loud, approaching footsteps. Emerald's eyes widened, and she hid behind Puff's leg, clinging nervously to it.

–

Blue tapped her foot idly on the rooftop, arms crossed in front of her. Raising a brow, she looked up to see Hematite approaching.

"Ah, finally! Took him long enough! I wonder if White took her sweet time." She said jokingly. Though, despite her sarcastic comment, she actually presented herself pretty seriously. She wasn't really smiling like she normally did. No, at least when Blue had a job to do, she did it as best as she could.

 

"Hey Hematite." Blue raised a hand quickly to greet him but soon receded her arm. She turned her head to look at Emerald.

–

Hematite had taken a height between his full and half to approach the tower, as it usually reached at least his shoulders when he was at half size. He glanced at Puff and Emerald as he stopped beside the tower and gave Blue a professional nod.

"Morning, Blue."

The giant service gem quietly folded his arms behind his back, turning to Puff and Emerald.

Giving a soft noise of apprehension, the tiny green gem hid further behind Puff, trembling slightly. She nervously looked at Blue.

–

Blue turned herself completely to Emerald, glancing over her.

"Emerald, please step forward, if you will." She said, her voice well-presented, loud, and clear.

–

Swallowing nervously, Emerald took a deep breath and forced herself to let go of Puff's leg. She stepped forward and looked up at Blue, nearly having to tilt her head all the way back. Her fingers drummed nervously at her sides.

–

Blue's expression softened very slightly, sighing quietly.

"Emerald, now that everything has relatively calmed down...I'm afraid there still needs to be a punishment for your involvement with Topaz's plans..." She stated, straightening herself up. "Mistake or not, we cannot let this go unpunished. You've done well with your cooperation so far, and as I promised, you won't be harmed... Should you continue to cooperate."

–

The tiny green gem stifled a soft whimper and nodded quietly.

Hematite arched a brow in silence. Those words were terribly familiar to him, and the gears in his head started to turn. _What was Blue getting at, here?_

–

"So I'm gonna give you an option... unfortunately, community service is a bit too... ah, shall I say... tame of a punishment for you. And even if it wasn't, we've got one big... big problem, don't we?" She stepped forward, her tone darkening. "You're afraid _she’s_ gonna find you, aren't you?"

–

Emerald admittedly cringed slightly at the sight of Blue getting closer. The green gem fidgeted nervously with her gloves before giving her leader a shaken nod. The giant service gem frowned without a word. He took a slow, quiet breath in through his nose, glancing away for a moment.

Puff seemed visibly nervous. She hoped that whatever Blue was planning, Emerald wouldn't make it difficult, and that she'd be okay. She counted her lucky stars that Yellow wasn't the one doling out the punishment. Blue continued.

 

"Well, you have two options, Emerald. 'Fraid there's not much more. You've got a sentence of 250 years in prison, whichever way you take. However.... Would you like to spend that in my prison? Or would you rather spend it somewhere she will never find you? I would like to remind you that she is exiled from the capital."

–

Eyes widening, the tiny gem dropped her gaze for a moment, brows furrowing. Her eyes flicked to and fro for a moment, as if she were confused. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it, looking up with an expression of pure cluelessness.

"I-I would like to stay wherever she can't find me... but no such place exists... does it?"

–

Blue turned her head and gave Hematite a nod.

"Oh, but it does exist...and you've already been there before, in fact."

Emerald's eyes went wide, her face paling for a moment.

 _Oh. Oh stars no, not back in there._ She looked quickly between Hematite and Blue Diamond, silently taking a step back. Puff stifled a shudder at Blue's words and quietly looked away, scratching her cheek. _Well, at least she wouldn't get hurt in there._

Emerald didn't look as if she knew _what_ to do. On one hand, she had no surefire way of knowing if Topaz would hurt her if she found her in prison somehow. On the other, every instinct was telling her that staying where the ex-general COULD find her was a huge mistake. But... Being in someone's pocket dimension came with risks. She knew that.

“... But, if something were to happen to him, wouldn't that mean I-”

“Get caught in there for good? Unfortunately, yes,” Blue agreed with a subtle, sympathetic grimace. The tiny teal-green gem looked down at her hands, lacing them and unlacing them together over and over as she thought hard.

She knew nothing in there could physically hurt her. She knew that Topaz could never find or reach her in there, and that it logically was the safer answer. That, and... as terrifying as that place was, she couldn't genuinely say she preferred being in a jail cell for over two centuries over being in Hematite's pocket dimension. She could always escape her cell in there again, after all.

But was she really willing to go back in there with _that_ _**thing?**_

… Well, it was still less intimidating than General Topaz when she was angry.

The tiny gem, despite being suddenly overcome with a case of the shivers, looked up at Blue Diamond and swallowed quietly, nodding.

“I-I'll take the pocket dimension.”

Puff slowly grimaced and looked away, a barely-disguised look of pain on her face. She lifted a hand to her mouth and covered it, forcing herself to keep her composure. She knew that if something happened to Hema in his admittedly dangerous line of work, she'd lose Emerald forever. She ran the risk of never seeing her again. She knew that the years would fly by as quickly as any others, as they always did, but would Hema stay intact for that long? He was the bodyguard to a Diamond, surely that'd get him into gem-shattering-trouble one day?

No, she couldn't think about that. For Emerald AND Hema's sake. She'd just have to hold out hope that Hematite kept his gem in one piece before Emerald's sentence was over.

Blue Diamond nodded solemnly. She turned back to face Emerald and placed her hands on her hips.

"Then it's settled. By the order of the Diamond Authority, Emerald, you're sentenced to 250 years in Hematite's pocket dimension. But, don't worry; it shouldn't be as bad in there as it was before. Just don't get yourself lost, alright?"

–

Hematite turned to the tiny gem and frowned solemnly, slowly reaching a hand towards her. The tiny green gem whimpered, shaking in place, before she suddenly turned and took a quick pace toward Puff. Giving a soft, frustrated hum, Hematite quickly pinched Emerald between his thumb and index finger, careful not to hold her too tight. Em was absolutely _tiny_ in comparison to him at the moment, and it wouldn't take much to poof her by accident. Emerald's breathing hitched, and she fruitlessly grabbed for Puff as she was lifted away from the rooftop.

Slowly, Hematite turned his hand around so that Emerald would face him. He took a slow breath, letting it out through his nose.

He was still angry at her for what she did. The fact of the matter was, she was working with Topaz to try and get him framed. Sure there were extenuating circumstances, but that didn't change things much in his mind.

_It's your fault White got cracked..._

His calm expression faltered for a moment. The tiny green gem was shaking uncontrollably, staring up at Hematite in fear. She couldn't help but glance at his mouth every few moments.

… _But I guess I would have been scared of Topaz, too. You did your best with what you had. Sorry, Emerald._

_Vwip!_

With a soft gasp, Emerald found herself inside a tiny, silvery bubble, hovering above Hematite's fingers. She placed her hands to the surface, looking around in confusion for a moment. One of her hands gripped at the front of her shirt, clenching it tightly.

_Wait... wait, he'd done this the last time._

She grit her teeth, suddenly pawing at the bubble to try and pop it. _No, no I don't want to go back in there, not like this!_

 

"Hey,” a calm, low voice spoke up. The tiny gem stopped, eyes widening. She slowly turned her attention back to Hema's face. To her surprise, he was gazing at her almost _sympathetically_. "It's not as bad as you think. Now, will you stay still? This could be easy..."

Emerald was whimpering quietly, still trembling. Glancing at the giant gem's mouth, she gave a slow, shaken nod.

To her surprise... he suddenly lowered her past his chin, toward his gemstone.

"… What?"

The giant service gem moved Emerald's bubble closer to his gemstone as it began to shimmer.

"Take care in there."

_**Flash!** _

Hematite tapped a claw on his gem after the bubble disappeared, and he lowered his chin slightly to look down at Puff and Blue. The Jasper looked surprised, but quickly enough, she gave Hematite a small, thankful smile.

–

Blue stepped towards Hematite and, as soon as Emerald was out of sight, sighed.

"Thank you for your help, Hematite. At least in there Topaz won't be able to get to her!" She looked up at the massive service gem, her usual, peppy attitude seeming to return with a wide, genuine grin. Turning to Puff, she gave her a curt nod. "And thank you, Puff, for watching out for her until we figured something out." Leaning back on the side rail, she idly tapped her fingers against the bars and glanced back up at Hematite. "On that note... I believe we can officially consider this whole ordeal taken care of annnnd behind us."

–

The giant gem blinked with a nod before carefully leaning on the tower, making sure not to put too much weight into it.

"Thank the cosmos. If I never have to see Topaz again, it'll be too soon." He snorted quietly and looked at Puff before returning his gaze to Blue. "… I never got to thank you both for what you did. It uh... Well. I owe you two my life."

Puff's eyes widened in surprise, and she looked away bashfully, scratching her cheek.

"Aaa, I'm afraid you owe all your thanks to Blue." She shrugged, and her voice lowered slightly. "She did all the work. I just seemed to tag along and get in the way."

–

Blue pursed her lip, crossing her arms and carefully leaning against the bars.

"Ey, what do ya mean I did all the work? Puff, you do realize that..." She faltered for a moment, looking away- almost haunted. "If what we found in the White District had been real... I would have been dead if it weren't for you." Looking back at the Jasper with furrowed brows, Blue pushed herself off the bars and took a few steps towards her. "And you helped me catch Emerald! I'm thanking the stars that you were there, otherwise that little rascal coulda gotten away and none of us would be standing here right now."

–

Hematite arched a brow at the bit about the White District.

He knew exactly what they'd run into in there. And he pitied both of them for having to see that part of his mind.

The Jasper crossed her arms and shrugged quietly, looking to the side.

"Yeah, well... it _wasn't_ real. And I'm sure you could have handled Em by yourself. Hell, you probably would have caught her sooner if I hadn't been slowing you down."

–

Blue took another few steps forward, placing her hands indignantly on her hips. She looked fierce, glaring at the warrior with an almost offended expression.

"There's a lot that could have gone wrong, Puff... You're missing my point. You're a lot stronger than ya might think you are. Besides..." She stopped, and she spared her a much softer smile than before. "Ironically enough, despite me being a Diamond, Emerald seemed far more willing to listen to you than she was to me."

–

At first Puff had been a bit worried that she'd offended Blue, and she grimaced quietly as Blue 'reprimanded' her.

_You're a lot stronger than ya might think you are._

The Jasper raised her brows, quietly looking up at her superior. She did have a point about Emerald. Though, Puff just chalked that up to their shared history. For a moment, she wondered how things could have gone if _Rubes_ had gone in with Blue.

She internally shuddered. _Best not to think about that._

"...Thanks, Blue. Uh, well. And you, Hema." She wanted to get the subject off her as soon as she could. Looking up at the service gem, she offered him a small smile. "Good job buying us enough time to get out of there. How did you keep Yellow from...? Well."

Hematite's brows raised, and he looked away awkwardly.

"Let's just. Say that I had to do a bit of acting to convince her not to do what she came there for."

–

Blue glanced back up at Hematite and chuckled.

"I bet ya had Sparky shakin' in her fancy-shmancy boots didn't ya? Regardless of whatever ya did... you must have had to put on a really brave face." She said. She couldn't imagine how bad it might have been for Hema, but she knew that, with Yellow in the picture, it couldn't have simply gone smoothly.

–

"...You could say that." The giant gem shuddered for a moment. "She didn't make it easy. I was scared you guys wouldn't come back. You arrived at the tower just in time, honestly." He sighed quietly. "I'm just. Glad it's over. And at least Yellow seems to trust me a little bit." Shrugging, he tilted his head, pursing his lips for a moment. "Maybe things will get better now."

–

Blue raised a brow and paced around the edge of the building, chuckling quietly to herself.

"OH, wow, Yellow actually trusts you now? Stars, finally! Only took her, what... half a century? Everyone else seemed to get along with ya just fine, I still can't really fathom why she wouldn't just give you a chance from the get-go," she grumbled, crossing her arms. "Then again I guess I'd know some of that if she actually ever talked to me. But, I digress. That's a step in the right direction for you two, I'd say!" The Diamond beamed up at Hematite, grinning ear to ear. "And now that everything is behind us, we can move forward and relax. Work hard to better yourselves every day, both of you. But for tonight, take the day off." She said, standing proudly. "By stars, you've earned it."

–

Quietly, Hematite watched and listened to Blue, fidgeting with his sleeve every once in a while.

Well, he didn't know how far that 'trust' went. At the very least, she was being civil around him, so that was something, at least.

"Yeah..." He gave her a weak smile, nodding. "Well, we'll certainly try to work on it." _Well, I will, at least._ "But, enough about Yellow. Yeah, we should all take-" He blinked and stopped himself, looking away awkwardly. "Er, actually... Tch. I should report back to White. I'm sure she has some work for me to do."

Puff looked a little disappointed, but she nodded her head to the side in agreement, raising her brows.

–

Blue shrugged heavily and lightened up.

"Alright, alriiight. You're both dismissed then. Just remember what I said today." As Blue started to walk off on her own, she stopped a few inches from Puff and placed a hand on her shoulder as she passed, giving her a soft nod. "And don't you ever discredit yourself again, alright fuzzball?" she whispered with a grin, balling up her fist and playfully nudging the Jasper in the arm as she left.

–

Hematite watched Blue head down the stairs of the tower, and he looked at Puff, who was distractedly watching after Blue, too.

"..."

The Jasper softly rubbed her arm where Blue had nudged her, and she gave the quietest sigh through her nose. Soon enough, though, she noticed that Hematite was staring at her, and she jumped slightly, crossing her arms and giving him an awkward grin.

"What, I got something on my face, Scrap?"

Hematite stifled a small chuckle and shook his head.

"It's nothing. I was just wondering if…” He frowned slightly, raising a brow. “… Are you alright? You seem distracted.”

Puff frowned faintly and looked away.

“… Look, scrap. I’m gonna make this quick. About Emerald… You’re aware she mentioned that she and Rubes used to be friends, yeah?”

“…Yeah.”

“… Don’t. Tell Rubes about her, okay? Just keep Emerald between you and I, please. You’d be doin’ us all a favor…”

“Can I ask why?”

“I'd rather not talk about it. At least, not right now. Maybe some other time.”

Though he gave the warrior a confused frown, he nodded uncertainly and sighed.

“Alright, Puff. Whatever you say. I won’t say a word to her.”

“Thanks, buddy.” She spared him a warm, thankful smile. The giant gem returned it and cleared his throat, standing straight.

“So, anyways. I was wondering if you'd like a lift back to the Yellow District," he stated simply. He lifted his hand to his eyepiece and tapped it once, pulling up his communicator. Puff blinked up at the giant gem in surprise, uncrossing her arms.

"Wait, don't you have to report to White?"

"Welll, yeah, but I can multitask." He grinned down at the Jasper in a friendly manner before reaching down, offering his open palm to her. "C'mon, at least let me show my thanks for helping Blue."

Puff scratched her chin before glancing away. After a pause, she stifled a soft chuckle and shook her head.

"Alright, Scrap. Deal."

Looking up at the giant gem, Puff walked over to his hand and climbed on up, holding onto one of his fingers to balance herself.

Smiling, Hematite carefully lifted Puff closer to his chest and looked at his eyepiece.

"White Diamond, this is Hematite. Do you copy?"

–

_chhk!_

 

"This is White Diamond; loud and clear, Hematite. What is it you wish to report? Did everything go smoothly?..." White responded on the other side of the communicator. Her visual appeared out in front of Hema's screen. She appeared to be at her desk.

–

Hematite gave a small smile.

"It went smoothly as it could have, yes. Emerald is put away in my pocket dimension." He took a short breath before sighing through his nose. "What would you like me to do today? I'll be free in about an hour or so."

–

White was quiet on the other end for a moment, but sat back in her chair, smiling tiredly.

"Ah, yes, that's wonderful news. Hopefully that will keep her out of trouble, then, and that Blue disclosed the... risks of that choice." She paused, but quickly continued, disregarding her last comment. "Take the rest of the night off, Hematite, and report to me again tomorrow. I should have something for you then."

–

Hematite tilted his head for a moment before giving his superior a bright smile.

"Ah, alright! Thank you! I'll report first thing tomorrow morning!" He nodded and saluted with his free hand. "See you then."

After waiting for her response, he hung up and looked at Puff. "Looks like we can take our time! Let's head out, though. Maybe I can get a little stroll around the Yellow District in."

"Hollld on there Scrap." The Jasper grinned and chuckled, crossing her arms. "I think there're a few gems that'd like to see you. You've been gone for way too long! So you can go take your little walk, but make sure you come pick me up tonight, okay?"

–

–

Thud

_Thud_

_**Thud.** _

Night had fallen on the Blue District, and, outside of Morganite's club, heavy, even footfall could be heard. And it was getting closer.

A few gems scurried out of the way of a giant pair of feet that came into view in front of the bar windows. The gem stopped and turned, soon lowering Puff to the ground.

From within the club, a few gems certainly noticed the change of scenery outside, curiously peering from across the room and muttering among themselves. Morganite turned just in time to see it himself, eyes widening slightly.

_Was that?..._

–

In a flash, the giant gem was quickly replaced by the much smaller, less intimidating service gem that some of the bar patrons had come to recognize. Hematite smiled at Puff and walked into the club with her, giving Morgan a fairly excited wave as he made his way past a few club-goers. Puff waved as well, and quickly sat down at her usual spot.

"Heya Mor'! How's the night been~?"

–

Morgan relaxed a little, absolutely enthralled to see the familiar service gem again... especially since he looked so happy.

"Heeey you two! Night's been going well! Not too busy, but not too dull either! Good to see ya again Hema, where ya been?" He said with his natural charm, never taking his eyes off them as he prepared a drink.

–

Hematite hopped up into the seat and crossed his arms on the bar, looking around with a warm smile.

_Good to see this place again..._

The service gem turned to look at Morgan with a relaxed smile, tilting his head to the side a bit.

"Oh, nothing much. Fixed that little problem I came to you about, spent some time away, learned something new about some people rather 'close' to me." He chuckled and waved a hand. "Nothing big. Sorry for being away so long. It's nice to see this place again without having some pressing mission on my mind."

Puff leaned back in her chair and watched Hematite curiously. She couldn't blame him for not sharing anything about his ordeal... it must have been hard, though, to not be able to talk about it and let people know what he'd been through. She wouldn't give him away, though. Smiling at the bartender, she snubbed her nose and nodded.

"Yep, he even helped me connect with a friend I thought was gone."

–

Morgan grinned charmingly and slid Hematite his usual colorful drink.

"Well, that's wonderful! I'm so glad to hear that you got it sorted out! And that you reconnected with your friend, Fuzzy." Morgan snapped a finger, leaning on the lower part of the counter coyly. "Not much has changed over here, really. Blue's come in rather stressed every now and then, but I never asked why. That's about it, though. I haven't seen her in two weeks; that's not really like her, honestly." He shrugged. "She must be pretty busy with those rebels she's been talking about."

–

With a delighted gasp, Hematite caught the drink as it was slid over to him, and he sipped it happily, sighing for a moment. At the mention of Blue's behavior, his body went stiff, but he quickly shrugged it off.

 _No, Morgan. It wasn't because of the 'rebels'..._ _But Hema knew Morgan wasn't ready to hear about that, if at all. Perhaps it was best to keep this whole ordeal to himself._

"Ahh, well. She should start showing back up! Things have calmed down."

Puff seemed a bit off-put by the mention as well, but she hid it well. If Hema wasn't going to mention it, neither was she.

"Yeahh, she's been stressed lately." The Jasper nudged Hematite with a smile. "But maybe you and she can get back to your usual routine! I'm sure the arena-goers miss seeing you two duke it out!"

Hematite blinked in surprise, suddenly putting his drink down.

"Oh! The arena, that reminds me. Isn't there a fusion event coming up soon? In all the madness I kinda... lost track of the days. My memory's a bit... shot at the moment.”

–

Morgan shrugged again and brushed his hair out of his face.

"Indeed there is, in a few weeks! I'm really interested in fighting some, myself!" he grinned. "I don't really fuse unless absolutely necessary, but I do enjoy the fights they can put up! There's never a dull moment! Are you going to be participating? I'd love to fight you again! Any fusion to a harvester must be quite the thrill to duel." he said, winking at the service gem with a smug sneer.

–

Hematite arched a brow and sipped his drink before giving Morgan his own little smirk.

"Well, while I'd love to give you a more... put-together fight." He shrugged and looked at his glass. "I'm afraid I'll probably be on a mission by then. And besides, I don't have any partners I can think to fuse with. My last possibility, well. I kinda flaked-out on her because of some other business so I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to join me during that, anymore. I can't think of anyone else... Maaaybe Blue, but. She might be busy, too." The service gem looked back up at Morgan. "And my track record fighting fusions on my own is pretty mixed, so. If I can't find someone besides my previous possible partner, I think I'll pass this time." This time, he shot the bartender a much brighter smile. "But! If I'm free and I don't plan on fighting, I'll make sure to show up and cheer you on! I'd love to watch you duke it out this time since I won't be in a match."

Puff chuckled quietly and watched the two talk. It was nice to see Hema so upbeat just a day after his ordeal. It must have been the relief of having everything work out.

–

Morgan smiled and crossed his arms, tapping his fingers against his sleeves.

"Sounds like a plan, then! And what about you, Puff? You got any plans this time around? Will IIIIII get to fight Citrine this time?" He said, his bangs falling between his eyes as he spoke.

–

"Hm?" Puff looked directly at Morgan now, drumming her fingers on her arm. Slowly, she smiled. "I dunno, Morgan, have I ever missed a fusion event thus far? You gem enough to fight fire with fire against her?"

Hematite's brows raised, and he glanced between the two with interest, sipping his drink.

Morgan grinned slowly, holding up a single finger. He snapped it, a tiny flame flickering above his fingertip as he twirled it around in a circle.

"You know it, darling." Flicking his finger again, the dark look he held on his face quickly dissipated with the flame. "Only one way to find out, anyway! I've been simply dying to fight you two." he hummed.

–

Hematite felt a small shudder go down his spine.

_Well, good luck with that, Puff. Sure glad I'm not fighting him._

The Jasper chuckled, albeit a tad nervously, and shook her head.

"Well, that makes two of you. Rubes has wanted to challenge you for a while now, just never got the chance to bring it up."

–

Morgan tapped his finger to his chin, interest piqued.

"Oh really? Well, you can let her know that her wait is over. I'll see you two at the event!" he chuckled, grabbing a drink mix behind the counter. "I'm sure it'll be quite the show."

–

Hematite leaned back in his chair and sipped at his drink, closing his eyes. He listened to the music coming from the other room, and as the night continued, he idly watched gems going about their routines. Talking, smiling, being rowdy, dancing. He made small-talk with Puff and Morgan throughout the night, merely content to be back in the presence of friendly faces and well-known places.

 

_Stars... it's good to be back._


	61. This Could Have Been Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Diamond repairs some damage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks the end of Arc 4, and the end of the first season of The Harvester.

Tap.

Tap.

_Tap._

_Tap._

  


Quiet, measured steps echoed down one of the sky bridges that led to White Diamond's office. Soft, tuneless humming drifted through the crisp morning air. A familiar ivory-haired gem was making his way down the open hall, his arms folded behind him, shoulders relaxed. His eyes were half-lidded, staring ahead, but not focusing on anything in particular. A soft smile graced his lips.

After a rather relaxing evening at Morganite's bar, and even a little spot of dancing with Puff, Hematite had retired to his room for a couple hours and was now on his way to report to his superior for work. Now that everything was all squared away, he was ready to finally put the last of this nonsense behind him. A job would help him clear his mind; it always did.

  


  


_Knock knock knock!_

_Cshhhhk_

  


Hematite stepped inside the office, saluted respectfully, and cleared his throat. A bright, warm smile spread across his face as he recited his old, familiar greeting to his leader.

"Hematite reporting, White Diamond."

-

White was sitting at her desk with her Pearl standing close behind her at attention. The Pearl saluted, offering Hematite a welcoming smile. White glanced up from her work.

"Hello Hematite, good to see you're still prompt and ready as usual. Did you have a good evening?" the Diamond asked formally, taking a sip of the tea that she had prepared a little while ago. The room was welcoming and warm, just as it had been many times before. The lights had been fixed already, but they were turned off for the morning. From the looks of things, one could never tell what drama had unfolded in the Diamond's office as of late.

–

Hematite was glad to see the office in its usual state. It only strengthened his gut feeling that maybe they really could put all this in the past, and go back to how things were. After giving the Pearl a polite smile and nod back, Hematite neared White's desk, stopping a little distance from it so she could properly see him.

"I did, White. I appreciated the night off. Reconnected with Morganite, relaxed..." He smiled warmly. "But! I'm ready to get back to work. Any missions for me?"

–

White smiled warmly and tapped her nails on the desk's surface.

"Hmhmhm. I like your enthusiasm, Hema. Actually yes, just one; Yellow Diamond and a squadron of Peridots were sent out to the Blue District today to fix the damages to the gate on the Coliseum. It's a bit of a large task, however, and your help would be useful. You'll probably need to shift up and knock some of the bars back in place while Yellow reestablishes energy connection," she stated, sitting up straight as she delivered his mission briefing.

–

The service gem's eyepiece chirped to life as White explained his objectives, taking notes of each thing. Nodding curtly, Hematite stood a bit straighter. _A job with Yellow, huh? Well. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad! They needed to fix the gate? Guess he must have done more damage than he thought._

"Right. Anything else?"

–

White placed her palms together, her shoulders relaxing.

"Actually, yes." Pausing, she lifted her teacup and took another sip, finishing her drink. Clinking the glass back onto the plate, White smiled a little brighter. "The other Diamonds and I had a talk last night while you were out, and, well... we've come to the conclusion that, after the emotional and physical stress you've just been through, you deserve a break." The Diamond placed a finger gently to her chin, closing her eyes as if to think. "Does a month sound fair to you?"

–

Hematite blinked in undisguised surprise, opening his mouth for a moment before closing it.

"A... A month?! W-well, that's. That's more than fair, I'd think." He looked almost guilty for a moment. "Are you sure that's alright? That's an awful long time for me to not offer my services."

–

White flashed another grin, taking note of Hematite's change in presentation.

"Not to worry, Hematite!" the Diamond said, her tone insisting. "A month is such a small amount of time to a gem, but perhaps you of all gems could make the most of it. So, once you are through with today's work, report back to me when you can and you may do with the rest of the month as you see fit. Diamond's orders," she said, almost humming the last part.

–

The service gem stood a bit straighter, a bemused, but thankful, smile on his face.

"W-well. Thank you, White! I appreciate it." He saluted her and squared his feet. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on things if I'm around in the districts, though! Can't hurt to multitask."

–

The Diamond nodded with understanding and crossed her arms.

"Very well, then! Make me proud, Hema." She said, waving her hand slightly to dismiss the service gem.

–

–

"No, not that one! Move it to the left-! AUUGH. COME ON, YOUR LEFT IS  _ THAT _ WAY!"

A rather perturbed Peridot was standing atop a part of the Coliseum wall, giving out orders to a few others that were trying to move one of the gate's bars into place.

_Thud_

_Thud_

"What the- awww no. Not one of _these_ clods. YELLOW DIAMONNND," she called up, tapping her foot a tad nervously.

Hematite was nearing the arena, at a little over his half height. It allowed him to get through the district quicker, and this way, he wouldn't have to shift up in front of Yellow. He didn't expect her to be okay with that, just yet. She still seemed nervous the last time he had done it... So he'd spared her seeing that this time.

The ivory-haired gem gave a small wave to the group of Peridots, still some distance from the arena.

–

** "What." **

A loud, demanding voice resounded from the very top of the Coliseum. Stepping into view, a tall, shadowed figure stepped up to the edge of the upper wall, peering over. _Oh, that's what._ Lowering her head slightly, she looked at the approaching harvester. Well, maybe he was here to help. White did say she'd try to send some backup, but she didn't quite expect Hematite. Stepping up onto the ledge, the figure jumped down.

**CLUNK.**

Landing onto the ground with grace, Yellow stood up straight, a good two feet taller than she normally stood. The Peridot she landed next to scrambled back nervously, gazed up at their leader, startled by her sudden appearance. On her arms and legs, there were black and gold metallic limb enhancers with floating, lithe claws around the ends of her 'hands'. Around her neck, falling gracefully behind her back, was a long, silky, black cape. Not only that, her face bore a black visor similar to the kinds that the Peridots wore. "Did you send for him or did he just show up?" Yellow asked, tapping her floating fingers against her hips. From the Peridot's perspective, she could just barely see Yellow Diamond's eyes glaring at her from under the screen. With a chilling shudder, the Peridot shook her head no.

"Well, not that it matters. We can use his help, regardless." Yellow said, shrugging.

–

What on Homeworld...? Was.

_Was that Yellow?_

Hematite blinked in surprised confusion as he approached the gate, and he stopped about fifty or so feet away, a comfortable distance for the Peridots. The giant gem saluted politely and stood straight, though he continued to look down at who he was pretty sure was Yellow Diamond.

"Hematite reporting, Yellow Diamond. White sent me to help you fix the gate."

–

Yellow looked up, her expression impossible to read.

"Greetings, Hematite. Good to see you here... and ready, it seems," she said, raising a brow under her visor. "If you will..." She stepped forward, and the ground beneath Yellow's metal boots started to glow slightly.

_KSSH!_

With a sharp hiss, energy exploded out from under her feet, propelling her upwards into the air, higher and higher until her form floated a few feet from Hematite's face. She remained hovering in the air, energy spinning around under her boots. Bringing her hands out in front of her, the sharp fingers motioned together in the form of a large screen, where a hologram presented itself so that he could see it well. A diagram of the Coliseum's gate had popped up, zooming in with certain bars highlighted.

"This is the Coliseum's gateway. And these are the bars that were broken..." she started to recite. She was strangely calm, despite being so close to him.

–

Admittedly, Hematite had flinched in surprise at seeing Yellow so close to his face.

_And floating, for that matter._

The service gem stared in awed disbelief at his superior, and he honestly only heard about half of what she said. Once he finally tuned in, she was in the middle of giving him his instructions. He nervously smiled and held up his index finger.

"U-uh. Yellow Diamond, can you. Repeat that, please?"

–

Yellow froze for a moment, sighing through her nose. _Juuuust be patient with him._

"Okay, it's very simple, Hematite. The bars here, here, and here need to be held up slightly while I reconnect the flow of electricity through them. Once that's done, you can hoist them back into place. Then, we'll turn the gate on and off again and see if that fixed everything." She said, tapping a single floating finger onto the diagram as she spoke. "Do you understand now?"

–

The service gem listened intently this time, and gave his superior a curt nod at the end of her explanation.

"I do, apologies." Carefully walking around Yellow, Hematite stepped closer to the door, much to the dismay of a few of the Peridots, and looked it over. 

_Alright, looks like these are the bars here._

The giant gem furrowed his brows and grabbed the two designated carbonite bars. _Stars, he'd really done a number on this thing in his rush to get to Topaz._

–

Yellow hovered over, stopping just shy of one of the bars that Hematite held. Holding out her leg, her feet clanged against the bars as if 'magnetizing' to them. Running up to the top of the bar, she glanced around it, her own visor clicking and pulling up a few diagrams on the inside. However, from an outside view, it was impossible to see anything on her screen.

"Alright, hold that steady for a moment." She stood up horizontally against the bar and took a few steps higher. Stopping, she knelt over and placed her fingers against the bar, revealing a small panel on one of them. Lifting it away with one set of fingers, the others floated towards a heavily-wired circuit board that was hidden by the panel. Electricity coursed through her fingers, zapping at the board. "Careful, the weight of these might fluctuate during this. They each have their own small, self-contained hover-modules at their tops and bases, and they'll become incredibly heavy when those switch off. But if you don't handle them carefully, or you overestimate their weight, you'll lift them too high and break them. Be careful, and be aware of what the bars are doing!" she called out, not taking her eyes off of what was in front of her.

–

Hematite couldn't help but stare in awe for a moment. _Why hadn't he seen these limb enhancers sooner?! They were incredible!_ Regardless of his amazement at the gem tech, the service gem forced himself to focus this time, and he gave a small nod, bracing himself for a change in weight.

"Got it."

–

After a minute or so of fidgeting with the circuits and wires inside of the bar, the weight of the massive bars suddenly increased, making them lurch in Hema's grasp. Bracing herself, Yellow lifted her hand away quickly so that she wouldn't risk destroying the mechanisms completely if she shifted too much. Despite being prepared for the shift, Hematite had still flinched just slightly, but quickly righted himself, brows furrowed with effort as he held the incredibly heavy bar in place. His grip was tight, and despite the momentary falter, he didn't seem too strained. He'd handled heavier stuff than this before. Yellow glanced over at him.

"Hang on, I've almost got it." Once steady, she brought her fingers back and clipped two wires together, reestablishing proper connection. The weight of the bar quickly returned to normal, and the giant metal pole seemed to be floating properly in place in its designated position. Placing the panel back onto the bar with a soft hiss, she stood up straight again and floated over to the next bar.

–

As Yellow floated over to the other gate bar, Hematite couldn't help but arch a brow curiously. _How was she even doing that?_ He stayed quiet for now, not wanting to distract her from her work.

–

Yellow followed a similar pattern as she had done before, lifting the panel away and letting electricity flow freely from her hands to the circuit board. Suddenly, the weight to the bar shifted again, and she felt her legs slip slightly. Grunting, she quickly righted herself and took a solid step back up, returning to her position. She started to mutter something crossly. The service gem's eyes widened, and he'd quickly lifted a hand away from the bar to hold it under the Diamond for a moment. But as soon as she righted herself, he glanced away and quickly lowered his hand to the bar again, as if nothing had happened.

"Lousy magnetic fields...” she grumbled, listing some technical something or other under her breath.

_Z-zzck!_

The bar returned to normal once more, and Yellow topped off the panel again. 

"Alright, Hematite, one more bar. Do you remember which one?" She stood up, turning her head up to face him.

–

  


Once the gate bar returned to normal, the gem rubbed his neck and nodded.

"I do." He looked away and moved over to the last one quietly.

–

Yellow hovered over to the last bar and did the same as before with the panel. Another massive weight shift, and she was almost done. But then...

_GZZZCCKKT!_

The circuit board started to scream with electricity and technological whirring. Gasping quietly, Yellow placed her fingers directly to it, her entire arm now flowing with sparks and currents.

"Blast, this one's picky," she growled, the weight of the bar shifting rapidly between heavy and light. "Hang on, this one got a little overloaded!" she called out, placing the panel between her teeth and moving her other hand in to absorb more of the electricity. 

–

Grimacing, Hematite held the bar in place as best as he could, his arms shaking every once in a while. Oddly enough, however, despite the rapid weight changes, the service gem felt himself able to keep up with it and hold it in place relatively well.

–

A long two minutes passed before the bar's weight finally started to even out. Sweat dripped from the Diamond’s brow and she sighed heavily through her teeth. _Finally, stars... that could have gotten ugly._ Grabbing the panel she held in her mouth, she placed it carefully over the board. Standing up and hoisting herself off the bar, she hovered a good foot or so from the bar. 

"Alright, that last one was tricky but I think we got it!" she said, shaking her hands slightly.

–

As soon as the bar evened out, the giant gem sighed heavily and let go, wiping his brow. Even though he'd kept it under control rather well, the effort had already worn him out. Not too terribly, but enough for him to notice.

"Is that all of them?"

–

The Diamond slowly lowered herself to the ground, her fingers floating back into their normal places.

"Yes, that should be it." She said, walking over to the closest side of the wall. Lifting her fingers again, she punched in a code onto one of the security panels. The bars rattled and hissed, lowering into the ground without much trouble. Narrowing her eyes under the visor, she turned back to the panel and lifted them after a few seconds of being sunken into the ground. The bars rattled back up, hissing into place smoothly, as they were supposed to.

  


"Looks like they're all fixed, then! You, Peridot, run a thorough maintenance check just to make sure all the circuits are in order. If there's a weak link, I need to know about it." She said, pointing at the nearest green service gem. The Peridot saluted and nervously began running a checkup on her screen.

–

Hematite stood back and watched the gate open and close without too much trouble, much to his relief. As soon as the Peridot began running diagnostics, Hema looked down at Yellow and blinked curiously. Still some distance from her, he bent his knees, crouching down.

"So, how long have you had those? Do you use them often?"

–

Yellow took a step back, peering up evenly at Hematite's face. From this angle, the visor was completely black and glimmered in the sunlight.

"Oh, these?... I've had them for many centuries, actually," she responded, a little surprised that he was even remotely interested in them. Holding up her hands, she looked at them as the fingers between the two enhancers swapped with each other in a showy manner. One hand's fingers floated effortlessly over to the other, settling quickly back into place. "I don't really use them too often, just when I deem them necessary. Limb enhancers are made to help gems with their jobs, perform tasks more efficiently, or help them in battle. They aren't exactly cheap, though, so not every gem has them. Actually, they're more common to see around technician gems, who rarely ever take them off... like the Peridots." She said, motioning to the one who was working diligently a few feet away. "The Diamonds, however, only use them when we need them, and we have our different uses for them." Her fingers shuffled back into place again, clicking the ends of her 'thumb' and index finger together, creating a small spark between them.

–

Hematite wore a look of only half-disguised awe and interest, and he nodded silently as he listened to Yellow's explanation.

_Wait, 'Diamonds' plural? They_ _**all** _ _had a set?_

The service gem folded his hands together quietly and nodded, watching with wide eyes as the crystalline fingers sparked.

"Oooh-" Hematite stopped abruptly and cleared his throat, suddenly realizing how incredibly unprofessional he must have looked at the moment. "Ahem, sorry. They're quite spectacular. I'm glad I got to see them in action!"

–

Yellow stifled the smallest of smirks, but it was almost too subtle to even deem a smile of any kind.

"Well, good to see you like them. Perhaps someday you'll see them again." She said, the sparks dissipating from her fingers.

"They aren't much, really. Just your average gem tech." She began walking away from the Coliseum, the ground glowing once more under her feet. She paused, walking past the massive service gem and glancing in the opposite direction of him.

"Hey, Hematite. I actually have something I'd like to... talk to you about."

–

Watching the Diamond walk past him, Hematite arched a brow and stood straight. He folded his arms behind his back.

_I actually have something I'd like to... talk to you about._

The service gem felt an ominous shiver go down his spine.

That couldn't be good...

"Oh? Well, I'm free right now. This was my last job for a while."

–

The Diamond turned her head and nodded, still unreadable.

"Good. But we can't speak here... would you care to join me up in the Sky Arena?" She asked, standing stationary for the moment.

Hematite's eyes widened just slightly. His expression fell, suddenly unreadable.

"As you wish, Yellow Diamond."

Yellow nodded once more, and turned her head again, leaving without a word.

–

–

He didn't want to be back in this place again.

Sure, as of late he'd had a few better experiences in the Yellow District Sky Arena, but they couldn't hold a candle to the countless terrible ones. Despite things being 'better' between him and Yellow, Hematite couldn't help but remember all the ridicule, the hateful scowls, the pain. The mere sight of the place brought all those horrible feelings back.

Hematite took a single step off the warp pad. Yellow had gone ahead of him, and he was lagging behind a bit. What could she possibly want to talk about? Was it concerning what had gone on in recent months? Was it about how he'd threatened holding Blue hostage?

_Whatever it was... it couldn't be good._

The service gem took a deep, steadying breath, and walked away from the warp pad, up a flight of stairs, and into the Sky Arena. Frowning, he glanced at the still-present scuffs on the floor near the entrance.

Hematite looked around, seeing if he could spot Yellow.

–

Yellow was standing on the far side of the arena, her sword in hand. Her back was facing the entrance, and it looked as though she were standing at attention. Slowly, she began swinging the weapon around gracefully, striking the air and spinning around, 'sparring' with someone who just wasn't there.

–

Stopping, Hematite folded his arms behind his back, trying to look professional.

_Ah, does she want to spar?_

_Yellow, that doesn't count as 'talking’ to someone, you know._

The service gem waited a few long moments before he finally cleared his throat loud enough for her to hear. He started down the steps, toward the arena floor.

–

Yellow sliced her blade through the air, coming to an abrupt stop to her left, still not facing the approaching gem. She froze in place, her expression blank and almost hollow. Steadily, she lowered her sword.

"Ah, Hematite...it's good to see you showed up. I was worried you wouldn't..." She flickered her sword away in a show of sparks, turning her back to him and crossing her arms.

–

Quirking a brow, Hematite unfolded his arms, his professional air dropping slightly. Was something wrong?

"Why wouldn't I? You asked me to, and I said I would..." he trailed off toward the end of his sentence.

There was a pause, and Hematite stared at his superior, her back still to him. He looked around slowly.

"...We've come a long way, huh."

–

Yellow stood still, lowering her head slightly.

"Heh..." She huffed, beginning to walk forward towards one of the broken edges of the arena. _It was the exact same spot that she had been cornered by him a fair time ago._ Stopping in front of the massive drop, she stared out blankly at the warm sky in front of her. Sunset was peeking over the clouds, illuminating the two gems with a beautiful, golden glow.

  


"I should have done this a long time ago..."

–

The service gem watched Yellow walk away quietly. At first, it seemed he wouldn't follow her. Soon enough, however, he made the rest of his way down and stood a little distance behind the Diamond.

"…" He rubbed the back of his head, quietly mussing his hair. Without a word, he stepped closer and moved past the gem, carefully sitting down near the edge of the broken arena. His feet just barely stuck out over the edge, his legs stretched out in front of him. "It's a beautiful evening," he said quietly. It seemed that he, too, had something on his mind.

–

Yellow watched the service gem pass her curiously, but followed after him. She, too, sat down on the ledge and continued looking out to the sky. She looked distant, and not all there.

"That it is..."

–

Hematite was quiet for a long moment.

_Tap_

_Tap_

He tapped his toes together a few times, looking at them distractedly. A cool breeze blew past the arena, ruffling his ivory hair. There was a tense air of anticipation.

Which was finally broken when the service gem took a deep, steadying breath, and looked away slightly. When he spoke, he sounded almost sad.

"...You know."

_Tap._

"I." The gem swallowed quietly. "I really _wasn't_ planning on hurting you, that day. After you... called off the match."

_Tap._

A pause.

"I know it must have seemed like it. I've been told I... make a very convincing actor." He weakly shrugged. It seemed saying any of this was hard for him, as his voice had a faintly pained tone to it. "I already told you _why_ I did it. But. I never told you the **whole** reason."  He set his jaw. "I haven't told **anyone**."

–

Yellow didn't falter, but she felt herself tense up a little bit. Eyes widening slightly, she glanced over to him without moving her head.

"And... that is...?"

–

"..."

Though it was barely visible from where Yellow was sitting... Hematite smiled sadly. But the smile quickly cracked, and tears started to stream down his cheek.

"I was waiting for someone to stop me."

–

Slowly, Yellow turned her head towards him. _What?_

"What do you... mean...?"

–

The service gem shrugged and turned his face away entirely. He didn't want her to see him like this.

He hadn't wanted anyone to see him like this.

There was a terribly long pause. The air almost seemed to get colder.

"I'd given up." Hematite folded his hands in his lap. "I was _done_. I went to you that morning with full intent to do what I did. And that resolve kept steady... Right up until before White showed up."  The service gem sniffed quietly and cleared his throat a little. "I challenged you to that rematch... _not_ expecting to come out of it. I thought, one way or another, I'd end up shattered. Either by you, or by a guard, or by White or Blue, should they see what was happening. I thought it'd happen for sure."

A shudder passed through him.

"At the time , I'd  _** hoped ** _ it would."

Hematite reached up and wiped his face on his sleeve.

Yellow looked away as well, placing her palms together awkwardly. She didn't say a single word. _She couldn't._ Hematite continued on.

"Despite that... I trained. I trained _so_ hard with one of the other Hematites, to get my stamina up. Even though I was planning on not coming out of that match, I at least wanted to give people a show. _I wanted to be remembered for_ _ **something**_ _."_ He sighed quietly.  "I guess I was just. Tired of being a side note. I was scared of what would happen to me in the future." A haunted, distant look flashed in his eyes. "If I was going to die one day, I wanted to take control of fate and see myself out in style."

He chuckled bitterly.

"Hah. Amazing how much can change... huh?" His voice sounded almost hollow, though there was a tinge of his usual optimism there.

–

Yellow looked up a little, grabbing onto her upper arm and rubbing it as if it were cold.

"…Yes," she said somberly, peering down at the clouds that floated aloft just beyond them. She felt the guilt rising in her chest, an ominous chill going up her spine. While his words might have struck a nerve with her, she didn't show much change in her already-melancholy expression. "A lot has changed... But... Honestly..." Yellow now tilted her head up, staring with half-lidded eyes at the warm sky, at nothing in particular. "Perhaps everything happens for a reason. Perhaps it was for the best. And here we are... talking civilly. Just as we should have been years ago."

–

Hematite's eyes widened.

  


_**Lives and history can be easily changed in the blink of an eye.** _

  


"...Who woulda thought, huh?"

His words were quiet, barely audible, in fact. He finally finished wiping his face dry before he turned his attention forward again, his expression heavy, but vague. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.

"To think it could have been this easy."

–

She didn't look at him. Her shoulders hung low, arm dropping to her side. She was lost in thought.

"But I couldn't make it that way, could I." Looking down, she sighed heavily. "…There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about... But, for a long time, I could never think of how to say it..."

The service gem blinked a few times before he finally turned to look at his superior, brows raising.

The Diamond gripped at the edges of the arena, staring out to the sky below.

"I had a lot of time to think while you were away all those months ago... just before I came back to apologize to you the first time. But... I didn't get to say everything I should have said." She said, her tone quiet and almost pained. "I guess I was still nervous at the time...or maybe I thought that what I had to say wouldn't have made much of a difference to you. So I cut to the chase." She glanced away for a moment, but looked back towards the service gem with an unreadable gaze.

"But I think, the more I've been thinking about it the past few days... After everything... Everything I've done and said to you before... I think you deserve a  _ proper _ apology."

Hematite's mouth hung slightly ajar, but he quickly closed it, folding his hands back in his lap. Yellow carried on.

"When I first met you, I didn't know what to think. I'd been exposed to White's Hematites before, but never so directly. White had never had any of her Hematites so close to the Diamond Authority. I knew they were big, and I had a general idea of what they did... And I knew they were powerful. Members of the second group attacked White directly at one point." The Diamond frowned, looking away again. This was going to be hard to say...but she needed to say it. She needed to say it properly. Officially. Unclouded by her emotions. This time, she wouldn't be afraid to say anything. Not even her pride would stop her this time.

"I felt threatened. No matter how much I knew I should have trusted White's judgment, I knew what she was capable of creating, _and I dreaded it._ I dreaded the thought that maybe she had created something too strong for even us to handle. The Hematites were a risky creation, but had immense promise if they could remain stable," she continued, tapping her fingers on her knees idly.

–

_Wait, so... she genuinely_ _**did** _ _consider him a threat from the get-go?_

_Well... it made sense, he supposed. He wasn't sure he'd trust himself, if he was a 'normal' gem._

Hematite watched her quietly, making no move to speak up.

–

She continued, halfheartedly.

"But I thought you'd be a major threat; a service gem living among Diamonds with the capability of taking us out at our weakest, most vulnerable moments when we least expected it. A Hematite, especially one who learned of their fatal flaw, who would seek greater power or simply revenge for their existence...." She furrowed her brows, remembering the spite that she felt so many years ago. "And I truly believed that you had the potential to turn on us at any moment... and I never trusted you. So, I distanced myself. I thought, maybe if I was hard on you, it would keep you from ever considering stepping out of line. If I made you fear me enough, you wouldn't try it." Her face twisted from seemingly angry to something of _deep regret._

"But it didn't satisfy me. I kept on, ridiculing you and putting you down every chance I got. I refused to let myself get to know you. I wanted nothing to do with you. I never liked the idea of such a potentially-dangerous gem so close to us at any given point. So close to White..." She sighed again, crossing her arms together. Yellow looked out to the sky once more, solemnly. "But I never could have expected what I could have wrought because of it. Because of my pride, because of the fears buried deep within my very core... I guess I should have seen it coming, really, looking back... But I refused to. And I kept going. I could have stopped at any time, I could have decided when enough was enough. I should have stopped."

–

Hematite couldn't think of anything to say. He... partially agreed with her on all that stuff about a service gem being so close to the Diamonds.

  


He had wondered himself once or twice if that was a wise choice.

  


At her last statement, he honestly couldn't help a faint sense of bitterness from rising in his chest.

_Yeah. You_ _**should** _ _have stopped..._

The service gem kept his face straight, still quiet.

–

Yellow's expression fell harshly with a look of haunted terror.

"After our little... incident... I was furious. I was spiteful, I hated you so much. I feared you, and I hate fearing anything. But it wasn't over. Even after the incident had passed, for months I was plagued with horrendous nightmares." She shuddered, a cold, phantom chill creeping up her back. "I thought they would go away. Maybe it was just a one-time coincidence. But no... they became more vivid. More horrifying. They started to feel more real... And it always ended with the same, terrifying fate." She paused, swallowing nervously. She looked like she had seen a _ghost_. Half-reluctantly, she forced herself to continue.  "They didn't stop...they just got worse. And he was always there.... you. A monstrous form of you. He haunted me for a long time, and every time I saw you... all I could see was him. It made me afraid. It made me feel small... vulnerable... helpless... **Doomed**. Just like I had made _you_ feel." She looked away again, the pain and guilt returning once more. She faltered, a few moments passing before she dared to continue.  "I couldn't rest. They were driving me crazy... Even in my waking moments, he seemed to be there. I felt watched. I felt hunted. Seeing you only reminded me of what he was, where he was, and what _you could be_. I'd convinced myself that it was your faul t. I blamed everything on you... when I should have accepted that it was my fault the whole time."

–

Hematite's eyes widened, and he had to look away for a moment, shuddering. He remembered the glimpse of Yellow's nightmare that he'd seen... The dark, monstrous version of himself that had apparently been plaguing her for months.

The image of his own nightmares' 'Yellow Diamond' flashed through his mind's eye, and he cringed slightly, though he hid it well.

_Seemed they both dealt with some inner demons they never talked about._

  


_Small... vulnerable... helpless..._ _**doomed** _ _._

_Just like I had made_ _**you** _ _feel._

  


The service gem stiffened slightly, and finally turned his attention back to his superior.

–

Yellow's brows raised, though the rest of her demeanor didn't seem to change much at all.

"There was nothing courageous about what I did. It wasn't justified. I should have just admitted that I was wrong from the beginning... If Blue and White trusted you, then I should have too, right?... But no. I couldn't accept it. I couldn't accept _you_." She said softly, crossing her arms together. Her brows furrowed once more.  "I didn't want to believe, for some reason, that you were as innocent or good-willed as everyone believed you to be. Not only after what you'd done to me, but before that. I couldn't believe anything you said. I couldn't appreciate your optimism. I couldn't look at you and not feel some kind of threat. I convinced myself that it was an act... a show... a way to make us all comfortable while you waited for your time to strike... A time that would never come, because it was all in my paranoid, prideful head." She practically growled the last sentence, though she seemed more frustrated with herself than anything. Her lip twitched subtly, and she looked noticeably tense. "You didn't deserve any of that... any of how I treated you. Anything I said. Hah...And here I'm supposed a gem of honor and truth..."

–

_An act... a show... a way to make us all comfortable while you waited for your time to strike._

**That.**

_**That** _ _part seemed to hit him harder than anything else._

  


Hematite looked hurt. His brows furrowed, and he looked away, rubbing his upper arm.

_You didn't deserve any of that..._

_Yeah, you_ _**think** _ _?_

Frowning, the service gem tried his best to push the bitter thoughts aside.

_She's apologizing. Let her. It's in the past now... c'mon._

–

For a few more long, agonizing moments, Yellow paused again, unable to look at the service gem seated next to her.

"You have such little time here...and you want to make the most of it. Perhaps when you're a gem like me, you don't appreciate things like that. It's all mundane. It's all just another day to you... but to a gem with..." Her words became caught in her throat, her eyes widening.

  


_"A ticking clock."_ Memories of huge, black claws tapping down on her gemstone flooded back to her, and she slowly lifted her hand to her gem.

"Time is so very precious... You tried your best at everything you did. At your jobs, how you presented yourself, how you spoke to people. You work so hard every day to make a difference, to make gems happy. You just want to help gemkind." The Diamond's head hung low with guilt, staring down past her feet. "You would think a gem like me would understand that..."

–

Quietly, Hematite drew his knees up to his chest, still unable to look at Yellow. He held his legs close, resting his chin on top of them. His eyes were brimming with tears, staring ahead, wide.

  


_**She finally understood.** _

–

Yellow closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose.

  


"Why should I have cared? You weren't me, and I wasn't you. We're two very different gems... Surely it shouldn't have made a difference to me... But I've discovered that we're far more alike than you would think. Far more than I ever thought possible. We both want justice. We both want a better future for gemkind. We both are fiercely determined to do what is right, and protect those that we care about... even if it means risking everything." The Diamond opened her eyes, glancing off to the side away from Hematite. Suddenly, her expression actually softened. "I treated you so unfairly, Hematite. I refused to see what kind of potential you really had. Not the potential to hurt us... but the potential to bring out the best in us. The potential to encourage. Inspire. _Amaze_. An d, as time goes on... The more you surprise me."

–

The service gem felt his shoulders starting to shake. He tried to keep his composure, but it was crumbling, and it was crumbling _fast_.

_The more you surprise me._

Hematite blinked, tears streaming down his face. He glanced toward Yellow, but still didn't turn to her.

–

Yellow smiled briefly. Hanging her head again, she closed her eyes.

"You really care about us...don't you?" She stopped, though the question itself was rhetorical. She stifled a weak, tepid chuckle. "I should have believed you. I should have trusted you. I shouldn't have been as hard on you as I was... I should have given you a chance. It could have all been avoided... It could have been _easy_. But I just didn't allow it. I didn't want to take the chance. I didn't think it was worth it... but it would have been." Her smile faded, lowering her hand that once covered her gemstone into her adjacent palm.

–

_You really care about us... don't you?_

  


A choked whimper escaped Hematite's throat, but he swallowed it back before it could become a sob. He took a long, steadying breath, and nodded silently. He wasn't even sure if she was looking at him, so she probably hadn't seen it.

_I didn't think it was worth it... but it would have been._

Hema's eyes widened before shutting tight, and he buried his face in his knees. He clutched his legs closer to him.

_It's okay._

_Deep breaths._

Though it was muffled, Hematite gave a soft, weak chuckle.

"Would have been worth it, huh? Yeah... I guess so." He paused. "I could have made you some crystal spice tea." The statement was more or less rhetorical, to keep himself from breaking down entirely.

–

Yellow raised her brows, her fingertips digging into the wrist of her glove. She sighed quietly, finally glancing over towards him. She wasn't surprised to see him reacting this way. She looked away again, hiding her face from his view.

"But why would it have been worth it? What is a service gem to a Diamond?... What is a service gem to me? Just another cog in the machine, perhaps... and for the longest time, I thought you were just like any other."

There was a pause.

"Though, that changed."

Looking back to him, she gazed right through him with what small bit of fierceness she could muster up. "You are different.... You're not _just_ another service gem. You are... something much more. You are extraordinary. Powerful. Courageous. **A Harvester...** You are Hematite. And I've found that despite trying to deny it... I actually find you're quite the respectable gem. Truth is, Hematite...you're rather pleasant to be around." She glanced up to him, another small, warm smile of hope on her face. But it, too, faded quickly. "I can only hope it's not too late, though... to fix what I've broken. I'm sure I've done quite the damage to you already. I'm sure you might find me hard to believe, given how quickly I turned on you back in those caves in the Pink District... You may never consider me a respectable gem. You may never look at me the same way again. I wouldn't blame you; no, I _couldn't_ blame you. I cannot excuse my actions, nor how I've treated you before... but... At the very least, Hematite, I figured you should know. Even if this changes nothing you thought about me before, perhaps _something_ I said today would shed some light on why I've behaved the way I have."

–

Her words hit him hard.

But this time... they hit him in a different way. His trembling stopped. The tears ceased streaming down his face. He slowly lifted his face from his knees, eyes wide.

_Something much more._

_Extraordinary. Powerful. Courageous._

_You are Hematite._

_I have a lot more respect for you nowadays._

Slowly, the service gem looked at her, brows raised in disbelief. He lifted a hand and rubbed at one of his eyes with his palm, never once taking his gaze from her.

–

"I've done and said some despicable things to you. I've made you feel like nothing. Hell, I'm pretty certain I've made you afraid to be _around_ me. But, I can only strive to be better and look at things from different perspectives. To not jump to such drastic conclusions... to not judge before I'm given a reason to. To treat you and other gems a bit more fairly..." Yellow continued, gripping at her wrist tighter and digging her nails into the soft fabric. Slowly, she raised her brows just slightly, looking away from him completely.  "You know, I'm not exactly the best at being all...'buddy buddy' like Blue is. And I'm not quite as 'open-minded' as White. I'm always business, efficiency, and professionalism. I don't simply let myself get closer to other gems, or vice versa... And I have my reasons." The Diamond pursed her lip quickly, for a moment taken aback by her own thoughts. "But, hey, who knows... Maybe someday, as far-fetched as it may be...I could even call _you_ some kind of friend." She hung her shoulders once more, letting her hands fall beside her.

"Regardless..." She paused, staring out to the sky in front of her just as she had done before, pained and almost distant. She took a quiet, steady breath and regained her own composure. "I... Hope you can forgive me."

–

A soft breeze blew through the arena, disturbing a few of the stray clouds that floated here and there. Hematite slowly wiped his other eye, taking his eyepiece off in the process. He put it on the ground next to him.

_I'm pretty certain I've made you afraid to be_ _**around** _ _me._

He thought about the other day, when Yellow herself had carefully carried him to White's office, and then talked to him in his room. The service gem thought about how willing he'd been to climb into the very hands that he had dreaded for so many years.

_Did he_ _**really** _ _fear her as much as he used to...?_

  


_Maybe someday, as far-fetched as it may be... I could even call you some kind of friend._

  


_**Maybe someday, she could even learn how to love like you.** _

  


He had to let her know that he forgave her... Because he really _did_.

_But what would sink in?_

_He could just say it... or he could show her something like he had with Morgan and Puff... but would that prove anything?_

_What could he do? What would show her...?_

  


Hematite's index finger and thumb rubbed together quietly. A soft breeze blew through the Sky Arena, very nearly masking the soft sound of the service gem shifting in his spot.

And just like that, a soft, gentle warmth embraced the Diamond. Hematite went silent. He was suddenly leaned over, his arms around Yellow's middle, his eyes squeezed shut. He embraced her tightly.

–

"..."

_And just like that. It was over._

Everything she had felt before; all the crippling fear, all the regret, all the pain, anger, and guilt that had built up and swirled around inside the Diamond was dissipated with the simplest of gestures. It felt like the weight of the world had lifted from her shoulders. Ever since the night of the incident, she had never found a true moment of peace. Some days had been better than others, but she couldn't really say that she ever truly felt the weight of her mistakes lift from her shoulders.

  


She was missing the final piece. The final closure she needed.

_To know if_ _**he** _ _could forgive_ _**her** _ _._

  


Staring out at the sky with wide, unblinking eyes, tears began to flow down her own cheeks, dripping down in thick droplets. She stayed silent aside from her body occasionally shivering from the quiet sobs that escaped her.

  


_It was finally over._

  


  


  


  


–

–

  


** You think this is over? **

  


  


  


  


_**It was dark. C o l d.** _

  


_...But not as cold as it had been every time before._

  


Back in this place again...

After so long.

_She was back in this place **again**._

Yellow Diamond wandered through the black nothingness that she'd once become so familiar with. Something seemed different. The darkness wasn't closing in, it wasn't nearly as inky, and it almost felt a bit warmer than it tended to be. So... what had changed?

  


From behind Yellow, a low, furious growl rumbled. It was a dreadful, familiar sound. But the presence behind it was far less... imposing than it usually was.

_Something was different._

  


** "You think this is over, Yellow Diamond?" **

–

Yellow felt her body tense up. Rising steadily higher, the fears that she'd suppressed at last came creeping back.

_No way... it can't be. How is this possible?! Why him, why now?! What happened?!_

She turned, eyes wide with horrified disbelief to look behind her.

–

_Rattle._

  


** "Rrghhhh, you think this is done?!" **

It was certainly the monstrous Hematite she'd come to fear...

  


But he was small. As small as Hematite normally was, and his hands were shackled and chained to the floor, at some unseen point far behind him.

Gnashing his stark-white teeth, visor clicking and whirring aggressively, the vicious gem pulled against his restraints, slowly getting closer to the Diamond. The yellow target on his black screen glitched wildly, focused _directly_ on her.

–

Yellow's eyes widened, and she took a few steps back.

  


"...Wha?..."

  


She was completely _baffled_. Never had she ever seen him... well, like this! Still it _was_ him. He could pull a trick at any given moment. This could just be another one of his horrible games. Clenching her fists, sweat started to form on her brow. _This_ _ **isn't**_ _over!!_

–

The nightmarish Hematite seemed to have caught her innermost thoughts, and he grinned, suddenly laughing maniacally.

  


** "That's right, Yellow Diamond! We're not finished! YOU THINK THIS IS OVER?! NO, NO, WE'RE ONLY JUST BEGINNING!" **

  


The chains started to weaken, and he made a few quick paces toward her, clawed hands outstretched.

  


_Whirrrrr_

  


_..._

_Glimmer_

Far in the sky, directly behind and above the furious, dark gem, shimmered a bright white star. Another appeared soon after. And another.

Until the entire jet-black sky was filled with twinkling points of light.

The chains suddenly yanked back, stopping the Hematite in his tracks.

–

Yellow looked up slightly, eyes fixated on the twinkling stars beyond the vicious figure. Then, slowly, she looked back down at him. What was going on? She took another step back, holding up her hand in front of her gemstone. She said nothing, not taking her eyes off of his visor.

–

The hunter was breathing raggedly, his teeth bared in an ugly snarl. He gnashed his teeth at her again, trying in vain to step closer, but he was stuck.

And he was starting to slide backward.

** "RrRRAGH! NO, WE AREN'T FINISHED!" **

  


_CRACK_

  


Suddenly, the dark figure's visor snapped in half. It fell to the ground, his bangs now covering half of his face. He looked up. Now, clearly visible, was a single, wide eye. But instead of an iris, there was a bright-yellow diamond insignia.

His expression was one of pure, enraged _hatred_.

** "I'LL BE BACK! YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME FOREVER! And when I return... I'll be stronger, FASTER,  ** _** BIGGER ** _ **! WE AREN'T FINISHED HERE, YELLOW DIAMOND!" **

–

Yellow clenched and unclenched her fists, baring her own teeth. She was still noticeably scared, but something started to quell her rising anxiety. Even for a moment, she started to feel something other than cold. She started to feel something other than fear. It may have been a mask, but, for the time being, it was a good one. A massive chill went up her spine as the visor fell, and she stared with horror into the single eye staring maliciously at her.

"..."

–

** "Are you scared?~ Good! You should be! Because when I come back, none of you will be safe from me! The Diamond Authority will FALL! AND I'M GOING TO-" **

  


  


_ "E n o u g h." _

  


  


  


**S L A M!**

  


  


  


Stretched out in front of Yellow, directly where the nightmarish form had just been, was a giant, stark-white hand. Which lead up to a very large, very familiar gem.

Hematite was crouched on his knees, bent over just slightly. His eyes were closed peacefully, a neutral expression on his face.

The ground around his hand started to shift from black... to gray.

–

Yellow gasped silently, staring in shock at the massive hand that bore down on the ground where the monstrous Hematite once stood.

_Is.... is he?_

  


She slowly looked upwards in complete disbelief, shuddering. _Hematite_?...

–

The huge gem didn't respond at first. Slowly, the ground beneath Yellow's feet began to lighten, and the air started to get warmer. Glimmering brightly, the stars twinkled in the distance, even more starting to appear.

Everything was slowly getting brighter.

Hematite opened his eyes.

He glanced at Yellow Diamond quietly before looking down at his hand. Steadily, he drew it up and away. When it was a few feet off the ground...

_Vwip!_

The now-tiny, nightmarish Hematite was trapped in a silvery bubble, and fruitlessly clawed at the surface of his prison as he was lifted up. Hema sat up on his knees and put his free hand on his leg. Perching the bubble on his clawed fingers, he held the vicious form near his face.

And then he began to speak. His words were slow. Powerful. Even.

  


_ "So long as I stand. So long as my gem is intact. Nobody like you will harm this gem again." _

He closed his eyes, slowly lifted his other hand, and closed it over the bubble. There was a momentary shout of objection before-

_Plip!_

  


The dream went white in a flash.

  


When the light faded, the still-giant gem was quietly sitting on his knees, his hands folded in his lap, his form now in color. The area around the two gems was a near-white with bright, pinkish-white stars glimmering in the sky. It was warm, welcoming, and there was _no_ trace of the monstrous gem.

Hematite opened his eyes, his neutral expression finally breaking. He looked down at the Diamond before him... and smiled warmly.

–

Yellow felt the faintest trace of tears well up in her eyes, flinching as the world around her suddenly grew far more welcoming. Half-expectantly, she lowered her arms, holding back the subtle tears from her eyes. Slowly, she looked back up, meeting Hematite's gaze.

  


_She felt relief. She felt like she could breathe again. She felt warm._

  


But she didn't move forward. No, as if she were half-expecting something else to happen- like this, too, was some sort of trick- she held up her hands over her gemstone again. She didn't know if she could trust her own dreams... and yet, why did she feel this way?

–

Hematite gave the softest of chuckles. But instead of being amused or malicious... it was genuine. It sounded _relieved_.

  


_ "Here." _

  


The giant gem closed his eyes and smiled, his form starting to glow. In a moment, he'd shrunken down to his usual size, and stood a little distance from Yellow. Opening his eyes again, he gave her a bright, welcoming grin.

  


_ "Does this... make it any easier?" _

  


He stepped forward.

–

Yellow blinked, staring right through the service gem. Admittedly, it did make it a little easier...but she didn't move. She was frozen in place, unsure of what to do or say. Could this still turn? ..... No. She didn't feel that way. She wouldn't believe it. She just needed to trust him.

  


"I-Is he...  gone?..."

–

Hematite stopped a few feet away, looking up at the Diamond before him. He gave her a single, reassuring nod.

  


_ "He's gone. It's over." _

  


Lifting his arm, the small service gem offered an outstretched hand. There were tears in the corners of his eyes. With another soft, relieved chuckle, he tilted his head, smiling warmly.

  


_ "You can wake up now." _

  


The Diamond stared down at the hand that extended towards her, her hands falling away from her gemstone. Her lips parted slightly like she was going to say something, but nothing came out. For the first time in a very long time, she actually felt _safe_ in her dreams. She felt content. Protected. She even felt remotely _happy_.

  


Slowly, she lifted her hand and reached out, eyes wide.

Just before her fingers made contact with his hand, the world and everything in it disappeared with a soft, white flash, and warmth overcame her very core.

  


\--

  


She opened her eyes. Staring up at the ceiling of her room, Yellow lay in her bed quietly for many long minutes before moving to sit up.

It was really over, wasn't it? It was finally over.

The nightmarish Hematite that had plagued her for so long was now thwarted, and the cold, dark abyss that she so dreaded every time she fell asleep was gone at last. Sure, the concept of the dark being was nebulous at best... but it didn't matter. Yellow knew things had changed this time. She could feel it. Slowly, Yellow Diamond closed her eyes and took a deep, steady breath. A warm, relieved smile spread across her lips.

  


_Thank you, Hematite._


	62. Mutual Agreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morganite agrees to help out a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arc 4 summary: [BIG Spoilers... duh!]
> 
> When a mission between Hema and White goes south, White winds up badly cracked. A mystery unfolds, and the search for a cure to cracked gems begins. Through a series of unfortunate events, Hema is framed for attempted murder, and only Blue Diamond manages to get him out of trouble. After it's revealed that one of Yellow's closest confidants is behind everything, Yellow exiles the gem truly responsible, and makes up with Hematite.

It was a quiet night in the Blue District; stars glimmered brightly overhead in a cloudless sky. Though, even in the midst of the peaceful air, the city was still bustling indoors. Morganite went about his usual business, sliding a few drinks to a couple of particularly inebriated patrons, all whilst humming along to a song that played overhead. He was as smooth and focused as always, even as a large, orange-skinned guard walked over to him from the bar entrance.

"Uhhh, boss?..." A gruff voice came from under what sounded like a helmet. A tall, half-armored bouncer uncertainly walked up to the counter and placed her palms on the sleek surface. Morgan raised a brow, grinning ear-to-ear. 

"Somethin' the matter?" The pink-haired warrior asked, swirling a towel over a just-emptied glass. The guard looked between Morgan and the main window, tapping her fingers anxiously against the countertop. 

"Er, well... eheh... you know that, uh, particularly _big_ gem that visits you every now and then?” she asked, hushed and hurried. Morgan raised both of his brows curiously, placing the glass on the lower counter.

"Oooohhh, yeeeeah! What about her?"

"Weeeeell... She's back."

-

No sooner had the guard spoken; there was a rather loud thud outside the club. On the large, street-like path outside the bar's windows, the familiar, ebony-haired Hematite was crouched down, her head very nearly touching the ground. _She did not look pleased._

Mago lowered her hand, jabbed a finger toward Morgan, and then toward the ground in front of her.

_You._ _ Out here. **Now**._

Without waiting, she sat up, her feet soon leaving the view of the club windows.

-

Morgan and the guard stared at the window for a few long, quiet moments. No one changed their expression. Slowly, still smiling, Morgan looked over to the guard and held up his index finger.

"Amber, if I do not return, you're in charge of the place,” he said, strangely unfazed. Stepping out quickly from behind the bar counter, he made his way for the door. The guard, baffled, looked quickly between Morgan and where he had been standing, before suddenly doing a confused double-take.

"…Wait, WHAT?!"

-

The door chimed as Morgan walked outside, looking around in the direction where Mago had stormed off. Well, she certainly wasn't too hard to miss, anyway. Despite her unnervingly bristly demeanor, he kept his composure.

-

Mago was pacing in a tight line back and forth, running her hands up along her face, into her hair, and pulling it away from her eyes. Once she caught sight of Morgan, she turned and continued pacing. She immediately started off, her back towards him.

"So, Morgan, you wanna explain to me what Hema's doing with Ti?!"

 

Morgan stood in place, propping a hand to his hip. Confused, he raised a brow.

"Ti?..." he said. He suddenly remembered the gem that Hematite had been talking about some time ago, and his brows raised curiously. "I don’t know. What's your point?"

"MY POINT?!"

The giant gem quickly turned on the pink-haired warrior, taking a couple of large, aggressive steps toward him. A brief stab of panic rose in Morganite’s chest, and he took a large step back. Without giving him a chance to react further, Mago picked him up by the back of his shirt and dropped him off on top of the building she usually used when she spoke with him.

–

Morgan felt a wave of relief weigh his shoulders down as his feet made contact with the building. Brushing himself off awkwardly, he looked up to the furious harvester before him. He still managed to mask his rising nervousness, but he felt it starting to ebb. Mago continued.Surprisingly, the giant gem didn’t make any further moves towards him, and continued pacing as soon as Morgan was on solid ground and seemed settled.

"Ti's just, oh, you know, the Hematite I told you about before! The one that wanted to fuse with me!" she said furiously. Morgan’s face fell in realization. He now stared distantly at the huge gem, smile fading completely.

"Wait... Excuse me?"

-

Mago went back to pacing in front of the building. Her agitation was rising by the second.

"Yeah, her name's out there now!” She glanced up at the sky, now seeming to direct her frustrations at someone else. “I hope you're happy, you piece of- tssss. Mmm." Mago stopped and turned around, her back now to the pink-haired warrior. She went quiet. Slowly, she ran her fingers through her hair, down the back of her head. Letting out a slow, steadying sigh, she stayed in that position for a good, long moment. "... Sorry. I know you couldn't have said anything. I never told you her name... but."

–

Morgan frowned, glancing off to the side subtly.

"I never knew that was the same Hematite you were referring to. Why, if I did..." Morgan's brows furrowed, but nothing else changed. Blinking, he looked up to her and crossed his arms, tapping his fingertips rhythmically against his forearms. "I don't know how he met her; honestly, I don't..." he said, his voice lacking its normal charm. Something else had replaced it; something that was rising more and more by the minute.

–

The ebony-haired Hematite still wasn't facing him. Slowly, she dropped her arms, her hair falling into her eyes again.

"He's been sparring with her. Training with her. Spending... all this time with her."

–

Morgan stepped forward boldly, his arms falling to his sides as well. Clenching his fists, he peered up wordlessly at the massive service gem. A thoughtful glimmer laid in the shadows of his bangs.

"You think she's going to use _him_ too?... " he asked, an eerie tone to his voice. 

–

_Use._ __

__

 

**_Use._ ** **__**

 

"...I-I." Mago's voice faltered. Her shoulders raised, and she shook her head, suddenly going quiet. Reaching a hand up, she wiped at her face. The gem was silent for a long moment before she finally turned. Her left eye was covered, and her expression was heavy with pained realization. "You think she was using me?"

–

Morgan took a steady, heavy breath. His bangs fell between his eyes, casting them in even darker shadow. While, for the most part, his expression was blank, his eyes had a hidden fire behind them.

"Honestly, Mago. I've seen this kind of case before, many times. Far more than I ever wanted to." He took another step forward, his lips curled into a near-snarl. "What else could it be?... There's something not right about Ti. I don't know what it is, but she sounds like bad news..." he narrowed his eyes, glancing away as his neutral, dark expression returned. "Think about it. The way she treated you over a fusion, the things she said to you, how she made you feel. Let me tell you, that's not how you deserve to be treated. And if she really is suddenly sucking up to Hematite, then he might be at risk as well... it’s a classic pattern of someone looking to use other people to their gain. You wouldn’t believe how many gems I’ve heard describe something like this…"

–

The ebony-haired Hematite blinked in confusion for a moment as she took in Morgan's words. But then she started to think... Think about all the things Ti had said and done, how the fusion had felt _off_ toward the end of their job, how  Ti had _completely_ cut off communication with her after said job- until just recently.

"...Why, that little..."

Mago's grief was quickly, and worryingly, replaced with anger, and she started pacing again.

"Tch, yeah there's something not right about her! There's something not right about pipsqueak, either! Apparently he's been aaaaall over training her and giving her hunting advice and talking about the Diamonds." She scoffed loudly, tossing her hair back behind her shoulders. "And apparently, even though the little runt has been gone for, what, two months now?! He's on some special month-long vacation! Ha! I'll be damned if I EVER get even a DAY off! And that SPOILED LITTLE BRAT gets a whole MONTH?!" She was ranting at this point, angrily running her fingers through her bangs. The warrior took a step back as Mago began to rant. He dared not interrupt her; even if he didn't really like the things she was saying about Hematite, he didn't have too much room to speak out, here. After all, she was obviously _pissed_.  Mago continued on.

"Why does he get EVERYTHING?! He's not anything special! And yet he's living the life of luxury, getting everything he wants, everyONE he wants, and now-!" Her voice faltered, and she lifted a fist, clenching it tightly over her head as if she wanted to smash something. But she held it in place, her arm trembling. "NOW HE'S TAKING MY PLACE AS TI'S PARTNER IN THE FUSION EVENT!"

–

Morgan's eyes shot open, a wide grin spreading across his face. For once, it didn't seem like it _belonged_ there.

"Fusion event, you say?" he muttered quietly, muffling a small laugh that soon grew into a fit of ominous chuckling. "Is he nooow?" His hair fell over his eyes entirely, a grim look on his face. There was something absolutely unnerving about the pink-haired warrior for the moment, but it was hard to tell exactly what. He almost looked… pleased, despite sounding very… off.

–

Without looking at Morgan, she scoffed and rolled her eyes, ignoring the fit of chuckling from the pink-haired gem.

"Yeah, she comes to me the other day and she's all-" The ebony-haired gem stood on her tiptoes, taking on a rather mocking, snooty air. "Oh, and by the way, Hema-darling and I will be attending that special night-event; you know, the one we were GOING to go to, but then you decided to be a TERRIBLE fusion partner~!" She sneered and curled her lip, taking a few paces before flipping her hair. "Oh, and incidentally, you AREN'T invited. If I see you there, I'll be sure to show you what a REAL fusion partnership looks like, you defective PEBBLE." The moment the last words left her mouth, Mago sneered again and grit her teeth, growling. "Stars, what did I ever SEE in her?! She's such a stuck-up, two-timing, tip-toeing clod of a-" The ebony-haired gem finally turned to look at Morgan, who was still wearing a rather eerie grin. However, instead of looking disturbed or concerned, she just looked mildly confused. Staying in place, she glanced from side to side for a moment.

"Uh. M'? You, uh. You okay there?"

–

Morgan stopped laughing, glancing back up to Mago and flicked the hair out from over his eyes, smirking coyly.

"What a _vile_ excuse for a gem. I bet she doesn't even know what a proper fusion feels like." Morgan hissed, baring his teeth into a sly smile. He walked forward, almost slouching. He cracked his neck and placed his hands on the bars of the building's guardrail, tapping his fingers down a single time. He stared right up at  Mago, eyes half-lidded with a calmed, masked fury.

 

"What do you say we show _THEM_ what a  reaaaal fusion partnership looks like."

–

The warrior's sudden change in demeanor surprised Mago, and she took a single pace back, admittedly intimidated, even by such a small gem. She placed her fingers to her top lip, drumming her fingertips along it. Her eyes narrowed.

"What are you getting at?"

–

Morgan straightened himself up, regaining a somewhat 'professional' air about himself.

"I'm saying, if you need a partner for the fusion fight... I'd love nothing more than to knock this clod down a few pegs. "

–

Mago didn't respond for a moment. Her eyes widened just slightly before narrowing again, a sharp-toothed grin spreading across her face.

"Hah... Hahahh. Ohhh, you and me both." The service gem drew her hand away from her mouth, slowly putting her hands on her hips. "You think we can pull it off, M'?~"

–

Morgan, almost mirroring her stance, grinned up at her with a grim glare. Raising one of his hands from his hips, he pointed upwards and summoned a flame that hovered just above his fingertip.

"We'll give everyone a show they'll never forget."

–

The service gem's grin widened, and she gave a curt nod, a soft chuckle escaping her.

"Damn right we will." She reached a hand up and extended a finger to him, a coy smile on her face. "Looks like we have a deal, then.~"

Morgan returned the look, holding out his hand and 'shaking' her finger.

"It's a date, darling.~"


	63. Where the Heart Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite runs into two familiar gems out in the training fields.

"Alright, that's good!"

Hematite stood up straight and adjusted his sleeves, his gemstone's glow fading. "That one was quick! You're really getting the hang of the dance, Ti!" The shorter Hematite smiled up at his fusion partner and chuckled, putting his hands on his hips. "Whoever we face in the ring won't stand a chance!"

Bouncing slightly in place, Ti laced her hands together and giggled, a bright smile on her face.

"All thanks you, Hema! You're such a good dancer. And a great teacher, to boot!" She winked at him with a winsome smile, and Hema looked away bashfully, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm not that great. You gotta give yourself some credit!"

Ti blushed a bright pink hue and looked away, holding half her face in her hand.

"Tch, you flatter me, Hema darling.~" The taller Hematite brushed her hair behind her shoulders and leaned down, inches away from Hema's forehead. "I can't wait for next week." With that, she placed the lightest peck on his head and stood straight again, turning to walk off. "But! I have a job to get to today. You enjoy the rest of your week, Hema!"

The ivory-haired gem messed with the back of his hair, a rather silly grin on his face.

"Y-yeah! You uh... you too, Ti." He watched after the lithe gem, sighing quietly.

As soon as she was gone, he turned and stretched, letting out a long, tired groan. He'd been practicing and sparring with Ti for almost an hour now, and staying at his slightly larger height of 15-or-so feet had worn him out. The giant gem made his way out of the training grounds and found the small, grassy hill that he and Blue had sat on many years ago to look at the stars for the first time. Hema settled down on his front, crossing his arms before him.

_A little rest won't hurt. Then maybe I can take a walk or something._

The gem closed his eyes quietly, resting the side of his head on his forearms, his face buried in his upper arm. He let out a long, tired sigh. And soon enough... he was out like a light.

–

Not too far away, around the outskirts of the training grounds, a small, familiar duo were making their way over the hills.

"You sure you know where you're going, Ekanite?" Sphal lay across the gem creature's back, staring up at the sky in boredom. Honestly, she didn't particularly care if they'd gotten lost- so long as they didn't run into trouble, that is. It wouldn't take them terribly long to get back to a familiar spot if they had gotten themselves turned around. They weren't heading to any destination in particular, but Sphal had requested that they explore somewhere less populated.

–

Ekanite was busy wading through some rather tall grass that grew high above her head. Her echolocation powers weren't doing much good in a place with such dense feedback, and so she was navigating rather blindly. However, based on the sun's location, she knew her _general_ direction. At least, she hoped she did... She glanced up and gave  Sphal a chirp of confirmation, her ears twitching momentarily. Her long, snake-like tail stayed still behind her, trying not to disturb more grass than she needed to. She didn't want to draw attention to them in such a large field.

The two continued for some time, but as Ekanite made her way up a large hill, something started to feel off.

It felt like they weren't alone, like something like a boulder or something else was ahead of-

 

_Bump_

 

Ekanite snorted and shook her head, taking a few paces back. Pawing at her muzzle, she flicked an ear and looked up, the grass in front of her now parted. Her three eyes went as wide as saucers. In front of her, through the dense, tall grass, was a wall of magenta fabric. She slowly looked up, just barely able to see the huge form that the fabric belonged to.

She'd run right into the side of a huge gem.

–

Sphal's whole body lurched as Eka suddenly ran into the 'wall.' Ungracefully, she had rolled over and clutched onto the other's back and grumpily climbed up to peer over her head.

"Hey, what gi-" The tiny gem's eyes widened, at a loss for words. Terror coursed through her, and she had to stifle the cry that escaped her. "AAAAHHHHHH WHAT IS THAT?!" she shouted into her hands in an odd, whispered cry, cowering behind Ekanite's neck and throwing her arms over her head instinctively. Whatever it was, it was _big_.

–

Ekanite wasn't sticking around to find out what she'd run into.

She quickly turned and picked Sphal up around her middle, in her jaws, and bolted. The form she'd run into shifted ever so slightly, but soon went still again, unbeknownst to them. Sphal was too spooked about what they'd run into to even care how Ekanite picked her up. Quickly making her way to a large boulder, the green-furred monster darted behind the rock, hiding from sight. She was breathing heavily, and silently dropped Sphal on the ground, putting her back on her feet. Slowly, she crawled up the rock, peering over the edge.

What she saw surprised her.

The tiny gem monster perked up, her ears flicking forward. _Wait a second... she recognized that gem!_

–

As soon as she was back on her feet, Sphal realized she was trembling from head to toe. She slumped against the rock, refusing to look over it.

"Eka, what was that?!" she said, holding her hands to her head.

–

The gem monster was quiet for a long moment. She tilted her head curiously.

 _Huh... so she HADN'T been imagining things._ _She HAD seen that gem in the Jadewing caverns. _

_But what was he doing out here? And, for that matter, how was he able to change sizes?_

Looking down, the gem creature crawled down the rock and padded over to Sphal, pressing her nose to her gemstone.

_"Do not worry, Sphalerite. It's the Hematite!"_

–

Sphal's eyes went wide, but her brows perked curiously.

"Whaaa? That massive thing was the little guy we saw before?... But, how's that... possible?" she said, crossing her arms in disbelief. "Are you sure you aren't mistaking him for another gem? C'mon Eka, I think all this walking is getting to your head..." She frowned.

–

Ekanite looked almost offended for a moment, her ears flicking back.

 _"Yes, I'm sure! I thought I'd seen him differently before we met him that one day, but I wasn't sure until now. Come on, look! He's asleep; he can't see us."_   She withdrew her nose and crawled back up the rock, peering over.

–

Sphal let her arms fall to her side, watching Eka walk away.

"H-hey wait!" She ran up to her, peering over the rock herself. Her eyes widened again with surprise. She wasn't just seeing things... it really was him! Looking to the gem creature, she gave her a curious shrug. "You think we should... see if he's okay?..."

–

The gem creature turned to look at Sphal for a moment, but then looked back at Hema down the hill.

_Well... he was kind enough last time he'd met them, so. His different size shouldn't matter, right?_

Tail flicking in apprehension, Ekanite nodded once, lowering herself for Sphal to climb on her back.

–

Sphal sighed and hopped up onto Ekanite's back, holding onto her neck.

"Alright, let's go see what's up..." she said halfheartedly. Sure, he seemed nice and all the first time they'd met, but he was much bigger now. She couldn't be too sure how he'd react... assuming he'd wake up, that is.

–

\--

Ekanite soon stood in front of Hematite, near his hands. The grass in front of him was flattened from his crossed arms, giving her a rather 'even' bit of ground to walk on. It also made it far easier to see him without having to wade through the foliage.

The green-furred creature tilted her head, tail flicking quietly.

_Yep, it was definitely the same gem._

–

Sphal peeked curiously over Eka's head, narrowing her eyes. Well, at least he was sleeping. Nervously, the small gem got down off of Eka's back and crept closer towards Hematite. Slowly, she raised up one of her palms to his hand, hovering it a few inches above him. She swallowed thickly, looking back at the gem monster with a look that could only mean ‘be prepared for anything’.

_Tap!_

 

"YEEK!!" Sphal flinched back upon making contact, immediately darting back behind Ekanite.

–

The gem creature was tensed, ready to jump in if she needed to, but she soon relaxed as Sphal hid behind her.

Hematite didn't budge.

 _Huh. Heavy sleeper._ She tilted her head. _Then again, what's a tap like that to a big guy like him?_

Curiously, Eka stepped forward and sniffed at the giant gem's hand, her tail flicking quietly.

–

Sphal held her hands up nervously, gently balling up her fists.

"E-Eka be careful!" she whispered worriedly, stepping up closer behind her. Peering up to the massive gem, she wondered if it was worth sticking around. Would he be angry with them if they woke him up?

–

Ekanite tilted her head and hummed quietly, lifting a paw and placing it on Hema's hand.

...

_Nothing._

She was suddenly a bit worried. Surely something should have woken him by now, right? _Was he alright?_ The gem creature frowned and wiggled in place for a moment before deftly leaping up on top of the giant gem's arm, moving to take a seat on the back of his half-gloved hand. She looked around, curiously flicking her tail.

–

Sphal's jaw dropped in horror as she backed up.

"EKA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she squeaked, sweat dripping from her face. "Y-You get off of him, right now! You're gonna get hurt!" Frantically, she shook her hands, looking from side to side. _What am I supposed to do?!_ She was far too nervous to get any closer to him, let alone climb up onto his hand.

–

The green gem pawed at Hematite's hand, her eyes narrowed.

_C'mon, big guy, what's wrong with you, why aren't you movin'._

 

 

 

 

_... What in star's name is on my hand._

Hema gave a soft, groggy sigh, though it was barely audible. Ekanite froze up.

_Uh-oh._

She looked up just in time to see the giant gem shift, turning his head just enough to look sidelong at her.

–

Sphal froze in place, her legs turning to jelly under her. Horrified, she let out an inaudible shriek, falling to her knees. That was not what she wanted to see.

"E-EKA... MOVE... NOW... PLEASE?" she managed to speak, not taking her eyes off of the huge gem's face.

–

Hematite blinked in confusion, still trying to process exactly what- or who- he was looking at. But in a moment, his grogginess faded, and he recognized the two.

"..."

Ekanite was frozen in place, not taking her eyes off of the giant gem.

_No, it's okay, he's not gonna hurt us... Right?_

There was a tense pause before Hematite sighed and visibly relaxed, resting his head on his upper arm again.

"So I guess you two don't stick to the Yellow District, huh?"

–

Sphal let out a huffed, exasperated sigh, her goggles falling lopsided over her face.

"UUUUuughhhh, don't scare me like that, please..." She groaned, falling completely to the ground with a half-hearted chuckle. Thank the stars he didn't seem angry.

–

Arching a brow, Hema gave a soft, quiet chuckle. He was making sure to keep his voice low and soft, so he didn't scare the two.

"Sorry, I didn't expect to wake up with an inspection crew checking me out." The giant gem smiled and carefully lifted the hand that Eka was resting on. "It's been a while since I saw you two! How have you been?"

–

Sphal sat up, readjusting the goggles to her forehead indignantly.

"We've been alright! Just, wandering around, finding new spots to hang around in. You know, the usual," she said, standing up and shrugging slightly. "What about you, big guy? What are you doing out in the middle of the Blue District?"

–

Hematite nodded slightly and smiled, lowering his hand again. Ekanite quietly settled back down, clearly not planning on going anywhere. The giant gem shot her an amused, slightly puzzled look, but didn't think much of it.

"Well, I work in all three of the districts. The Diamonds send me here and there, but. This time around, I'm on vacation! I've got another two weeks off, and I like hanging around the Blue District, so."

Eka's eyes went wide, and she stared in awe at the giant gem. So he really did work for the Diamonds... She wondered what that could possibly be like. She'd barely even seen the Diamonds, much thought about what working for them would be like.

–

Sphal tilted her head curiously, sitting down in front of the duo. She still wasn't quite comfortable enough to make much physical contact with him, but at least she felt far more comfortable in knowing that he was docile.

"What's _your_ job like  workin' for ‘em, anyway, if you really doooo work for them?" She squinted with a small, giddy grin. "That's not exactly an easy position to keep."

–

Ekanite gave a smile as Sphal settled down, and she too, settled further, tucking her paws underneath her. She stared up at Hematite, tilting her head curiously.

Hema blinked in surprise and sat up a little straighter, though not enough to bother the two tiny gems.

"Oh! Wellll..."

He smiled. _This was going to be be a long explanation._

 

 

Over the next few minutes, he prattled on about some of his duties with the Diamonds, sans his 'harvester' jobs, and without telling them anything too vital about the more personal goings-on between the Diamonds and himself. It was thrilling enough of an explanation, though, that Ekanite couldn't help the fur on her back from standing on end. She repressed a chill, excitedly leaning forward to listen as Hema explained his recent job with Yellow Diamond.

"And so she's adjusting one of the bars and it got really heavy and it was hard to hold, but both of us managed to fix it before things got too out-of-hand. So now the arena gate is fixed." He nodded his head back toward the huge building far in the distance. "Good thing, too. It's gotta be fixed for the fusion event coming up."

Ekanite tilted her head. She knew of the fusion events, and had even attended to watch, once or twice, but why would this gem want to go to that? Did he really need to fuse at such a huge height? Or did he fight them alone? Hema continued.

"But, yeah! That's uh. A little bit of how it is working for 'em."

–

Sphal had crossed her legs and leaned her elbows onto her thighs, staring up at Hematite for his entire explanation. She was completely awe-struck! Her head placed firmly in her hands, she pressed her fingers to her cheeks and whistled.

"That's amazing! And you really do this kind of stuff all the time?... Stars, the most adventure Eka and I get involves getting spotted by either a corrupted gem or another sentient gem. Well, that, and we get to see the sights... but going on missions _with_ the Diamonds?  For the Diamonds directly? That must be quite the honor!" she said, beaming up at him with an awed, yet slightly guarded look. There was something strange in her gaze, and it was impossible to pinpoint.

–

Hematite admittedly couldn't help but smile at Sphal's utterly awestruck demeanor, despite catching something a bit off about it. It was nice to talk to someone about his job and have them be so interested! He didn't get to do it terribly often, especially when his friends already knew what he did for a living.

"Well, I guess that can be exciting too, right? Hah..." The gem suddenly chuckled, shrugging slightly. "Hey, you play your cards right, maybe someday I could show you the Diamond Towers or something. I'm sure that'd be a new adventure for ya!"

Eka perked up, her ears flicking forward in shock. Her eyes went wide, mouth hanging ajar.

–

Sphal's own eyes went wide again, quickly moving her hands up to her mouth.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" She screamed, shaking her arms and legs with overzealous delight. "THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!!" She righted herself, jumping to her feet and bouncing up and down. "Do you mean it?! You really mean it?! OOoohhh, I've always wanted to see the Towers! I've only heard stories about them!" She clasped her hands together endearingly, swooning over the very thought of seeing such a monumental place. "A-And Eka and I could show you some of the places we’ve found on our adventures!! We've discovered some really pretty locations that you might like!" She paused, blushing and rubbing the back of her head. "Th-that is, if you like that sorta stuff! I know most gems aren't really all that nature-savvy...."

–

The giant gem smiled in delight at seeing Sphal so excited over his proposal. True, he barely knew these gems, but. Despite them not being the same gem type as him, he felt somehow kindred to them. Must've been the whole 'tiny' thing.

"Of course! I love seeing new places out in nature. They're not that common, so I take them where I can get them." He smiled brightly. "I'd love to see whatever you two have found!"

Eka trilled happily and looked down at Sphal, hopping down and nuzzling against her cheek.

The Diamond Towers! How exciting! She could only imagine how beautiful they'd be. Or how many new sights she and Sphal would get to see.

–

Sphal hugged against Eka's snout excitedly, giggling.

"Then it's a deal! If you ever show us the Diamond Towers, we'll show you our favorite spots!" Sphal turned to face Hema again, placing a hand on Eka's nose. "Eka and I have been looking for new places to explore, ever since we met. And, don't worry, we won’t get ourselves into any trouble! At least, we'll try not to!" She chuckled, rubbing her hand against Ekanite's fluffy snout.

–

Ekanite trilled happily and leaned into the petting, her eyes closing contentedly. Her tail swished behind her, brushing against the grass. Hematite watched the two and nodded.

"Deal." He arched a brow, moving his hand to rub at his chin for a moment. "Hey... if you don't mind me asking, how DID you two meet? I mean, a gem monster and a micro gem? That's quite the unusual pair."

–

Sphal looked up to Hematite again and then back at Ekanite.

"Oh, that's quite the story, hehe!" The small red gem giggled and sat down again, stretching her arms up in the air as she leaned up against Ekanite's side. "Well, Hematite, it was a long time ago when I was out and about, looking for a place to stay. You see, being small and all... society doesn't exactly… accept you, nor is it really safe. So, I went out in search of my own place." She stopped for a second and crossed her arms, huffing and glancing away. "Buuuut it wasn't that easy... The Yellow District is an absolute no-go, honestly, and the others aren't much better. I'm not terribly fond of the capital, but I thought maybe there'd be some places here that are less overrun by monsters. Every place I ever went to outside the capital either had gems in it, gem monsters, or was just far too boring... Nothing to do, nothing to see, completely barren. And one day, I found this cave in the Blue District."

\-----

_– Decades ago..._

\-----

"Woah..."

Sphal found herself dwarfed by the mouth of the immense cavern, which was drenched in damp foliage. Distant dripping sounds echoed through the cave, filling the puny gem's senses with a spectacular sense of calm. Boldly, she walked through it, making sure to stay out of the open in case anyone was here. Pressing her hand against the surface of the moist rocks, she blinked, quickly realizing the rock was cool and damp to the touch. A breathless gasp escaped Sphalerite's lips as she looked on in wonder at the magnificent area before her. She decided to wander deeper, quietly looking around and carefully taking note of everything she saw.

–

Faint, soft chirping sounded around the huge cavernous room. It almost sounded like some creatures were sleeping.

_And in fact, that's just what it was._

Among the thick blanket of emerald clovers, tiny, animal-like creatures were curled up, fast asleep. They had delicate, semi-translucent wings that flickered behind them once in a while.

They were Jadewings. Tiny, docile creatures without an aggressive bone in their body, should you not try and attack them. They were all resting, aside from a couple that fluttered around the plants toward the upper part of the cave.

–

Sphal's eyes widened in acute wonder, and she strayed from the wall that she took shelter near. Nearing the clovers, she knelt down next to one of the glowing figures and curiously, slowly reached out her hand. Her other hand, however, rested over her gem. These things were small, like her... but she had never seen them before. She smiled warmly, eyes fixated on the one she had picked out.

–

Wings flicking once, the tiny creature detected someone was approaching it, and it opened its eyes, looking at Sphal curiously. It lifted itself on two tiny, spindly arms and peered at her, a soft sort of 'chirp' escaping it.

–

Sphal gasped quietly, holding out her hand to the soft, green creature. She held her palm out to the tiny creature’s snout, mesmerized.

–

The Jadewing tilted its head, tilting its snout up slightly to sniff at Sphalerite's hand. Faintly, a soft, thrumming noise drifted through the air. It only lasted a moment. Quietly, the insect-like gem creature nudged Sphal's palm with its nose. It tilted its head the other way, gently 'nibbling' one of her fingers.

–

Sphal felt a chill go up her spine, and she started giggling. She flinched slightly at the creature's nibbling, but it was gentle and didn't hurt at all.

"You little things are so cute..." She whispered to herself, moving her hand down to 'pet' underneath its chin. After a few moments, she decided it was best not to stay in the same spot for too long. At least the wildlife here seemed to be tame so far!

–

Watching Sphal walk off, the Jadewing yawned quietly and curled back up, tucking its nose under its multiple tails. It slowly dimmed as it fell back asleep.

 _Sure, the Jadewings were tame and nothing to worry about._ But the same couldn't be said for another creature that was watching Sphalerite make her way through the cave. Far, far up on the cavernous wall, was a lithe, dark creature. Its three glowing eyes were narrowed, unmoving. The shadowy form didn't budge an inch as Sphal drew closer.

–

Sphal peered around the room curiously, nudging her way around the field of Jadewings that lay in relatively-close proximity to one another. Quietly mumbling to herself, she found herself at the edge of what looked to be a rather deep pool of water. Stopping abruptly, she peered down in amazement, getting down to her knees. Slowly, she reached down into the water, submerging her hand completely.

–

The three eyes toward the top of the cavern narrowed further. Then, they lowered, the creature's haunches rocking from side to side. Then, silently, she leapt down.

**_Thud._ **

–

Sphal's eyes went wide, and her whole body froze. She heard that... but she almost wished she hadn’t. Slowly retracting her hand from the water, she placed her hand quickly to her gem. With a bright flash, the tiny gem summoned a sickle, holding the hooked blade up and spinning around quickly.

–

Directly in front of her, about three-or-so feet away, a dark, animal-like creature was crouched, haunches tensed. Its long, serpentine tail swayed out behind it, disturbing a few Jadewings that promptly flitted away. The creature opened its three bright-green eyes, glaring at the tiny gem before it.

–

Sphal stared up in horror at the beast before her, and she _screamed_. Ungracefully, she stumbled backwards in surprise, splashing into the pool that she'd been looking in just seconds ago. A sharp gasp escaped her, making her accidentally inhale some of the ice-cold water. Still holding her weapon, she flailed to the surface, waving her sickle around in a panicked manner.

"NOOO, GET AWAY FROM ME, GET AWAY GET AWAY!!" she shrieked, coughing and trying to swim back to the edge.

–

The gem creature sat up quickly, eyes widening. She launched forward, mouth slightly ajar, her glowing-green mouth lighting up the dark rocks near the pool. Disregarding the fact that Sphalerite currently had a weapon, the creature whipped her tail out into the pool, quickly wrapping it around the tiny gem.

–

Sphal desperately swung her arms around, though was too terrified to comprehend what had happened. Screaming out, her whole body trembled, and she gripped the sickle tighter.

"L-LET GO OF ME!!" She yelled, eyeing the creature's tail in a blind panic. “Let go of me or you won't have a tail!”

–

The creature grimaced and suddenly lifted Sphal out of the water, back over the rocks... Just in time for one of the aquatic gem creatures to snap up out of the pool, right where the tiny red gem had been not two seconds ago. It splashed back into the pool, darting away quickly, out of sight.

–

Sphal's attention shot to the aquatic creature, causing her to drop her sickle in shock. Her attention shot back to the other gem creature, and she started squirming within the grasp of its tail again.

"Gyah!!" She tried to reach down for her gem to summon another weapon, but her entire midsection was covered. She scratched at the strong appendage wrapped around her, vainly trying to pry it off of her. It didn't take her long to realize... there was no getting out of its grasp. She went numb, slowly looking up at the beast.

–

The three-eyed monster was quiet, watching the surface of the water with a frown. She snorted and gave a curt nod.

_That was too close._

Slowly, she looked at Sphal, eyes unblinking.

 

…

 

Extending her tail, the green-furred creature gently placed the tiny gem down, letting her go. She tilted her head, her third eye actually closing for the time being.

–

Sphal backed up carefully as soon as her feet made contact with the ground, whimpering softly. She stared up at the creature, but... her fear quelled for a moment. It wasn't attacking. Curiously, she mimicked the creature's movement, tilting her head in the same direction.

"Did you... save me?" She asked, not taking her eyes off of the other.

_Stars, what am I doing? Surely it can't understand me._

She took a gradual step forward, slowly holding up her hands and exposing her palms.

–

The gem monster slowly lowered herself to the ground to make herself look less threatening. At Sphal's question, she nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. She watched the tiny gem approach, and kept still. _Maybe if she got close enough..._

–

Sphal blinked once, frowning inquisitively. _Did it just respond to her? No, surely it hadn't... there was no way that it understood._

But maybe, just _maybe_... Slowly, she got closer, raising up her hand to the monster, but lowered her other hand to her gem. If anything happened, she wanted to be at least somewhat ready.

–

Ears flicking back for a moment, the gem monster glanced at Sphal's hand near her gem.

_Stars, she didn't want her to summon another weapon, not right now._

However, she stayed still. If she made any sudden moves now, Sphalerite could easily grab another sickle. Instead, she lowered her head entirely to the ground, closing her eyes. Seemed that for the moment, she was trusting this gem not to hurt her.

–

Sphal took in a quiet breath, stopping inches from the gem monster. She hesitated. Tilting her head, she clenched her fingers for a moment. She wasn't sure if this was a good idea... but maybe it wasn't violent.

_Only one way to find out._

Sphal uncurled her fingers and steadily pressed her hand against the monster's snout, a massive shudder shaking her very core.

–

Tail flicking, the gem monster stifled a shudder of her own. To calm herself, the green-furred creature sighed quietly... and began to purr. It was quiet, subtle, but it was there. She opened one of her eyes, staring at Sphal curiously.

_Still not quite close enough..._

–

The faintest of smiles crept up on Sphal's face. Eyes wide, she stared in absolute wonder at the creature hunkering before her. Slowly, she lifted her hand away from her gem and placed the other one on her snout.

"Thank you..." she said softly, looking into its strange eye. She had never seen a gem monster like this before, and docile ones came extremely rarely. She knew they existed, but she personally had never met one. At least, until now.

But just how tame was this one?

–

_There was her chance._

Though she knew this was risky, she had an opening and didn't want to waste it. The gem creature suddenly whipped her tail around, behind Sphalerite, pressing her closer to her muzzle.

Which now made contact with her gemstone.

In an instant, a soft, almost echoing voice sounded in the tiny gem's mind.

_"Please don't be frightened."_

–

Sphal shrieked out in sudden panic, her hair standing on end. Her body seized up as she gripped at the monster's snout tightly. But, she soon relaxed. It wasn't by much, but she calmed down upon hearing the voice. She looked down at the monster's eyes.

"Wha...was that..y-you?...." she said shakily, hardly able to keep herself held together.

–

 _"Yes. My name is Ekanite. I'm sorry for startling you... I'm not going to harm you, I promise."_ Eka opened both eyes now, curiously staring at the tiny gem before her. _"You were too close to the pool, I was worried something would snap you up."_

–

Sphal glanced to her side without moving her head, arms raising up. She glanced back, the tears soon disappearing. She sniffed, placing her palms back on Eka's nose.

"Y-you can talk to me... how is this possible? Is this some kind of telepathy?" she asked, slowly looking down towards her gem.

–

Ekanite slowly relaxed, her tail moving away from Sphal's back. She didn't need to hold her in place anymore.

 _"It is. It's the only way I can audibly communicate like this... It makes it rather difficult to get a message across."_ The gem creature 'frowned', glancing away. _"Please, what is it you're doing here?"_ Her tone wasn't suspicious, per se, but there was a cautious tinge to it.

–

Sphal poked out her lip and frowned as well.

"Mmnn well, ya see... I've been looking for the perfect place to live. Seeing as I'm so... small... that's not really an easy thing to do. Seems gems nowadays don’t… like having me around. The cities are a no-go, so I thought I’d check out the real estate out here, so to speak.”She grimaced, looking away. "And what about you? Do you live here or something?..."

–

Ekanite frowned sadly.

 _"I see..."_ She sighed quietly and glanced away, her tail flicking rather irritably behind her. Seemed she was thinking about something, but didn't say anything about it. _"Well, for the moment, yes. I was living somewhere else, but."_ Looking back at  Sphal, she pinned her ears back. _"Like you, gemkind doesn't exactly treat me 'normally'."_

–

Sphal looked back at Eka, but didn't respond this time. Seemed she felt something too.

"Well that's a shame, I'm sure they'd be fascinated by the likes of you... You know, gem monsters don't exactly... well, they just aren't tame. They don't talk. But you?" Sphal tilted her head again, boldly 'petting' the creature's snout. "How long have you been here anyway?"

–

The gem monster's eyes widened before slowly drifting shut. She leaned into the petting and purred quietly, tail curling at her side.

 _"A while... I'm unsure how long. My mind isn't as sharp as it once was, and you lose track of time at a certain point."_ Her voice bore an unfathomable heaviness to it, despite her efforts to sound casual. _"But... ' far too long' seems like a fair answer."_

–

Sphal sighed and looked away again.

"Well... is there anything else living in here? Or are you all alone?" She asked, continuing to pet the creature curiously. It seemed to like it, at least. She could only hope that it would continue to be benevolent around her for the time being. "Sorry if I'm... intruding or anything."

–

The Ekanite blinked and shrugged.

 _"You're not intruding. There's nobody here but me, so there's... plenty of room. If you'd like to stay."_ Flicking her tail, the monster smiled and tilted her head. _"Just stay away from the pool!"_

–

Sphal smiled, looking back around. _Finally! A place to stay!_ ... But, something was caught on her mind. Her smile faded, and she looked at the gem creature again far more sympathetically.

"… You don't like staying here, do you?"

–

 _"...No, I don't."_ The creature closed her eyes, her ears drooping. _"It's lonely. I miss the cities..."_

–

Sphal sighed heavily and leaned into the creature's snout.

"Well... How about this." Sphal got an idea, looking into the other's eyes with anticipation, looking almost _hopeful_. "If you want... well, I’d like to consider myself a bit of an adventurer nowadays! I don't really stay in one place for too long, so I'm used to moving around. Maybe we could look for the perfect place to live together?  Somewhere where we can both be happy. Would you like that? I… know it’s a bit forward, but… gems like us, we gotta stick together, right?" she said, smiling softly. She couldn't help but worry, wondering if this was really a good idea or not. A micro-gem and a gem monster, exploring and traveling together? It was absurd... not to mention, she, personally, would have been fine living here on her own.

But something about that didn't sit right with her. There was something far more to this gem creature... she could feel it. She could _see_ it. And she was curious by nature, so she wanted to find out more. She couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity to learn more about them.

–

Ekanite's eyes widened, staring in shock at the tiny form before her. This gem... this tiny, timid gem was offering to travel with her... to find somewhere to live in peace? Despite the fact that she was a corrupted gem, a monster, Sphalerite seemed willing to look past that.

_She was willing to see the gem trapped inside._

_Ekanite_ _was being given another chance, an opportunity to actually connect with another gem that didn't want to cause her harm. And so soon after **he** had pushed her away._

Swallowing quietly, Eka sat up slightly, giving a soft chirp.

_"I would love that!"_

–

Sphal giggled and 'hugged' her arms around the gem monster's snout, even if a little reluctantly.

"Then it's settled! We're gonna find the perfect home!" She grinned from ear to ear. Standing back up straight, she placed her hands to her hips and nodded. "Oh, right! I'm Sphalerite, by the way. You can call me Sphal. Do you... have a name?" She asked, looking over the creature.

–

The creature smiled and chirruped, closing her eyes.

_"You can call me Eka." _

\--

\----

\--

The green-furred creature smiled and flicked her tail, looking up at the giant gem before herself and Sphal. Hematite had listened intently, his chin resting on his folded arms.

–

Sphal stretched out again, practically flopping over on her back.

"Aaaand next thing ya know, here we are! We still haven't really found the perfect place, but Ekanite and I have found some really cool spots on our travels," she said, closing her eyes and folding her arms behind her head. "Ya see, its weird- we have to find a place where it's still in the city, cuz Eka likes cities. But, it can't be too busy, cuz we can't be around too many gems...ya get what I'm saying?" Sphal grinned, opening a single eye to peer at the sky.

–

Hematite nodded and drummed his fingers on his forearm, deep in thought. It was true, he couldn't think of many places like that. He knew how dangerous it was to be so small, especially in certain areas of the districts. He couldn't even imagine being at such a small size all the time.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find it! Who knows, there might be a place around the towers." Chuckling, he shrugged and looked at Eka curiously.

 _So... this is a gem monster that can communicate like a normal gem?_ He'd never heard of such a thing. Hematite smiled. _Well, he'd have to check that out later... for now..._

"But, you guys should probably get moving, huh? How about this... If I ever see you around the Blue District, and I'm not on a job, I'll take you to see the towers. How does that sound?"

Ekanite smiled and chirped at the giant gem, quickly turning to look at Sphal expectantly.

–

Sphal sat up excitedly, simply beaming at the much larger gem.

"Do ya mean it?! That would be incredible!" She said, hopping up to her feet. She took a few steps closer, though still didn't get too close to him. "We'd love that! What do ya say, Eka?" She asked, peering back at the green-furred creature.

–

Ekanite nodded enthusiastically and hopped up, walking over to her partner, a purr in her throat. Hematite chuckled and nodded.

"Then it's a deal! I'll see you guys around, then."

The green-furred creature smiled and looked at Sphal, her eyes shining. She glanced back at the giant gem as he stifled a yawn. She tilted her head at him, and he gave the two an unreadable look.

"But for now, I still need to rest." He arched a brow at the two with a coy, but good-natured, smile. "Since sooomebody woke me up."

–

Sphal grinned almost nervously, hugging into the monster's neck.

"Alright, alriiight, we'll let you sleep, then. Sorry for disturbing you!" She chuckled, hopping up onto Ekanite's back. "We've got more places to see, anyway." The red gem held her hands up and straightened out her goggles, shuffling herself around to get comfortable again. "Oh, and good luck on your fusion fights!"

–

Ekanite nodded in agreement and waved goodbye to Hematite as she trotted off, over the hillside and out of sight.

Hema watched the two leave and rested his head on his arms, lost in thought.

 _A gem monster with supposedly the ability to communicate like a normal gem... huh._ _Maybe... Maybe there was some sort of hope for corrupted gems._ If  Ekanite was different, did that mean that there were others like her?

 

 

_Could gem monsters live semi-normal lives?_

 

 

_Or was it just wishful thinking?_


	64. Afraid of the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mago attends a once-a-year special event at the Coliseum.

The streets of the Blue District were uncharacteristically quiet and barren tonight. Only a few stray gems walked here and there throughout the city, either heading home or taking a stroll. The former was far more likely, as there seemed to be some dark clouds rolling in from the northwest. They covered the usually-bright, clear skies in the distance, though they weren't quite upon the main part of the city yet.

Those who weren't in the city streets were likely all at one very special, very rare event.

 

 

**The Nocturn Fusion Event.** ****

 

While it was true that fusion fights were held a few times a year in the Coliseum, there was one night in particular that was set apart from all the rest. All the other fusion events happened during the day, close to noon, but this one took place in the dead of night, when the moon was at its peak. Gems of all sorts flocked to this event in particular, because if fusion spars weren't spectacular enough during the day... they were certainly a treat to witness in the darker hours. There were fights of flair, spars of strength, and contests of the most appealing fusion dances.

 

 

The Blue District Arena was practically glowing from the inside with the lights of thousands of gems that had gathered in the stands, and continued to file in through the many tunnels and two main gates. Many of them held their communicators or holo-image takers and were busily chatting or recording video. The combined light of all their devices, paired with the many crystalline light fixtures that had been placed around the top and inside of the arena made it quite a lovely sight from the outside walls. A dim glow could be seen above the massive walls from the city.

 

 

But it wasn't just the crowd and the lights that looked different tonight. The very floor of the Coliseum was completely changed. Before the event, a large team of specialized gems were sent in to place huge 'obstacles' and such in the normally-barren fighting field. They'd place pillars, large partitions of wall, some sturdy scrap metal from the Yellow District ship yards, anything that could be used as a vantage point, hiding place, or strategic 'weapon' of some sort. Absolutely riddled with huge blockades, a few crystalline, hovering lights, and hiding places of all sorts, the field was quite the interesting sight to behold. It was so dense with rubble, pillars, walls and whatnot that some areas of the Arena were near maze-like in structure. There were strict rules in place that the gems fighting in the event were not to throw any of the objects very far, as they could damage the arena walls, or worse, fly into the crowd. However, there were safety features in place, should it happen. Though it was rarely put up, because rubble and such wasn't usually a problem, the Arena did have one safety method that would make the crowd rest a lot easier. All around the innermost wall of the Coliseum was an unseen holo-screen that would protect the crowd from not only stray debris, but rogue gems as well. It was usually saved for this night event and the off-chance that there was a highly dangerous rampaging gem or fusion. There were a few rows, about fifteen feet, between the crowd and where the holo-screen was projected, to prevent any accidents. It wasn't up at the moment, but a technician gem was standing by in their little 'office' in the upper wall, ready to switch it on when the event officially began.

 

 

Which would be very soon.

 

 

Pacing in place, Mago drummed her fingers on her upper lip, looking worried. She was currently shrunken down to her 'civilian' height, which was around nine-or-so feet tall. She currently stood about a head taller than Morgan.

A few other gems were in the tunnel, practicing their dances or techniques. Some of them were even scoping out the field, planning where they could go for the best strategic moves.

Mago sighed and stopped pacing, running her fingers through her hair.

"What if I can't do it, M'?" 

–

Standing a few feet away from the ebony-haired service gem was the flamboyant warrior himself, stretching his arms up above his head.

"Come on, Mago. I've seen drunken bar patrons that can dance pretty well; I'm sure you can do it." He grinned, holding out his hand to her. "But don't worry. There's really nothin' to it!" From beyond the gate, Morgan could see that the construction gems were fitting in the final obstacles on the floor, some of them even making their way back through the gate. "It's almost time."

–

The ebony-haired gem blinked and sighed, hesitantly taking the pink-haired warrior's hand. She pushed aside her nerves for the moment and at least tried to put on her usual aloof air.

"Well... alright. But what if he doesn't even show up?! How are we going to find him in all that mess out there?" Turning toward the gate, Mago watched a few purplish-blue gems make their way down the towards the tunnel, not even winded from their work they had been doing moments prior. They stopped outside the currently closed tunnel gates.

 

 

And then came the announcer. The voice was some gem Mago didn't know, nor did she care to know. Though, she did note that they sounded strangely familiar in tone… Regardless, she tried to ignore them. Their announcements were mostly for the crowd anyways, and were a bit muffled from the tunnel.

 

 

"Now, if you all would be so kind as to dim your devices, we can get this show underway~!" They had a loud, charismatic voice that carried well through the arena over a set of audio devices. As soon as they'd spoken, the arena floor slowly, but surely, got darker. Mago bit her lip quietly.

–

Morgan stepped closer, still holding Mago's hand.

"Hey, listen. Even if he doesn't show up... we can still give these gems a show. I'm sure they'll love us! But, if you really aren't comfortable, you certainly don't have to." Morgan nodded with a reassuring smile. Looking to the gate, he let go of her hand and started to make his way for the entrance. There were still quiet murmurs among the gems within the crowd, some a little more rowdy than others. The seats to the Coliseum were absolutely packed full of gems from all different districts; they had come far and wide to see the brilliant display of fusion and skill that would take place tonight.

The gates began to slowly rattle open.

–

Mago paused for a moment before she huffed and followed after the warrior gem. Well, he was right. Even if Pipsqueak didn't show up, she'd still have fun tossing some other gems around. A smug smirk crossed her face, her eyes half-lidded. Yeah, that'd make the night worth it.

Even if he wasn't here to get his butt kicked.

 

 

 

 

"Tch.  She _is_ here."

"Did you say something, Ti?"

In a tunnel across the arena, Hema was stretching, trying to get loosened up for his and the other Hematite's fusion dance. Ti was standing a little distance from him, her back turned toward him. She stiffened and stood straight, a soft 'chirp' sounding before she turned around. Her hands clasped in front of her.

"Oh, no! Sorry. Just talking to myself.~" She gave Hema a bright, excited smile. The shorter service gem blinked and cocked a brow. He knew that chirping sound. That was what hunting visors sounded like when they powered down...

_What was Ti using **that** for right now?_

"Well, alright. You all ready to go? The gates are down."

The silver-haired Hematite nodded enthusiastically and giggled, taking Hema's hand in hers as she rushed out the door. Thankfully, he was able to keep up at the moment. He'd shifted up to about eleven feet tall to better match Ti's 'civilian' height, though she still stood about a head taller than him.

The moment the two were out of the gates, Ti bolted to the side, making her way along the wall. Hema protested in confusion, glancing back behind them.

"T-Ti, the fighters are that way!"

The taller Hematite didn't respond.

Soon enough, she abruptly stopped near one of the other tunnels along the wall. In front of it was a long, nearly cleared-out section of the obstacles so the two opposing tunnels on either side of the arena were in view of each other.

And, lo and behold, Mago was stepping out of the one across the field.

Ti narrowed her eyes, a smug smile crossing her face for a moment. However, it softened to a cheerful grin, and she turned to Hema, taking his hands before Mago or Morgan could spot them.

"Hemaaa, there's somebody here that we should really give a show!" She grinned wider and glanced to the side, eyeing Mago at the opposite side of the clearing. Hema followed her gaze with an arched brow.

"O-oh, Mago's here-…?!" His brows shot up, having spotted yet another familiar gem. _W-well, Morganite said he liked to battle fusions sometimes, so. It was no surprise to see him there._

The two weren't walking together, per se, but they were close enough that Hematite had to wonder...

But there was no time for wondering. Ti was pulling him aside, into clear view of the open shot down the field.

"Oooh Maaagoooo!~"

 

 

Blinking, the ebony-haired Hematite frowned and looked around, her eyes quickly landing on the two Hematites far across the field.

**_You._ **

–

Morgan stepped into the open a few feet behind Mago. He glanced up at the sky and into the crowd, breathing in heavily

"Haaaaa. What a lovely evening. I have a feeling this will be interesting." Morgan whispered to himself, raising a brow at the service gem he was walking next to. The crowd, as more gems started to appear from the entrances, started to get more riled up. Morgan's eyes narrowed a little, a dark grin spread across his face upon spotting the other two Hematites. So he really _was_ with her.

–

Hema blinked in surprise as Morgan looked right at him and Ti. He smiled awkwardly, giving a little wave.

However, the gesture was cut short as the silver-haired Hematite took his hand and pulled him close, her gemstone starting to glow. With an embarrassed gulp, the shorter Hematite intertwined his fingers with Ti's, closing his eyes. His gem began to glow as well.

There was a short pause.

But soon, Ti stepped back and away from Hema, gracefully tossing out her free hand to her side. She shot Mago a _look_ before she took a few flighty steps to the side, letting go of  Hema's hand. The two did a rather quick, synchronized dance that involved a few twirls and inter-crossing paths, before the two suddenly embraced.

Ti was holding Hema up by his waist and back in a sort of dip, his right leg hooked behind hers, arms draped around her neck. His eyes were still closed, his face near hers. The silver-haired Hematite shot Mago a nasty smile before she suddenly leaned down closer, mere inches from Hematite's face. The shorter service gem cracked open one eye just in time to see that Ti was much closer than she had been in any of their prior practice dances.

 

 

Mago stared in absolute disgust at the two.

_Disgust and **hurt**._

 

 

Ti leaned even closer, her lips almost brushing Hema's. The two Hematites began to glow brightly. Their forms no longer distinguishable, the light grew brighter, and the two gems began to take shape, their combined form growing bigger and bigger.

–

Morgan's expression never changed, watching the two fuse with well-disguised revulsion.

"Hmph." He lifted his chin up and flicked his hair back with his hand, quirking a brow at the glowing amalgamation. He had to remember that only _half_ of that monstrosity was his friend. Glancing at  Mago, he took a few steps closer to her, now standing beside her. "Heh... I didn't know the other Hematite was so pretty. I guess she has to make up for her absolutely revolting personality somehow,” he hummed out, closing his eyes with a soft grin.

–

Mago flinched at first, but then looked at Morgan in surprise before smiling slyly at him. She stepped closer to him, her eyes now trained on the nearly-formed fusion across the way. The giant gem lifted her hands, twisting them at the wrist as she got a feel for her new form.

Her body stopped glowing.

For two such lightly-colored gems, their fusion was no surprise. Her skin was a pale ivory, her hair beautiful silver. There was a thin line along her neck, resting above Hema's gem. The fusion seemed to have two sets of eyes. One lower set with long, impressive eyelashes, and another higher set with bright-magenta sclera and darker irises of the same hue. Her forehead gem glinted in the low light as she looked herself over in approval.

"Hmmmm. Yes, this is _much_ better~" she hummed out, her voice low and eerie. Running her hands up along her sides, she lifted her clawed fingers up behind her neck, lifting her hair slightly. "It's a shame you couldn't pull off something like this, dearie."

-

_Hematite quickly pulled away as soon as he felt solid 'ground' under his feet. The taller Hematite squeaked in surprise and stood straight, folding her hands in front of her._

_" Hema darling, is something the matter? We did it!" _

_Hematite frowned and shook his head for a moment. Looking rather offended, he took a step back from her as he adjusted his sleeves._

_"That wasn't part of the dance, Ti. Next time, ask me before you do something like that, alright?" _

_He couldn't believe she'd nearly kissed him._

_Ti's_ _expression dropped for a moment, and she looked away, rubbing her arm._

_"Sorry. I got a little lost in the moment."_

_Hema_ _sighed through his nose and shrugged, trying to dismiss her behavior. He knew they wouldn't stay fused long if he was bitter about her stunt. Instead, he looked around at the fusion plane. The sky was once again filled with bright stars, but it was a dark, grayish-maroon color. Along the horizon stood black silhouettes of district buildings, pink auras of light cropping up between some of them. Hema looked down at his feet. The floor was a huge, glassy expanse that had a faint-pink hue to it. It hurt his eyes to look at for too long. He looked up to see a screen shaped much like Ti's pink visor. On it, he could already see a visual of Mago across the field._

_And..._ _Was Morgan standing next to her now?_

-

"It's too bad you didn't bring a partner, **_Hematite_**. Oh well, teaching you a lesson will be far more fun on your own," the fusion cooed, her voice laced with spite.

–

The lithe warrior standing next to Mago looked back at the now-fused duo and smirked grimly. Taking a step forward, he lifted a single hand and started to chuckle.

"I beg to differ, dear,” the warrior said charmingly, turned to Mago and swinging out his free hand towards her. Eyes half-lidded, he met the ebony-haired service gem's gaze with a look of fierce, mutual understanding.

–

The fusion, unimpressed, raised a brow, pursing her lips. She lowered her arms, letting her hair fall back behind her. Taking a single step back, she stood poised, smugly staring down at the two with spite, her hands on her hips.

Mago turned to Morganite and smiled a bit nervously, taking his hand. She gave him a tiny nod of understanding and grinned, bowing just slightly.

-

_Ti_ _sneered at the screen, lifting a hand to motion towards it._

_"She's fusing with an entertainment gem? What kind of joke is this?"_

_Hema_ _, on the other hand, looked far more... concerned. His mouth hung open, eyes wide with distress. Wait. She was fusing... with..._

_"Morgan?!"_

_Ti_ _flinched slightly at his outburst, and gave him a suspicious look._

_"What's **your** problem,  Hema?" _

_The shorter gem didn't respond. He didn't so much as move. He slowly looked at her without turning his head, mouth still parted in a worried grimace._

_"..."_

–

Morgan closed his eyes and grinned, his gem starting to glow. With a flick of his hand, he backed up and spun around, beginning to sway. His moves were graceful and rhythmic, much like a tango. Occasionally, he'd grab Mago's hand and spin her around, swaying with her.

–

Gem beginning to glow, Mago started to dance with the pink-haired warrior. The service gem did her best to follow Morganite's style of dancing, and despite tripping up once or twice, she managed to pull it off well enough. Her moves were similar to Ti's style of dancing, though there was a bit more of a commanding, slightly less-predictable tone to it. As they neared the end of their dance, Mago watched Morgan carefully to match his last few moves. She took his hands in hers, stepping back a few paces before stopping and turning sharply to look at the fusion across the way.

**_Oh, we'll give you a show that you'll never forget, Ti._ **

–

Morgan opened his eyes at last, and pulled Mago in close, his fingers entwined with hers. With his other hand, he held her back, and dipped forward dramatically. He spared Mago a sly wink, and a bright-pink light enveloped both of their forms.

-

_Morgan opened an eye, glancing side-to-side with a smirk._

_"Oh, how lovely."_ _He hummed out, opening his other eye and peering around the plane. It was oddly beautiful here. The sky was a lovely shade of dark blue and purple with glimmering, pink stars overhead. Towards the horizon, the sky seemed to fluctuate in color, adapting with pinks, greens, and oranges. Oddly enough, though, they were ever-changing, much like the lights in his own club. All around them stood buildings of all different shapes and colors. Quite a few of them stood a good 20-or-so feet higher than the two, but others were actually smaller than the two gems. Some of the buildings bore bright, neon lights and had windows that changed colors as well. The entire plane felt warm._

–

_Mago_ _repressed an anticipatory shudder as she stood straight, her eyes closed._

_Would things look different than last time?_

_Slowly, the service gem opened her eyes and looked around, her breath catching in her throat for a moment._

_"Oh, wow..."_

_Taking a step forward, the ebony-haired gem blinked in surprise, flinching back for a moment. The ground beneath the two gems was nearly pitch-black, but as she'd taken a step, she could have sworn she’d seen color. Curiously, she tapped her foot down again. Sure enough, bright, wispy hues spread out from the impact. The patterns were very similar to her plasmic powers, and they arced out away from her before dissipating._

_"Huh. This is certainly different from the last time." Mago looked around and stepped closer to the pink-haired warrior, her steps lighting up the buildings even more than they already were. It really was beautiful in here. Sure, the cityscape that the two gems found themselves standing in was nothing new to her, but last time the buildings had been almost pitch-black with no lights. And it hadn't been nearly as warm._

_"I'm guessing the lights are your thing, huh, M'?"_

-

_Morgan chuckled and shrugged, tapping his heel on the ground._

_"Indeed it is! My my, I must say this is one of the more... aesthetically-pleasing fusion planes I've been in! Seems our styles merge pretty well," he said, flicking his hair away from his face with a single finger. "You did well, Mago. And now, what do you say we put Ti in her rightful place?" he said darkly, leaning up against one of the slightly-taller buildings. He had to admit, this place made him feel **big**. It certainly wasn't something he'd ever experienced before. Did all of her fusion planes have small buildings?_

-

_Mago_ _stood akimbo and tapped her foot, sending little plasmic waves of color through the floor. At Morganite's question, she grinned darkly, turning her head to a large building across the way. Ahhh, that looked familiar._

_"Yes. Let's." _

_Stepping closer, Mago tapped on a large, visor-shaped screen on the side of the tower. Slowly, it glowed to life._

-

Bigger and bigger, the two's fusion continued growing until it stood almost equal with the one across the way. Admittedly, when it stopped growing, it was clearer that it stood a head or two shorter. The drawbacks of only being _half_ Hematite.

Suddenly, as the form began to take a more solid shape, bright-pink flames rose up from its feet, spiraling around the fusion in an impressive pyre. In a few moments, the fusion was completely engulfed in a tunnel of flames.

And a loud, confident laugh echoed around the field.

"My my my! It's about time!" A pair of red-gloved arms shot out from the sides of the flaming tower, completely unharmed. They motioned out in a showy manner. The fusion laughed again. "Ladies and gentlegems~! I am pleased to announce that your brightly-burning star of the evening..."

With a bright glimmer, the arms swung back into the pyre before shooting forward, splitting the fiery tower in half, parting it like a curtain. The flames flew up into the air, away from the huge gem, and fizzled out into bright-pink, shimmering sparkles. The fusion did a quick, showy spin before she crossed her feet, posed, and gave a winsome wink to the audience. She raised a hand, snapped her fingers, and grinned, a bright flame forming at the end of her index finger.

_"Has finally arrived~!"_

The crowd erupted into a roar of eager cheering. Giving an invigorating twirl, the tall, red fusion spun the flame around in a dazzling light show, then held it out towards the other fusion, blowing it towards them like a kiss. The flame took the shape of a heart for a moment, but quickly 'shattered' just as it began to flicker away.

"The magnificent _Carnelian_ is most happy to bring you the show you've ALL been waiting for!" She raised her gloved hands in the air, shooting her opponent a charming, confident grin.

–

Hemati, the light fusion standing opposite Carnelian, crossed her arms and scoffed with a disgusted sneer. She seemed to be sizing her opponent up. The other fusion wasn't anything special, in her opinion. She had a normal amount of arms, no extra eyes, and a simple, orange visor. Her outfit was tacky as well. The petty side of the fusion clicked her tongue, looking Carnelian over. Most of the fusion's outfit was some red or black hue. She wore high-ended boots with bright pink 'tights'. A pink tailcoat trailed out behind her, and, from what Hemati had seen, there was a diamond insignia on the back. Seemed it was a dark color instead of white or blue. The fusion's skin itself was a bright crimson color, and her hair was a deep red. Carnelian's hairstyle seemed to bear a more exaggerated resemblance to Morgan's hair with fluffy tufts at the sides of her face. The only thing out of the ordinary that Hemati could spot was that the fusion seemed to have reversed irises. Her slitted pupils were a bright-yellow color while her irises were near-black.

All in all... the taller fusion wasn't impressed. She scoffed, tossing her silvery hair over her shoulder.

"'Magnificent' nothing! You're all talk. There's not gonna be a show if I have anything to say about it!"

She turned away to look at her claws in feigned boredom. Suddenly clenching her fists, Hemati summoned her weapon on her left hand; a set of metallic claws that wrapped up over her knuckles like massive cat claws. They were huge, sharp, and looked dangerous.

"Come on, _darling_ , let's see what you've got!"

She shifted into a fighting stance similar to Hema's, her eyes narrowed, body tense.

-

_Mago_ _narrowed her own eyes, a wide, unsettling smile spreading across her face. Something started to creep up in the back of Carnelian's- and by effect, Morgan's- mind. A drive to take this fusion down. A need to put her in her place... But there was something more than that. An odd, faint tingling sensation rose up in both of the fused gem's chests before it quickly vanished._

_The ebony-haired Hematite was locked on her target._

-

Carnelian grinned charmingly and held out her hand again, beckoning Hemati towards her.

"Then enough talk, dear. Let's light this place up." She bounded back, throwing her hands in the air again. Bright, pink flames erupted from her palms in a dazzling show, and soon she clenched her fists and summoned her own weapons. Sharp, white blades appeared over the tops of her arms, extending a few decent inches past her fingertips. Crossing her arms once, then flicking them rapidly to her sides, she stood tall with flaming, bladed arms held outwards. A wide, toothy grin spread across her face, her eyes narrowing at her opponent.

-

_Morgan raised a brow at the screen, smiling idly. Slowly, he looked over to Mago with a curious look, but said not a word. Stifling a small, dour chuckle, he looked back to the screen and crossed his arms. The air in the fusion plane seemed to fluctuate slightly, becoming just a little hotter than it was before._

-

_Ti_ _scoffed and tossed her hair behind her shoulder, glaring at the screen with bright pink eyes. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms, looking at Hema standing nearby._

_"What do you say, Hema darling? Let's show these two what we're made of." _

_Hema_ _was admittedly impressed with Carnelian, albeit more than a tad intimidated. Last time he fought EITHER of her halves, it hadn't ended smoothly. He just hoped neither him nor Ti would get seriously damaged in this fight..._

_"Right!_ _Okay, remember everything I taught you!" He turned to his fusion partner and balled his fists up in front of him, a determined gleam in his eyes._

-

**_Oh don't worry, Hema... I haven't forgotten a thing._ **

The silver-haired fusion grinned darkly and shot forward, moving with unnatural, blinding speed toward her opponent, clawed hand readied at her side.

–

Carnelian sneered and flashed her blades together, crouching low and lunging forward. Burning yellow pupils were fixated on Hemati's claws, taking note of how she should move if she tried to scratch her with those nasty things. Just as she got close, she uncrossed her blades, scraping them against each other with a loud, shrill sound. The move sent an X-shaped wave of bright pink flames towards the other fusion as Carnelian darted to the side to dodge her attack.

–

Hemati was admittedly caught off-guard, but she was able to dodge out of the way, only a lock or two of her hair being singed in the process. She hissed between her teeth and shot forward as Carnelian darted to the side. Without warning, she summoned her second hand's weapon and slashed viciously at the red fusion's arm, trying to catch her off-guard. Only one of her sets of eyes was currently open, glaring darkly at her opponent.

–

Carnelian deftly twisted her arm over, her opponent's claws clanking violently against the white blade guarding her arm. The shorter, red fusion chuckled with delight and delivered a swift kick to Hemati's side.

"Think fast, darling!" Carnelian taunted, hopping up into the air and landing onto one of the pieces of planted rubble. As she lifted her arms up confidently, the audience roared behind the holo-screens protecting them from the fights.

Hemati grimaced and tumbled to the side, glaring up at the gem that'd kicked her hard enough to foil her next move. Sneering, she leapt up at the fusion with a hiss, her claws suddenly sparking wildly with bright-pink electricity.

Carnelian looked back coyly at the fast-approaching gem and grinned, ducking down quickly to avoid her attack. In the process, she spun her legs out up over her, kicking her opponent directly in the stomach, sending her flying forward past the rubble she was perched on. The red-haired gem hopped back up and flipped her hair aside, grinning deviously at the fusion that now lay below her again.

"Faster than that.~"

The black-haired fusion had hit a large piece of wall rather hard, but she wasn't stunned for long. She started to get up, glaring daggers at the cocky fusion on the debris.

-

_The lights in the fusion plane were slowly changing colors, illuminating Morgan and Mago softly with vibrant, fluctuating hues. The pink-haired gem looked to the other and took in a gentle breath._

_"Do you fight often, Mago?" He asked, glancing between her and the screen._

-

_Mago_ _was intently watching the screen, her brows furrowed. She was worried about the opposing fusion having Ti's speed... that was a dangerous ability. And with Hematite's reflexes? Yikes. _

_After a moment, she finally realized that Morgan had asked her a question, and she shrugged, pursing her lips._

_"Not really. The only action I ever get to see is when I spar with Pipsqueak, and when I used to spar with **her**."  Mago sneered and clicked her tongue. Glancing behind her, she put her hands up on the roof of the building she'd been leaning against. With a soft 'hup', she lifted herself up and onto it, sitting down comfortably. Huh. She'd always wanted to try that. She swung her legs idly. "Or, you know, when the other Hematites get bored." She stopped speaking... but an audible thought drifted through the fusion scape._

**_And decide to toss me around for a bit._ **

_"So, nah._ _I don't fight much. I enjoy tearing things down though." The ebony-haired gem tried to push aside her thought from a moment ago like it didn't happen, and she clenched a fist in her palm, cracking her knuckles._

-

_Morgan felt his expression twitch, but he kept steady._

_"Hm..." He looked back to the screen, leaning up against one of the shorter buildings this time. It was strange; he didn't know too much about Mago, and yet here they were, fused together with a common goal. Her words made him fall into deep thought. Maybe, after all this was said and done, he could try and talk to her. Something felt off about her, even more so than he'd ever realized before._

-

Carnelian stood proud, glaring right back at the other fusion with a steely, sly expression. She readied herself, bringing her blades out in front of her and squaring her shoulders, should Hemati attack again.

–

This time, the larger fusion made no move to go directly for Carnelian. Instead, she squinted, grinning darkly.

_She's melee. Go for her weakness._

_SHINK_

Hemati suddenly dug her clawed weapons deep into the floor beneath her, bright-pink electricity coursing at blinding speed through the ground, up into the rubble Carnelian was standing on. But instead of its usual erratic pattern, it seemed to almost resemble a _web_.

Carnelian's eyes widened. The attack was too quick for her to properly dodge. She'd gotten one foot off the piece of wall to get away, but she wasn't fast enough. The second the lightning neared the red-haired fusion, it shot out of the ground in almost tangible form, latching onto her and digging into her form painfully. Granted, Mago's half of the fusion gave Carnelian a mild resistance to Ti's plasma, but it was still painful.

–

Stumbling off of the rubble and landing onto the ground below, Carnelian's smile twisted into a snarl, brows furrowed. But it was still a smile nonetheless.

"Showtime." She held out her arms again, engulfing the ends with hot-pink flames. This time, however, she spread her arms out further and the flames 'connected' together, a lot like how Mago's plasma looked. Chuckling, Carnelian took a bold step closer.

-

_"Well that was a rather nasty trick, don't you think." Morgan spoke idly, his tone rather calm. He held up his hand, observing his gemstone. It glistened with the ever-changing lights of the fusion plane, occasionally glimmering as he turned his hand from one way to the other. "We'll just have to play some tricks of our own, now won't we, dear?" The warrior glanced over to Mago eerily._

-

_Looking over, Mago arched a brow and smiled silently. She nodded in agreement and stared at the screen again. That odd prickling began, this time a bit higher, and more obvious. The ebony-haired Hematite frowned for a moment and shook her head, the feeling quickly clearing._

-

Standing up quickly, the opposing fusion shook off her clawed weapons, taking a few quick steps back. For such a large gem, she was unnaturally light on her feet, and her steps didn't seem to be as heavy as they should have been. Plasmic electricity flowed between the fusion's weapons, making her hair stand on end. She chuckled darkly, motioning for Carnelian to come at her.

–

Carnelian chuckled eerily and rolled her neck, plasma flowing between the blades on her wrist. She lifted her head to the sky and took a deep, quiet breath.

-

_Morgan smirked, staring straight ahead. Something in the air was changing again. It started to become slightly warmer. Suddenly, the pink gem leaned back further onto the building and looked to the sky, closing his eyes. An eerily familiar tune drifted through the air._

_" Hm hm hmm, hm hm hm hmmm...~ Hmmmhmhmhmmmmm..." _

_-_

"Hmmmmhmhmmmm...."

From the red fusion's lips drifted an ominously sultry tune. Narrowing her eyes, her smile grew wider and she boldly stepped forward, creeping nonchalantly towards the other fusion.

–

Hemati backed up a step, her top pair of eyes opening wide. They stared ahead at the approaching fusion, expression unreadable.

The larger fusion hissed loudly again and cracked her neck, readying herself into an aggressive fighting stance.

-

_"What is she doing?" Ti curled her lip in confusion, arching a brow. The silver-haired gem crossed her arms and tapped her foot, glancing at Hema._

_He seemed to be rather perturbed._

_" Weee should end this fight now. Like, right now. Or forfeit. I don't know, ahaha." Grinning nervously, the shorter gem turned to Ti and held his palms up, taking a step back. "Fighting regular gems was one thing, but I'm not up for battling something that's half-Morganite, half-angry-Harvester."_

_Ti_ _turned her head fully to Hema, brows raising._

_"What?!_ _You want to give up **now**? The fight's barely started,  Hema! Come on, you've fought **Diamonds** and you want to wuss out because of  Mago and some entertainment gem?!" _

_Hema_ _grimaced and inhaled sharply through his teeth, rubbing the back of his neck. He twirled his free hand at the wrist, looking up to the side, his eyes squinted._

_" Yeaaaah. _ _ Abouuut that. Morganite's not an entertainment gem he's a war veteran." He spoke quickly, bluntly, and stared up at nothing, his cheeks puffed out. Ti blinked once, her expression falling._

_"... Excuse me?"_

-

Carnelian bounded up over the rubble now, the plasma glowing brightly between her hands.

"Hmmmhmmmm HA!" She opened her eyes wide, thrusting her hands forward and striking at Hemati's legs with the bright-pink plasma bolt. Fingers outstretched, she chuckled confidently. She didn't really seem to be making any bold moves at the time. Was she just messing with the other fusion?

–

The larger fusion stumbled back, taking a direct hit from the bolt. She seemed distracted and stunned for the moment, and made no move to dodge. Seemed Hema's half of the fusion was effectively put-off by the song.

-

_Mago_ _arched a brow and looked at the pink-haired warrior, pursing her lips._

_"How did you know that would work? What, you got some special singing ability that makes gems freeze up?" she asked him sarcastically, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. Whatever that trick was, she'd have to learn it if she could._

**_He has a rather nice voice..._ **

-

Hemati quickly regained her footing and glanced at her singed legs.

Dammit! She wasn't getting any hits in, she couldn't get closer, and now it seemed Carnelian was just toying with her. She hated it. She hated this fusion and her smug face.

_If she could just get closer..._

 

 

 

 

The arena slowly darkened.

 

 

Without warning, the clouds that had been blowing in from the northwest started to drift in front of the moon, cutting off any light that it and the stars had provided. Gradually, the Coliseum was cast in a dark, lightless shadow. Aside from the scattered, dim, crystalline lights, the whole field was plunged into a deep shade.

 

 

Hemati's eyes widened. Before they suddenly narrowed, glimmering in the dim arena.

-

_Ti_ _slowly raised her brows as the arena was cast in darkness. Slowly, Hemati's own fusion plane grew darker, the pink lights on the horizon dimming. The silver-haired Hematite slowly turned to her fusion partner._

_"Hey Hema. _ _You wanna try that hunting method I told you about? I'll bet it's **twice** as effective as a **fusion**." _

_The shorter Hematite's eyes widened. If he wasn't mistaken, he knew exactly the trick she was talking about. Slowly looking at the screen, the service gem felt a familiar prickle at the base of his jaw. This time, however... He didn't push it away._

_"Let's."_

–

Carnelian took a few steps back, glancing to the sky and curiously narrowing her eyes. What was this?... Clouds, _now_ of all times? ... No matter. She looked back down and swiped her arms to the side again, pink flames licking up her arms once more.

-

_Morgan's own eyes narrowed again at the screen, and he almost completely missed what Mago had said. _

_"Hah... nooo, just a song that I like. _ _I'm sure Hematite likes it too." He grinned, crossing his arms together._

-

Hemati took a bold step forward, never taking her glowing eyes off of Carnelian. Slowly, her form seemed to fade, blending in with the darkness. She cracked her neck loudly, rolling her shoulders.

However, the moment that Carnelian set her arms ablaze, the other fusion vanished entirely.

 

 

An eerie chuckle echoed around the small clearing where the two fusions had just been standing.

-

_Mago's_ _eyes widened, and she frowned in worry._

_"Where did she go." _

-

_Morgan, too, looked at the screen in surprise. Well, that was new! He had never fought a fusion that could completely disappear before._

_"Don't worry, she can't stay hidden forever." He said, his smile fading with suspicion._

-

Carnelian growled, narrowing her own eyes. Taking a few, halting steps towards where the other fusion once stood, she glanced around carefully.

"Where aaaare you?" She hummed out, scanning the rubble and debris to see if she had ducked behind anything.

–

_Clikikikik_

_" Coooome nowwww, Carneliaaaan.~" _

Hemati's eerie, lilting voice seemed to come from every direction at _once_ , hissing from the shadows.

"Don't you know that light just makes shadows **d arker."**

Something cold crept up the back of Carnelian's left leg, sending an unpleasant prickling into her form.

–

In an instant, Carnelian whipped around and shot at the darkness behind her, lifting her leg with a disgusted grimace. Her hair stood on end, and she snarled. The crowd got a little quieter, watching the show intently. It seemed some of the gems from other areas of the seats had made their way over to where they were, more interested in this fight than most of the others.

–

The darkness seemed to retreat at Carnelian's flames, slithering back into the shadows of the debris surrounding the red-haired gem. An unnatural hiss drifted through the air.

_Clikikikik_

Carnelian started to sweat nervously, her eyes widening. She kept her blazing weapons at her sides, now walking slowly, never keeping her back in one direction for too long.

-

_The tone of the fusion plane shifted drastically. Mago gripped at her hair, running her fingers through her bangs. Her eyes were wide, staring at the screen. Beads of sweat started to form on her brow._

**_Light, we need more light. N o w._ **

-

Carnelian grimaced, her arms now ablaze with plasmic fire. The area around her glowed brighter than before, but it only cast harsher shadows on the places the glow didn't meet.

–

Eyeing the debris with suspicion, Carnelian scowled.

"Where are you, you coward?" she hissed, jumping up onto one of the bigger pieces of rubble to get a better look around her. The more anxious she got, the more she moved. She kept turning, eyeing everything around her as best as she could.

-

_Morgan's brows furrowed, gritting his teeth behind a closed mouth._

_"Take it easy, Mago. If you panic, the fusion has a chance to destabilize. Just keep your wits about you." He said sternly, not taking his eyes off of the screen. The lights in the plane began to flicker, some of the windows of the buildings shining brighter than before._

–

_The ebony-haired gem blinked in surprise as the lights around her brightened. She found some momentary comfort in that, but it vanished the second she looked at the screen. Something in one of the shadows had moved._

_Keep it together. Don't panic. It's not there. It's not there. It's okay._

-

_ClickckiciciKCK_

_SWIPE_

Carnelian shouted in pained surprise, whipping around to face the edge of the debris behind her. She glanced down at her now-torn boot. Something had ripped right through it.

–

Carnelian took a single step back, snarling at the shadows. _Where the hell were they?!_ Boldly, she lit the flames on her hands brighter and lashed out, sending a bright-pink fireball blasting into the shadows in two different directions in front of her. She was going to have to think on her feet for this.

-

_Placing a finger to his chin, Morgan hummed out a curious noise._

_"I wonder..." he whispered, glancing away from the screen. “Maybe there's more to this... Perhaps we should **liste** **, not look**."_

_-_

_Mago_ _slowly shook her head, not taking her eyes off the screen._

_"No, we can't look away. M-Morgan, we-...." She looked at the pink-haired warrior, eyes wide and fearful. After a moment, she slowly looked at the visor, her breathing uneven._

_But after a long pause... she forced her eyes shut, all of her hunting senses trained on sound._

-

The red-haired fusion closed her eyes with a deep frown, her body tense.

 

 

_Clicikckckck_

Something was moving behind Carnelian, slowly, methodically, _quietly_. It sounded as if a clawed creature was creeping its way along a marble floor. The noise came from behind a set of large, half-destroyed pillars.

–

Whipping around, eyes still closed, Carnelian shot out a bright bolt of plasmic fire towards the direction she had heard the noise come from, her expression falling into something far more serious than it had been before. _Focus._

-

_Morgan reached out his hand and placed it on Mago's shoulder, attempting to give her some small amount of comfort._

_"Relax." The warrior said quietly, placing his free hand on his hip. There was something unreadable about how Morgan truly felt at the moment. It seemed like there was a mix of many different emotions, too many to get a clear read on. Whatever he really felt, he was hiding it well... For now._

–

HSSSSS

An eerie clicking sound retreated away from where the fire had made contact, to the right. The cold, prickling sensation crawled up the red-haired fusion's legs again, this time far more aggressively. Carnelian hissed between her teeth and kept her eyes shut, slashing her blazing weapons back as she took a step away. Seemed that had worked, as the unpleasant feeling vanished. However, it quickly returned, on the back of her legs again. Inhaling sharply through her teeth, the gem turned and blasted a fiery bolt at whatever was creeping up on her. It retreated again.

_But it came back just as quickly._

-

_Mago_ _did her best to stay calm, her eyes shut. Whatever kept grabbing their legs wasn't making any sound! She couldn't pinpoint it. All she could hear was the horrible clicking in the back of her mind. Her anxiety was slowly, but surely, rising._

-

_Morgan glanced from the screen over to Mago, keeping his own emotions as steady as he could. He wasn't sure what he could do to calm her down._

_" Mago, if there's something you know that I don't, now would be a good time to tell me." He said, retracting his hand from her shoulder._

-

"Alright, you creep. Stop hiding and fight me like a real gem." Carnelian growled lowly, sharpening her stance. Suddenly, flames erupted up her arms and legs, engulfing her limbs with brilliantly-vibrant plasmic fire. She jumped off of the debris and bolted to the right where she'd heard the most noise.

–

_HISSSS_

The darkness that'd been closing in on Carnelian's legs was forced back, unable to find her shadow now that she was set ablaze. It quickly trailed after her as she shot off, but it couldn't make contact... not right now.

-

_"I don't know... Ti says she has this camouflage that she uses to hunt sometimes at night, but with her being a fusion right now, I don't know how it works. She could be anywh-" _

_click_

_Mago's_ _eyes shot open, looking up at the screen with fierce intensity._

_"There."_

-

Whipping around, Carnelian shot out a huge bolt of fire and plasmic electricity, her eyes wide. There was a flicker of movement between the pillars she'd struck with her powers. Her arms were quickly set ablaze again, and she grit her teeth.

"Come on out! This isn't a _show_ ; it's an interlude! Give these people what they came for, you coward!"

 

 

...

_Clikikikik_

Slowly, over the top of one of the massive pillars, a dark, lithe form crawled into view. Two sets of glimmering eyes shone against the blackened sky, the rest of the fusion's form cast in darkness.

_Clickcikcik_

But not for long. Gradually, the massive gem crawled back down the face of the pillar, stopping close to the top, her face down toward Carnelian. She bore an unsettling, knife-toothed grin, her head tilted slightly to the side.

The red-haired fusion snarled and held up her arms, lighting them up more to see the dark gem.

She wished she hadn't.

Carnelian's eyes went wide, and she felt a horrid shudder go down her spine.

Hemati had not one... not two... but now four sets of limbs, which she was using to cling effortlessly to the side of the marble pillar. But they weren't just any limbs... They looked like knife-edged insect legs. Three sets of long, spindly, black legs now rested at Hemati's sides, their ends capped with shiny, metallic 'claws'.

And from the ends, oozing, black, plasmic energy webbed out, seeping into the pillar like an inky-black shadow.

"As you wish, Carneliaaaan….~"

–

The red fusion gasped quietly, sweat dripping from her brow. _Stars, this might be a little harder than I first thought... but no matter._ She chuckled darkly, a small grin returning to her face.

"I've seen scarier faces from Blue Diamond! Come on, then, have at it!" She sneered, wiggling her fingers slowly with hot-pink plasmic flames motioning around them.

-

_Morgan tapped his fingers slowly on top of one of the buildings, breathing heavily. The lights in all the windows now glowed brightly. Morgan remained silent, fixated on the screen above. He kept hiding something, keeping himself steady. Keeping himself stable. While Carnelian may not have shown too much worry, it was very much there. She, like Morgan, was just very good at suppressing it._

-

_" Ti, come on! I thought you could be quieter than that!" Hematite groaned, rubbing his hand through his hair. He paced slightly, quietly mumbling to himself. Ti folded her hands and looked away in shame._

_"I'm sorry, Hema. I'm just not used to this! Maybe if I could control the fusion fully for a moment? Maybe it's your half," she offered gently, trying not to be rude. Hema looked at her and frowned for a moment before huffing, shrugging his shoulders. He glanced at the screen. Seemed Carnelian and Hemati were locked in another battle like earlier, and the red-haired gem was winning. Maybe he did need to give Ti the reigns for a moment._

_"... Okay. But just until we tire her out. And then we do this together, okay?" _

_Ti_ _smiled brightly and nodded with a quick ' hm!' before she turned to the screen again._

_The fusion plane darkened further, the horizon barely visible._

_The shorter Hematite looked around in surprise. He reached up and clutched at his sleeve, watching the screen as Carnelian tossed Hemati away._

-

The silver-haired fusion leapt back gracefully, landing atop one of the half-broken pillars.

"Come on now, Mago! You've done better when half-worn out! And you can't even win with another gem by your side?" She lifted a hand to her mouth, letting out a mocking laugh. "How defective **_are_** you?!"

-

_Mago's_ _eyes widened, and she grit her teeth, her emotions suddenly spiking. She was **seething**._

–

Carnelian didn't move. For a moment, she looked frozen in place, glaring up blankly at the other fusion. Her eye twitched, followed by her shoulder. Suddenly, the flames around her arms glowed brighter, and she lurched her arms forward, jutting the blades into the pillar and cracking it clean in half. With a swift movement, her leg kicked into the pillar and sent it crashing down without a single word.

-

_Mago_ _wasn't the only one whose anger was rising. In fact, even though Morgan didn't seem to move or change his expression, something started to seem very **off** about him. His eyes widened, brows furrowed, and he wasn't smiling. The temperature in the air started to rise again, stopping after a few seconds. It was now very warm in the fusion plane._

–

Hemati chuckled cockily and gracefully jumped off the pillar as Carnelian sent it crashing down. She landed on her hands on the next one, effortlessly balancing on top of it. The crowd roared in approval now that things were finally starting to heat up. Seemed the red-haired gem was losing her cool!

"Ooooo, temper, temper! Guess you're as hot-headed as you look! What, did I hit a nerrrrve?" she cooed venomously. Lifting one hand, she motioned it in front of her mouth, pretending to yawn.

–

The more Hemati taunted, the more Carnelian’s anger started to rise. She was losing her patience. Placing her palms together, she locked her fingers and cracked her knuckles for a moment, taking in a sharp, deep breath.

"Alright you brat..." she whispered under her breath, hunching over. "Keep that up and I'll _show_ you temper." She grinned widely, gritting her teeth together.

–

Hemati placed a finger to her lip, looking up to the side. She placed her hand back down, still doing an effortless handstand. Grinning widely, she narrowed her glowing eyes down at the fusion below.

"Oooo, I'm so scared," she hissed, letting out a breathy, rasping laugh toward the end of her sentence. Her insectoid legs wiggled in an eerie, rhythmic pattern at her sides, antsy to grab onto something.

–

With a forceful leap, Carnelian suddenly launched herself into the air and landed onto the top of one of the nearby pillars, steadying herself. Then, she started to shoot an unrelenting barrage of smaller bolts of plasmic fire in Hemati's direction. They wouldn't do a lot of damage if they hit, but they'd sure as hell still sting. And they might be enough to distract her.

–

Seemed she'd been waiting for that.

The silver-haired fusion leapt back swiftly, deftly avoiding the fiery bolts. She landed lightly on the ground and suddenly rushed away, spinning as she ran once to shoot Carnelian a mocking, sneering grin.

"Think faster than that, darling."

The larger fusion ran along the wall of the arena, quickly making her way into a more congested area of the field, where far more pieces of wall and such were propped.

Within moments, she was out of sight.

–

Carnelian snarled, shooting one final, futile bolt of fire towards the fusion. Hopping gracefully down to the ground, she darted towards her. Her legs relit on fire, as well as her arms. Within seconds, she was wading through a plethora of scattered debris. She went silent, narrowing her eyes. It seemed her showy business, for the time being, was being put to the side.

–

The walls slowly increased in height until Carnelian was wandering through a maze of debris, walls, and downed pillars. Hemati was nowhere in sight.

_Hsssss_

Carnelian frowned deeply, listening for the sound's location. Once again, it seemed it was coming from everywhere at once. There was no clicking.

-

_The ebony-haired Hematite was slowly starting to cool down now that Hemati's taunting had ceased. She preferred her in the shadows, to be honest. Well, sort of. Mago tapped her fingers on her leg, narrowing her eyes._

-

Soon enough, the maze went silent. There was no hissing, no clicking... nothing. Carnelian stopped, glancing from side to side. She listened carefully. Nothing. Nothing but the quiet murmur of the crowds and distant sound of other fusions duking it out somewhere on the massive Coliseum floor filled the air. Huffing quietly, Carnelian kept moving forward, lifting her hand and knocking on the walls of the 'maze'.

-

_Morgan glanced over at Mago without moving his head, but kept his eyes on the screen. The temperature seemed to drop a little. _

**_Steady, Mago. _ **

_He, too, kept silent. Crossing his arms, he lowered his head and watched intently._

–

Soon enough, the red-haired fusion found herself in a 'corner', where she could have sworn she heard some clicking. She pursed her lips, touching the wall cautiously. It was cold to the touch.

But not as cold as the sharp claws that suddenly grabbed her from behind.

Crying out in surprised anger, the fusion suddenly lit entirely on fire, her hair flying up in the intense heat. The larger gem hissed in pain, but she didn't let go. No, all six of her insectoid legs dug into Carnelian, the razor-sharp claws painfully pressing into her form, holding her still.

Hemati suddenly lunged down, hissing venomously as something sharp cut into Carnelian's shoulder. She shuddered violently, eyes going wide.

The flames died out. She couldn't move.

Slowly, an icy chill crept through her skin, emanating from the cut she'd taken to her shoulder. She managed to look to the side as the larger fusion leaned over, an eerie grin on her face. But that's not what caught Carnelian's attention. Directly above Hema's gemstone, on the fusion's neck, was a small, sharp-toothed mouth. A black, barbed tongue flicked out of it for a moment before retreating. The mouth closed and practically vanished, only leaving a thin line. The silver-haired fusion grabbed Carnelian’s cheek and chin, forcibly turning her towards her.

"Delicious, isn't it?"

The red-haired fusion started to sweat, willing herself to move. Nothing. Hemati's clawed 'arms' held her tighter. If she dug the claws in any further, she was afraid she'd end up destabilizing.

"How does it feel..." Hemati cooed icily, reaching her free hand to Morganite's gem. She touched a single, clawed finger to the faceted surface, chuckling darkly. An unnatural energy started to flow through the gemstone.

"How does it feel to be fused with a _defective, doomed gem?_ ”

Carnelian stared wide-eyed at the fusion, unable to move... unable to speak. Her form went limp, and the crowd fell silent.

-

_Hema_ _stared at the visor in confusion, arching a brow. He slowly looked at Ti before gasping, taking a step back. Something wasn't right with her. The silver-haired Hematite was standing stiff, tall, her eyes wide. She wore an eerie grin, her fingers tapping along her side, shoulders tense. Her eyes never left the screen._

_"How does it feel, pinky? Huh?" Ti grinned wider. Hema took another step back._

_" Ti... Ti cut it out-" _

-

_Gasping quietly, Mago looked around as the lights of the fusion plane started to dim, and the temperature dropped. She looked at Morgan in alarm, eyes wide._

-

_Morgan's expression finally faltered, and he felt a sharp stab of anxiety explode through his very core. No, it was far worse than that. His brow twitching, the once-steadfast warrior bit his lip and stepped clumsily backwards bumping into one of the buildings._

_"What does she mean by that, Mago...?” he asked sharply, turning towards her. Something seeped into the fusion plane, weighing the very air down. The fluctuating colors on the horizon went cold, and instead of a beautiful blue and purple sky… the horizon went a dark pink. _

-

_The ebony-haired Hematite covered her mouth, staring at Morgan in horror. **He didn't know**. He didn’t know what  Hemati meant._

_But worse than that, Mago felt something shift within the fusion. Something Hemati was doing was messing with Morganite's gem. Though Mago was used to this feeling, she knew **he** wouldn't be. The very fusion plane shifted unsteadily, as if  Mago and Morgan were suddenly out of sync. _

_A poisonous tingle spread through Morgan’s gemstone, seeping into his very core._

 

 

_Morgan started to sweat, his entire demeanor dropping. Everything he’d been hiding, his composure, his confidence, his patience… it all came crashing down. He stared right through the screen, his eyes glazing over as a horrific feeling weighed down on him. He suddenly felt as though he was being watched, hunted, and bore down on all at the same time. It felt as though a weight lay on his very core, trying to shatter the intangible ‘soul’ of his gem. This wasn’t a fragmenting of his gemstone… no, this felt like his very mind was being broken apart, hairline cracks spider-webbing out from Hemati’s claw. Morgan grimaced heavily, his face scrunching up in sharp pain. His head pounded, and his breath caught uncomfortably in his throat._

 

 

**_GET AWAY FROM ME!_ **

 

 

_Stumbling back again, he stifled a sharp groan and clutched his hand, looking down desperately at his gem. The disheveled warrior held up his trembling hand, and stared through it, as if afraid his gemstone were about to shatter into a thousand pieces. Why did he feel this way? What was this? What was this awful sense of dread he suddenly felt? He suddenly felt like screaming, crying, running away, fighting, giving up, and hiding… all at once._

 

 

**_WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?_ **

 

 

_The pink-haired warrior bit into his lip, cutting deep into the skin with his teeth. The small amount of pain paled in comparison to the suffocating anguish shredding at his very core. He clutched his hand close and doubled over, as if trying to shield it._

 

 

 **_STOP_ ** _._

-

_Hema_ _looked quickly between the screen and Ti, sweat forming on his brow. _

_" Ti! _ _Cut it out; what are you doing to them?!" The shorter Hematite shouted, walking over and shoving his fusion partner. "Cut it out! Snap out of it!"_

_Ti_ _sharply turned her attention to Hema, eyes wide, her smile gone. She absolutely glowered at him, her piercing gaze cutting through to his core._

 

 

**_Nobody knows what it's like to feel like us. We're just teaching them a lesson._ **

 

 

_Hema's_ _eyes widened, and he took a quick step back, staring in horror not at Ti, but what suddenly appeared behind her. Far in the now deep-maroon sky was a horrific, jet-black creature with piercing, pink eyes. The smaller gem could see terrifying, spindly legs, and dripping fangs. But it only lasted for a brief moment, as if he’d blinked._

_As soon as the image vanished, the silver-haired gem faltered, her eyes half-lidding. She groaned quietly, suddenly unsteady on her feet. Hema gasped quietly and stepped forward, catching her as she stumbled back, her eyes closed. Hema blinked and gently shook her, worry plastered across his face._

_" Ti? _ _ TI?!" _

-

_Mago_ _felt something shift again, this time to her advantage. Seemed Hemati’s focus had faltered. She glared up at the screen and leapt up off of her seat, fists clenched. The hold on Morgan’s gem was gone for the moment, and if she didn’t do something quickly, it could easily come back._

 

 

**_ACT._ **

-

Carnelian grimaced and inhaled sharply through her teeth, suddenly letting out a fierce roar as she thrust her head back into Hemati's jaw, stunning her. Hemati shrieked and let go, her disturbingly insectoid legs letting go of her opponent. Her hand quickly moved away from Morgan’s gem, the strange poison coursing through it suddenly vanishing.

–

_Abruptly, some of the windows in the buildings cracked, the lights flickering away. The temperature suddenly **skyrocketed**. The lights on the edges of the horizon quickly grew brighter until brilliant flames of all different colors licked the outskirts of the city in a towering, wondrous inferno. Morgan's eyes went wide with fury and terror. Stepping forward a few bold steps, the once-bright colors that flickered around his feet took the shape of vivid, fluctuating flames that soon towered around him. If he was hiding anything before, it certainly was out in the open now. Glaring up at the screen with vigorous hatred, eye twitching, he clenched his fist and held up the hand that bore his gemstone, holding it close to his chest._

**_YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT... YOU WRETCHED LITTLE WENCH._ **

\-----

 

 

Taking the opportunity to strike, Carnelian turned and swiped her leg forward to deliver a nasty kick right into Hemati's abdomen. Snarling furiously, she swiped out her blades a good few inches longer than they had been before, her entire body covered in flames once more. She was breathing heavily, her livid eyes glaring right into the other's.

–

_Hema_ _winced and stumbled slightly, his hold on the fusion faltering. He looked down at Ti and frowned, shaking her slightly out of her stupor._

_"TI!_ _Come on, get up! The fight is still going!"_

_Ti_ _shook her head and held her hand to her gemstone, grimacing._

 _"Ugh, stars, what happened? I blacked out for a second. Hema…?" she muttered, staring up at Hema with half-lidded, dazed eyes._ _Hema_ _was staring at her in nervous terror, the image he'd seen flashing through his mind. He shook his head and hoisted her to her feet, glaring at the visor screen._

_"We'll discuss that later! Right now, let's try not to get shattered, alright?!"_

_Ti_ _grimaced and shook out her arms, nodding as she looked at the screen. She handed over control of the fusion to Hema, their focus now half-and-half again._

_-_

Hemati hissed and stepped back quickly, out toward the exit of the maze. She had to get out of here _now_. Turning quickly, she bolted, using her extra limbs to scurry up the side of one of the half-broken pillars.

–

"RRRAAAHHHH! LET'S TURN UP THE HEAT, SHALL WEEEE?" the red-haired gem shrieked with sick pleasure, bolting after the other fusion with scalding, hot-pink flames trailing behind her entire form. Her eyes were locked onto her target, lips curled into a toothy snarl. Suddenly, she found herself hunched over, practically running on all fours. The audience started to cheer louder, some even throwing up their hands in approval. Carnelian felt her form boil with determination and fury at the crowd’s encouragement, and she grinned sadistically. "RUN RUN RUN, AS FAST AS YOU CAN HEMATIIII. It won't help you, THE SHOW MUST GO OOOOoon! HMhmhmmmmm!" she called out tauntingly, turning sharply around an unsteady pillar.

–

Half-and-half control? Make that full. Just like that, Hemati was gone. Hema took full control over the fusion, his panic sending them into an impressive sprint.

"AaAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH MORGAN MAGO I'M SORRY SHE WON'T DO IT AGAIN!" she cried back. The silver-haired fusion BOLTED out of the maze, to the more ''open'' part of the arena that the two had been fighting in before they fled into the condensed parts. With a wispy hiss, her extra arms vanished, leaving behind fading trails of smoky shadows. Hemati looked back and yelped sharply at the sight behind her. _Carnelian was gaining._

–

_Morgan was absolutely seething, unable to hear or see or focus on anything but the screen. The air in the fusion plane was hot, stuffy, and created an almost warped air over the buildings themselves, like heat rising off of hot metal. He was unmoving, the flames around him flickering harshly._

 

 

**_You will regret this dearly. This is for what you did to Mago. For what you're doing to Hema. For what you did to ME..._ **

-

As soon as the red gem skidded into the opening, she twisted herself back up on her feet, laughing. Sharp, piercing pupils glared daggers into the other fusion, unmoved by her words. They wanted revenge. No, they wanted more than that. They were consumed with horror and fury... And they were going to finish what they started.

"You want a real show? It's a real show you'll get, darling!" She hissed out in a silky-sweet, condescending tone. She thrust herself forward, jumping limberly above Hemati and shooting down a massive bolt of plasmic flames towards her.

–

The silver-haired fusion skidded to a halt when she didn't see Carnelian behind her anymore. She looked up, eyes widening. Unable to move, Hemati took the hit hard and let out a sharp yell of pain, stumbling back a step. Carnelian landed heavily in front of the fusion and delivered a swift kick to her midsection, sending her flying into a pillar. She hit it so hard that she left a visible crack in the marble.

-

_Mago_ _bit her lip and looked at Morgan nervously. He was absolutely LIVID, and rightfully so; she just hoped he remembered who the other half of that fusion was..._

_Sure, she was mad at him, too, but she had a gut feeling that most of what had just happened was Ti's fault. She didn't know Pipsqueak **terribly** well, but she'd never known him to be one to inflict **that** kind of pain._

_-_

_Taking a deep, unsteady breath, the temperature started to drop, the flames everywhere dying down gradually. Morgan felt his tension ease up a little, rolling his head and letting his bangs fall messily over his forehead._

_"My stars, how rude of me."_ _He said, a soft smile gracing his lips. Turning slowly, the warrior stared up at Mago and held out his hand. The lights in the windows started to shine a little brighter. "I'm afraid I may have gotten a little carried away. This is equally your fusion as it is mine. Forgive me, dear. Would you like to take it from here?~" He hummed out. It was hard to tell if he had actually cooled down or not, but from the way things seemed to be going, it looked as though he’d went back to stifling his emotions. It seemed he'd remembered what was important._

–

_The Hematite paused, hesitating. She brushed her fingers together nervously before taking Morganite's hand, looking at him with concern._

_"M'... You okay?"_

_She stepped toward the screen and turned fully to the pink-haired warrior, her hand gently squeezing his._

-

Spinning around with weightless agility, Carnelian shot forward, the flames leaving her body. Suddenly, she darted one of her hands forward, stabbing the stark-white arm blade into the marble pillar, right next to Hemati's shoulder. The other reeled back, the blade pointing right at the gem on Hemati's forehead. Carnelian's furious eyes slowly narrowed, her grin widening into a twisted, fang-ridden smile of satisfaction. She didn't make any further movements, piercing into Hemati's very core with her fiery-hot gaze.

-

Hemati's eyes were wide, and she faltered, staring in horror at the livid fusion in front of her. Carnelian suddenly narrowed her eyes, her fingers slowly clenching and unclenching.

She seemed to be thinking over her options.

-

_"Alright, no, that's it!" The shorter gem shouted, throwing his hands up. He walked away from the screen, rubbing his forehead. The fusion plane shifted drastically. Ti looked up in alarm and turned to Hema, her eyes wide._

_"H-hey!_ _Don't! Hema, we can still win this-!" _

-

**POP!**

Carnelian gasped in surprise, pulling back from her crouched position. Looking down, she stared at the two unfused gems in confusion.

_Well. That was one way to do it._

-

_Morgan was staring off at the main building. Not at the screen, but the building itself. He looked rather distant._

_"I will be fine. Thank you, Mago... but are you okay?" He said, looking up at her in concern. Shrugging a shoulder, he smiled at her hopefully. The fusion plane returned finally to its normal temperature. He was, apparently, more worried about her than anything else. A thousand thoughts flooded through his mind, but he tried his best to keep them suppressed... not only for his own sake, but also for hers._

-

Carnelian arched a brow and leaned down slightly, her bright, slitted eyes staring straight through the two Hematites on the ground. Ti sat up, groaning painfully, and looked sharply at Hema.

"You... _You!_ Hema, we could’ve won! But you just had to go and unfuse! What is WRONG with you?! I thought you were better than that!"

The ivory-haired gem was laying back-first on the floor, his eyes shut tight.

"Uuugh, be quiet, Ti. I've got a monster headache."

-

_Mago_ _tilted her head to the side for a moment, pursing her lips. She wanted to say that she wasn't fine. She wanted to say a million different things. ‘Sorry for dragging you into this’, ‘sorry you had to see and feel all these terrible things’, ‘sorry that you now know what Hema was probably keeping secret from you...’_

**_Sorry for being a terrible fusion partner and letting this happen to you._ **

_But she didn't. The Hematite hid her conflicting feelings from the pink-haired warrior and shrugged nonchalantly._

_Slowly, she looked at the screen on the building... and caught sight of the two tiny gems on the ground. Without warning, a dull, phantom feeling made itself known in the pit of Carnelian's abdomen. The faint tingle in Mago's throat returned, and she narrowed her eyes, smiling widely._

_"You know... I'll feel a lot better when we get Pipsqueak away from that vile excuse for a gem. What do you say, M'?~ " _

**_Away from her so she can't rope him back into fusing..._ **

-

_He'd felt that. He wasn't 100% sure what it was, but he definitely felt it... and it almost seemed to mirror within him. A deep shudder ran up his spine, and he swallowed thickly. Blinking, Morgan shrugged and looked back at the screen. Eyes widening slightly, he saw the two Hematites unfused on the ground. Looking back to Mago, he gave her a sly nod, narrowing his eyes again. Leaning back onto one of the smaller buildings, he crossed his arms and chuckled._

_"Work your magic.~ " _

 

 

_"Heh._ _Will do.~ " _

-

The huge, red fusion gave a sharp-toothed grin, crouching even further down toward the two on the ground. Ti looked sharply up at the gem, gritting her teeth at her.

"C'mon, Hema! We can still take her; get over here!" She stood and rushed toward the reclining gem.

But she was quickly stopped.

Carnelian chuckled slyly, pinching the back of Ti's shirt between her gloved fingers. The tiny Hematite shouted in objection, flailing her arms angrily as she was effortlessly lifted off the ground. Slowly, the huge fusion looked at Hema, reached down, and picked him up around the abdomen. The ivory-haired gem yelped in protest and flailed for a moment before desperately clinging to Carnelian's fingers.

"H-hey! HEY! Put me down! The match is over!" Hema felt sweat forming on his brow, and he grit his teeth, eyes wide. It seemed he'd finally fully remembered who half of this fusion was.

Standing straight, Carnelian suddenly hopped up on a rather tall pillar, balancing on top of it. Her showy grin returned, and she gave a rather theatrical curtsy, the two Hematites in hand.

"Well, well, well now! That monstrous fusion put up quite the fight, didn't she? But she used some rather nasty tricks! And I think she should have to pay for that, don't you?~"

The crowd roared in approval, the gems too far gone in their hype to notice the rather odd look Carnelian was giving the gem in her right hand. Hema stared up at the fusion, trembling slightly. The giant gem's eyes softened ever-so-slightly for a moment before returning to their fierce, confident light.

"But don't worry! I'm not going to eliminate the competition! You'll see him again in the future, I promise you that!" She grinned toothily and brought him closer to her face, narrowing her eyes. "After all. He is a crowd favorite~!"

–

With a sultry chuckle, Carnelian held Ti just a little farther away from Hema, squeezing her hand just a little tighter. She was firm, though not so much as to do any damage. _Even if she partially wanted to._ But no, she had other things in mind.

"Now, ladies and gentlegems..." Carnelian grinned rather ominously, glancing off to the side and winking at the crowd before returning her gaze to the puny service gem she held in her hand. Slowly, she lifted Hema up over her face, tilting her head back.

"Watch as I make this Hematite... disappear! Hehehehe!"

Chuckling, the massive red fusion parted her lips, flicking her tongue past her lips and under Hematite's feet.

–

Hematite's eyes widened, and he flailed wildly, letting out a panicked squeak or two.

"Wait, WAITWAITWAIT! C-c'mon Mago we can talk about thiiiiiis!" He grinned nervously, holding his hands out at his sides. However, when the fusion simply winked at him and lowered him closer to her mouth, his grin faded, and he held his arms and legs out, keeping her from dropping him in.

"MMM, MORGAN CONTROL HER-"

-

_Mago_ _snickered and drummed her fingers over her top lip, glancing at the pink-haired warrior. The fusion plane was dense with the Hematite's hunting instincts, the feelings no longer trying to be subtle._

_"Hmmm, I dunno, Morgan. You gonna try and stop me?~" _

-

Carnelian paused for a moment and closed her mouth, grinning at the tiny Hematite. Seemed she'd gotten an idea, but was waiting for something.

–

_Morgan stared up at the screen, expression unreadable. Slowly, he looked over to Mago with the strangest grin, chuckling inexplicably._

_"I don't know, Mago, am I?~" He hummed out again, tapping his fingers against the top of the building. Crossing one leg over the other, he seemed to be strangely relaxed here. Why didn't this faze him? Why didn't he protest? "I think we should give Ti a little spook, don't you? And as long as we're not actually hurting Hema." He stopped, shrugging and closing his eyes. "I don't see why not. After all... we did say we'd give them a show they'd never forget!"_

-

_"That we did. Juuuust making sure.~" _

_After all, she wasn't sure how Morgan felt about the whole 'harvester' thing._

-

Carnelian grinned cheekily and chuckled, holding Hema a little ways from her face. At first, the tiny gem sighed in relief and dropped his arms to his sides, sighing. But his momentarily-relaxed state vanished as soon as the giant gem flicked her wrist up, sending him flying high into the air. The tiny gem flailed around aimlessly, letting out a sharp yelp.

A yelp that turned into a rather terrified yell as he caught sight of what was waiting below him.

Carnelian had tilted her head back, mouth wide open, one eye narrowly opened.

_Watching as he fell back down towards her._

"MAGO NO-"

**SNAP**

Ti paled, her mouth falling open slightly as she stared up at the huge fusion.

The red-haired gem tilted her head forward again and gave a satisfied hum, putting a couple fingers to her upper lip, her eyes closed. She suddenly tilted her head back just slightly, swallowing thickly. Her head returning to its normal level, she let out a quick, quiet exhale.

 _" Pah~_ Hm. Peppermint; what a surprise!" She drew her hand away and twirled her wrist in a showy manner, conjuring up a little heart-shaped flame. She blew it toward the audience like a kiss, giving a winsome wink.

–

The crowd erupted into a vast array of cheers and shouts. It seems they were satisfied with their victor. Carnelian slowly turned her head to Ti, holding her up close to her face just as she had done with Hema before. Furrowing her brows confidently, she swiped her tongue over her upper lip, chuckling rather darkly. Retracting her tongue, she grinned widely at the smaller Hematite, baring glistening-white fangs.

"You know, darling, I'm sure you'd love nothing more than to go after your precious Hema..." She paused, lifting Ti away just slightly and grimacing with a disgusted snarl.

"But I'm afraid I don't eat garbage."

–

Ti snarled back at the giant gem, balling her hands into fists. A low growl rumbled in her chest.

"I swear to White, Mago you're going to pay-"

"Hah~!" 

Flipping her bright-red hair to the side, Carnelian let out a loud, confident laugh, lifting Ti up just slightly. She suddenly leaned forward, eyes half-lidding. She grinned ominously, lips curling into a sneer. Ti leaned back, eyes wide, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Wh-"

The red fusion stopped, grinning.

“Have a nice flight, Ti~!"

 

 

A rather loud and high-pitched yell echoed through the arena as Carnelian effortlessly and carelessly tossed Ti back over her shoulder, sending her flying across the Coliseum. She swung her arms out, proudly presenting herself atop the pillar.

The crowd erupted into cheers, giving a standing ovation to the crimson fusion.

-

_Mago_ _crossed her arms smugly and licked her top lip once, quirking a brow._

_" Thaaat was satisfying as all get-out." She snickered, rolling one of her shoulders. "Hmm."_

_Slowly, she looked up at the screen, her expression unreadable. The sounds of the adoring crowd filled the fusion plane, drowning out any of the ambient sounds around the two gems. Mago felt her smile widen._

**_So... this is what Hema was talking about. Is this how he feels all the time?_ **

_The ebony-haired Hematite rubbed her arm quietly. Slowly, the temperature in the fusion plane rose just a tad... but not enough to be uncomfortable._

-

_Morgan got up from where he was leaning, straightening himself out. Leisurely, he walked over next to Mago and put his hand on her shoulder again._

_"Indeed it was... we did good out there. Heck, I'd say you did great." The warrior smiled warmly, his grip on her shoulder becoming a little firmer. "In all my years, I've never fused with any gem like you before. That was spectacular... even if things did look a little grim for a while." He said, raising a brow. Whether he was genuine about that last part or not, he seemed to give off the impression that this had all been worth it in the end._

-

_Mago's_ _eyes widened, and she glanced at Morgan's hand on her shoulder, blinking in surprise. Slowly, she looked away, pursing her lips. But she couldn't keep herself from smiling._

_" Yeahhh, well. _ _You were pretty great out there too. Not anything spectacularrr, but." _

**_That was absolutely spectacular, tell him._ **

_"Yeah, it was alright."_

**_It was wonderful. Thank you, Morgan. For everything._ **

-

_Morgan grinned, flicking his hair with a single finger, suddenly advancing towards her. As swiftly as he'd moved, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. The lights around them started to glow brighter than ever before, illuminating them with a dazzling array of vibrant hues. Then, quietly, almost too subtle to hear... a wistful, humming tune sounded through the air like a drifting ambiance._

_Mago_ _gasped softly as the shorter gem pulled her into a hug, her eyes widening. Without moving, she looked around in awe as the lights brightened for a moment._

_And then she heard the humming._

_Morgan stepped back, crossing his arms._

_"Forgive my sudden intrusion... but... I thought you needed that." He closed his eyes, stifling the smallest laugh. **Especially after what I've seen today, it's the least I can do.**_

-

_Quietly, the ebony-haired gem brushed her hair back behind her ear as Morgan stepped away. The faintest bit of color painted her cheeks, and she cleared her throat subtly._

_"No. It's okay. I, uh." _

_Her voice cracked slightly, but she stifled it and smiled, the lights around her glowing warmly._

_"Just never been hugged before, that's all. Thanks, M'." _

-

Well, while THOSE two were having their little mental pow-wow, Hematite was tapping his feet together, arms crossed, his cheeks puffed out grumpily.

_Well. This wasn't how he’d wanted the night to go._

The service gem huffed and looked around, his eyepiece dimly lighting up the area around him. _She just couuuuuldn't put him in her pocket dimension, could she?_

 

 

 

 

"Well now! That was quite the show, Mor'!" called up a familiar, well-carrying voice.

Carnelian blinked in surprise and turned on her heel, spotting a dark-haired fusion on a nearby, much shorter pillar.

"Oh? Is that who I think it is?~" the crimson fusion cooed charmingly, leaping down from her perch. She took a few steps closer and put her hands on her hips, leaning down. "Why, it iiiiiis! Heya, li’l red, fuzzball. Come to see the real action, did you?"

Citrine snubbed her nose and chuckled, leaning against her currently-dormant fire-axe handle.

"Yeah, well, after you took half the audience, me and a few other fighters came to see what all the commotion was." The ponytail-wearing fusion whistled and shook her head. "Man, some show! First time we've seen tough guy get properly thrashed like that. He's alright though, right?" She arched a brow semi-nervously, though she kept smiling. Carnelian covered her mouth with a hand and chuckled coyly.

"Oh yes, he's just fine. He'll be let out once we get outside the arena~"

"Oooh, good, good.  We'd hate to lose our favorite sparring partner."

 

 

Carnelian held out her arms, taking in a deep breath.

"I must say though, they were quite the match." Kneeling down, the massive red fusion looked down at the other and gave a rather uncharacteristic frown. "Sorry, I probably won't have the energy to fight you this time, Citrine. ‘Tis a shame, really- I was looking forward to it." She closed her eyes for a second, shrugging. But then she grinned again, from ear-to-ear. "I just had a little something take... priority. But mark my words, Morganite will get to fight you next time!" She chuckled.

–

Citrine grinned and shrugged, closing her eyes.

"Heyyy, no hard feelings! Buut you owe me! I'll hold you to that~! Now you better go let tough guy out before he gets restless." She snickered and hoisted her axe handle over her shoulder. "I have a match to get back to!"

–

_Mago_ _looked at the screen once she noticed the unfamiliar fusion, and she tilted her head, squinting. Without warning, the 'odd' feeling from before returned, almost as strong as it had been toward Hema. The Hematite pursed her lips, a soft, hesitant hum in her throat. After a long moment, the prickling sensation left, though there was still a dull sense that stuck around._

_Though, truthfully, it hadn't left a single time since they'd been fused._

_"Who's this?"_

-

_Raising a brow, Morgan chuckled a little nervously and stepped closer to Mago, placing a hand on her arm again._

_"Ah, that's Rubes and Puff, friends of mine... And Hema's. They're alright." He smiled, eyeing the screen. "They're right, though. We should probably, uh... do something about Hema."_

_-_

_"Ah. Gotcha." Mago shrugged and glanced at Morganite's hand on her arm, giving him a look. "Do we really have to? I mean, he's on another week of vacation, sooooooooo."_

 

 

-

Carnelian waved her hand and bowed- not only to Citrine, but the rest of the audience as well. Whispering, she looked down at the smaller fusion.

"Good luck!" She stood tall once more, throwing her hands up in the air one final, fantastic time, the crowd cheering once more. "You've all been a wonderful audience! But Carnelian must see herself out now. Thank you all, and have a fabulous evening!" She said, spinning around and turning to head for the gate.

–

The crimson fusion made her way out of the main gate and stretched with a soft, sing-song hum. She put her hands on her hips and walked to the side of the Coliseum, out of sight of anyone indoors or guarding the gate. The only way anyone would find her was if they followed her out.

She hummed a soft tune, closing her eyes. The fusion stopped and leaned up against the wall, crossing one ankle over the other. Crossing her arms, she tapped her fingers along her skin, a soft smile on her face.

–

_Morgan rolled his eyes but gave her a slight nudge with his elbow._

_"Come on, now; I'm sure he's got a lot of better things to do than stick around... well, you know." He shrugged, grinning slightly. "Plus, I think after what he's just gone through, he might need all the relaxation he can get. I think we all do."_

-

_Mago_ _rolled her eyes in return and huffed her hair away from her eyes._

_" Tch, fiiiiine. _ _ Fiine." She smirked and shrugged, sighing through her nose. "It's been fun, M'. Let's do this again some time."_

_The fusion plane slowly glowed brighter, the lights on the horizon shifting to a warm, scarlet color._

-

Carnelian smiled almost sadly and sighed, her form beginning to glow. The two fused gems separated, their individual shapes returning to normal. However, instead of Carnelian splitting into two smaller gems, she seemed to be replaced by Mago herself, at her full harvester height. The glowing form held her hand out, palm outstretched as a second, smaller form took shape on it. With a warm, crimson flash, the two gems were left unfused, standing outside the arena. Mago opened her eyes and smiled at the gem in her palm, arching a brow at him.

–

Morgan spun around with his arms to his sides, opening his eyes to view the night around him. Steadying himself, he took a sharp breath once he'd realized where he was. Peering up at the giant gem, a grin spread across his face, and he bowed.

"Welcome back, Mago!" he chortled, sparing her a confident wink.

–

The ebony-haired Hematite chuckled and winked in return, shrugging her shoulders.

"Good to be back.~" Mago closed her eyes for a moment and shrank down to her half height, her form soon returning to normal. She looked at Morganite once more and crouched down, resting her hand on the ground. "For a little while there, I forgot you and I aren’t the same size." She shot the warrior gem a devious grin, eyes half-lidded.

–

Morgan looked to the side, pursing his lip before looking back to her and chuckling.

"Aaah, I didn’t forget how big you are, though!" He said, placing his hands on his hips.

–

Shooting the smaller gem a wink, the Hematite gently tilted Morgan off of her hand, placing him back on solid ground.

"Good. Don't you go forgetting it.~" She smirked coyly, soon standing back up and leaning against the wall, her arms crossed.

–

Stepping off of the service gem's hand, Morgan stretched an arm and flicked it to his hair, brushing the curled, pink locks over his shoulder. Turning to face her, he gazed up and crossed his own arms. "Alright, are you going to let Hematite out or what? You shouldn't keep him waiting..."

–

Mago pursed her lips and tapped her clawed fingers on her upper arm, looking up to the side.

"Weeellll." 

–

Morgan narrowed his eyes, smirking.

"Come oooon, Mago. Ohhh I'm sure there are... plenty of other gems you could do that with. Let him out."

–

The giant gem stopped tapping her arm and slowly drifted her gaze down to the pink-haired warrior, eyes half-lidded. A toothy smirk crossed her face.

"Yeah. I'm sure there are." Morgan felt his brow twitch at Mago's less-than-subtle comment, but kept grinning. With that, Mago flicked her hair over her shoulder and stood straight, glancing down at her midsection. "Alright, Pipsqueak, time-out's over." The giant gem uncrossed her arms and lifted one of her hands to her lower chest, a spot on her abdomen starting to glow brightly. She casually reached a hand into her form, quickly pulling it back out, fist clenched. "Ah, the perks of being made of light, huh?" she said nonchalantly, opening up her palm. Hema shook his hair out, arms still crossed. He glared up at the giant gem, eyes narrowed.

"Very funny, Mago.  You couldn't have let me out sooner?"

"Mmmm. Nah." 

–

Taking a few steps towards the two, he looked up at Hematite and let his arms fall to his sides.

"Hematite!" he called up, the usual charm returned to his voice. "You look like you could use a drink," he chuckled.

–

The small service gem squinted up at Mago before he suddenly leaned over her palm, staring down at the pink-haired warrior.

"And what was that all about, Morgan?!" He tossed his arms up in exasperation, brows furrowed. "You didn't even try to stop her, did you?!"

Mago snickered in amusement and curled her fingers slightly closer to the tiny gem in her palm, eyes narrowing.

–

Morgan stifled another laugh, digging his heel into the ground below.

"Soooorry, kiddo. I guess Mago and I got a little... carried away!" he lifted his hand with a shrug, grinning ear-to-ear. "Besides... It waaaas for your own good. No harm done, anyway!"

–

Hematite groaned and rolled his eyes. _Yeah, "carried away',"my facet._

" Riiight.  Alright, can you put me down now, Mago? I should go get rested up. That fight took it out of me."

The giant gem pursed her lips and looked to the side, fully curling her fingers around Hema's form. Stifling a yelp of protest, Hematite flailed before latching onto the side of Mago's hand as she tilted it.

"I dunno. Do you know how long I've waited to beat you in a match like that, Pipsqueak? I feel like I should savor it.~"

"HAH, very funny now _put me down,_ " he said quickly, shooting Morgan a look.

–

Morgan raised his shoulders a little, placing his palms on his hips.

"Come on, Mago, he's right," he said, glancing back at Hematite with a snide smile.

–

The giant gem snickered and sighed dramatically, uncurling her hand.

"Alright, alright." She slowly lowered Hema to the ground, dropping him a few feet up with a soft 'thump'. Shaking himself off, the ivory-haired gem stood up and started adjusting his sleeves, pouting. Mago grinned and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms as she stared down at the smaller gem.

"Guess I finally know what a Hematite tastes like, huh, Pipsqueak?~"

Hema stiffened and puffed his cheeks out, narrowing his eyes up at the giant gem. He muttered to himself, huffing under his breath.

–

Morgan walked up beside Hematite, still looking at Mago. Without a word, he placed his hand to his gem and summoned one of the hand towels he used at his bar and handed it to Hematite, casually raising a brow. He figured he could use it, right about now.


	65. What About Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> White Diamond has a surprise for Hematite.

The White District was quiet today; no wind carried through the soft clouds or whisked past buildings. There was a pleasant calm that filled the air. Near the center of all the diamond towers, White stood atop the roof of the central station where the Diamonds often met up with Hematite when he was at his larger sizes. The Diamond waited patiently, her arms folded behind her back. Despite being alone, she kept herself well-presented.

"Hm..." She hummed softly to herself, curiously watching the horizon as the morning went on. "Strange, you're usually here by now. I called you an hour ago, where are you..."

Not long before, White had called Hematite while he was scouting around the districts somewhere between his half and full size. Seeing as it would be a more convenient place to meet with him, especially at his current state, she made her way over to the central station building early that morning. While his vacation had ended as of yesterday, she still wanted to hear a report of how things had gone for him over the past month. That, and she had one last thing she needed to take care of before she put him back to work again.

–

Hematite made his way through the large gate of the inner wall surrounding the Diamond Towers, giving a polite wave to the guards standing by. As soon as he was through, he stretched, letting out a contented hum. He'd taken a long, leisurely walk around the White District this morning to clear his head before getting back to work, and it seemed it had done its job. His thoughts were clear, calm, and peaceful.

Well... aside from one thing, but he was trying to ignore that. Though he hated to admit it, his two-and-a-half months off the job were starting to take their toll on him. He'd never gone so long without having a harvesting or hunting mission, and, frankly, he was more than ready to get back to work. Time away from his job often sharpened his skills, but that was when he went a week or two without it, not two whole months. Something in his mind was certainly sharper, but it was almost _nagging_ at him in recent days.

Hema was acutely aware of the persistent feeling's intentions, and was doing his best to push it aside.

He just wished it wasn't so distracting.

  


The service gem soon rounded a tall building, his arms folded neatly behind him. His heavy steps echoed quietly throughout the facility surrounding the main central tower. Hematite smiled brightly when he spotted White, and he approached her with a bit more pep in his step.

"Hematite reporting, White Diamond. Sorry I'm a bit late! Ran into some troublemakers on the border. I gave them a little 'persuasion' and they went peacefully on their way.~"

–

White stifled a small chuckle, giving Hematite a curt nod.

"Don't worry about it. I trust that you had a decent break? Do anything interesting?" she asked, standing as straight as she could. "I would have prepared us some tea to talk over, but I believe at your... current state, that wouldn't have satisfied you very much," she joked.

–

Chuckling, Hematite rubbed his neck and looked to the side, smiling.

"Yeah, probably not, huh? Well! I ran into some old acquaintances, did a lot of patrolling, took that couple-day trip outside the capital… And I attended the Nocturn Fusion Event! That was certainly... 'interesting'." Stifling a cough, he shrugged his shoulders, smiling contentedly. "All in all... it was nice. But I am more than ready to get back to work. It's been far too long."

–

White lifted her hand to her mouth, tapping her fingers gently on her lower lip. 

"I see. Well, it's good to see you so eager, as usual! I'm glad you had a nice break, but before I put you back to work... I want you to take one more day off, just for tonight... because I have a very special gift for you!" The Diamond suddenly clasped both of her hands together, smiling uncharacteristically-wide. She looked absolutely delighted, excited, even. It was unusual to see her this way, to say the least. Before Hematite could even respond, White turned on her heel and walked over to one of the doors that led up to the roof.

–

Hematite blinked, the hair rising on the back of his neck in anticipation. He'd never seen White like this before, and for her to say she had a 'gift' for him? The giant gem felt a strong surge of excitement rise in his chest, and his arms unfolded, fists balling up in front of his chest.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, a small, hopeful smile on his face. Whatever it was, if White was giving it to him, it had to be good!

–

Giving a knock, White opened the door and leaned in, muttering something. From Hema's angle, all he could see was the side of the open door. She turned a moment later, her grin having calmed to a relatively-eager smile. The door opened entirely, and out stepped a much shorter gem. The two walked forward, stopping where White had been standing before. The small gem only really came up to about White's knees, shorter than even Hematite when he was his normal height. Her arms were crossed behind her back, and she stood straight, keeping her head held high. Her eyes were closed; a small, serious frown was on her face. She presented herself as properly as she could.

It was a Pearl with a warm, pink palette. 

–

The moment White walked out with the other gem, Hema arched a brow curiously, though his smile didn't fade. _Oh! It was a new Pearl? Would she be helping around the Towers?_ Hema clasped his hands together with a smile, looking at White expectantly.

–

White looked between the small gem and Hematite, stepping back a few paces.

"Hematite, say hello to your very own Pink Pearl. I saw how you and my Pearl got along, and, well... I figured having a Pearl of your own could serve you well!”

–

Eyes widening, Hematite clasped his hands tighter, his index fingers resting over his mouth and screening it from view.

_His... his own Pearl?_

But he was a service gem himself! How on Homeworld could HE have a Pearl?

...Then again, he supposed that, in all technicality, he was much higher-ranked than most service gems, especially since he was under White Diamond's immediate authority. He outranked most of the gems he knew personally, even if he very rarely remembered said fact.

_ But to be given his  _ _** own ** _ _ Pearl? _

–

White continued on, motioning her hand towards the petite gem.

“Pink Pearls are a more specific, specialized class. They are smaller than your standard Pearl, but are physically stronger, specializing in combat and different fighting styles. They can be used for running errands, aiding you in combat, protection- to an extent- and helping you wherever you may need it," White recited proudly.

The giant gem listened intently to White's words, his eyes flicking between her and the small, pink gem beside her. _Combat and physical strength? Well! She certainly_ _ **was**_ _a specialized Pearl, wasn't she?_

The small Pearl opened her eyes, peering up at the massive gem before her. She blinked, but kept her stern and professional demeanor up as she quietly observed the huge Hematite standing in front of the building. Her gaze was unreadable.

Her hair was slicked back up near the top, smooth and scarlet-red in color. Towards the bottom, her hair seemed thicker and more fluffed-out. Her eyes were a similar shade of red, staring up with fierce, loyal determination at the Hematite. Her outfit was also quite formal, the 'shirt' tapered down like a tailcoat. The top half was a deep maroon, much like Hema's outfit, splitting at her chest into a deeper red color. A small, white, diamond insignia sat in the middle of the split, where the black collar of her outfit met. She had white leggings with tall, knee-high boots that were black with red ends. In the middle of her neck, in the same general place as Hema's gem, there was a small, round, pale-pink gemstone.

–

At the end of White's recitation, Hema looked fully at the small gem on the rooftop, blinking in surprise when she opened her eyes. Seemed she was sizing him up, though her expression told him nothing of what she thought of him. Had White already explained to her what he was like? What had she told this Pearl? How did she feel about being under the service of a _harvester_?

Slowly, Hematite lowered his hands from his mouth, a small, excited smile on his lips. He turned one of his hands around, but hesitated.

Carefully, he lowered his hand to rest on the edge of the rooftop, his other hand held close to his chest. His index finger and thumb brushed together quietly. He gave the Pearl a small nod.

–

"Pink Pearl, from this day forth you shall serve Hematite to the best of your ability. You will protect him, guide him, and risk your gem for him, if you must. You will aid him, do as he says, and help in any way you can. And Hematite, you will take care of this Pearl and do as you see fit with her. She has been given a brief rundown about you and I will take her aside for a few days to give her a full breakdown of her duties, but the rest is up to you. I do hope you like her." White spoke, placing her own hands together and entwining her fingers with a small trace of excitement.

The Pink Pearl stepped forward, bowing towards Hematite and straightening back up, saluting him promptly. Finally, she spoke with a fiery passion. Her voice was clear, polite, and yet held a fierceness to it.

"My loyalty from here on out is to you and you alone, Hematite! I will do my best serve you well. It is an honor to finally meet you!" she said, holding out her hand boldly.

–

Hematite's eyes brightened, and he held his breath for a moment, a soft smile on his face.

_You will take care of this Pearl._

  


_I'll do my best._

  


The giant gem felt an odd sort of pride rise in his chest, and his smile widened as the Pearl offered her hand up to him. He still hadn't said a word. Hema lifted his arm and gently took her hand between his thumb and index finger. 'Shaking' her hand once, he smiled brightly. Somehow, his handshake was just as careful as if he were normal-sized.

–

The Pearl's mouth opened slightly, eyes widening as Hematite took her hand. Time seemed to almost slow down for a moment, but as soon as he'd let go, she looked at her hand. Her expression still gave nothing away, aside from the fact that she seemed... _surprised_.

–

Hema turned to his leader and gave her a slow, polite nod.

"Thank you... White." His voice was thick with an almost-unreadable emotion, but it was clear that he was happy. He paused, as if to say something else. 

Slowly, Hema lifted his hand over the edge of the building, setting it palm-up beside the Pearl. Without actually making contact, Hematite gently ushered the tiny gem to climb onto his palm.

–

Turning her head to look at his hand, she paused for a moment, seemingly not catching on as to what he wanted her to do. She looked up to White with a look of sheer confusion. White smiled and motioned her head towards the Hematite's hand, grinning a little wider.

"Go on... Don't worry, Pink Pearl. He won't hurt you," she said softly. The Pearl turned again to his hand and walked towards it. Boldly, she took a deep breath and hopped up into it, spreading her arms out to her sides to balance herself out. 

–

Hematite let the Pink Pearl adjust her balance before he carefully lifted his hand from the rooftop, bringing her to his eye level. He didn't bring her too close to his face, however, as he didn't want to make her nervous. The giant gem looked over the tiny Pearl in his palm, his expression unreadable for a moment.

  


He thought back to how he'd felt when he was presented to the Diamonds. The service gem remembered how nervous and intimidated he'd felt, even though he'd been able to put on a professional air in front of them. If that was how he'd felt, he couldn't imagine what was going through the Pearl's mind, being presented to and put under the order of such a massive gem.

Hematite wanted White to know how excited he was, how oddly proud he felt to be given such an honor. This Pearl was fierce, determined, and already showed quite a bit of courage in allowing him to pick her up... but how could he express his gratitude to such an amazing opportunity?

  


Blinking, the ivory-haired gem suddenly smiled. He let out a soft, well-natured chuckle, glancing at White.

"I _do_ like her, White Diamond." He turned his attention back to the gem in his palm, his eyes practically gleaming.

  


_ "She's perfect." _

–

… **Perfect?...**

  


The Pearl stiffened a little, a faint, red blush flushing across her face. How could she be perfect? She hadn't even _done_ anything yet! No, she had to _earn_ his approval, his praise. Slowly, the Pearl actually _smiled_ , placing her hands once more behind her back. Her blush faded, but she still felt incredibly flattered by his words. Flattered and encouraged. If this was what he thought of her now, she couldn't wait to show him what she was capable of! She could only hope that she would be able to live up to his expectations. _She'd try her best, anyway!_

White sighed softly and beamed up at Hema.

“That's wonderful, Hematite. I'm so glad you like her! Please, take the rest of the day to get to know one another. I'll have another job for you tomorrow!" she said, lacing her fingers together tightly. "Enjoy!"

–

Blinking in surprise, the Hematite looked down at White and nodded, beaming at her in return.

"O-okay! Will do." The service gem turned to the Pearl and grinned in a friendly manner, his fingers curling just slightly. "How about I show you around the Blue District? We can stop by all my favorite places!" He started to walk off with the Pearl in hand. His voice faded as he left the facility, soon too quiet for White to hear. "There's the Coliseum, Morgan's bar, the training grounds- oh! And there's this Jadewing cave I can take you to see some time, but it's kinda far for today..." He rubbed his chin with his free hand, looking thoughtfully into the distance.

_Let's see... what else?_

–

Holding onto one of Hematite's fingers, the Pearl peered over the edge of his palm. Staring at the ground in fascination, she tilted her head curiously. Turning to face Hematite, she saluted him.

"Whatever you wish! I shall go with you as near or far as you see fit," she said, a small smile on her face.

–

As soon as the two of them were out of sight of the central tower, whatever was left of Hematite's 'professional' demeanor dropped, and he smiled excitedly.

"Stars, no need to be so formal, really! Well, at least when we're not around White."

The Pearl blinked in surprise. _Wait... was he serious?_

"O-oh, absolutely! As you wish- I mean... sure!"

Hematite glanced back over his shoulder, chuckling quietly. 

"Well, I mean, and the other Diamonds, I guess. Oh, but Blue should be fine! Oh man, you're going to love Blue! Have you met her or Yellow yet?"

–

_For a gem that worked directly under White Diamond, he sure seemed rather... casual, didn't he?_ Standing a bit taller, the Pink Pearl addressed his second question.

"Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond? I have not met either of them. White Diamond has told them about me, so they know I serve you. But, personally, I've not had the honor yet," she spoke, nodding twice.

–

"Aaah, well. At least they know about you!" Hematite walked through the gate to the inner wall, waving at the guards again. "Well, Blue's a lot more laid-back than White, while Yellow is... well." He smiled awkwardly and looked up to the side, shrugging. "Yellow Diamond's a... gem of a different cut, so to speak. She's really intimidating and can be kinda scary, but once you get to know her..." He stifled a snicker. "… Okay she's still just as intimidating and scary, but you kinda understand why she’s like that. Just be on your best behavior around her and you'll be fine."

–

Pearl crossed her arms, moving to sit down in Hematite's palm. She looked at it curiously, brows raising slightly.

"Heh. I'll be sure to keep that in mind! I guess you would know best how to act around them,” she said with barely-disguised awe. “It must be exhilarating to work directly under a Diamond.”

–

Hema nodded and shrugged a shoulder again, smiling at the Pearl. He felt a little thrill of satisfaction that she was already comfortable enough to sit in his palm.

"It _can_ be rather exciting! It's hard sometimes, though; you have really high expectations and stricter rules than most service gems." Hematite gazed ahead, as if lost in thought. His eyes were warm.  "But then you have some leniency in some ways... and the rewards are well-worth it."

–

“And, what do you do, exactly? White Diamond gave me a briefing, but she didn't explain too much. She told me you'd be... well, big, when I met you, but I had no idea!" She peered up at him in some kind of strange wonder, placing a finger to her lip. "I didn't think she meant it so literally!"

–

Glancing at the Pearl, the giant gem rested his free hand on his upper arm, drumming his fingers on his sleeve as he thought.

"Hmm. Well. As a Hematite, my main jobs consist of deconstruction, recon, diplomacy and intimidation missions, monster management and control, and gem relocation." He spared her a small smile. "All Hematites are my size, actually! I'm uh... actually the smallest."

–

Something akin to wondrous fascination burned brightly in the Pearl's scarlet eyes. Leaning closer, she clenched her fist.

"Incredible...You mean there are gems _bigger_ than you, too?... How many Hematites are there?" She asked, lost in thought. _Where did he even live? Where_ _ **could**_ _he live at such a size?!_

–

The ivory-haired gem couldn't hide his own fascination at the Pearl's eager questions. _He'd never had someone be so interested in him or his kind!_

"There are! All the Hematites have size-shifting abilities. I'm... unsure how many of us there are." He looked to the side, pursing his lips in concentration. "I know there are less than fifteen of us, give or take a few. I haven't checked up on the numbers."

His excited smile briefly faded, but quickly returned in full.

"We aren't very common. It doesn't take too many of us to do what we need to get done."

–

The Pearl's eyes were gleaming, her brows furrowed.

“Remarkable... You're so rare, and you can size-shift, too? You mean you can get bigger and smaller?”She clenched her fist tighter, bringing it closer to her chest. She suddenly clapped her hands together, eyes narrowing with a mischievous glint. "I lllllike it,” she chuckled.

–

Hematite beamed at the smaller gem, motioning out with his hand for a moment. His gem started to glow brightly.

"That I can! Here, watch!" After a moment, Hema's form began to glow, and he shifted up to his full height. The glowing faded, and he smiled happily at the Pearl. "This is as tall as I can get... But the other Hematites can get even taller! I think the biggest out of all of us is around... tss. Two-twenty, two-fifty, I believe? Last I checked, I stand at around one-hundred-twenty feet tall at my full height."

–

Pearl's eyes went wide again, looking at her hands and then down to Hematite's palm. For a moment, she was silent, taken aback by the mere thought of how big the others must have been. He was the _smallest?_.... _Stars, if she didn't feel puny before!_ The tiny Pink Pearl looked up at the giant gem, her eyes- thankfully -not betraying the faintest bit of intimidation she felt in her core. She'd thought _White Diamond_ was huge, but this... this was a whole new massive scale. It was hard _not_ to be intimidated by such a huge gem.

But at the same time, she'd been assigned to him, and he didn't seem at all malicious... she knew she could trust him, for now.

"That's outstanding..." she murmured breathlessly, still trying to comprehend just how big two hundred and fifty feet really was. It was at least _twice_ Hema's current height as he stood now!  "What else can you do?"

–

The service gem stopped in place and closed his eyes, his gem glowing again.

"Wellll..."

Hematite's form was suddenly alight once more, and he slowly shifted down, his hand gradually getting smaller underneath the Pearl. Soon enough, his palm was only just able to hold her, his fingers lightly touching her back. He'd shrunken down considerably, now only standing at about four times the Pearl's height, around fifteen feet tall. His form ceased glowing and he smiled at the service gem in his hand, bringing her up to eye-level.

"This is the size I prefer to have around civilians if things are a little... tense. Not too big, but not too small! Believe it or not, my usual form isn't much taller than you!"

–

The Pearl gasped breathlessly, staring straight ahead into Hematite's eyes. Occasionally, she'd look back down at the ground, which was now much closer than it had been before.

"This is amazing!" She said excitedly, staring back up and off into space, deep in thought. "So how small can you get?!" she piped up, still noticeably fascinated. Were there more gems like Hematites that could do this? She would have to study up on it.

–

Hematite blinked and rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.

"Well, it's actually not something I prefer to do, but I guess you should know if you're going to be working with me, huh? Sometimes I can wear myself out, and my energy will fail me. It takes a lot to keep myself much bigger than this height, so when I use up all my gem's energy... I shrink down involuntarily. Sooometimes I pass out, but I've been getting better at preventing that. I can also shrink voluntarily, but it's not something I use often." He gave her a coy, lopsided smile. "But when I dooo..." Tapping his chin, he looked off to the side. "...Here. Hold up your index finger." He waited for a moment. "That's about the smallest my form gets."

–

Doing as Hematite told her to, she stared at her finger, jaw falling open ever-so-slightly.

"Really? Gosh, that's so tiny!" She said, curiously holding up her other hand to her index finger. Suddenly, a fiery gleam returned to her eyes, and she clenched her fist to her chest, covering it with her free hand. "Don't worry, sir! I'll protect you, big or small!!"

–

The service gem gave a good-natured laugh and smiled brightly, nodding once.

"Well, good! I tend to get into a lot of trouble when I shrink down... maybe that's part of the reason White thought I could use some help. Just..." He rubbed his neck for a moment, glancing at the Pearl in his hand.

_You will protect him, guide him, and risk your gem for him if you have to._

That part wasn't sitting well with him.

"Just be really careful, alright? If you ever end up coming with me on missions and stuff, don't get yourself into more danger than you have to. I've lived through some pretty  _ dire _ situations, and I would hate to see you risk your life for something I could probably handle."

–

The Pearl blinked, thinking for a moment. She hid a small chuckle, bringing her hand up to her mouth.

"Oh, don't worry about me. But I'll keep that in mind!" she smiled, though her brows were still furrowed with a trace of fierceness. "By the way, if I may ask...where are we going?" She inquired, curiously looking over her shoulder and past Hematite's hand.

–

"Oh, right! There's this club I have to show you; it's one of my favorite places in all of the districts. Then we'll head over to the arena. I'm not sure if it's open right now, but we can still take a look at it."

Hematite started off down the street, keeping to the middle where not too many gems were walking. Seemed the inhabitants of the Blue District had, more or less, gotten used to seeing the giant gem around, and only a few gems shot him a look as they passed by. Most just didn't seem to pay him any mind. Opening his eyes a little wider, the service gem smiled and looked down at the small Pearl, suddenly holding his hand closer to his chest, the side of it pressed against his suit.

"You can ride on my shoulder if you'd like, but you don't have to. I know a few gems who have a preference, so I thought I'd offer it ."

–

The Pearl looked curiously up at Hematite, a newfound excitement rising within her. His shoulder? He'd really let her do that? She smiled graciously and stood up, regaining a semi-professional posture. "Certainly!"

–

Brows raising, Hema smiled and lifted his hand to be level with his left shoulder, allowing her to climb on.

"Now, it _is_ a little harder to balance, so be careful. If you find yourself slipping, don't be afraid to grab onto my collar or sleeve." The giant gem tugged at the neck of his suit with one finger, glancing sidelong at the Pearl.

–

Boldly, she took a chance and hopped up, turning around and placing a hand on Hematite's face to steady herself. She gasped quietly, her hand quickly retracting, and she awkwardly frowned, looking away.

"Ah! F-forgive me," she said nervously, kneeling down on one knee and looking straight ahead.

–

Hematite blinked at the sudden contact, but didn't object to it. He was used to that sort of reaction from gems hopping up onto his shoulder for the first time, honestly.

"Hm? Oh, there’s nothing to forgive; don't worry about it!" He smiled reassuringly at her and continued forward, his arms crossing in front of him. He would have folded them behind his back, but he wanted them front-and-center, should the Pearl fall. "I don't have any special contact rules. When you're a gem like me, you can't really go about your daily routine without bumping into people and whatnot." Letting out a good-natured chuckle, he shrugged and motioned with one of his hands in a nonchalant manner before tucking it back under his arm. "So long as you're not jabbing me with a weapon of some sort, it's fine.~"

–

The Pearl couldn't help but chuckle herself, now sitting down on his shoulder. She gripped at the fabric with one hand, covering her mouth with her other.

"Oh, I would never do that. It's just... you know... Pearls have rules, even Pink Pearls. There's still a lot that I need to learn and catch up on, though. I think White Diamond wanted to have me back at some point to read up on some... archives, I believe?" she said, tapping a single finger against her chin. "But since I work under you, I follow your rules. You can call me whatever you'd like, and... oh, right! Do you have any preferences as to what I should call you? Whatever makes you comfortable!"

–

Hematite nodded quietly and listened to what the Pink Pearl had to say. He was very aware of most of the rules her kin had to follow when under someone's authority, but he wasn't going to be terribly strict about them. After all, he was a service gem himself! It didn't feel right to put a bunch of stifling limitations on someone he _already_ considered a valuable ally, if nothing else.

However... something told him that he could really get used to having this gem around. He just hoped that she would come to feel the same way.

"For starters, you can call me 'Hema', if you'd like! That's what most gems who know me well enough call me. ‘Hema’ or ‘Hematite’ is fine. Buuut I'm not opposed to anything you may come up with down the road. I heard you use 'sir' earlier; that’s also fine." He wasn't sure why, but he liked the sound of that. "As for youuu... Uhm. Do you have anything you'd _like_ to be called? If not, I'm sure I could come up with something... Pink Pearl _is_ a bit of a mouthful." He chuckled quietly, shrugging his free shoulder.

–

The Pearl blushed quietly, looking away. He wanted _her_ to decide?

"Umm..." She lifted her hand from her mouth, running her fingers along the fluffed ends of her hair. "I'm not sure..." she said, a little half-heartedly. She hadn’t expected to be given this kind of choice, this kind of freedom right off the bat. It may have seemed like a small gesture to anyone else, but to her... The freedom to choose her own name was huge. Slowly, she looked to her hair and thought, running her fingers through the scarlet locks. She was silent.

Hematite remained quiet as the Pearl thought to herself. He was in no rush. This sort of thing probably took a lot of consideration.

  


The Pink Pearl stayed quiet a long few minutes, watching the sights around her pass by as Hema strolled down the street. Even at only fifteen feet tall... this was such an amazing perspective. The petite service gem looked down at her scarlet locks, slowly running her fingers through them. Slowly, her brows furrowed, and her eyes lit up. That could work... it's simple, easy to say... fitting...

Quietly, the service gem cleared her throat and looked up.

  


"What about ‘Red’...?"

  


Hematite blinked in surprise and turned to the gem on his shoulder.

"’Red’, huh?" Hema paused. A bright smile found its way to his face, and he gave a single, reassuring nod. "Sounds perfect to me."

–

The Pearl's eyes glimmered with barely-contained excitement, a small smile finding its way to her own face. 

"Th-then it’s settled! You can call me Red, if you wish," she said, gripping onto his shoulder and looking out to the horizon. A pleasing prickle of anticipation rose up in her chest, and she took a deep breath in through her nose, staring at the pale-blue sky. 

–

Looking ahead, Hema grinned and tapped his upper arm in approval, humming softly.

"Sounds good to me!" The ivory-haired gem took a deep breath and uncrossed his arms, balling his fists up in front of him with a determined gleam in his eyes.

"Red... You and I are gonna make a great team." Turning to the gem on his shoulder, his eyes bright, Hematite smiled warmly. “I look forward to working with you."


	66. My Element

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Diamond teaches Hematite how to better control his element.

_Clack!_

 

"Dammit."

Yellow Diamond swiped her sword against the ground, propping it against her leg. She bit her lip and lifted up her right hand, rubbing at her palm with her thumb. "Hm... I'm getting a little rusty," she muttered under her breath, looking up to the marble wall in front of her, which was covered in well over a thousand sharp gashes. Around the gashes was a crudely-drawn, humanoid shape with a few target points on its head, chest, neck, and elbows.She had been practicing her aim and had hit the wall a little too hard, right around the chest area.

"Hmph. Actual training dummies work better than this blasted wall," she growled quietly, grabbing her sword and hoisting it over her shoulder. Glancing off to one of the entrances to the Sky Arena, she turned on her heel and started to walk towards the center of the arena. She began to silently swing her sword around in forceful, calculated patterns. It seemed as though she were waiting for someone.

–

With a bright flash, and a distant 'gleaming' sound, the warp pad outside the entrance to the Sky Arena activated. Quick, measured footsteps sounded up the staircase, and soon enough, a familiar service gem appeared in the main tunnel. He currently seemed to be standing at about Yellow's height.

"Sorry I'm late! White wanted me to bring a few archives to her office for Red to study."

 

Hematite had been on-and-off of smaller missions for the past two weeks, and though she was now working for him, he'd hardly seen his Pearl. White had taken her under her wing for the time being to give her a full run-down of rules, regulations, mission expectations, her various jobs as his assistant- you name it. Red was getting quite the study session. However, White Diamond didn't want to overload the Pearl entirely, so she was taking her time with Red’s training. Hematite couldn't help but wonder how things were going. He was thankful to be back on the job, and had already performed four small recon and monster-management jobs.

 

_But still no harvesting missions._

_He wouldn’t say it out loud, but the hunter within him was starting to get restless._

 

But he couldn't think of that now. Now was the time for a spar with Yellow! He hadn't had one since before the incident with Topaz, and he was looking forward to training with Yellow without anything holding either of them back. No more awkwardness, no more fear... They could finally do this the right way. He adjusted his sleeves with a smile and looked down the small staircase into the arena.

"But, I'm free for a few hours now!" Hematite quickly made his way down the steps, soon stopping near the slightly taller gem.

–

Yellow spun around deftly, pointing her sword briefly towards Hematite before dropping the tip of the blade to the ground.

"It's alright; I know how she can be," she said, standing tall and proud. "Are you ready for your spar? I've got a special lesson in mind for you today!" The Diamond peered at him with a respectful nod. For the moment, she seemed a tad bit tense, though it was hard to tell why.

–

Hema tilted his head briefly, pursing his lips. She seemed a little stiff; he wondered if something was up back at the office.

"Hm, right! Yes, I'm ready." The service gem gave a respectful bow and took a step back, watching Yellow intently.

–

Yellow watched him back away and then withdrew her sword, 'sheathing’ it back into her glowing gemstone.

"Good. For this lesson, we won't be using our normal weapons." She smirked, suddenly clenching her fists and swinging them outwards, hands lighting up with flowing, golden electricity. Harsh, golden eyes pierced unwaveringly through Hematite's very core.

"I'm going to teach you a few tricks about your element."

–

Hematite's eyes widened, but for once, he met Yellow's gaze evenly, unflinching. In fact, his eyes lit up, and he felt the tiniest smile tug at the corner of his mouth.

_Well... this was a pleasant surprise!_

"Really? W-well..."

The service gem looked at his clawed hands, furrowing his brows. He wondered for a moment if he could even summon his electricity at will when he was this calm. Usually he was rather riled up whenever he used it in a fight. His tiny smile faded, and he flicked his wrists, fingers clenching and unclenching.

_Then, quietly, a little spark fizzled between his fingers._

Hematite's eyes brightened, and he grinned in satisfaction as bright-pink electricity started to spark between his clawed fingers, slowly making its way up his hand. Unfortunately, it stopped at his wrist. He frowned as the energy fizzled out.

–

Yellow uncurled her fingers and let the electricity flow upwards into a small spiral around her arm.

"You have to feel the energy within your very core. Let it flow through you... and control it. Don't think about it as a simple tool; think of it as an extension of yourself. It’s not as unpredictable as it seems. But, that being said, your mood and even sometimes the weather can affect the power of your abilities. You must _focus_ ," she said sternly, her smirk fading into a concentrated frown.

–

Recollection flashed through Hematite's eyes, but he shook his head and tried to push the memories away. Yellow’s words suddenly brought him back to a place he hadn’t thought about in some time…

_An extension of yourself._ __

This wasn't the first time he'd heard those words...

 

Hema felt the wind at his back; the warm summer sun beating down on his suit. He could hear an old friend’s curt, but well-meaning instructions as he landed light, quick blows to her rapier as they sparred. Her light hair trailed behind her; it shone golden in the afternoon sun. The sweet scent of cloying flowers in full bloom filled his senses, if only for a moment…

  
Then he blinked, and it all started to fade, leaving him with a faint, unexpected sense of… longing. The phantom scent of tea and fruit tarts lingered in his mind. But, he frowned and quickly tried to shake it off, grunting in frustration at himself. _Right, focus._ _Focus…_

Hema gave a curt, determined nod, glancing at his hands _. Right, okay. He'd never tried this before... but if Yellow was training him, surely he could get the hang of it._

Slowly, the sparks flowed up his arms, sending a tingle up his spine. The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

–

Yellow observed how the electricity flowed around Hematite’s arms, taking a few silent notes in her head.

"Not bad, not bad at all! I have a feeling you'll get the hang of this. I've noticed you using electricity in most of your fights, and you're already fairly decent with it as it is... buuut you could use a bit of touching up! No offense." She grinned, flicking her wrists and sending the lighting up her shoulders like a golden, electrified sleeve.

–

Motioning his fingers in a rhythmic pattern, the service gem furrowed his brows with a smile, giving an appreciative nod. Hematite looked at his arms again, trying to copy what Yellow was doing with her electricity. _How was she able to do that?_ The shorter gem narrowed his eyes and lifted his arms slightly, his form tense.

**_Z A P_ **

"AH-" Because of how stiff he was, the energy loosed itself involuntarily, shooting into the ground around him. Hematite's hair stood on end, but quickly settled. He glanced up at Yellow, lips pursed. "… I meant to do that."

–

Blinking, Yellow raised her chin up a little higher, staring at the ground incredulously.

"Well... good try, anyway. But try it again. This time, try not to tense up so much. Electricity is an energy. An energy that must flow. Respect its power, its speed, its efficiency... You must understand that it is your element. You control it... but first, you must feel it!" she said with a passionate growl, curling her fingers and bringing the electricity that flowed up to her shoulders back down her arms. It swirled and crackled around her hands. She flicked both her hands out, turning her palms up as the electricity quickly focused into two swirling spheres of lightning. They floated above her palms, glowing with powerful energy.

–

Hematite bit his lip for a moment and looked at his hands. He suddenly started to pace, taking a few steps to the side as he narrowed his eyes. He started building up electricity again, trying to stay focused.The energy sparking around his fingers slowly, but surely, closed in around his hands, moving up his arms. He blinked in surprise for a moment, but then turned to Yellow Diamond, stopping in his tracks. The energy flowed back down to his hands again. He squinted at his hands, pursing his lips.

His form was still rather tense, but he took a deep, steadying breath, closing his eyes.

His brows furrowed. Hematite slowly lifted his head higher, a focused frown on his face. After a long pause, he rolled his shoulders, much like White often did. The energy quickly flowed up his arms in a bright magenta aura, making the hair on the back of his neck bristle. He opened one eye, his cheeks puffed out slightly in an amusing fashion. This time, he managed to lift his arms up without the energy firing itself off involuntarily.

–

At the very least, Yellow seemed to be pleased with his progress.

"Excellent work! Do you feel how it flows? Your arms and hands are the easiest parts to control where the flow of lightning goes, but the rest won't be too hard to figure out once you've got the hang of this. Now, try to concentrate all that you have into one of these." She held her hand out, the ball of electricity floating gently above her hand. She flicked her other arm, fizzling away the sphere she didn’t need.

–

Hematite opened his eyes and looked at his superior, the energy around his arms finally steadying out. _Wait, now he needed to make one of those?!_ He had just gotten the electricity to not go zapping into the ground!

He nodded and huffed through his nose, brows furrowed in concentration. _Okay, if he could focus the energy into whips, surely he could do this, right?_ Holding out his hand, Hematite took a steadying breath and tried to will the electricity to focus into a sphere. But instead, it sparked wildly between his fingers, not making any headway. He frowned and pursed his lips, trying again. _And again._

The service gem, after a solid minute of trying to get the sphere to work, suddenly held up a finger on his other hand, letting Yellow know he had an idea. She nodded patiently.

Hema snapped his wrist to the side, summoning a wildly-lashing whip of pink, tangible electricity. He paused. After staring at the weapon for a moment, he flicked his wrist again and 'wrapped' the whip around his hand, balling his fists up around it. His hands shook violently for a moment, and he grimaced at the effort it took to control the wild energy. As soon as he felt he was going to break focus, the electricity swirled into a more solid 'shape', balling up in his hands. Hematite's eyes widened, and he unclenched his fingers, holding a rather messy 'ball' of energy that quickly evened out into an _almost_ spherical shape. It wobbled and sparked unevenly, but it… resembled what Yellow had in her hands.

–

Needless to say, Yellow Diamond looked baffled.

"Uh... well, that's... one way to do it, I guess!" she said, stammering slightly. _That worked?..._

"Hah, you're an avid improviser. I see why White likes you so much."

The service gem felt the faintest tint of purple rise to his cheeks, but he quickly shook his head, clearing it. Yellow grinned, rolling her orb of electricity up her arm, over her shoulders and down her opposite arm. Hematite watched in awe as Yellow easily tossed her energy sphere around like it was nothing. The Diamond looked towards her drawn-on target in the arena wall.

"You'll get the hang of it, I'm sure. But now you have a projectile!" She suddenly grinned eerily wide, teeth glimmering from the light of her orb. "Use it."

–

He frowned at the projectile in his own hand and took a deep breath, turning and aiming at one of the arena walls. Softly, he hummed in concentration, the mass of energy starting to glow brighter. He held his hand out, the wavering ball of energy suddenly looking a bit… off.

 

**_CRACK!_ **

__

 

_T H U D_

__

 

As a sharp yelp echoed around the arena, Hema was suddenly left flat on his back, arms splayed out at his sides. His legs were up in the air, though they quickly flopped to the ground. His hair was a mess, spiked in all different directions. Sparks danced all around him, and the projectile was nowhere to be seen.

Slowly, the ivory-haired gem raised an arm, lifting his index finger.

"Would you believe me if I said I meant to do that too?"

–

Yellow flinched a little at the loud crack, opening her eyes as soon as the service gem spoke. Lifting a hand to her chin, she tapped her fingertips along her skin.

"Tsss, aaahhh\- no... No, I wouldn't." She smirked, fizzling her orb away quickly. "Perhaps I should have specified... even though you’re trying to launch the energy, try not to focus it all in your palm. Too much energy concentrated in one place can become unstable and have some rather... explosive results... As you seem to have found out the hard way." She walked over and offered her hand to him.

–

Hematite looked up quietly as Yellow walked closer, and he bashfully smiled, taking her hand and hoisting himself up.

"Yeaahh, guess I gave it a bit too much juice, huh?" He shook his hand out, rubbing at his wrist. "Tsss. That smarts." Admittedly, his shoulder was hurting now, as it'd been knocked back pretty hard by the recoil. "Maybe we should try that again some other time, I don't think my arm can handle it." He chuckled meekly, clutching at his shoulder and rolling it with a grimace.

–

Yellow shrugged and took a few steps back, relighting her hands with electricity.

"Alright! We'll continue with the basics then. Can you handle at least what you did before?" She asked, raising a brow with a more than inquisitive stare. "Alternatively, see if you can use a simple bolt strike. Just, blast some kind of energy towards me. If you can do that, and perfect it, you'll have a fairly decent ranged attack!"

–

Nodding, Hematite looked at his arms and focused. He managed to get back the flowing aura he'd had before, and this time it came to him much more quickly.

 

The service gem did his best to summon some sort of bolt attack, but after a few minutes of trial and error, and some encouragement from Yellow, he still couldn't seem to get the hang of it.

"Tsss. Yellow, with all due respect, I can't do this when I'm stationary. May I request we have a small spar to get my powers going a bit better?"

–

Yellow rolled her head and shrugged. 

"Certainly! Don't be discouraged if you don't pick it up the first time. I remember when I first discovered that I had these powers. Would you believe me it took me months to figure out how to control and harness it?" she said, stepping back and gaining a proper, readied stance. “And that was just learning how to summon it. Learning to use it effectively took _years_. It wasn’t exactly easy.”

–

The service gem blinked in surprise, but then smiled coyly and readied his own stance.

"Yellow Diamond had actual _troubles_ learning a skill?” He grinned in a well-meaning, competitive way.  "No, I wouldn't believe it.~" The shorter gem quickly paced forward, his arms readied to either attack or block Yellow, whichever came first.

–

Yellow smirked slightly, rushing forward with electrified hands crossed in front of her.

"Aaah but it's true!" she said, ducking low and darting to the side as she got closer. She and Hematite exchanged a few blows, rather evenly matched. "I didn't even know I had any sort of elemental powers at the time. How could I possibly know how to control them?" she continued as she hunkered low, creating two more electrified orbs in her hands.

–

Hematite's eyes widened as Yellow dodged, and he skipped to the side, avoiding any possible kicks to the hip. However, she instead formed two projectiles, making the service gem curse under his breath. He lashed out his electrical whips, snapping them at her feet to try and disorient her before she could take aim.

–

Yellow's eyes snapped to Hematite's hands and she darted deftly back, throwing the orbs towards him. She didn't really get the chance to aim, however, so they whisked by him quickly. Quickly stepping back, she regained her focus and re-summoned another orb.

"And one day, I got frustrated while arguing with Pink, and I discovered that I had some electrical abilities. I couldn’t have some element and not know how to control it, so I just… started trying to harness it. You'd be surprised what we were like all those years ago when we first emerged- Blue, White, Pink, and I. We had an idea of what we were like... but there was so much to learn. So much to strive for! We knew we were powerful gems, but even _we_ had- and still _do_ - have our own struggles." She kept on dodging Hematite's attacks and stalling. She didn't seem to be making any hits herself, at least not when he was guarded. Jumping up into the air, she struck the ground in front of Hematite with the energy ball and landed behind him gracefully. “As hard as that might be to believe nowadays,” she said smugly.

–

The service gem didn't seem to be going in for any direct attacks either. He listened intently to Yellow's words, his brows raising. Spinning around, Hematite took a few quick steps back, smiling.

"Well, nobody's perfect." He lashed out his whips again, rather 'aimlessly' hitting the ground in front of Yellow's feet. Seemed he may have been stalling. "If anything, it's a comfort to know that even the most powerful gems in the world have their own struggles!" The service gem, after slowly backing up a few paces, snapped the whip into his hand, formed it into a messy energy projectile. He shot it forward rather sloppily- still taking a hit to his arm, but it wasn't nearly as bad as earlier. However, the attack missed by a mile. _Still! He'd managed not to blow himself up this time._

–

Yellow seemed to 'bounce' a little in place and held her sparking fists up in front of herself.

"No, not even a Diamond is perfect... even if we present ourselves that way!" she said, taking note of Hematite's brilliant miss. _Still, he'd managed something! "_Everyone struggles. No matter who they are. It's just not possible to live a perfect, easy life and do things simply. There’s no fun in that anyway.” Bringing her arms out to her sides, she let a massive 'string' of electricity flow between her hands, and she quickly ran forward.

–

Eyes widening, Hematite quickly stepped back and lashed his remaining whip at Yellow's feet, trying to throw her off. He didn't want to know what that line of electricity would do.

_On top of that, he felt his energy starting to wane._

The two hadn't been sparring for that long, but his multiple failed attempts at using his new techniques had very quickly drained him.

–

Yellow spun around to avoid Hematite's attack, but was a little too late on her reaction. The line of electricity fizzled away and she stumbled back a little, quickly regaining her stance.

"Good news is, you seem to have those whips working to your advantage already! You're certainly not bad with them. Perhaps you can use more of them..." she commented, narrowing her eyes at the service gem.

–

Following Yellow's movements, the shorter gem blinked in surprise and glanced at his hands.

_Huh..._

_She may be on to something._

 

The service gem furrowed his brows and glared straight through his opponent, lashing his hands to the side, one at a time. The air was quickly filled with the sounds of crackling electricity as bright pink whips now extended from six of Hematite's fingers. He grinned in satisfaction and shot forward, raising a clawed hand and swiping it down, lashing them just in front of Yellow's feet.

–

Yellow's eyes widened and she quickly jumped to the side, lighting her arms up with bright, glowing energy.

"Goood, good! Ah, this makes much more sense... Try to learn from what you have already! Start small, and build up your knowledge and mastery from there! You already have an excellent hold on these whips- see if they'll teach you anything new!" She encouraged, her feet suddenly lighting up and propelling her forward at a blinding speed. Small yellow sparks trailed out from behind her as she closed in, an electrified hand reeled back to deliver a punch.

–

Hematite's eyes suddenly went wide as saucers, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

 

_Start small, and build up from there.~_

 

The service gem snapped out of his stupor just fast enough to duck back, narrowly avoiding what he thought to be a direct attack. He lashed one hand toward his opponent, wrapping two of the whips around her arm.

–

Yellow winced slightly, but, bearing through the pain, she yanked back sharply at the whips, digging her heels into the grooves of the marble stone flooring. She still had her fist reeled back and ready to strike.

–

The service gem was still a bit unfocused, and he was yanked back toward his opponent effortlessly, completely open for the attack. His gemstone suddenly lit up, glimmering brightly.

–

Pulling the service gem abruptly closer, Yellow delivered a sharp, electrified blow to his shoulder, completely missing the sight of Hema’s glowing gemstone. She smirked slyly.

–

Hematite was sent stumbling, and then rolling, backwards, onto the marble floor. For a moment, it seemed he wouldn't recover well, but he suddenly moved gracefully onto all fours, his back arched as he stared at the Diamond before him. His eyes were wide, his teeth bared. The look in his eyes was… worrying. 

The hair on the back of his neck slowly settled again, and his rather feral expression quickly vanished. His gemstone's glow faded, and Hematite shook his head, the electricity running up his arms fizzling out. An odd, concerned expression flashed across his face. Then he looked away, frowning at himself.

"Alright, we're done."

–

The Diamond froze in her tracks, staring wide-eyed at the service gem. For a moment, she seemed bewildered and heavily unnerved. She stood in the same position for a good few moments after he spoke, but her expression fell to something neutral, her electricity fizzling way. She crossed her arms, biting the inside of her lip without a word. Her eyes looked askance, flickering around to look at anything but him.

–

Hematite smoothed out his hair, shaking his head. He slowly stood, adjusting his sleeves with a distant look on his face.

"I'm sorry. Seems the techniques from earlier wore me out faster than I thought."

Something was nagging at the back of Hema's mind. He felt threatened, he felt sad, he felt... He felt his instincts gnawing at his charged emotions, trying to get him to act a certain way. A certain way that he did not want to give in to right now, _e specially around Yellow._

"Maybe we should call it a day. Try again some other time."

–

Yellow placed her palm in one of her hands, pinching the fabric of her glove between two nails. Tilting her head slightly, she shrugged a single shoulder. 

"If you wish, sure. Are you alright…?” she asked, mildly concerned. She knew elemental training could be taxing, but she thought he would be able to hold out longer than _that_.

–

Slowly, the service gem blinked and raised his gaze to the Diamond standing a little ways from him. He finally finished adjusting his sleeves and stood straight, clearing his throat.

"I'm fine. That... happens sometimes during my spars. I don't really know when to expect it." He shrugged. How could he say this without unnerving her more? "Aaand. I don't know. Do you ever get restless after you haven't been working hard for a while? Like all of your usually-focused energy is building up and you can't find an outlet for it?" He clenched his fingers for a moment, looking down at his hand. "Well, I guess I'm just antsy from being out of commission for over two months. I've only been on little jobs lately." Shrugging again, Hematite sighed through his nose and lifted his hands to his sides in an exaggerated shrug. "I just need a good mission, I guess."

–

Yellow glanced away briefly, remembering how she got when the other Diamonds forced her to take breaks from working. She hardly ever took time off, and she always got anxious to get back to work when she did.

"I think I understand what you mean. Hmm..." Yellow turned, placing a finger to her chin, looking lost in thought. "Tch... I’ll tell you what. Why don't I have a word with Blue and White and see if we can’t find you something a little more... active. How does that sound?" she said, removing her hand from her face and giving Hematite a reassuring nod.

–

Hematite tilted his head in utter bafflement, still confused at how different Yellow acted around him nowadays. However, he didn't dwell on it. With a thankful, tired smile, he nodded once and crossed his arms.

"I'd... actually really appreciate that, Yellow. Thank you."

–

Yellow flicked her wrist and her expression returned to its usual neutral, if not slightly annoyed look. "Very well. You may leave whenever you wish, then. Get some rest; I'll see if someone can get you a more fulfilling task within the next three rotations," she said formally, crossing her arms and standing tall.

–

The service gem smiled again and nodded, giving her a polite salute.

"Then I will see to the rest of my duties for today. Thank you for the lesson, Yellow Diamond. I won't forget it."

Hematite made his way out of the arena, his eyes going wide as he walked out of view.

_And he certainly wouldn't forget **that little flare-up** , either._


	67. Lead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue Diamond finally has a lead on a nagging problem.

_Clunk... THUD._

  


"U-uhm. M-my Diamond, are you going to pick that up-"

"NO!”  
“B-but my Diam-”  
“Get OUT of my office!"

"Gyah! Yes, as you wish! I'm terribly sorr-"

"JUST  _ GO!" _

  


Scurrying out the door was a noticeably distressed and unkempt Pearl, holding four different diamond pads in her arms. Despite the moppy hair she wore over her eyes, she wore a clear look of mild panic, and scurried down the hall from Blue's office as quickly as possible. She didn't know _why_ Blue was in such a mood, but she _did_ know better than to stick around her when she was angry. And, right now, she was _furious_.

Watching the panicked gem flee from her room, the Diamond furrowed her brows in deep-seated frustration. She glared down at the floor where she had dropped her mace. Grumbling something under her breath, she leaned over and picked it up, walking over to one of the dummies in her office. With a barbaric roar, she lifted the weapon up and smashed into the hapless sack, reducing the dummy to splinters and shrapnel.

She dropped the spiked ball to the floor, holding onto the handle of the weapon tightly. She stared straight ahead in furious rage, sweat dripping from her brow. Then, she closed her eyes and breathed in slowly, raising her hand to her face to run it over her gem and up into her bangs.

"Okay, Blue... Relax. It's ooookaaaaay. Just... gotta wait... for him to show uuuup..." she cooed angrily to herself. Her brow started to twitch, but she shook her head rapidly. " _No_ , calm. Caaaaalm." She kept breathing quietly, tapping her fingers against the pole of her mace. With a low growl at the dark weapon, Blue angrily tapped the pole of it, sending it away in a show of sparkles. She quickly began pacing around the room; her footsteps send harrowing echoes through the office. She hadn't looked this stressed out in years. Whoever she was waiting for needed to show up, and show up _fast_.

–

"Mmmmmnn."

Hematite rubbed at his chin, his fingers drumming on the side of his jaw. He was walking down the main path that led to the base of the Blue Diamond tower; but in doing so he passed by a plethora of assorted service gems. He spared them odd looks; and his eyes held a barely-disguised sharpness to them.

_Just ignore it. Don't look at the Peridots, don't look at anyone. Just get to Blue's office._

The service gem attempted to pay no mind to the odd flare he was experiencing. He was trying to keep this uncomfortable feeling away, but it was getting harder and harder by the day. _Stars, he hoped Blue had a harvesting mission for him. Maybe then these distracting urges would go away._

  


_At least, he hoped they would._

Hematite managed to pay as little mind as he could to the gems he passed by, and soon enough he was in the elevator leading up to his superior's office.

  


  


_Knock knock knock._

_Cshhhh_

The service gem took a step inside, saluting politely, his jaw set. He held a steely look in his eyes. 

"Hematite reporting, Blue Diamond."

–

Blue whirled around, her face painted with undisguised anger and distress.

"HEMATITE,” she barked forcefully. Striding towards him quickly, she firmly grabbed onto his shoulders and grit her teeth. "Look, hey, I have a serious problem here. Do you have anything to do today? Yellow asked me the other day if I had any jobs I could give you, and at the time I didn't, but... something huge has come up and I think you'd be best for this!" she said, practically sweating bullets. She turned sharply, grumbling something again and pacing once more. She hadn't even waited for him to give her an answer yet. "This is bad... this is... ohhhh if I get my hands on these little clods I'm gonnnaaaa… mmmm." she started growling under her breath, her back turned to the service gem.

–

Well, on one hand, he was worried _and_ intimidated. On the other, the 'flare' quickly vanished; so he supposed that was a plus. Hematite cleared his throat and crossed his arms, trying to stay calm and collected.

"I'm completely free today. And tomorrow. I'm free for the next three days, actually. What's going on? Who do I need to harvest?" His lip curled in a slight sneer, eyes narrowing.

–

Blue scoffed and clenched her fists, spinning around to face Hematite. There was an unnervingly forced, wide smile on her face.

"Nooooo... no harvesting _yet_." She hissed quietly, eyes narrowed.  "Hematiiiite... Do you... Haaaappen to remember that little group of rebels I had talked about a while ago? The ones that were sending me threats?" she said, placing her fingers together in an unnervingly forced, patient manner. Hematite felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as Blue spoke, and he found it increasingly hard to keep his composure. Sweat began to form lightly on his brow.

"I-I do remember them, yes.”

"Weeeeell... This mission isn't about them _directly_. I have... a lead. On something. Somethiiiing that could prove useful!"

Hematite arched a brow, clearing his throat.

“Weren't they only communicating through threatening letters? Do you really think you have something solid on them?"

–

Blue turned on her heel, wiggling her fingers impatiently.

"Yes, yes, I know I do. Okay, here's the deal..." The Diamond hissed through her teeth, clapping her hands together. "So they've gotten a little more... ah, whaaaat's the word... _bold_. As of late. And their threats are starting to sound more dangerous. However, we simply can’t seem to find out where they're hiding. We had no lead, had no way of telling where they were, and no way to find out who was even sending the initial messages! But..." She stopped, raising her index finger in the air. She hovered her hand over her gemstone and summoned a diamond pad from the stone, turning it on swiftly. The screen popped up a hologram of a map of the Pink District. As Blue moved closer to Hematite, a small, blue diamond insignia popped up over a specific piece of the map.

"I got a little tip-off from a guard that there's a veeeery specific gem running around- from my district, no less. From what I understand, not only is she not supposed to be in the Pink District, but she's getting into some rather nasty trouble with anyone she comes across. She's stolen from guards, fought with them, even caused a small amount of property damage. She's been spotted hanging out with a suspicious looking group of gems every now and then, following in their shadows wherever they go... but no one can ever seem to find who she hangs out with. I have reason to believe that this might be the group of rebels we're looking for. What makes me think that? Apparently someone's caught her bragging about being in a very powerful group. Whatever her motive or reasoning is behind it is unclear, but that was all the information I needed. There aren't any other known groups out there that are known to us," she recited, moving her finger over the map somewhere.

"Here's the catch... she doesn't stay around that group for very long. She wanders around a lot and avoids most gems... but she's gotten into a few fights before, I've heard. She has vandalized, stolen, and participated in small riots. Petty, rebellious behavior, but I'm not sure she's too serious about what she's doing..." Blue narrowed her eyes, placing a hand over her mouth for a moment. “She hasn't attacked any gems without provoking, from what I've heard. Gems like this usually start fights, but this gem has only committed crimes when threatened or when around her little 'friends.'”

–

Hematite's expression slowly darkened as he listened to Blue's explanation, his lip curling into a sneer again.

_What a foolish, pitiful gem. Why would you brag about being in a group like that, especially when gems know what you look like?_

"Well then, is this where I come in?" Hema stood straight and rolled his shoulders, folding his arms behind his back. He narrowed his eyes, regaining a professional air. "Do you want me to track this gem down?"

–

Blue tapped her chin, muttering something under her breath.

"Weeeeelll... Yes, actually. Yes, that's exactly what I need you for. At the very least, she's worth questioning... and she needs to be relocated back into the Blue District once she serves out her punishment for such ridiculous behavior. Even if she's not part of the group sending me threats, she's my responsibility and she needs to be returned to my district." Blue pursed her lips, placing a hand over the hologram and switching it off. "However, Hematite... There are three big things I need you to know about this mission before you head out."

The service gem quirked a brow and pursed his lips, fingers fidgeting behind his back.

"Yes, and what would those things be?"

Blue placed the diamond pad into her gem again and crossed her arms.

"One. She has been reported to be very crafty and quick on her feet. You will need to be craftier and quicker. Two... Unfortunately, we do not know what kind of gem she is; I've gotten different reports on that. Fear not, though; apparently she has two very defining features. She almost always wears a large, blue scarf with a diamond insignia on it, and she's very blue in color herself," she stated, tapping her fingers on her upper arms. She closed her eyes, brows furrowing.

"And three... You cannot harvest her, poof her, or damage her. I need her back here intact and NOT spooked so that I may question her. Do I make myself clear, Hematite? This is very important!"

–

Hematite felt his professional air shatter. His face fell, and he groaned quietly, quickly stifling the sound.

"Mmmhh." Slowly, the ivory-haired gem inhaled through his nose, regaining his proper stance. "As you wish, Blue. I'll do my best. No harvesting."

_Of all the missions, of all the times._ _**Why now.** _

–

Blue nodded, standing up straight.

"Good. Now, sources say she generally hangs around the eastern section of the Pink District. Reports say she's been spotted there fairly recently, so if you wish to catch her, you need to get a move-on. And good luck to you, Hematite! Oooonce we catch this little rascal, we'll see what our next plan of action is." Blue pressed her fingers together and frowned darkly, glancing to the side. Clearing her throat, she sighed and waved her hand, dismissing the service gem. Turning, she started to mutter something to herself, completely out of it as if he'd already left the room.

–

–

Hematite stepped off the warp pad and promptly turned on his eyepiece, bringing up the location Blue had sent him after he had left her office. The service gem rolled his head, cracking his neck quietly.

_Right. Let's get this over with._

  


  


Hours passed. The sun began to set; and stars were shimmering just on the horizon as twilight began to fall, casting the Pink District in deep, bluish-purple shade.

Hematite was nearing the location on the map, and he slowly dropped into a stealthier crouch, his eyes narrowing. He currently stood at about his half height or so, maybe a little shorter. After all, Blue said she didn't want this gem to be _too_ spooked. Slowly, the harvester crept out of the sparse city he'd been prowling through, moving toward what appeared to be a distant field of huge rocks, crystals, and- even further on the horizon- a huge 'hill' of rock, stretching out further than Hematite could see. He narrowed his eyes. From the looks of it, it appeared to be an abandoned quarry; perhaps it was the future site of a kindergarten that was never finished.

  


_Well. Seems like this is the place._

  


Hematite's eyes widened slowly as he crouched even further down, lifting a hand to his face. He flicked it over his eyes. In a flash, his visor appeared, covering half his face. Dimly, the screen began to glow, a soft whir emanating from it. However, he mentally checked the eyepiece instead of the visor. He needed to locate a gem signature before anything else.

_Locate._

Keeping his hunting visor on standby, the huge gem moved as silently as he could into the absolutely _massive_ abandoned quarry. Many of the rocks there dwarfed even him, and he wondered if they would make the hunt easier. They made for good cover.

  


_Blip!_

Hematite froze stiffly and looked at his eyepiece underneath his visor.

_Isolate unusual signatures._

The clear screen honed in on four uncommon gem signatures, and Hematite quickly passed off three of them as being either plant life or corrupted gems. The last one was unfamiliar. He didn't quite recognize the signature.

  


_No matter._

Looking at his hunting visor, Hematite sent his eyepiece away with a flick of his hand. He frowned and mentally commanded the device to scan the five miles around him in any direction. Hematite's hunting visor glowed to life. Slowly, the radar grid came into view, the process seeming far slower than normal. Eventually, a tiny splotch of blue appeared among the mostly-barren quarry. Hematite inhaled slowly through his nose, creeping forward on all fours, all his senses trained on the area around him. His eyes were wide, focused, checking for any change in his line of sight as he approached the blip on his screen. 

  


  


_Elsewhere..._

  


_Tck!_

  


A small, rigid pebble bounced off of the surface of a rock face, pattering to the floor.

  


_TCK!_

  


Another one- this one was a little bigger. 

  


Two huge, rocky hills jutted up from the ground with an open area between them only a few yards in width. From this angle, the evening light cast a shadow over the small path between the rocks, and, ultimately, the small figure leaned up against one of the walls.

"Hmph..."

Standing just a little taller than a Ruby, a disheveled, blue gem stood with her arms crossed, a few small pebbles in her hand. Occasionally, she'd move her arm and toss one of the pebbles at the wall that was parallel to her. She was quiet, slowly tapping her foot against the rocky surface.

_Tck._

Her hair was a dark blue, scraggly, and very unkempt. Her long, navy bangs cast her eyes in a subtle shadow. The ends of her hair, which fell past her shoulders, were messy and split, covering a deep-blue gemstone between her shoulder blades. Her skin was a lighter shade of blue, all except for the slightly darker freckles on her cheeks. Her outfit was a much darker shade of blue, complete with slightly brighter boots. But what really set her apart was the oversized scarf that she wore around her neck, just barely covering her mouth. The scarf was a slightly off color from the rest of her outfit, as if it didn't belong there; and in the middle of it was a light-blue, diamond insignia.

  


She leaned closer to the wall, sighing heavily and peering up at the sky above her. She seemed bored; one could even say she looked as though she was waiting for something. _Was she frustrated, perhaps?_ With furrowed brows, she raised her hand and carelessly threw the rest of the small pebbles she held at the adjacent wall. A few fell just short of their target, bouncing off the ground. She didn't appear to be in the best of moods, whoever she was.

  


  


  


  


_Tck_

  


  


_Tck_

_Tck_

  


_Clatter_

  


  


Hematite stiffened and looked off to his right a bit, toward a huge mass of rock. From what he could see, it seemed to have a deep cleft in it; was there a path possibly running through? Whatever it was... he'd definitely heard _something_ coming from it.

Claws faintly scraping against stone for a moment, Hematite's form rounded a large crystal, making its way toward the narrow canyon. All his senses were strained ahead, eyes wide. The massive hunter suddenly shifted his path, heading for the top of one of the rocks instead of the canyon itself.

Steadily, Hematite drew himself up the rock, pausing at the top. The signature was directly below him.

Quickly, the giant gem peered over the edge, his visor lighting up the stone below him.

He caught a glimpse of a spot of blue.

–

The small blue gem idly glanced around, tapping her foot on the ground occasionally... until she looked down. Eyes widening slowly, she noticed something off about the color of the rock below her. She froze in place then rapidly looked up, eyes widening even further. Her stomach _dropped_. _WHAT on Homeworld was THAT?!_

  


She wasn't sticking around to find out.

As quick as she'd looked up, the tiny figure bolted through the path, making her way towards a much more rocky, uneven area of the quarry at an _alarming_ speed.

–

Hematite bared his teeth in surprise, watching the tiny gem bolt off in the other direction. _Dammit,_ _she_ _ **was**_ _fast!_

The giant gem leapt down from his perch, chasing after the gem as quickly as he could.

  


_Scan._

Now that he was close enough, Hema's visor started to constantly refresh, keeping the fleeing gem relatively 'current' on his radar. It wasn't perfect, as it needed to recharge, but it would hopefully be good enough.

  


Hematite skidded around a large rock, eyes scanning quickly for the blue gem.

Silent, focused, and swift, the small blue gem made her way around rock faces and large crystals that spiked up out of the ground. She dared not look behind her. Whatever that was, it was big and it was nothing she'd ever seen before. Skidding to a halt, she came to a rather large piece of crystal, ducking behind it quietly. She pressed her back to it, glancing from side to side, and above her. She listened carefully.

–

The giant gem stopped in his tracks. His target had stopped moving. Slowly, he crouched low to the ground. He narrowed his eyes, moving forward as quietly as he possibly could. The area around him was littered with tall, sharp rocks; spires of naturally-occurring crystal rose from the stone floor as well. Little pieces of stone laid here and there, making the field a practical mine-field of disturbances. Hematite managed to keep himself quiet, but no sooner did he feel he was in the clear, than suddenly- 

  


_crick._

  


Grimacing silently, Hema looked down to see he'd crushed a small stone under his hand. His face shot up, eyes checking for movement.

–

Gasping quietly behind her scarf, the blue gem pressed her hands against her the fabric and looked to the left sharply. Without warning, she bolted off into the opposite direction of the sound, making her way past some more rock faces. Growling quietly to himself, the giant hunter shot off after the gem, no longer trying to be quiet. Hematite rapidly crawled over boulders, sharp rocks, and even some fallen crystals, trying to keep up with the tiny fleeing gem.

  


_Shit... it's following me!_ She ran swiftly, eyes darting in every direction. She kept her keen eyes on every possible vantage point above her; not a perch nor hiding spot missed her gaze. The rapidly gaining hunter didn't go unnoticed by the significantly smaller gem. Just once, she looked back, just in time to see something huge passing over one of the rocks further behind her She looked on ahead again, narrowing her eyes. _Time to lose his thing._ The gem rapidly made her way through the quarry, heading deeper and deeper into thicker crystal growths. The crystals started to get more frequent and far larger, providing her with excellent cover _and_ a way to slow her giant pursuer. 

Panting heavily under her scarf, she waded through twists and turns of many different paths, occasionally changing direction to try and lose whatever it was following her. 

  


Eventually, her plan worked. In a maze of quartz spires and abrupt, random bits of chasm walls, she'd lost the giant gem. A quiet, soft cackle was muffled by the thick cloth surrounding her mouth as the elusive gem rounded a corner.

–

Hematite was starting to lose his patience.

Teeth bared, the giant gem sat up and looked around, his clawed fingers moving in a rhythmic fashion. They dug lightly into the stone below him, leaving little scratches in the rock.

Hematite had now 'lost' this gem about four different times, and his visor wasn't helping him out. It was unable to refresh fast enough to keep up with the blue gem's rapidly changing paths, double-backs, and sheer speed. If he hadn't been given strict orders not to spook this gem, he would have broken something by now to not only show he meant business, but to also vent out some pent-up frustrations.

The giant gem quickly climbed around a huge crystal, barely able to squeeze between it and another rock. He looked around, teeth bared.

_Where. Are. You._

–

Huffing heavily, the smaller gem stopped, back pressed up against another crystal. Slowly, she took a deep breath and peered around her hiding place.

She was some ways away, but she could see it now. A few hundred yards away skulked an absolutely massive gem. _Was it even a gem, really?!_ She'd never seen one that big before, or any that moved quite like they did; at least, she'd never seen a gem like them that wasn't a fusion. 

_Why was it after her...?_ She didn't have time to think about it. She had to give this thing the slip, that was all that mattered. She hunched over and as quietly as she could, making a mad dash for what looked to be the _largest_ rocky hill in the entire quarry.

–

The moment the gem moved, the Hematite on the distant rise sat up straight, his face snapping directly toward where she'd been not moments ago. His visor aglow, the giant gem looked more like a disturbing silhouette rather than a living creature. The shining screen was a stark contrast to the darkening night sky.

Hematite bolted after where he'd seen the fleeing target, admittedly knocking over a few crystals in the process with loud 'CRACK's. He didn't care at this point. He needed to catch this thing, and this was getting rather old rather fast.

  


Skidding around a huge crystal, the giant gem growled loudly, finally spotting the tiny gem rushing toward the largest 'rock' of the quarry. He looked up as he bolted after her. It appeared to be some sort of hill, from the outside. Why was she heading there of all places? He'd catch her in an instant if she ran up that thing!

–

The tiny gem looked back again, eyes wide with shock. _How was this thing still hot on her trail?!_ It didn't matter... where she was going, he wouldn't find her. _She'd make sure of it._ Smirking, she looked forward and made her way through twists and turns, leaping over smaller crystals and jumping from one small cliff ledge to the other with superb agility. 

  


The closer the two drew to the 'hill' of the quarry, the deeper the paths of the would-be-kindergarten dipped into the ground. Soon enough, a yawning hole opened up in the side of the hill, which now towered overhead.

It didn't take the fleeing gem long to reach the entrance of the absolutely massive hill, which opened up unevenly before her. It only appeared to be thirty or so feet big, and was fraught with jutting rocks and little ledges, making it impossible for a gem such as Hematite to fit through. The blue gem was quick to run towards it, cackling. _There was no way they'd fit in here!_

–

_Yeah keep laughing, you won't be for long._

Hematite felt his hunter's instincts sharpening in _every_ way. The pit of his abdomen clenched for a moment as he chased after the fleeing gem, but he shook his head, trying to clear the feeling. Thankfully, it faded as fast as it came, but the giant gem was now acutely aware that another 'flare' was right around the corner.

  


_No. Not now. Any time but now._

  


Eyes going wide, the giant gem skidded to a halt outside the small cave entrance as he realized how small it was. His arm shot in after the gem, far too late to catch her. Withdrawing his hand, the huge hunter bared his teeth, his claws scraping against the wall of the cave.

His visor glowed against the dark sky, small white insignia target locked onto what he could still see of the tiny gem.

–

The tiny blue gem scurried quickly into the cave, just barely avoiding the massive hand that slammed in behind her. Messy hair flowing behind her, she looked back, grinning cheekily under her scarf. Relief washed over her very core, making her laugh in victory over the huge hunter.

"HAA! Your head's too big for this cave! Guess you're outta luck, big guy! See ya!"

The tiny gem cackled and sneered, limberly jumping up onto a much higher sub-cliff within the cavern. Snickering confidently, she ran off, knowing she'd lost him for sure this time. But. She still had to make _sure_.

The cave itself was dark, damp, and cold. Aside from cool gray rocks, colorful crystals were scattered throughout the cave on every surface, spaced out sporadically. They weren't overwhelming, but they were certainly enough to be a concern to a gem as big as Hema. The small blue gem jumped up and over a few more jagged rocks, making her way into the darker, deeper parts of the massive cavern. Within mere moments... she was gone.

–

Snarling in frustration, Hematite lost visual on the gem. He angrily reeled his hand back, punching the wall, teeth bared.

_No, he couldn't lose this! It was his job! Blue was depending on him! Blue's very **safety** was depending on him if this gem really was a lead on her case!_

The giant gem suddenly shrank down, slipping into the cave; and made his careful way through the narrow, highly uneven paths. A chill started to creep up Hematite's spine, the further he went. 

His eyes widened in horrified remembrance. The last few times he'd been in caves didn't end well. He couldn't keep following this gem down; he had no idea what he'd walk into.

  


Hematite stopped.

He narrowed his eyes, tapping his chin. A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind as he quietly looked around as if searching for a sign as to what he should do. Then, slowly, he stopped. His eyes flickered around in deep thought, his brows furrowing. A cavern... a tricky hunt... seemingly no advantages.

  


… _Wait a moment._

  


  


With an unreadable look, Hematite touched his hunting visor, the lights turning off. He stayed at about fifteen feet until he reached a more open area of the caves. He shifted back up to his half height as soon as he was sure he had the space. The massive gem crawled over a small rise, finding a huge dip in the rock floor. It was damp and uncomfortable, but it was off to the side enough so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. Silently, the hunter turned around, hunkering down low to the floor, very nearly touching it.

  


_It worked for Howlite._

_It can work for me._

  


Hematite narrowed his eyes before shutting them. He stopped breathing entirely. As he laid in wait, the world around him suddenly became far louder. He heard every drip, drip, drip of a nearby pool of water. He could feel the very world around him humming with deafening silence; it was both a peaceful, and harrowing sensation. There he laid in wait; there, he listened.

  


  


_Come on. Make a mistake._

  


  


  


A little over an hour passed, and there was no sign of anything. No movement, no sound of a fleeing gem, nothing. 

That was, until something started to shuffle some hundred feet or so away. Something was approaching quietly. But, as it drew nearer to the main cavern, it seemed less and less concerned with being silent.

  


"Tehehehe... What a clod... probably couldn't fit his fat head in the cave."

A quiet, childishly mocking voice came out from behind a smaller rise in the ground. Sure enough, the small blue gem was making her way back out of the cave, having convinced herself that whatever was behind her was no longer a worry. Carefully, she peered around one of the small rocky hills in the ground, glancing around the nearly pitch black cave.

  


As she walked, she wore a cocky smile on her face, though it was hidden by the massive scarf that covered her mouth. Quietly, she paced at her leisure through the cold, dark cavern and made her way to what she knew was the direction of the exit. Her eyes flicked around, and she saw no sign of the weird, giant gem that'd been chasing her before.

"Ha! I must'a scared him off!" she sneered, talking quietly to herself. Stopping between a smaller dip in the rocks, she held her hands up near her chest, peering from side to side.

"Keheh... now, where is that exit, again..."

  


Slowly, a satisfied grin spread across Hematite's face, his eyes cracking open. Without lighting back up, his visor locked onto the tiny gem that had foolishly wandered _right in front of him_ , and began to scan her fully.

  


A moment before it finished, that eerie, familiar sound echoed coldly through the cavern.

  


_Whirrrrrrrrrr_

  


The visor slowly lit up, mere yards behind the tiny blue gem's back, casting her in an unnatural, pale light. A huge, diamond-shaped insignia was locked directly on the tiny gem before it.

  


  


  


–

The small blue gem's eyes went wide upon hearing the noise, and the light that came soon after struck her with a sudden, terrifying realization. Her arms slowly dropped to her sides; her body went numb.

Slowly, she turned, lifting her head to view the enormous glowing screen that she'd seen peering down at her before, far too close for comfort. Her entire front was cast in its light. Quietly, she swallowed, her feet suddenly locked in place.

  


"Uh oh...."

  


_**Click.** _

Hematite narrowed his eyes, unmoving. He frowned, barely restraining himself from lunging towards the tiny gem. _A Kyanite, huh? This one's a lot... smaller than the one Howlite found._ And that one hadn't had any 'faults'. Casually, Hematite glanced at the 'description' part of his screen and took a small bullet pointed note.

  


_ Undersized [?] _

  


Looking back at his tiny target, Hematite subtly bared his teeth.

_ "Don't. Move." _

Hematite glared down at the tiny gem, his eyes hidden behind his visor. Slowly, he lifted his arm, his massive clawed hand reaching closer for the Kyantite's form.

–

The Kyanite's mouth dropped open wide, emitting the faintest squeak. 

_It TALKED?!_

She turned sharply without warning, deciding it was _far_ more than time to go. As soon as she turned, she made rapid run in the opposite direction, cursing under her breath.

–

_WHAT DID I **JUST** SAY?!_

Hematite's patience suddenly _snapped,_ and his fangs glinted in the low light as his lips drew back in a harsh snarl.

The massive gem shot his hand forward after his fleeing target, grasping at her with his clawed fingers extended. He gasped quietly as his fingers snagged onto something, and he harshly pulled back, teeth grit.

–

The Kyanite felt something tug hard at her neck. Stifling a gasp, she stumbled down and forward, the scarf around her neck unraveling. Landing on the ground harshly, she shook her head and coughed, grabbing instinctively at her neck. Her eyes went wide again, mouth parted slightly in horror. Her scarf was gone, snagged by the monstrosity behind her. 

  


She whipped around to face him now, brows furrowed angrily. All her nervousness vanished in a moment, and her chest _heaved_.

  


"HEY! GIVE THAT BACK!" the tiny gem screamed out in frustration, making an absurdly bold move towards him. Without another word, she jumped onto the other gem's hand, grabbing a hold of her scarf and chomping down into his fingers in the process.

–

"What- AGH!"

Hematite yowled in pain, sitting up sharply, his teeth bared. His visor lit up his face, his bright white fangs glinting in the low light once more. Inhaling harshly through his teeth, the huge gem lifted his hand up to his face, his visor clicking aggressively at the tiny gem attached to his finger. Without warning, Hematite felt his instincts flare up. His teeth parted slightly in a silent growl, and he shot his free hand up, completely yanking the scarf out of the Kyanite's hands.

–

The Kyanite held tightly onto Hematite's finger, eyes widening again as she was faced with sharp, glimmering teeth. She swallowed nervously, not even paying attention while the huge gem snatched her scarf away again. Unable to look away for a few moments, she shook her head, her focus finally shifting back upon realizing what had happened.

 _"NO!_ Give that back, you... you lousy sod!" she yelled in protest, starting to climb up the gem's hand, looking as though she were about to pounce on his other hand after her scarf.

  


_SNATCH!_

  


The light from the hunter's visor suddenly vanished as Hematite flicked his wrist over, completely enclosing the Kyanite in his hand. Her world went black. Casually wrapping the scarf around his other hand's index finger, the giant gem narrowed his eyes at his fist. His breathing was heavy, his teeth still bared in a snarl.

If he squeezed his hand, he could easily poof her.

_In all honestly... a small part of him wanted to._

The _harvester_ at the forefront of Hematite's mind was screaming at him to bubble her, poof her, anything, and then _put her away._ He wanted to get this job done as quickly and efficiently as possible, without risking his fingers again.

Swallowing thickly, the giant gem held his fist closer to his face, still not giving the Kyanite any room to escape or see out of his hand.

  


  


"HEY!"

A muffled voice shouted from within Hematite's hand, furious kicks and punches of protest following soon after. The small blue gem shoved herself against his fingers, desperately trying to crawl out or find some means of escape. "Let GO of me, you jerk! Give me that scarf back! OOohh when I get outta here I'm gonna bite you again! Rraagh!" She growled, constantly digging her small fingers into his skin, though it did nothing to him.

–

_Bite me again and I'll return the favor._

Hematite frowned at his own thought and shook his head in surprise. His eyes widened subtly, and his steely expression faltered. He looked at himself, mouth slightly ajar in what almost looked like dismay.

  


"… Tch."

The giant gem stood up and cocked a brow at his closed fist, tapping his foot. He couldn't hurt her, it wasn't like him, and Blue asked him not to harm her... but what could he do? She clearly wasn't going to work with him...

  


Brows raising, the service gem perked up. He suddenly had an idea.

Turning his fist over, Hematite cleared his throat and spoke clearly, calmly, but with a firmness that showed he meant business.

"Gem Captured: Kyanite. Status: Undamaged. Mission Objective: Relocate."

Hematite pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes. _Time to make an adjustment to his rites._

"Kyanite, you have been summoned to the Blue Diamond Tower. You are to be relocated there by myself. Your gem will be unharmed, should you cooperate." A pause. "... And I will return your scarf to you, if you agree not to cause me anymore trouble."

–

The Kyanite stopped squirming, blinking in surprise. Had she heard that right? The Blue Diamond tower? _Relocation? What was this fancy recital he was-_

 _... Her scarf!!_ Her eyes lit up, and she placed her hands to Hematite's fingers firmly, yelling out.

"Give me the scarf!" she shouted, baring her own teeth in frustration. "Give me the scarf, a-and I'll... cooperate... I swear." She sighed, crossing her arms tightly against her chest. The look on her face showed she clearly didn't want to agree to his terms, but she had no choice. She didn't trust this... whatever he was, as far as she could throw him; and she couldn't so much as _lift his finger._

–

A low growl reverberated around Kyanite's tiny form.

"Forgive me if I'm not inclined to _believe_ you."  His hand clenched a little tighter for a moment. Not enough to be painful, but enough to show he did have room to be holding her tighter, if he wished. "I will not give you back this scarf until we're out of these caves. And you're going to behave until then. And if you do not continue to behave, I'll make sure you never see this scarf again."

His voice lowered into an eerie hush.

_ "Do I make myself clear." _

–

"UUUUUUUUUGHHH!" Kyanite groaned with frustrated exasperation. Shoving her elbow harshly into the giant gem's hand, she grunted. "Mmmghh fine! But lighten up a little, will ya? Your stupid fingers are squishing me. I like my projection _unsquished_ , THANK you!" she barked, angrily looking around at the massive hand that encased her.

–

Rolling his eyes with an exasperated sneer, Hema let out his own groan of frustration.

"Uuuugh, yeah whatever, but if you run again, you're going to regret it."

Hematite made his way toward the exit of the caves. He suddenly unclenched his fist, holding the back of Kyan's shirt tightly between his clawed fingers, her form dangling from his hand.

–

Though she stammered in surprise for a moment at the 'ground' cutting out beneath her, Kyanite grumbled something under her breath, folding her arms in front of her. Puffing out her cheeks, she seemed to be mulling over something quietly. She looked up as they approached the exit to the caverns.

"You don't have to hold me like this ya know, I'm not gonna try anything..." she said, refusing to look back at him.

–

Hematite arched a brow down at the tiny gem.

"Actually, yes I do need to for a moment."

The caves were suddenly alight with a bright pinkish white glow, the giant gem's form slowly shrinking down. He kept his tight grip on the Kyanite's shirt, moving forward. His body soon stopped glowing, now only standing at about twenty five feet tall or so, so he could leave the caves comfortably.

–

Kyanite looked around suddenly, startled by the sudden pink light. Looking back, she could now not only see that he was smaller than he was before, but she noticed that he actually had eyes behind the weird screen on his face. She didn't look at him long, though, and quickly returned to the same position she held just before he'd shrunken down. Well, he already was weird...she certainly wasn't gonna question _that_.

"Can I have my scarf back, now... it's really important to me," she said, far more soft spoken than she had been before. Her shoulders hung lower, and she glanced off at the opening of the cave.

–

"We're not out of the cave yet, now are we," he said simply, with a tinge of a sneer in his voice. His lost patience was slowly returning to him, but he was still annoyed about her biting his finger and being such a difficult target. Not to mention her attitude was already starting to rub him the wrong way.

  


Hematite finally made it out of the caves, stepping into the cold, clear night air. He looked up at the sky quietly, pausing for a moment. He subtly unwrapped the scarf from around his finger and hid it in his palm so she wouldn't see it and freak out before he could talk to her.

With a deep sigh, the giant gem lifted his free hand to his face, a finger hovering over his visor. Quietly, the hunter turned Kyanite toward him, raising her up to eye level. His visor whirred quietly.

–

Kyanite glanced to the side again, refusing to make any sort of eye contact with the gem before her. She crossed her arms again without a word. However, her frustrated, confident demeanor had dropped completely. She looked _sad_ almost, her messy hair draped over her face and shoulders.

"What do you want with me anyway... Why are you taking me to the Blue District Towers...?" she asked, her tone almost solemn and worried.

–

 _Tap_. The hunting visor vanished in a show of sparks, revealing his eyes finally.

Hematite's gaze was surprisingly soft for how angry he'd been for the past few minutes, and he looked over the tiny gem in concern, checking her for damages to her projection. Seemed she was alright...

Without answering her question, he took a deep breath and held up his free hand a tad closer.

“... You've got quite the impressive bite, huh. Next time, maybe wait for a moment before you go chomping down on a giant gem's hand." Slowly, he lifted his free hand next to the blue gem, unclenching his fingers. He offered her the scarf, his grip on it loose. "As promised."

–

Kyanite finally looked into Hema's eyes, her own widening almost too subtly to notice. But as quick as she looked at him, her attention darted to his hand. Gasping sharply, she held out her hands, reaching for her scarf. Grabbing hold of it, she held the massive cut of cloth close, burying her face in it and nuzzling it for a good few seconds. Her shoulders shook for a moment, her face entirely out of view.

–

Hematite stood straighter, folding his free arm behind his back.

"I apologize for taking it and then holding it hostage." Giving a single nod, he started walking back toward the main city. After a few steps, Hema glanced at the gem dangling from his hand. ".... We're going to be walking for a few hours. Don't try any funny business."

With that, the giant gem deftly turned his hand over, now holding Kyanite loosely in his palm, his fingers curling behind her.

–

Kyanite nodded with mutual, semi-reluctant understanding. Wrapping the huge scarf back around her neck just as it'd been before, she pulled her knees close to her chest and held them. 

A good few minutes passed, and she kept her face buried and covered with the scarf. But, soon, she moved, glancing around. Part of her considered jumping... but she thought better of it. If he caught her once, he might catch her again, even if she hated to admit it.

"So... I take it you're not just gonna let me go, are ya?" The small blue gem spoke finally, peering up with raised, half furrowed brows.

–

Hematite was caught slightly off guard by the sudden question, but quickly covered it. He sighed softly.

"I'm afraid not, no. But..." Shrugging his free shoulder, the giant gem pursed his lips. "Don't worry, you're in no danger, so long as you don't try to run. Blue Diamond just wants to talk to you about the group you're involved in. I'm just here to bring you back to the towers. And even then, you're not going to be harmed. By the Diamond Authority, I swear it." He glanced down at her, expression unreadable.

–

Eyes going wide as saucers, Kyan suddenly clutched her scarf close to her face, her entire form shaking involuntarily. A half-stifled _shriek_ escaped her, cutting through the quiet night air.

"NOOoo! You can't take me back there! They're gonna hurt me!" She peeked out of the scarf up at Hematite, brows furrowed.

–

Jumping slightly, the service gem held Kyanite a little further from him, wincing. _Stars, alright. Was that really necessary?_ He turned to the tiny gem in his hand and blinked in concern, his neutral expression falling. He unfolded his arm from behind his back and moved his free hand a little closer, biting his lip.

"No, no they're not. I promise. Look... She just wants to talk, okay? That's why they sent me!" He smiled awkwardly and gestured to the side with his free hand, giving a dry chuckle. "It's alright, really... If they wanted you hurt, they would have sent someone other than me..."

–

"NO! You big sod, I'm not worried about the Diamonds!"

The Kyanite growled out, balling up her fists and pressing them against her head. She screwed her eyes shut, grumbling in her scarf. "I'm talking about the Star Stealers!" She sneered, holding her fists out to her sides now. "If they find out I squealed, they'll shatter me for sure!”

–

Hematite's brows raised. The moment Kyanite said 'Diamonds', his eyepiece gave a soft, almost inaudible 'chirp'.

_Record._

He kept the screen dimmed so Kyanite wouldn't see what was going on, though thankfully she wasn't looking at the moment anyways. Steps measured and even, the service gem inhaled deeply.

"And why do you say that? Surely they can't be so bad."

–

The Kyanite grumbled again under her breath, swinging her arms around her legs and holding them closer.

"Th-they're just a stupid... group I hang out with sometimes... They let me hang around, but they don't really let me do much of anything else. They're not really nice, but... sometimes it's better than having nobody around. That, and I can learn a thing or two from them! They're all really tough..." She paused, eyes half lidded. She seemed to be staring at nothing... and a vacant, distant look crossed her eyes.

"They're pretty... vicious, actually. At least in what they _threaten_ they'll do. I've seen them poof plenty of gems for simply talking back to them before. So, I didn't question them. They don't really tell me much, but... I thought I could fit in there, if I tried hard enough!" She furrowed her brows again, her fiesty spirit returning as she snapped at him.  "But I can't tell you anything else... I can't tell you who they are or where they are. I just can't,”

–

"Hmmmm. I see. Well... I can tell you one thing." Hematite shrugged and looked more directly at the Kyanite, lifting her to his eye level. His voice softened slightly. If anything, his efforts were just trying to calm her down best he could. "For now, you are my responsibility. Until my job is over, you are mine to keep safe and out of harm's way. Alright? If anyone were to try and harm you for what you may or may not say, they'd have to go through me first." He gave a small, coy smile. "And trust me, I've fought fusions as big as that cave back there. It won't be an easy task to get through me. But only if you cooperate with us, alright?"

–

The Kyanite glanced up at Hematite, puffing out her cheeks again. A slow, drawn out breath sounded behind her massive scarf, and she rolled her eyes. At first, she didn't seem intent on even replying to him.

But, then after a thoughtful moment, she looked up at him and grinned slyly.

"Alright, _fathead_... Lets shake on it," she said sarcastically, holding up her hand to him. Her eyes were finally locked onto his, her smile half-hidden by the scarf. She didn't even seem fazed by his promises to keep her safe.

–

Hematite narrowed his eyes, slowly inhaling through his nose. He honestly wanted nothing more than to bubble this little brat right now. Resisting the urge, the giant gem popped his lips together, looking away in an almost snooty manner.

"Hmph. I don't know. You biting me and calling me names doesn't give me much reason to trust you'll keep your end of the deal."

–

The Kyanite, too, narrowed her eyes at the much bigger gem, eyeing him condescendingly. But she still smiled. She held out her hand a little further, keeping it steady for him.

  


"You got a name, then...?”

–

Opening one eye, Hematite stared down at the gem in his hand, arching a brow. He could just barely see her little smile, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was going on in this bratty gem's head.

"... Hematite. Hema for short." Slowly, he reached up, almost taking her hand. But he hesitated. "You got a nickname?"

–

Reaching up, Kyanite grabbed into his finger and shook her entire arm down, barely registering as a handshake with the giant gem.

  


"You can call me Kyan."


	68. The More You Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite gets a new body guarding job.

"Ah, finally," Hematite sighed under his breath. After hours of walking, the giant gem had finally gotten to a more familiar part of the Pink District, and he knew he was now well within range of the warp pad to the towers. Glancing at the Kyanite in his palm, the service gem arched a brow with a small frown. "I'm going to have to shift down a bit more to activate the warp pad properly, so I better not see any trouble from you during that time. Understood?"

–

Kyan crossed her arms, giving Hematite a rather suspicious glare. A small part of her still urged her to make a break for it, but she resisted for now; she figured there would probably be a chance for that sooner or later. Glancing over her shoulder, the tiny gem eyed the warp station that laid in the very front of the Pink District.

"Yeah, yeah, let’s just get this over with, whatever you're doin'," she grumbled, unsure of what fate lay ahead of her. Honestly, she wondered if Blue Diamond would be more merciful than the Star Stealers. She could hope, but...

–

Giving a curt nod, the service gem made his way closer to the warp pad, though it was still a few minutes away. The giant gem reached up with his free hand and tapped his eyepiece.

_Chirp!_

_Contact Blue Diamond._

Hematite cleared his throat as his half-visor hummed, attempting to reach Blue's communicator. As soon as it picked up, he stood a little straighter, taking on a professional air.

"Hematite reporting, Blue Diamond. I have apprehended the Kyanite. Where would you like to meet me?"

–

Blue's voice over the communicator in Hema's eyepiece immediately piped up, sounding rough and exhausted.

"OH, thank stars, I was starting to worry, kid! I'm... _pleased_ to hear that." Blue paused, the sound of her shuffling around with a heavy sigh coming over Hematite's eyepiece.  "Meet me at the central tower like we usually do... and make sure you don't lose that gem!" she said almost frantically.

–

Hematite's expression faltered for a moment in concern. _Yikes, Blue sounded like she was in a pretty bad state._ He frowned and glanced up to the side, rolling his eyes. For the moment, he was glad the Diamond couldn't see him. If he'd been allowed to harvest his target, he wouldn't have taken nearly as long.

"Understood, Blue. I won't lose track of her. Will be at the tower in approximately five to ten minutes."

_Click!_

Rolling his neck for a moment, the service gem sighed and picked up his pace, heading up a few levels of the Pink District, toward the distant warp pad. He went silent.

–

The Kyanite narrowed her eyes at Hema's eyepiece, curiously tilting her head.

"Hey, what's that weird thing, anyway?" she asked, tapping her fingers on her upper arms for a moment. She'd seen gem tech before, but nothing quite like that, whatever that was. Then again, she'd never seen a _gem_ like him before, either.

–

Raising his brows, the service gem attempted to ignore the Kyanite's question, but within a few moments, he sighed and relented. He figured he'd at least humor her to keep her from running off. The less time she had to formulate a plan, the better.

"It's my eyepiece. It allows me to gather data, track gems, view maps. There's a built-in communicator and video feed functionality. I use it to do my job, mostly." Raising his chin, Hematite continued professionally. "It contains information on many gem types in general, and on individual gems that I happen to take notes on."

–

Kyan's brows raised, and she eyed the piece of tech quietly. Normally, gem technology didn't interest her too much, but at least this was new and _different_.

"That's weird... You're weird. Why do you have it, then? What are ya, anyway? Some kinda gem experiment?" she asked, pulling her scarf up further over her mouth. 

–

Hematite's expression twitched into something akin to offense at the tiny gem's words, but he quickly forced himself to look neutral again.

_Just ignore her. She'll be out of your hair soon._

Inhaling through his nose, the giant gem took a large step over a bit of rubble.

"Gem experiment, hm? Well. I suppose, in a wayyyy." Straightening up, Hematite rolled his shoulders, keeping his form poised as he walked. "I am part of a fairly new batch of Hematite gems. We specialize in a very particular field of work. I assure you we are indeed gems and not experiments. We just happen to be able to do things differently than common gems."

–

Kyan poked out her tongue curiously, letting her arms rest on her legs.

"Alright, fine. Then how does your weird eye thingy have all that information in it, anyway? Is it programmed or do you have to learn everything first?" she asked, shuffling a little in his hand.

–

Stifling a soft sigh, Hematite continued. He also noticed her slight shuffling and narrowed his eyes, cupping his fingers closer to her form. He wasn't preoccupied _enough_ not to catch anything she did.

"Some information is programmed, but most of it has to be manually put in. Anything I learn goes right on here." He lifted a clawed finger and tapped the device lightly. Kyan tilted her head slightly, smirking under her scarf. She idly wondered where she could get one of those.

Nearing the warp pad, Hematite looked down and frowned seriously. His hand shifted slightly until he was now carefully clutching the Kyanite in his fist from the waist down.

"Alright, if I see even one move out of line..." he threatened quietly, glancing at the tiny blue gem.

–

Grinning mischievously, Kyanite rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya," she said with minor amusement.

–

Admittedly suspicious, Hema squinted at the tiny gem and sighed. After a moment, he closed his eyes, his gemstone starting to glow. Soon enough, his form started to shift down until he stood at about fifteen feet tall, his hand only just able to hold onto Kyan's form. Stepping onto the blue surface, Hematite stood straight and warped away without a word.

  


As soon as he'd stepped off the destination warp, he shifted back up, this time to his near-full height. His hand easily gripped the Kyanite now, and nearly overtook her form. 

  


At first, Kyan tried to stay still in the giant gem's fist, but as he shifted up around her, she grimaced slightly and squirmed in indignation.  
“Ey, would you-!" As she looked up at the Hematite, she suddenly realized that he now stood even bigger than he had before. Her eyes widened, and she stopped struggling with a soft, nervous gulp.  _Oh boy, that couldn't be good..._

  


Heading off towards the central area of the Diamond towers, Hematite glanced at the tiny gem with a cocked brow, his eyes half-lidded. _Aaah, so that finally stopped her sassing, huh? Good._

After a few minutes, the central station tower came into view, and Hematite squinted to see if Blue was already on the roof. It didn't take him but a moment to spot her.

  


Despite being high on the roof, he Diamond appeared to be pacing quickly, too much so to notice Hematite approaching the building. Kyan grabbed onto Hema's hand and peered over, spotting the Diamond. Though she didn't change outwardly... Kyan felt a sharp stab of anxiety suddenly pierce her chest. Being captured didn't faze her much, being told she was going to be presented to Blue Diamond shook her a little, but not enough to ruin her composure... but for some reason, actually seeing Blue standing atop the roof, getting closer with every moment Hema carried her nearer to the tower was what made her suddenly realize... this was very real. It was very real, and very, very _bad_.

–

The giant gem quickly realized Blue hadn't noticed him. When he was still a few hundred feet from the tower, Hematite loudly cleared his throat to make himself known.

"Blue Diamond." He closed in on the tower, which currently stood at about his mid-chest. He preferred having it there for when he handled rebels and prisoners. It made it easy to access the rooftop, should someone try and run. He stopped where he normally did and saluted respectfully, holding up the Kyanite.

–

Blue spun on her heel, jaw agape.

"Woah, hey! I didn't see ya there! Go ahead and drop her! I've got some important questions to ask." The Diamond stood akimbo, squinting at the smaller blue gem within Hematite's hand. Kyan swallowed nervously, but held herself together. She'd heard stories of Blue Diamond. She wasn't like White Diamond or Yellow Diamond in the way that she went about things. The Hematite said she'd be alright if she cooperated, so she could only hope that he was true to his word.

–

Hematite nodded politely and lowered his hand to the roof, very carefully setting down the tiny blue gem mere inches away from the ground. However, instead of folding his arms behind his back like he normally would have, he rested his hands on the edge of the tower, keeping them close and ready in case Kyan tried to bolt.

  


Or... in case Blue got a little too wound-up and seemed like a threat to the rebel. Hematite trusted her to keep herself together, as Blue _needed_ this gem, but he also knew how she could get when angered.

And, considering her frantic state as of late, that wasn't entirely an impossibility.

–

Kyan's feet touched the ground and quickly took a few steps back, clenching her fists. Blue and Kyan went silent, staring into each other's eyes. But it was obvious who was sizing up who. Kyan held up her hands close to her, clutching the fabric of her scarf. She couldn't look away. Blue hadn't made any sudden movements, but it was clear that she wanted to make sure this little troublemaker didn't run anywhere.

"A Kyanite, huh?" Blue said, raising a brow and looking up at Hematite. She blinked, tilting her head lower to stare back at the much smaller gem. She sniffed, her eyes narrowing. "Little short for a warrior class gem, aren't ya."

Kyan felt her body tense up, and she finally broke her gaze from the Diamond. Her hands clenched tighter. _Well, the passive-aggressive jab wasn't necessary now, was it?_ Blue shrugged and crossed her arms together.  "Alright, listen up Kyanite. I have questions and I have a feeling you have answers. You'd better tell me everything... Or you'll be in more trouble than you are now. It is imperative that you tell me all you know, alright? If you cooperate, I'll let ya off easy this time. Do I make myself clear?" Blue said quickly and sternly. Kyan didn't so much as flinch, but she absolutely felt nervous. _Not worried about the Diamonds, are ya? Good going, Kyan..._

Silence followed, and Blue frowned impatiently. She growled under her breath, lip twitching.

"Excuse you, when I talk to you, you listen to me, and you respond when you are addressed. Do you understand me, Kyanite?" The Diamond forced out in a hissing tone. Kyan still refused to look at her. Stubborn little gem, she was. But she nodded with understanding, and glanced up at her from the side. "Yes, my Diamond," she responded finally. Blue sighed quietly, poking out her lower lip.

"Good.. ."

–

Watching the two carefully, Hematite remained quiet, unmoving. The only thing he did was shift his weight to the opposite leg from time to time.

So Kyanites were warrior classes, huh? Well, that confirmed his suspicions about the tiny gem being undersized. He'd only seen one other Kyanite, so he'd been unable to deduce if that one was oversized, or this one was undersized. Now he knew it was the latter.

Hematite glanced at Blue for a moment before returning his gaze to the tiny gem before him.

–

Blue took a single step forward, standing tall mere feet away from the small, blue gem.

"Then you're gonna tell me what you know. Now, I've been having some trouble with a rather... eh, more-than-pesky group of rebels. I don't know who they are or what they intend to do, but I know they're an awful lot of talk. Buuuut the talk is bad, so I need to know for sure." Blue's brows furrowed, looking strictly at Kyanite. "Reports have brought us back to you. You're the only lead I've got. They say you work with this group of rebels...is this true?" She continued. Kyan shuffled her feet a little, grumbling too quietly for Blue to hear.

"… Yes," she said simply, refusing to look her in the eye. Blue's brow twitched, and she glanced up at Hematite for a moment.

"And who are they, exactly...?" Blue demanded.Kyan looked at the ground, refusing to speak. Blue stood tall, quietly twisting her heel in place. "Talk to me, kid. You can't stay quiet forever." She huffed impatiently. Kyan's own brows furrowed, and she still remained silent.

Rolling his eyes, Hematite pursed his lips.

"... Don't make  _ me _ tell her, Kyanite."

  


Kyan's eyes widened, and she whirled around to face Hematite.

"N-No, I can do it!" she growled loudly. Blue took another step forward.

"Then spill it." Kyan flinched, her back turned to the Diamond. A quick, cold chill went up her spine. She pulled her scarf up over her nose, almost as if she were 'hiding' in it. She sighed.

"… They call themselves the Star Stealers..." the Kyanite said finally, turning slightly to face her superior. "They're a pretty big, nasty group of rebels." Shuffling her foot, she found herself fixated on a spot in the roof. She found the smallest bit of comfort in focusing on anything that wasn't the angry Diamond before her. Blue's eyes darted up to Hematite for a split second, then back at the smaller gem.

"And what exactly do you know about them? What do they do? What are they like, and what are their plans?" she growled. Kyanite went quiet again, much to Blue's annoyance. It was becoming harder by the second to keep her patience with this little rebel. Her eye twitched, and she turned slightly with tensed shoulders. "Damnit, if you don't talk to me I'm gonna _make_ you talk! And you _don't_ want that, kid." she hissed through her teeth sharply. Kyan flinched again, but didn't move much more than that. She kept steady.

–

Slowly, Hematite narrowed his eyes. After a long pause, he finally spoke up, his voice low and quiet.

"And if she can't make you talk, I'm sure _ I _ can."

The giant gem gripped the edge of the tower, slowly dragging his claws along the rooftop with a loud, grating scrape.

–

Kyan frowned, the faintest trace of sweat forming on her brow. _Great... Fantastic. Just what she needed. As if she wasn't unnerved already._

"They were gonna do something pretty bad... I mean, they're all a buncha jerks that really are a lot of talk, but they have been known to do some uncouth things..." She said, biting her lip. She wasn't going into details about that. Blue huffed again and leaned down.

"What kind of things? What are they going to do?" she growled. 

Kyan's fingers twitched. _Well, she_ _ **wanted**_ _to avoid talking about it..._ The air atop the tower went still. All three gems fell silent, and Kyanite looked around quietly, hesitant to answer. 

"… They were gonna raze the city," she looked up at Blue at last with a look of concern. Blue shook her head and stared in disbelief at the tiny gem, lips parting in shock.

"They were gonna WHAT?" she snarled, her very form starting to bristle. The Diamond squared her shoulders and bared her teeth. "So THAT'S what they're up to?! Do these idiotic pebbles really think they can take down a whole district? What sort of fools..."

  


"There's a lot of them..." Kyan looked down nervously, holding her hands close and prodding her fingers together. "I mean, a _lot_ of them. They're arguably the biggest rebel group in the Pink District. They're pretty smart about the way they hide and do things, though, and work together. But..." She paused, peering up at the seething Diamond.  "They're kinda... Power hungry"

–

Hair raising on the back of his neck, the giant gem stiffened, eyes widening slightly.

 _Raze the city? What the hell?! How many of these gems were there that they'd try something so bold?_ Hematite grit his teeth behind closed lips, the phantom feeling in his abdomen sharpening. Swallowing quietly, he narrowed his eyes, glancing off at nothing in particular. He continued to listen quietly, taking note of every word. After a moment, he blinked and glanced at Kyan.

_**Record.** _

–

"There’re about... Five hundred of them, altogether? Probably more... They all consist of a mix of warrior gems, technicians and service gems, scouts... mostly warriors though." She scowled. "Not many entertainment gems- and technicians are rarer, too..." Tapping her foot on the ground, Kyan looked around. "They're big talkers. They don't like the way the Diamond Authority handles things, so they wanna try to take you guys down one city at a time... they were gonna start with the Blue District," she said monotonously, going deadpan. Blue's face was dark with quickly-rising anger; her eyes betrayed a deep, unreadable pain.

–

_Five hundred of them, huh? Nothing a nice, long harvesting mission couldn't handle._

With a single smack of his lips, Hematite narrowed his eyes further and looked down at the two gems before him.

"Well now, we can't let that happen, now can we. Where are they stationed?"

–

Kyan turned to Hematite and balled up her fists fiercely.

"Everywhere! Their bases are all scattered throughout the Pink District. They don't all stay in one singular spot. They all stay in groups of uuuuh... fifty? Give or take? And there's different factions and territories that they occupy. They all do different things, but they're all pretty dangerous." Kyan puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "Except one, which is the primary faction. They're kinda the head honchos. They're all exclusively warriors, except for five of them, who are scouts." The smaller blue gem took a bold step towards Blue, brows furrowed. "If you want to stop them, or at least put a dent in their operation, take them out first."

Hematite narrowed his eyes, sneering slightly. _So that was the main group, huh? Oh he'd take them out, with pleasure._

These gems were causing far too much trouble for their own good, and Hematite hated seeing what it was doing to Blue. Not to mention, if they actually did move to try and cause any damage, it was very likely that they would succeed.

"Do you know where this particular group is? Even in general? Could you show us on a map?"

–

Kyan turned to Hematite, tilting her head up to face him.

"Well, I could if I had a map, but I don't!" she grumbled loudly, crossing her arms. "But besides that, the main group moves around a lot. They stay in the same general area, but they're never in the same spot for long. Since they're the most important gems, they don't wanna risk being found. If you want to find them, you might end up having to check a few different spots."

The Diamond started to pace again, this time with her anger directed the rebels in question, and, thankfully, not Kyan.

"Rrrrgh, those blasted dirt bombs- why I oughttaaaa..." She rambled quietly, placing her hand to her chin as if she were thinking of her next plan of action. Blue stopped, turning to Kyan one more time. "How much time do we have?..." she asked quickly. Kyan paused for a brief moment, holding up her hand and counting her fingers.

"Weeell... I _think_... I'm not sure, but I think I overheard a rumor that they plan to strike within the next month,” s he said. "Shouldn't be too soon but... I really don't know for sure," Kyan responded. “Something about 'needing backup' before they get the go-ahead...”

–

Scoffing, Hematite glanced to the side, slowly drumming his claws on the rooftop. After a long pause, he stood straight and lifted one hand to his visor.

"One moment."

Giving the screen a few taps, the giant gem frowned and flicked his hand away from the eyepiece. With an electronic whirr and chirrup, the eyepiece flashed brightly to life, projecting a very large, very busy holographic screen. There was a detailed map of the Pink District on it, along with many boxes of numbers, recon records, and notes that Hematite had personally taken. It was all rather detailed and complex, but the map was clear enough.

"Alright. Can you point out any locations on here?"

–

Blinking, the Kyanite peered over at the map in curious awe.

"Woah, neat," she whispered, walking up closer to it. What else could that device do?... Tapping a single finger to the spot on her scarf where her chin was, she narrowed her eyes and glanced around the map. "Hmmm..." Blue had stopped pacing by this time and brought her own attention to the map. She was still impatient.

"Come on, you've gotta know something! Just tell us where they are, already!" she growled. Flinching again, Kyan took a step back.

"Alright, alright! Sorry! It's around here somewhere." She pointed at the screen near the outer wall, to the farthest corner. Looks like it would be a pretty long trip. "They stay somewhere around the corner there, as far from the other cities as they can. They occupy the whole corner, and normally go between here, here, and here." Kyan started pointing at different spots near the corner, all a fairly decent distance between each other. Seemed there was at least two hundred or so miles between each location, perhaps more. Blue pursed her lips, looking intently at the corner of the map, nearly staring daggers into it.

"Do they ever move out of that location?..." she growled. Kyan shrugged, but shook her head.

"Not really, no... If they need something done out in the rest of the district, they contact one of the other factions. Oh! And there's one more big thing you need to know! Their bases are all underground! So if you’re looking for them, they might be tricky to find. They've hollowed out a bunch of caves and tunnels and made them into bases!" Kyan continued, clenching her fists.

Blue's eyes widened slightly. Underground? So that's why they've been so hard to find!

–

As Kyan pointed to the different locations, the map chirped sharply, placing a white diamond insignia on each spot. Notes flickered next to each spot in gem speak as the small blue gem listed details about the various locations. _Right, so they would switch between spots, but they didn't leave that general area._

_Good._

"Underground, huh? Hm."

_That was going to make things a bit trickier, whether he was sent after these gems or not. Hunting in the city was one thing, but in a series of caves and tunnels?_ _Well. He'd seen how well that tended to go._ Sighing quietly, the giant gem looked intently at the map, taking a few more notes. Whirring and beeping quietly, the gem tech zoomed in on the corner of the map that Kyan had motioned to.

"Well, if that's the case... It would be a bit easier to ambush, I suppose." He stood professionally, eyes narrowed. "Find the entrances, wait. That's all you'd have to do, in theory." Rubbing his chin, the Hematite frowned with a disgruntled hum.

"They have to be stopped soon. Even if they are all talk, or they delay their plans, a bunch of rebels collected in one district is asking for trouble." Hema was more or less talking to himself at this point, as he knew that the other two gems were already aware of these facts. The service gem was more annoyed that such a thing had gone unnoticed for so long. _Why were rebels so tricky, so persistent?_ Sure the Diamond Authority was far from perfect, but it wasn't something worth razing an entire city for. Innocent gems lived in the districts; this was their home. And to threaten such a thing for the sake of taking down a few gems because you didn't agree with how they did things?

Hematite didn't find anything more despicable than a gem that was willing to hurt anyone in their path for misplaced 'justice.'

Glancing down at the tiny blue gem, the giant service gem cocked a brow. Time to put his diplomacy skills to the test...

"Kyanite, is there anything else you can tell us?" Hematite's expression and tone softened slightly into something akin to appreciation. "You've been very, very helpful. But I just want to make sure there's anything else you can assist us with. Do you know if there are any particular leaders, their gem types, looks- anything?" He pursed his lips, tilting his head to the side slightly, though his eyes didn't leave her.

–

Kyan puffed out her cheeks again, turning once more to face the huge gem. She almost had a look of pride on her face.

"Sure, I can tell ya that," she said. Blue stepped forward and held out her hand frantically.

"Well , come on , then ! The more we know, the better! The safer the city will be! If you know anything-"

"Yeah yeah, let you knooow." Kyan groaned almost mockingly.

Blue looked appalled, and pointed at Kyan indignantly, looking up to Hematite. She gave him a look of 'can you believe her?'

When Kyan's back was turned, Hematite looked Blue dead in the eyes, his lip curling into an annoyed sneer. His eyes narrowed, as if to say 'see she might not be so snarky if you'd let me do my job properly', but he didn't say a word out loud. He knew better than to sass Blue, especially when Kyanite was already doing so. Blue narrowed her eyes down at the small gem.

"Now see here, you little..." The Diamond tensed again, raising a condescending finger towards the smaller blue gem. Kyan whirled around on her heel to face Blue, far more cocky than she'd been before.

"You wanna know more, don'tcha? I was about to tell! Don't worry!" Kyan grinned under her scarf, unbeknownst to the rest. Blue still looked absolutely offended.

"Kid, you have a _lot_ of nerve speaking to me like that..." She muttered darkly, glaring down at the smaller blue gem.

Kyan didn't even move. She simply raised a confident brow. Blue needed information from her; she knew that. It was gutsy, considering she could easily get in trouble after the matter, but at this point it couldn't have been worse than whatever the Star Stealers would have done if they found out she told them everything she knew.

"I'll tell you aaaaall you need to know about them, at least from my own knowledge. I know you're in a hurry, but ya don't have to rush me!" She sneered. Blue inhaled slowly, her breath wavering unsteadily.

"Ffffine." She growled. As much as Blue hated how this gem was talking to her, she was right. She needed to be patient.

Kyan turned around once more and faced Hematite, smirking.

" Another big thing you should know about the area these guys hang around. It's under a bunch of residencies. All five of their scouts are scattered around these areas at any given point. They all have communicators, so if you get spotted then they'll be sure the bosses know within seconds. Make sure they don't see you, and if they do, make sure they don't send that message. They commonly scale the rooftops to get a better view of things, so if you wanna be sneaky, you should consider  taking  darker alleys and shortcuts."

–

The giant gem turned his attention back to the blue gem before him. Admittedly, his patience was treading on thin ice, but Kyanite was feeding him important information. Hematite quietly took notes on his eyepiece, nodding subtly every once in a while.

 _A stealth mission, hm? Well, he could certainly do that._ Perhaps it was time to put the other side of his size spectrum to the test. Seemed this job would be far more suited to someone Emerald's size rather than his own.

Then again... he was planning all these moves and strategies when he didn't even _know_ if he'd be given the job. He certainly hoped so, and it would make sense if he was. But Hematite had to be practical and remember that there were others of his kin that could handle a job like this; not to mention there were plenty of other gems under Blue's rule. Still... it couldn't hurt to formulate plans for either himself or whoever went on this mission.

With a soft chirp, a small '5' appeared on the screen near a small residential cluster.

"Understood. Thank you, Kyanite. Anything else?"

–

Kyanite stood with her arms crossed, smugly staring back up at Hematite.

"As for the rest of ‘em... weeeell, like I said, the main group consists of nothing but warrior class gems. I dunno of a ton of them; they're all mixed from different districts. There're a few Onyx, Jaspers, Almandines... Fluorites, Rubies... Oh, and I think there're Jets, too! Those are the only ones I've heard of, though..." she recited, scratching her head. Blue raised a brow, glancing up to Hematite.

"And do ya happen to know what the scouts are?" she asked, a faint trace of calm finally returning to her. It seemed like she was cooling off the more that Kyan spoke. Heck, at least she was getting something out of her.

"Oh, I only know of one kind... all five are a different type, that much I know for sure. But the only scout I know of is a Chalcedony. I'm not sure what good that will do ya to know, though." Kyan shrugged, turning slightly to face the Diamond. Blue quirked another brow and grinned darkly.

"OOoohh don't worry, we have ways of making that knowledge work... and that's aaaall we need."

–

Hematite grinned as well, taking note of each gem type Kyan listed.

"Yes, that's _all_ we need.~ Thank you, Kyanite. You've been... very helpful." The giant gem retracted the holographic map to his eyepiece, standing straight and professional once more.

–

Blue placed a hand on her hip and gave Hematite a reassuring grin. _Yes, very helpful indeed..._ _albeit a bit disrespectful._ There was one last thing Blue wanted to know before she made any final judgments.

"Yes, thank you. I'll be sure to take care of these ruffians..." She said grimly, her lip twitching. "But, there's one last thing I need to know, Kyanite." Blue said, narrowing her eyes again at the smaller gem.

Kyan turned fully now towards Blue and sighed. How much longer was this interrogation going to take?

"Yes, Blue Diamond?... I've told you everything I know of, pretty much." Kyan said a little agitated. Blue's expression suddenly softened, more genuinely curious than anything before.

"What's a little gem like you doing hanging around a group of dangerous rebels like the Star Stealers, anyway? Honestly, you look like you have no business meddling with their affairs in the first place."

Kyan froze. For a few moments, she stood, staring wide-eyed at Blue Diamond. Uncomfortably, Blue bit the inside of her lip. _Was it something she said?_ Kyan glanced away, seemingly hurt. She said nothing.

–

Hema arched a brow, tilting his head slightly. After a moment, he shifted down a tad. He stood just a little shorter now, but he figured every bit would count. The building now met his shoulders instead of his mid-chest. Placing his hands on the edge of the tower, Hematite frowned sympathetically, his expression softening. He didn't look like he _pitied_ her, no. He looked more concerned than anything.

"Look, Kyan. I know we've been kinda. Brusque with you. And that you probably aren't happy with us for making you talk, or apprehending you." Tapping his fingers once on the rooftop, he leaned to the side a little, trying to meet her eyes. "But believe it or not, we just want to help. We want to take these rebels down so they don't hurt anyone. So they don't hurt gems like you. You don't seem like a bad gem."

–

Kyan turned quickly, clutching her hands together close to her chest. She took a few steps back from Hematite, looking away from him. _Did he really mean that?..._ Her eyes were still wide, but she still couldn't look at either of them. From the look on her face... perhaps Hema's words meant something to her. Blue, too, seemed to be a little taken aback by Hema's tact. She took a step back, interested in whatever Kyan had to say.

"You wouldn't understand..." Kyan said simply, unsure of how to express what she wanted to. Blue's brows furrowed, and she turned around, running her hand over her face. _Keep your patience, Blue. Sure she's a brat, but you've interrogated far worse._

"Listen... Kyanite." Blue lifted her head, but didn't turn to face her. "We aren't here to hurt you, and we aren't here to put you down. We just... want to know what's going on with you, and what's going on with these guys. If you don't think we'd understand, then _make_ us understand." She said, standing up a little straighter and facing Kyanite once more. She wore an unreadable expression on her face.

–

Hematite felt a weak smile cross his face. He stood back, removing his hands from the tower. Perhaps if he gave her some space, she'd be more comfortable. He felt he'd made his point, but he wanted to coax her into saying whatever else she had to.

"Yeah. You can't say we won't get it if you don't try us first... You'd be surprised." He smiled again at her, patiently.

–

The small gem held her hands closer, pressing the scarf into her face. She stared out at nothing. She kept quiet for a few more seconds, but finally started to speak.

"I just wanted to feel like I belonged somewhere. Anywhere. I didn't care how or where, or who it was, or what I had to do!" she started quietly, brows furrowing. Her voice was fierce and strong... but held a tone that made it abundantly clear she was hiding something. Hematite's expression slowly fell, a sympathetic look on his face. He zoned out slightly, as if thinking hard about something.

Blue raised a finger slightly, curious.

"You're a Blue District gem, Kyanite. Do you not feel like you belong here?" She asked. Kyan shook her head.

"It's not really that... It's not the place itself, and... I don't really mind how you run the place. It's just the..." She paused, narrowing her eyes and raising her shoulders. "The other gems that live here. They don't really... like me." She said, glancing up at Blue finally. It was hard to tell if she was sad, angry, or a mixture of both. It was probably the third option. "I thought that maybe, if I joined up with a big, powerful group like the Star Stealers, I might feel safer! I might feel like I belong somewhere, a-and maybe gems would finally respect me!" She clenched her fists, holding them up with a fierce fire in her eyes. But as quickly as the determined look glinted in her eyes... it faded away. "But...." Her expression fell again, and she looked away. Blue craned her head lower, ever so slightly. Her face softened, brows furrowing in concern. 

"But...?"

The Kyanite sighed, seemingly sinking into her oversized scarf.

"They didn't really seem to care much about me, either. They never let me do anything, they rarely let me tag along on missions, they avoided me... They wouldn't tell me a lot either. They treated me like a scout, and even then I rarely was sent on scouting missions. And..." Kyan stopped abruptly, raising her brows. She looked as though she'd startled herself. Blue blinked, raising her palm slightly to direct the Kyanite to continue. There was a long pause.

–

The giant gem frowned and folded his arms silently behind him, waiting for Kyan to continue. _Geeze, this gem had it rough, didn't she?_ To get tangled up with such a group... Hematite thought, for a moment, it would have been better if she'd gotten involved with someone like Rubes and Puff, back when they were 'rebels'. At least then she would have been set on the right track a while ago. Then again... there was always the chance that none of them would be standing right here with info on the Star Stealers if she had.

  


Kyan tapped a finger on her upper arm, though stood perfectly still otherwise. After a few long moments passed, she continued.

"They didn't treat me very well, either, honestly... Well, some didn't. Others 'tolerated' me, at best. I wanted to leave, but... they wouldn't let me." An haunted expression plastered itself over her face. "So I figured I'd play along, see if I could just... escape on my own time. But I never really had much of an opportunity. I was too worried to. What if they found me? They said they'd hurt me if they found out I left... But recently, I couldn't take it anymore." Her demeanor switched, and her fiery spirit returned somewhat. "So I ran off on my own! I told them I was just gonna scout for them, and those sorry sods didn't care enough about me to say anything against it. I started spending more time away from them, but I knew I'd have to return after a little while or they'd come find me... I didn't want them to think I was ditching them. But more I could get away from them, the better things felt. But, I always had to keep going back; I had to see what they did to their own gems. I just felt like... I was stuck there." She frowned, running her fingers through her disheveled hair. Blue grimaced, her heart sinking. 

"So you were looking for somewhere to feel safer, and ended up in a more dangerous situation you couldn't escape..." Blue repeated, as if in concerned disbelief. Kyan squinted at Blue, but nodded again. 

"Honestly? I'm just glad this one found me before one of the Star Stealers did..." Kyan said, motioning her thumb towards the huge gem behind her.

–

Hematite blinked in surprise and looked away for a moment, almost bashful. Well, seemed Blue's rule against him harvesting the Kyanite had done its job. Perhaps he should try the 'relocate' method more often.

Then again, it'd honestly only worked because Kyan wasn't much of a threat to him. Any other gem with a more aggressive approach to trying to escape would have had to be harvested. Hematite was just glad this gem hadn't put up more of a fight.

_And not just because it made his job easier..._

No, he was concerned for this gem. She was bratty, rude, and far too big for her britches; but there was something about her that Hema felt connected to. Kyanite just seemed to want somewhere to feel safe and respected, or at least, somewhere where she felt she was an equal. He could understand all of that. This gem didn't seem bad- more that she'd just made some bad choices that had gotten her where she was.

And there was, of course, the simple fact that she was trying to escape. That, alone, was proof that Kyan understood the people she was with were wrong, even if she was mostly trying to leave for her own safety. 

  


Hematite sighed softly.

"That sounds really rough, Kyan. I'm sorry. You got yourself tangled up in some pretty nasty business." Straightening up, Hema regained his professional air. "But you don't have to worry about them anymore. We're going to take their operations out before they can hurt anyone else. Including you."

–

Blue peered up, grinning at Hematite.

"Right! You won't have to worry about these jerks anymore, Kyanite. And, since you've been most helpful..." She paused, placing her hand on her chin in thought. "You won't really have to worry about us either. ‘Cause here's the deal..." Blue closed her eyes, a small smirk on her face. Kyan looked between Blue and Hematite, but her demeanor didn't seem to change. She still seemed a little nervous, unsure what to expect from the Diamond. "You're still in a bit of trouble. We can't simply excuse what you've done... oooor your disrespect." Blue raised a brow, but at least now she didn't seem to be angry with Kyanite. She was far more willing to work with her now that she understood her and had gotten what information she needed out of her. After all, she had cooperated, even if it took a little bit of prying. Kyan swallowed nervously, but looked Blue Diamond in the eyes. She readied herself. Blue continued. "Fortunately for you, I'm going to let you off with a bit more of a, ah...shall we say… 'warning.' You can't exactly do much community service, out and about... since apparently you say you've had some troubles with some of the Blue District gems? And you're going to need a watchful eye over you now that the Star Stealers aren't gonna be too happy once they find out..." Blue quirked a brow, slowly looking up at Hematite. 

Hematite hadn't caught Blue's gaze right away. He glanced to the side before looking at the Diamond in the eyes. Hema's eyes widened, and his lips drew into a thin line, a subtle expression of alarm crossing his face. He quickly shook his head, trying to make the gesture subtle. Blue smirked, chuckling.

"For the next month, Hematite here will look after you!-"

"WHAT?!"

“WHAT?”  Kyan and Hematite squawked, followed by a unified, less-than-enthusiastic groan. Kyan fell to her knees and grabbed her scarf, pulling it completely over her face. "UUUUugghh noooooo!" she complained, muffled by the thick cloth. Hema didn't seem anymore pleased than her. His arms dropped to his side, and he let out an exasperated groan, tilting his head back and slouching slightly.

"UuuUUUGH BLUE WHY." The giant gem grumbled to himself and stood straight again, though all of his professional demeanor was gone. Blue rolled her eyes. 

"Hematite's a good bodyguard for you. He can show you around, keep you safe, make sure you don't do anything out of line..." Blue narrowed her eyes for a moment, looking down at the small blue gem with mild perturbance. "And youuuu will help him around when he's not on the job, should he need it. Clean his room, run errands, take notes, organize-"

"I'm not a Pearl, Blue Diamond!" Kyan peeked out of her scarf bitterly.

"Would you stop interrupting me? Geez, kid, you're wearing me out." Blue sighed, running her hand over her face again. "Consider it a form of community service without the actual community. And Hematite will look after you in exchange. It's just one month... after that, you're free to go wherever you please, so long as you don't go getting involved in anything unsavory again. We'll have the Star Stealers dealt with by then. Alright?" Blue said, crossing her arms. 

–

Hema's lower lip stuck out slightly in a pout as he stared at Blue Diamond. Despite his disapproval at the punishment, he did listen carefully to Kyan's 'duties' and his own job. _Alright, keep her in line, guard her, have her help him if he needed it._ Though, he couldn't see this gem doing anything that Red couldn't do. Then again, his Pink Pearl was still getting lessons and run-downs from White, so he supposed she could fill her shoes for now. Though he had to admit, this bratty warrior gem was far less pleasant to be around.

  


Kyan turned her head and faced Hematite without a word, her displeased expression saying everything she needed.

  


_Why_ _**him** _ _...?_

  


As soon as Kyan turned to him, Hematite narrowed his eyes and puffed his cheeks out slightly, crossing his arms after a moment.

_Why me?_

–

Blue tapped her fingertips together, chuckling rather quietly.

"Then it's settled! Kyan, you are to be on your best behavior. Hematite here works directly under White Diamond, and since you'll be around him quite often, you may find yourself in or around the Diamond Towers often. _Don't_ cause any trouble," Blue said sternly.

Kyan's eyes went wide, peering up at the Diamond.

 _He worked for the Diamonds directly? And she might get to see the towers?!_ _Other gems would kill for that opportunity!_ There was a strange gleam in her eyes, and she suddenly found herself wondering if this 'punishment' was really all that bad. She saluted, albeit a little impishly.

"Dooon't worry, Blue Diamond! I'll do my best," Kyan said with a smirk.

–

Hematite didn't seem to react to Kyan's impish 'promise' to 'do her best', but instead stood there, silent. Eerily silent. He slowly drummed his fingers on his forearm, sizing the tiny gem up with his gaze. After a long pause, he finally cocked a brow and inhaled slowly through his nose.

"And if you don't answer to me, you'll have to answer to White herself. So I suggest you actually listen to Blue and behave." He narrowed his eyes, a suspicious frown forming on his face. "Do I make myself clear?"

–

Kyan winced a little, frowning with irritation.

"Alright, alright... fine. Can we go now?" she said, tapping her foot slowly. Blue's expression fell, eyes half-lidded.

"Yesss, yes, stars YES! Just go!" She groaned, running her fingers through her fluffy blue hair. "Hematite, get her outta my sight before I change my mind! I have much more pressing matters to attend to..." She sighed, turning and waving her hand to the two. Kyan, once Blue's back was turned, pulled her face out of her scarf, turning to Hematite. Well, if she was gonna be stuck with him for a while, might as well make the most of it. Bowing rather mockingly, she snickered.

"Where to then, 'sir'?"

–

Arching a brow, the giant gem rolled his eyes and reached up for the Kyanite, plucking her off the rooftop.

"Well , for starters, ke ep that up and you're not  going anywhere. You can just stay in my quarters for the next month."

He turned, the tower quickly vanishing from under Kyan's feet, and left Blue to her business as he walked off.

–

Kyan grumbled sharply in protest, swinging her fists at nothing when Hematite picked her up. She looked down and felt her stomach drop as the floor vanished from under her. But she quickly recovered, glaring up at the giant gem.

"Awww, come on!" she pouted. "You're just gonna keep me locked up in your dumb room?" she small, blue gem complained. As Hematite propped her up in his palm, she slumped over his hand, muttering something crossly; though, it was too quiet to hear.

–

With an exasperated sigh, Hematite frowned at the small warrior gem and raised a brow at her.

"If you cause me trouble, yes! Look, Kyanite. Even if I'm watching you for the next few weeks, I still have a job to do! And if you get in the way of that, I'll do what I have to. Okay?" His tone softened. "I don't _want_ to keep you in there, so don't make me have to. Just. Don't try to run, don't cause trouble, and this month will be over before you know it..."

–

Kyan crossed her arms under her head, looking in the opposite direction from the huge gem.

"Mmmghh, fine, if you say so..." She grumbled, watching the city pass by from Hematite's hand. There was a period of silence that followed, and Kyan was briefly left to her thoughts. But, after a while, the silence was broken.

"Hey, Hematite... Do you think, at some point, I could see the Diamond Towers? I mean... if that's even possible for a common gem like me."

–

Blinking and looking down at the blue gem, Hematite pursed his lips curiously. 

"Hm? Well." For a moment, Hema looked ahead, walking toward the White District, and it seemed like he wouldn't answer her. But after a stretch of silence, an odd, almost proud, smile crossed the giant gem's face, and he let out a soft, short hum. "Considering I live in the White Tower, my guess is 'yes'."

–

Kyan perked up a bit, staring hopefully up at the huge gem.

"What?! Really?!" She said, rather surprised. _So not only did he work directly for White Diamond, he lived in the tower too?! Incredible!_ She tried to stifle her excitement, but this time she couldn't hide it very well. There was an endearing gleam in her eyes.  "YESSSS! I can't wait to see it!" She threw her arms up with a small cheer.

–

At the tiny gem's excited outburst, Hematite felt his brows shoot up in surprise. A small smile crossed his face, and he couldn't help but give a soft, amused chuckle.

"Y-yeah, really. If you'd like, when I'm not on a job, we can look around at the cities and stuff. I've got access to all three of the districts. Heck... if you behaaave..." Hematite suddenly giggled good-naturedly and faced forward, closing his eyes. "Welll, maybe I'll even show you White Diamond's office.~"

–

Kyan's jaw dropped open, though it was still hidden by her scarf. She couldn't believe what she was hearing! _Was he just messing with her, or?..._

"I would like that very much yes..." she said quickly, almost hushed. She was finding it hard to contain her excitement. Not many gems could say they had ever stepped foot inside a Diamond Tower, let alone White Diamond's very office!

–

Hematite chuckled, amused. He'd caught what she said, even through the muffling of her scarf, and he couldn't help but smile. Huh, she wasn't as bad when she wasn't being apprehended or interrogated. Maybe this month wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

"Well, just try not to cause trouble! And then I promise you'll see the towers, the districts,  and  White's office , at some point. But if you don't keep up your end of the deaaal. I'm going to have to break mine. Oh! Which reminds me..."

Carefully, Hematite shifted his hand around, now cupping Kyanite a little more loosely. He turned to her fully and cleared his throat, regaining some of his poise.

"I have another deal for you."

–

Kyan blinked, looking around at the palm that held her. Softly, she placed her hand down onto Hema's. She looked up at him, lowering one of her brows suspiciously. 

"Whaaat is it?..."

–

"Well. You don't exactly know this yeeet, but." Hematite glanced to the side, pursing his lips. He wasn't sure he wanted to reveal this, but he figured he'd have to at some point in the near future. He'd have to return to his room at some point... "Believe it or not, my 'usual' size I take when I'm not on a job, or when I need to return to the towers... is not much bigger than you are. Now, that being said, I usually take the size I had to use with the warp pad. So that's what I'll mostly walk around as. But." Raising a brow, Hematite held the tiny gem at eye level, though he didn't move her closer to his face. "If it would make you more comfortable, I will take my smaller size whenever I don't need to be like this." He quickly motioned to himself with his free hand. "If you promise not to take advantage of that, not to run, or to try and do anything that could get you in trouble... I can at least do that."

–

Kyan looked taken aback, glancing over the much bigger gem. He was smaller than what he was before? Just how big or small could he get? The warrior gem grabbed at her scarf, glancing down at it. To Hema's surprise, she didn't immediately take up his offer. No, she went pensively quiet, her eyes scanning around. Then, finally, she shrugged a little.

"Actually... I don't mind you like this." She said, ducking down in her scarf again. "You can stay like this, if you want."

–

Brows raising in surprise, Hematite blinked and stared at the tiny gem. _She..._ _d_ _idn't mind?_ The giant gem opened his mouth for a moment, closed it, and then glanced away. A subtle, purple-ish blush crossed his face as he cleared his throat, and Hematite had to force himself to stay as professional as he could. Slowly, the color faded from his cheeks.

"W-well. Uh. Okay! If you don't mind it, then. I'll be sure to just shift to whatever size the situation calls for. But. Let me know if you want me to change at any time, alright? Either big or small. If I'm able to, I'll try and comply. If I'm going to be your bodyguard for the next month, I'll try to change to whatever makes you more comfortable around me." The giant gem smiled warmly at the Kyanite in his palm and lifted his free hand to her, offering his index finger. "Deal?"

–

Kyan looked at Hematite's finger, grinning faintly. With a muffled, tiny chuckle, she lifted her hand and placed it on his index finger. For the first time since they'd met, she actually seemed genuinely happy.

  


"Deal!"

–

Grinning back, Hematite gently lifted his finger in a sort of faux handshake before drawing it away.

"Good to hear! Alright, well. First thing on our agenda... I have to make sure White Diamond doesn't have any work for me. So, one moment." Turning forward, Hematite focused on his eyepiece. "Contact White Diamond."

  


A formal voice responded after a few moments.

"This is White Diamond, responding. Hello , Hematite."

  


A bright, happy smile spread across the service gem's face, and he straightened up almost immediately.

"Morning, White! Sorry it's so early. I was simply calling to see if you had any work for me today. I've  received a job from Blue today, and I was  checking if you needed me, too . If so, that's fine ; if not, I will check with Yellow as well."

–

There was a small pause, White could be heard stifling a small yawn on the other end.

"Do not worry about it. No, I don't believe so, but I will contact you if anything comes up. What is the job you've been given currently?"

–

Hematite had to keep himself from chuckling. _He'd never caught White this early in the morning before! And he'd certainly never caught her napping._

"Well. Long story short, I've been given a job to guard a very important gem. I'll be keeping an eye on her for the next month, or at least until some rather dicey business with Blue is handled. She's a Kyanite. She'll be around me at all times for the next few weeks. So if you happen to see her around..." Hema spared Kyan a quick, amused glance. "She's with me."

–

Another small pause, and White responded rather tiredly.

"Alright Hematite, best of luck, then. Thank you for checking in with me." She said.

Kyan glanced up at Hematite's eyepiece, wondering how it worked. She mused quietly about how surreal this all was... Here she was, being carried around by some giant gem who worked for the Diamonds. She'd already been face-to-face with Blue Diamond, been put under the guard-ship of a 'Hematite,' and was in the very heart of Homeworld, where no common gem ever stepped. It was hard to think that just yesterday, she was tossing rocks around in a quarry, bitterly wondering what trouble she'd get into next.

So far... this didn't seem to be the _worst_ turn of events she could imagine.

–

The service gem smiled politely and nodded.

"You're welcome, White. I'll be sure to introduce her to you later." Glancing at the tiny gem, Hema arched a brow. "I'm sure she'd be honored to meet you." Kyan smiled warmly, shoving her scarf further over her face. She was trying to hide the dark blue tones flushing over her cheeks. After a pause, the giant gem regained his professional air and cleared his throat. "Apologies for waking you. That is all I have to report; thank you. Hematite signing out."

_Chirp!_

"Contact Yellow Diamond."

–

Another voice responded on Hematite's eyepiece, far less groggy than the previous speaker.

  


"This is Yellow Diamond, responding . Good morning Hematite ; is there something you'd like to discuss?"

–

A warm wave washed over Hematite at Yellow's greeting, and he smiled brightly, a friendly grin crossing his face. He wasn't sure if he was glad Yellow couldn't see him at the moment, or not.

"Morning, Yellow! Yes, there is. I was wondering if you had any work for me currently. I've received a guarding job from Blue Diamond that will keep me a bit occupied, but I figured I would check with you all the same. I have touched base with White Diamond already. I'm watching after a Kyanite, so if you see an unfamiliar blue gem around the towers, she's with me."

–

Yellow was quiet for a moment, but there was a faint sound of her turning on an electronic device of some kind. She was probably either checking a diamond pad or meddling with some gem tech.

"I don't believe I have any work for you, no. It is unlikely I will for some time, but we'll see what comes up. I'll keep you posted," she said promptly. "And, I'll keep that in mind, thank you for letting me know."

–

Hematite nodded.

"No problem. Good luck with whatever you're working on this morning! I will see you around."

Suddenly, there was a brief pause, and Hematite's brows raised.

"Oh! And Yellow Diamond? Could you... Hm. Is there anything you like to do out in the districts, besides sparring? I know you don't go out much, so I figured I'd ask." He bit his lip quietly, listening expectantly.

–

Whatever Yellow was working on in the background fizzled for a moment, followed by some startled grunting.

"Ah-!" The fizzling stopped, and Yellow held her breath for a moment. "Aah, well... I don't get out to the cities too much, actually. I like to _work_ , you see. Sometimes I'll go around checking on progress in bigger industries, fixing ships, heavy technician work... Ah, I apologize. I'm rambling."

–

Wincing slightly, Hematite gave a grimacing smile and waved his free hand in front of him.

"S-sorry! It's alright, just thought I'd ask. You get back to your work! I'll stop distracting you. Hematite , signing out."

_Click!_

Sighing softly, Hema looked at Kyan curiously and gave her a tiny smile.

"Weeellll. Looks like nobody else has any work for me... which means you and I can go wherever after we're done at the White Archives."

–

Kyan blinked, tilting her head curiously. He'd just talked to White and Yellow Diamond apparently, but she hadn’t heard anything. Was he acting or was she just missing something?

_Wait... White's Archives?!_

Her eyes widened, and she peered up at Hematite, crawling a little closer.

"We're going to White Diamond's Archives? But aren't only really specific gems allowed in there? Like, even most high- class gems can't get in there!"

–

Pursing his lips, Hematite smiled and shrugged in a coy manner.

"Well, I  _ am _ White's Hematite. I have a much higher rank than most service gems. I commonly go there to access files, log my reports and recordings, and to study! It's one of my favorite places to go in the White District. After this morning, I need to go look some stuff up and I figured I also might as well drop off my reports from my last few missions."

–

Kyan's smile faded, and she puffed out her cheeks slowly. _Files? Logs? Recordings?_

"Well that sounds boring..." she grumbled. While it may have been a special place to go in general, it sounded like a bunch of work-related stuff that didn't interest her. "Alriiiight, alriiiight. Then when do we go, huh?" She said, clenching her fists in mild excitement.

–

Hematite smiled and rolled his eyes.

"We won't be there long. We're going right now, actually!" Glancing down, he soon stepped close to a large warp pad. "One moment." He closed his eyes, shifted down to the size he'd used before, and then stepped onto the blue surface, blipping away to the White District.

–

As the light flicked away, leaving only Kyan and Hema standing on the warp pad, Kyanite opened her eyes and peered around with immediate wonder. She hadn't been in the White District in decades. She mostly wound up secluded to pieces of the Blue and Pink Districts. She hunkered down in Hematite's hand a little further, glancing rapidly from side to side. _Could he really just walk around like this in front of other gems?_

–

Hematite shifted back up to his half height and sighed softly, a relaxed smile on his face. While he wasn't as comfortable in the White District as he was the Blue, there was a dignified, serene air to the city that Hematite enjoyed. Glancing at the small gem in his hand, Hema stepped away from the warp pad and started down the street, toward the Archives. A few passing gems gave him curious looks, others shot leery glances, and some flat-out ignored the giant gem. Civilians weren't nearly as used to seeing him walking around here, and it certainly showed. Hematite didn't seem to mind, though. He stayed out of the path of passerby, holding his head high.

–

Kyan glanced around the district, occasionally making awkward eye contact with the gems far below. She narrowed her eyes, quickly looking away as they'd spotted her. She didn't want them to look at her, and found herself feeling self-conscious with all the eyes flicking towards Hematite. Tucking her scarf slightly under her chin, she nibbled at the top part of the cloth, trying to stay in the center of Hema's hand, out of sight.

–

Hematite would casually give a polite wave to whomever he recognized, but that was only a few gems here and there. He kept most of his attention forward, though he did glance at Kyan every once in a while. Noticing her scarf, he arched a brow and pursed his lips.

"Doesn't that get soggy?" he asked simply, gesturing to her scarf with his thumb.

–

Kyan seemed to have been knocked out of a trance, blinking a few times before looking up to Hematite.

"Mm? Oh, not reaaaally. I don't drool all over it or anything," she said almost indignantly. "Whadda you care anyway?" the small blue gem crossed her arms, questioning him defensively.

–

Blinking in surprise, Hematite looked up to the side and shrugged, brows raised.

"I dunno. Curious, trying to make conversation. That sort of thing." He offered a small, hopeful smile to the blue gem. "I figure, you know. If we're going to be around each other more, we shoulllld… learn about each other. Even if it's something like that." Glancing up, Hematite perked when the Archival building came into view.

–

Kyan pulled her scarf up over her nose, looking away from him.

"There's not much to know about me," she said simply, going silent after her statement. She seemed to be looking out in another direction, waiting for their arrival.

–

The service gem's smile faded. Looking away, Hematite sighed quietly through his nose and rolled his shoulders a tad. _Alright, so she was going to be like that...? Oh well. He couldn't blame her too much with how they 'hit it off.'_ Stopping next to the White Archives, Hematite pursed his lips and sighed softly.

"Alright, we're here. Now. I'm sure I don't have to repeat myself ; you know the whole spiel by now."

Hesitating, Hematite started to open his hand fully. After a long pause, he sighed and knelt down, placing the blue gem on the ground beside a couple guards that stood watch over the Archive’s entrance. "Don't go anywhere."

The giant gem stood back up, his gemstone starting to glow.

–

Kyan glanced around, then up at the guards. The guards returned the smaller gem's gaze, but they had a far more suspicious look on their faces. Kyan narrowed her eyes, then quickly looked back to Hematite.

"I'm... coming in with you, aren't I?"

–

Soon enough, Hematite stood at his civilian height, only a head or two taller than Kyanite. His form stopped glowing. Looking at the small blue gem, Hematite cocked a brow and nodded simply.

"I can't very well just leave you out here, can I?"

–

Watching in awe, the Kyanite's gaze followed Hematite down as he shrunk. _So he really wasn't kidding when he said he could be much smaller._ Eyes darting back up to the guards, Kyan slowly frowned and hid behind Hema.

"Right... Well uh, lead the way, then..." she muttered quietly.

–

Giving the two guards a quick 'she's with me', Hematite lead the small blue gem into the large Archival building. Hema put in a code in a small, guarded box, and the doors opened up quickly before the two. Heading inside with the Kyanite, the service gem walked to the left, heading for the section of the archives he was allowed to access.

Soon enough, both Kyanite and Hematite were walking along huge, pristine shelves lined with gem pads and archives, some blocked off from common visitors. At the end of the current set of shelves, there was a sturdy guard-screen, blocking them from entering a very large, spacious studying area.

Turning to a small screen, Hematite deftly tapped in a code. The device gave a beep as some gem speak popped up. The service gem stopped and folded his arms behind his back, looking around the large room idly, a soft hum in his throat. Seemed he was waiting for something.

–

Kyan's eyes grew wide as saucers upon entering the room. She felt an odd sense of warmth rush over here. Something about this place absolutely mesmerized her. Maybe it was the fact that only very specific gems were allowed in here? Or perhaps it was the strangely sterile and organized feel of the place. She placed her hand to her hair, brushing it softly. She certainly felt out of place, to say the least. Following closely behind the service gem, she wondered what he could have needed from this place.

–

Hematite raised a brow as a service gem passed by the screen, sparing himself and Kyan a glance. The gem was a little taller than Kyan, with dusty-brown, slicked-back hair and a professional-looking suit with a white insignia on the chest. They were tapping something out on a large, flat diamond pad, and turned their nose up as they quickened their pace away from the two. Hema let out a soft scoff and rolled his eyes.

"Axinites."

–

Kyan narrowed her eyes condescendingly at the passing gem, poking out her tongue under her scarf at them. She crossed her arms and glanced over her shoulder quietly.

"Hrmph. What are we here for , again?"

–

Footsteps soon sounded down the one of the shelves’ 'halls', a few aisles down from the two waiting gems. Hematite perked up and cleared his throat, smiling.

"I need to get some records on those gem types you gave me. If Blue sends me on a mission after these guys, I'll need to be prepared to track them down. Specifically the Jets and Chalcedony, I don't have those in my system currently." He paused, the metallic sounding steps getting closer. "And I need someone's help to enter my logs and records from my last few missions."

–

Kyan scratched her head, circling Hematite idly.

"I dunno much about ‘em myself, honestly, or I'd tell ya more." She mumbled. Her attention however was drawn to the clattering, metallic sound coming from nearby. Limb enhancers, maybe?

–

Around the corner, a small, green service gem came skidding, a few papers flying from her arms as she tried to stop her forward momentum.

"AH! Hematite, I was hoping it was you!" The freckled Peridot rushed over to the screen, tapping in a code on her end of the guarding border. With a sharp fizzle, the device powered down to let the two through.

"Oh, and why is that, Frecks? Is something the matter? You seem more frazzled than usual."

–

The smaller Blue gem's eyes widened, and she walked unsteadily- yet swiftly- through the room. _A Peridot!_ She'd never seen one like this before. Peridots usually had a full limb enhancer set, but it seemed this one didn't have arm pieces like the ones she was usually familiar with. She also bore freckles, which wasn't a very common thing for them. Kyan tilted her head slightly, running her palm over her cheek. She curiously eyed the other small gem, but was a tad too shy to say anything.

–

It seemed the befreckled service gem hadn't quite registered Kyan's presence.

"Yes, u-uh, there was a bit of a mix-up with some of your records after the last time you were here, and I need some help backlogging the dates. I was wondering if- who is that." Stopping mid-sentence, the Peridot pointed at Kyan and blinked, her other arm clutching her papers and diamond pad close.

Hematite arched a brow, chuckling in amusement.

"Frecks, this is Kyanite. I'll be watching over her for the next month or so. You may see her around, depending on how many times I need to stop by to drop records off."

–

Kyan tensed up, taking a few steps back from the Peridot. Eyes darting between the two service gems, she seemed a little off-put by Freck's comment. Her eyes finally rested upon the small green gem, half of her face covered with her thick, blue scarf. Her expression was entirely unreadable.

"Hi..."

–

The green service gem blinked again and pursed her lips, still pointing at the slightly shorter gem. Frecks only stood half a head taller than Kyanite, significantly shorter than Hema. After a long pause, the freckled Peridot brought her hand close again, clutching her papers.

"I like your scarf."

–

Kyan's eyes widened a little, and she turned away quickly, clearing her throat.

"Er... thanks... I like your um..." She looked away, then back to the Peridot. "… Boots." Kyan held her hands up to her chest, clutching her fingers in one of her palms, wiggling her fingers leisurely.

–

Frecks beamed at the shorter gem, closing her eyes.

"Yes , thank you , I picked them out myself. HEMATITE , I NEED YOUR HELP."

Hema jumped at the Peridot's sudden shift in tone and looked at her in surprise. He'd been watching her and Kyan 'talk', and hadn’t been paying attention.

"With the backlogging, yeah? That shouldn't be too hard. Although, while I'm doing that, could you go please collect any records you have on Jets and Chalcedonies? I need them for my archives. Oh! Actually..."

Closing his eyes, Hematite reached up and removed his visor. "Here. I need to log my records from a few months ago, anyways. Go ahead and put in the Jet and Chalcedony archives."

Nodding, the green service gem attempted to gather up the papers into a neater pile before handing them over to Hematite. He traded her for the visor and started heading for one of the large tables. Setting down the diamond pad and records, he leaned over the table, not bothering to sit down in one of the chairs.

Frecks held the eyepiece close, staring at Hema for a few long moments. A long, soft sigh escaped her, and she smiled silently, her fingers tapping on the small, crystalline tech screen.

–

Kyan took another sharp step back, wondering if she should take a seat. She had no idea how long this would take. Well, she liked staying on her feet more often than not, anyway. Walking over next to Hematite, Kyan stood a little too close to him, peeking at the papers he had in his hands.

"What's that?"

–

Glancing down at the shorter gem, Hematite placed the papers down on the table, starting to spread them out.

"These are hard copies of some of my mission logs. We keep multiple digital copies and some hard copies in case something were to ever go terribly wrong with the gem tech. It's only apparently happened once and that was centuries ago, but White lost a lot of data. So she returned to the days of books- which she says she's always preferred in some ways- and started keeping physical records." Looking to the table, Hematite frowned in concentration and started shuffling a few records around. "Sssseems these have all gotten out of order. One of the Axinites probably put things away sloppily and didn't bother to fix it."

Many of the papers had pictures and reams of gem speak detailing Hematite's audio logs he recorded on missions, alongside any recorded audio he had taken of other gems on said jobs. If one read close enough, it wouldn't take long to find some rather interesting details on different recon missions, relocation jobs, and gem monsters Hematite had captured. Nothing on harvesting, though.

Flicking his hand over the diamond pad, Hematite brought up a large screen with a data diagram. Seemed the dates were all scrambled out of order with details matched to the wrong missions.

"Tch, figures. Alright, let's see."

Leaning down, the ivory-haired gem started placing things in order, mumbling to himself. He'd tap on the holo-screen once in a while, dragging things into place with soft clicks or beeps as they were rearranged.

–

Kyan had stopped listening sometime during his explanation and snuck off behind him somewhere. Seems she wasn't too interested in what he had to say. _Blah blah, something about malfunctioning gemtech. Got it, whatever._ Her interest seemed to take her elsewhere, to one of the shelves. Quickly glancing over her shoulder, Kyan snuck over to the shelf and stood on the tips of her toes to reach something on one of the ledges. Ungracefully, she patted her hand up on the shelf to see if she could grab a hold of anything.

–

Hematite perked up, lifting his head. Quickly, he placed both palms on the table, narrowing his eyes. He didn't even have to look behind him.

"Kyanite. You aren't touching stuff you aren't supposed to, are you?"

–

Slowly, Kyanite retracted her hand.

"Nooooo?" she said, staring straight ahead nervously. She fell silent, but grimaced. _Damnit._ It was so boring here. How was she supposed to know what she wasn't supposed to touch? It was probably safe to assume... everything.

–

Sighing, the service gem dropped his shoulders and rolled his eyes, lowering his head after a moment.

"Juuust don't touch anything on the shelves, alright? You don't want to mess anything up in here. The Axinites don't take well to it." Idly, he thumbed a few records aside, setting them in order. "Trust me, I would know." There was a short pause. "They bite." Another short pause. "Then again, maybe that wouldn't be as much of a problem for you," he added sarcastically, not so much as glancing back at the small blue gem.

–

Kyan crossed her arms, digging the tip of her shoe into the ground. She puffed out her cheeks and looked back up at the shelf.

"Hmph... I bet I could bite harder..." She said under her breath. Suddenly, she spotted a diamond pad on the lower shelf, easy for her to reach. She stared at it silently.

_Oh, it was tempting._

–

"I'm sure you could," Hematite hummed idly, sounding a bit distracted. Shuffling some of the papers into a pile, he tilted his head, frowning.

"Aaalright, these aren't as bad as I thought. Half-done already," he muttered, mostly to himself.

–

Kyan crept over quietly, slowly reaching for the diamond pad. She'd never used one of these before; heck, she'd never even seen one this close up. Looking back over her shoulder, she quickly grabbed the diamond pad and looked over the blank screen. From within its reflective surface, she caught a small, faded glimpse of what seemed to be her own reflection. She gasped quietly, holding it a little further away.

–

Hematite's head turned just slightly at Kyan's shuffling, but he never took his eyes off of his papers. When he spoke, his voice was quiet and distracted.

"Kyaaaan.”

Squinting, Hema picked up one of the papers on the table and read over a passage, standing straight. He went silent.

–

Kyan flinched, looking between Hematite and the diamond pad.

"I-I'm not doing anything! I'm just... looking..." She said, slowly turning her head back to the diamond pad. Curiously turning it in her hands, she noticed the small buttons at the bottom. There was a brief pause, and she swiped her finger reluctantly over the button.

  


_Blip!_

–

There was a moment of silence. Hematite's brow twitched. He slowly lowered the paper in his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose. After a long, slow inhale, the service gem turned, giving Kyan a narrow-eyed glare.

"What did I say about touching things."

–

Kyan spun around, carelessly holding the pad behind her back where Hematite couldn't see it. She bit her lip, staring back up at him. 

"I didn't touch anything!" she lied.

–

Slowly, the ivory-haired gem turned and crossed his arms, tapping his clawed fingers along the top of his sleeve. He arched a brow, clearly unamused.

"Whatever's behind your back, put it  back  where you found it."

–

Kyan didn't move for a few long seconds, but soon sighed and stepped back, grumpily placing the diamond pad on the shelf behind her. She hadn't even bothered to turn it off. She glanced away with a pouty, disgruntled look.

–

"That's better. Now come over here so I can keep an eye on you. I'm almost done with these."

He turned around, leaning over the desk again. The service gem was back to frowning at the paper he'd put down. There was something wrong with this hard copy. Hematite put his hand to his gem, quickly drawing out a small pen. He scribbled over something in one of the paragraphs and quickly jotted down the proper notes. That was one problem with hard copies; it was far more of a hassle to fix details that were incorrect.

–

Grumbling something quietly, Kyan walked over and sat up on one of the chairs. She was just short enough to have her legs dangle from the chair, and she swayed them in boredom. She looked a little disappointed that she couldn't mess with anything.

–

After a few minutes, Hematite tapped the papers in front of him into a neat, organized pile.

"There."

Giving a satisfied sigh, he glanced over the record screen one last time, checking for errors, and nodded once, flicking his hand over the hologram. It chirped and retreated back into the large diamond pad.

"All finished up. Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Gazing at the small blue gem, Hematite arched a brow.

"You ’d better not pull that in White's office. She's far less forgiving than  an Axinite or me ."

–

Kyan held the chair with her palms, still swinging her legs idly.

"Yeah, yeah..." she huffed, leaning back and sinking into the chair. Her hair fell over her eyes, and she looked up at the ceiling. "Now whaaaaat?" she groaned.

–

"Be patient, c'mon," Hematite huffed, rolling his eyes. He placed the gem pad on the pile of papers and stood up straight as he heard Frecks heading down the hall. The service gem turned and smiled as the green gem rushed into the room, holding his visor up.

"Alright , all set, Hema!~"

"Thanks, Frecks! Right on time. All the records are in place for ya. It wasn't too bad." He graciously accepted the eyepiece from the shorter gem and placed it to his face, pressing his finger into the surface. It whirred softly and formed to his face, now resting comfortably over his eye once more. Frecks watched in undisguised fascination, her hands clutched close under her chin. She never got tired of watching him do that.

"Thank you so much! Sorry, all the numbers were confusing me." She grinned nervously, walking over to the table to pick up the pile of papers. "I have to get back to work, but I hope you two have a good afternoon! Good luck on your harvesting missions, Hematite!"

Without waiting for a reply, the shorter gem rushed off, her metallic steps fading down the hall.

–

Kyan watched the eyepiece curiously, though not quite as endearingly as the Peridot seemed to. Quietly shuffling in her seat, she leaned over on the desk, placing her chin on it. Harvesting Missions? Was that what they were called nowadays? She hardly paid much attention to common lingo anymore. Still, she wondered what all the eyepiece could do. She watched the Peridot run away, and without a word, plastered her forehead against the smooth surface of the desk.

–

"… Are you quite finished, Kyanite."

Turning to the small blue gem, Hematite crossed his arms, arching a brow. Honestly, she had less patience than _him_. And that was saying something. _Well, at least they were getting out of here now._

"Come on, we're heading to the Blue District."

Without waiting for her to reply, the service gem folded his arms behind his back and headed for the exit, tapping a code into the barrier that lead to the hall.

–

Kyan lifted her head quickly. Honestly, she thought this place would be cool, but it was really just boring. She supposed it just wasn't really her style. Still, at least she could say she'd been there! Hopping out of her chair, she hurried to Hematite's side.

"Why are we going there, again?" She asked curiously.

–

Hematite glanced down at the blue gem and smiled coyly, humming a soft note to himself. Walking through the hall, the service gem fidgeted his hands behind his back.

"I mostly hang out in the Blue District, in my spare time. A lot more gems know me there... Aaand I want you to meet a friend of mine. He shouuuld still be at work, since it's so early."

If there was ever a time in the next month he couldn't watch Kyan, he'd need someone he could trust to take over for a little while. And if anybody could be a temporary guard replacement... it was Morganite.

–

Kyan swung her arms beside her as she walked, chewing lightly at the inside of her cheek.

"Yeah, sure." She said, only half paying attention. Back to the Blue District? _Oh joy._ She wasn't too delighted about that, but unfortunately she had to go wherever he went. Hopefully no one she knew would spot her.

–

Sparing Kyan a look, Hematite arched a brow. She just didn't care what he had to say, did she? Unless it involved bringing her somewhere 'cool'. The service gem felt his patience slowly being whittled away by Kyanite's attitude, and he idly wondered how he was going to last a month through this. Huffing quietly, the service gem stepped out through the front entrance and turned as soon as he and Kyan were well past the guards, facing the small blue gem.

"Alright, c'mon."

In a few moments, Hematite had shifted up to about 20 feet or so, and he kneeled down, offering his palm to the tiny blue gem.

–

Kyan turned her head as they passed the guards, giving them an odd, indescribable look. They didn't seem to have much of a reaction to her, at least. She looked ahead, thinking quietly to herself with measured steps pattering against the ground. She stared at the path she walked on, brows furrowed. Though, as soon as Hematite had offered her his hand, she was quick to hop up and hold onto his fingers. Grunting quietly, she got herself in as comfortable of a position as she could.

"'Kay big guy, lead the way!"

–

Well, at least she was easy to handle at this size! Hematite was at least glad that she didn't seem deterred by his size shifting. If anything, she seemed 'comfortable' with it.

Lifting his hand, the giant gem smiled faintly and headed straight back for the warp pad, his steps a bit quicker than before.

\--

Soon enough, Hematite stood in front of the warrior gem's bar, and he looked around at the gems that were filing out rather tiredly, or drunkenly. Shaking his head, the service gem leaned against a nearby building, watching the door intently. Morgan should have been locking up any minute now...

–

Kyan managed to avoid eye contact with every single gem that passed by. She kept her head held high, though couldn't help but feel as though she were being watched by everyone below her. She shuffled around occasionally, staring up at the sky to keep her mind off of the world around her. Though, her curiosity piqued once more upon their stop. She eventually peered over Hematite's hand after gathering up the will to look down. She eyed the city block she'd found herself in intently.

"Where are we now?" She whispered.

Not long after Kyan had spoke, sure enough Morganite had opened the door to his bar, turning to click one of the buttons on the security pad. It didn't take him very long to notice the large service gem not too far away. Almost as if doing a double take, Morgan smiled and raised up one of his hands.

"Heeeey Hema!" The swanky gem called out in a friendly manner. He started down the street towards them.

–

"Well, we're- heyy!" Hematite raised a hand in return, giving the pink-haired warrior a friendly wave. Getting an idea, Hematite smiled and leaned against the building fully, sliding down to sit against it. This way he could stay his same size but he wasn't towering over the warrior gem. In fact, while seated, he was almost eye level with Morganite.

"Sorry to visit when you're about to head out. I wasn't sure if I'd have time to stop by for a while."

–

Kyan quickly looked over at the warrior gem and narrowed her eyes, hiding as much as she could behind Hematite's fingers. It wasn't very effective, of course. Morgan raised a brow, and with a bright grin gave the smaller blue gem a curious nod.

"It's alright, Hematite! I take it you're busy then? Who's your friend?" He asked, placing his hands to his hips. Kyan remained quiet, at least for the moment.

–

Chuckling, the giant service gem shrugged. He gave a nod and sighed.

"Yeahhh. Got a new job this morning."

Boy was he tired of explaining this. Oh well, he brought this upon himself to visit the bartender.

"I'll be her bodyguard for the next month. But I'll still have other jobs, so I probably won't be around very much. Sooo I thought I'd catch you when I could."

–

Morganite glanced up to Hematite inquisitively and smirked.

"I see." Taking another step forward, Morganite's gaze now rested upon the smaller blue gem, and he narrowed his eyes. Wait...was that a?...

Kyan immediately squared her shoulders and clenched her fists, holding them close to her chest.

"Ey, whadda ya lookin' at, Pinky?" She remarked with a scowl. Morgan looked momentarily stunned, but quickly fell back into a placid state. He chuckled quietly.

"Feisty one, she is... Good luck with her, then!" Morgan grinned.

–

Hematite lifted the small gem slightly in surprise, looking almost apologetically at Morgan.

"Kyan! Sorry, Morganite. She's uh." The service gem squinted at the Kyanite in his hand, pursing his lips. Forcing himself to bite his tongue, Hema sighed through his nose. "... She's something alright." He glanced at the warrior gem and quirked a brow. "So, do you have anything exciting planned for today-"

_Beep beep! Beep beep!_

"Ah, shoot hold on."

Hematite frowned and rolled his eyes, tapping his visor.

"This is Hematite reporting."

Whoever was on the other end was unfamiliar to Kyan and Morganite, and could barely be heard. Seemed they were reciting something to the service gem.

–

Morgan and Kyan both made brief eye contact, but Morgan was the first to break it. He looked curiously to the eyepiece, wondering what caught his attention. Kyan, however, couldn't look away from Morganite. She didn't know how to feel about him... she didn't care to find out either.

–

"Alright... Uh-huh. Tssss. Okay, yeah, I'll be right there. Hematite signing out." The eyepiece dulled, and Hema pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing quietly. "Sorry, Morgan. Something came up. Some transportation rails are malfunctioning in the Yellow district and one of the peridots needs me to report there to help out." Giving the warrior gem an apologetic look, Hematite started to stand up, stretching with his free arm. "Hopefully I'll see you around?"

–

Morgan flicked his hair away from his face with a single finger and gave Hematite a reassuring wink. "Certainly hope so! You know where to find me, kid!" He said with a touch of warmth. Kyan took in a deep breath, rolling her eyes. Great, she had to go to the Yellow District now? How much longer was this gem going to keep dragging her around today? Kyan looked up at Hematite with an uncertain expression.

"Please tell me I don't need to help with that..." She groaned.

–

Looking to the blue gem in his hand, Hematite arched a brow and smirked almost coyly. Juuust be patient with her, you can do it.

"Hah, well, nooo offense Kyan, but unless you can double in size, I don't think there's much you'll be able to help with." He shrugged, shooting her an odd sort of smile. "This is a job I'll have to handle at this size or bigger, so you'll probably have to stand aside for most of it. Lots of electricity, metal. That sort of thing. Might take a while."

Looking down at Morgan, the ivory-haired gem smiled and gave him a small wave, heading back up the street.

–

Kyan frowned, but sighed with minor relief. She didn't exactly fancy working on things like that. Heck, she didn't really want to work at all, so the least she could get away with, the better. On the other hand, though... she couldn't help but take what he'd said to heart. All the other Kyanite warriors were double her hieght...if she was fully functional, like them, maybe she could have helped. That, and it would have solved a lot more problems for her. Turning slightly, Kyan figured she should at least be a little civil. She raised her hand up at Morganite, but quickly brought it back down.

"See ya, Pinky."

Morgan stifled another small chuckle, raising a brow curiously at the Kyanite.

"Be nice to Hematite, now. He's a good friend of mine, and deserves to be treated well. Don't make either of us have to make you behave." He said, only half joking. Kyan blinked, looking away swiftly.

"Yeah yeah... whatever you say..." She muttered quietly.

–

Smiling faintly at the two for a moment, Hematite quickly turned his attention forward, heading for the Blue District warp.

Right, this wouldn't be so bad. This month would be over before he knew it... And honestly, Hematite could think of far worse gems to be stuck with. Okay, not many but he could name a few.

Glancing down at the tiny blue gem, Hematite raised a brow.

_He just hoped maybe she'd warm up to him, over time... That'd make his job a whole lot easier._


	69. The First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite and two of his fellow gems take care of some corrupted Rubies.

Stretching, Hema gave a soft, tired groan and rubbed his lower back. There were a few cuts in his uniform along his spine, which he crossly ran his fingers over. He was currently walking through the Yellow District at his full height, heading back toward the inner wall that surrounded the Diamond towers. Fiddling with some torn fabric on his suit, the giant gem frowned.

_Stars, those things had really gotten the jump on him._

Earlier that morning, Hematite had been sent out on a 'small' mission into the Yellow District to take care of some smaller-class corrupted gems that were creating trouble. One or two was no problem... but what he had found was an infestation. The clawed creatures were only a little bigger than the average gem, but in such great numbers, they were quite the handful, even for a Hematite.

Unfortunately, despite Hema being sent to eradicate the problem, the mission had gone awry, and he hadn’t been able to complete it. Many of the gem monsters ended up escaping, and now he had to head back to the White Tower to pick someone up. He'd have to go back to his mission later today.

Hematite thought it prudent to leave Kyan in his living quarters while he ran out to do his job. He'd assumed it'd only take him an hour or so, but, unfortunately, he'd been away for over three. Kyan didn't have the code to get out of his room. All he hoped was that she hadn't created a mess while he was gone.

 

 

 

_Beep beep, beep beep!_

 

 

 

 

After a soft chirp, a quiet voice drifted from Hematite's visor.

"This is White Diamond. Hello, Hematite. What have you to report?"

 

"The corrupted gems are far more numerous than what was reported, I'm afraid I will have to go back to them later today after retrieving an archive from my living quarters. I believe there's something there that may help me round these things up. I simply wanted to let you know that if you saw me approaching the tower, I have not given up on my mission, but I needed something before I continued." With a soft sigh, Hema rubbed his back again. "Those things are a real handful as a group."

 

There was a slight delay on the other end.

"Ah, I see. Thank you for telling me, Hematite. I wish you luck on your mission. I'm sure you can handle them." There was another small pause, but suddenly White's voice seemed to pick up. "Oh! That reminds me, Hematite. I would like you to report to my office when you arrive. Your Pearl is ready to be returned to you, and I'd like you to pick her up."

 

Brows raising, Hematite suddenly perked up, a bright smile on his face.

"Oh! Good to hear, alright! I'll come pick her up right away! Hematite, signing out."

_Click!_

Picking up his pace, the giant gem headed for the inner wall, smiling when it came into view, along with the massive figure of the Yellow Tower.

Shifting down to his half height, Hema stepped through the Yellow District gate into the tower section of the capital. As soon as he was through, he shifted back up to his full size, not wanting to waste any time getting back to White's office. However, as soon as he stepped over a much smaller wall, to the open area by the tower, he spotted movement on the sky bridge that was level with his face.

–

Yellow Diamond hadn't even seemed to notice the massive, approaching gem. In fact, she seemed to be glaring down at a diamond pad, whispering something to herself. Grumbling something quietly, she was reading something intently on the screen. From the looks of it, it was likely a confusing report.

–

Glancing over, Hematite arched a brow. His breath caught in his throat when he saw that it was Yellow Diamond on the bridge, leaving her office. He peered at what was in her hands, his gaze quickly drifting back up. She didn't seem to notice him.

Biting his lip for a moment, he glanced around, wondering what would be the best way to make his presence known without startling her. After a moment, he smiled, getting an idea. He took a few steps back away from the bridge, as if he were just arriving, and then walked forward, standing in a poised, professional manner, looking straight ahead. He quietly cleared his throat, soon walking alongside the bridge.

"Morning, Yellow Diamond."

–

The smaller yellow figure did a double-take, quickly taking a few steps to the side upon realizing what she was faced with. However, she recovered quickly and cleared her throat.

"Oh, good morning Hematite!" she called up, regaining her casual pace. With a bright flash, she stored the diamond pad away in her gem. She didn't want to meddle with it right now; it was already confusing and frustrating her. Now, on top of that, she had been admittedly surprised to see Hematite come out of seemingly nowhere... and at the size that he was. She tried to keep up her composure, offering him a professional nod.

–

Hema glanced to the side, still facing forward as he kept a slow pace, matching hers.

"Apologies, I didn't mean to catch you in the middle of reading. I'm on my way to White's office and just returned from that mission you both sent me on. I have to return to it soon, though, so I didn't bother shifting down." He offered her a warm smile. "It's good to see you."

–

Yellow Diamond looked forward, blinking thoughtfully.

"Its, ah... good to see you too, Hematite. You look like you've had a bit of a rough day so far." She raised a brow, glancing sidelong at the larger gem. He seemed to be in a fairly decent mood, despite what he was probably going through. "Heading to White's too, hm?... I have some reports to discuss with her, myself," she said, closing her eyes with a shrug. She furrowed her brows, continuing on. "I've gotten some pretty confusing feedback from a shipyard with two ships in a docking station, but only one of them has clearance to be there... buuut the other one claims that they do as well, and they aren't happy. I don't understand why they couldn't be cleared for a different port..." Quickly, she looked back up at him and clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Tch, I'm rambling, though."

–

Hema had gone quiet, silently listening to Yellow go on about her troubles, but his smile never faltered. If anything, he had seemed to perk up when she’d started going on about her reports she needed to discuss with White.

"Hm, I don't mind!" He finally turned to her with a soft chuckle, shrugging a shoulder. His arms remained folded behind him. "I like hearing about this sort of thing. It's interesting to me. Blue goes on about her daily routines and business all the time when I visit her!" There was a pause, and he suddenly smiled a bit wider, arching a brow. "However, if you have reports to get to White, I suppose we should spend less time talking and more time getting to the tower."

–

Yellow straightened up, very slightly picking up her pace.

"Yes, you're right!" She said promptly, glancing over to him. She couldn't hide the soft smile that found its way to her face. "Though, you know..." There was a brief pause, as if Yellow was trying to think of the right words to say. "I don't mind talking with you, really. You actually make pretty good company," she said, closing her eyes and folding her own arms behind her back.

–

Hematite blinked in surprise and turned to smile at his yellow superior.

"Well, we can still talk on the way there. It's a pretty long walk."

As soon as he finished his statement, Hema felt his expression falter, and he raised a brow, a curious look on his face. With her eyes closed, Yellow Diamond couldn't see it, but it seemed the giant gem had gotten an idea. "...You know, it's a long way to White's office... You don't have to walk the whole way there." Slowing, Hematite soon stopped in his tracks, turning to the sky bridge.

–

Yellow's eyes opened quickly, and she, too, stopped.

"What do you mean?" she said, peering up at the service gem. Her smile faded swiftly, left with a look of confusion and suspicion. She quickly put the pieces together, however, and she furrowed her brows slightly. _Was he implying what she thought he was...?_

–

Admittedly, Hematite was nervous about even proposing this... But there was no harm in it, right? Lifting his chin slightly, the giant gem offered Yellow Diamond a polite smile. After a moment's hesitation, he lifted his palm up to be level with the bridge.

"One escort for Yellow Diamond...?"

–

The Diamond flinched slightly, hesitantly glancing down at Hema's palm. She seemed highly reluctant, staring down intently at the massive hand. She didn't say anything, and she didn't move.

–

Hema didn't move for a few moments. His smile slowly faded, his hand lowering slightly.

_Right._ _Why did he think she'd accept?_

Glancing away, Hema sighed softly, starting to retract his hand.

"Sorry. Never mind."

 

Before Hematite could lower his hand too much, something touched one of his fingertips. Yellow boldly stepped onto his hand, reluctantly shifting her weight and holding out her arms slightly to balance herself. She kept looking down at his hand, trying to hide the fact that she was nervous. She'd never done anything like this before, and even though things were getting better between her and Hematite, something in the back of her mind still made her anxious. _Oh well. Might as well take a chance, right?_ Things wouldn't get any better if she didn't show some trust in him. As soon as she'd regained her footing, she stood up straighter, looking up to Hematite. Closing her eyes, she cleared her throat and regained a professional air.

"Right. Let's get going."

–

The hair on the back of Hematite's neck stood on end, and the tiniest smile crossed his face. Carefully, he drew his hand away from the sky bridge and turned forward, making his way towards White's tower.

"Let's."

Hema kept his gait steady as he always did when carrying another gem. His free arm remained folded behind his back. Facing forward, Hematite walked with a proud, poised air about him. He kept his fingers from curling up so that Yellow wouldn't think he was trying to pull any stunts. His pace was measured, only slightly faster than his usual walk, but he was covering far more distance than Yellow would on her own without running.

"Blue and I travel like this quite often."

–

Yellow tried to keep herself and her nerves steady. _Alright, so far so good, at least._ She remained standing, looking around carefully without moving an inch. The world, strangely enough, seemed to slow down around her. She couldn't seem to describe how she felt. _Exhilarated? Worried? Nervous? Mesmerized._ He didn't seem to be making any sudden movements, so that helped ease her anxiety- at least a little. Turning slightly at last, she peered up at him. For a moment, she wished she hadn't, as the sight of his face still somehow made her flinch. She reminded herself that things were alright, and she pushed it back.

"Really?..." She said quietly, looking back ahead of them. Her expression faltered gradually, as if hurt. But it was hard to tell exactly what she was thinking. "She really trusts you, doesn't she?..."

–

Hematite kept his eyes forward, resisting the urge to stare down at the Diamond in his hand. He figured he'd try to make this as easy as he could on her.

"I suppose. White and I have done this as well. It's a rather efficient way of traveling, especially for long distances." Giving a soft chuckle, the service gem shrugged his free shoulder. "Actually, Blue rode on my shoulder the first day we even really 'met'. I was confused as to why she would put so much trust in a gem she didn't even know... but. I guess that's just Blue's way of doing things. Even White seemed more hesitant than her to let me carry her."

–

Yellow's eyes widened slightly, her brows raised. Both Blue and White really seemed to trust him. _And..._ _ they were fine._ Things were different now. She had to trust him, too. Slowly, she looked to his palm, kneeling down. Placing a hand on his, she shuddered slightly, taking in a deep breath. Gripping at the cloth of his glove, she peered over his hand at the facility passing below them. She fell quiet.

–

Thankfully for her, Hema didn't make a big deal out of her kneeling down on his palm. Despite that, he definitely noticed. A warm feeling spread through his chest, and he looked forward again, eyes bright.

"Actually, now that I think about it, hmm. There's Blue, a couple gems I used to know years ago, White, Puff, Morganite, Red, Kyanite..." Glancing down, Hematite offered a small, reassuring smile. "If you, you know. Ever have a mission where you have a lot of distance to cover. You know where to find me."

–

Yellow looked as though she wasn't paying attention to him at all. But she'd heard every word he had said. Quietly, she looked back at him. She didn't seem to be worried about facing him anymore.

"You've made quite a few friends over the years, haven't you."

–

Hematite looked down, tilting his head slightly in thought. His brows raised, and after a moment, he looked forward again, an almost unreadable expression on his face.

"..." Slowly, a warm smile found its way to his face. "Well, I mean, I would call Kyanite a nuisance before I called her a 'friend', but." He gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah. I guess I have..."

–

Yellow looked forward again, breathing slowly.

"Good... keep them. Cherish them. Never forget the times that you have together." She said simply, holding her free hand up to her gem. She suddenly was lost in thought. "And don't take them for granted. You never know when you might lose them."

–

Glancing down, Hematite felt his smile fade. He had a feeling he knew what- or rather, who- she was thinking about.

"I will. I don't plan on forgetting anything anytime soon." Forcing a chuckle, he fidgeted behind his back, staring forward. "...So, you and I still need to have a proper cup of tea together. Crystal spice, was it?"

–

Yellow seemed a bit taken aback. _He'd... he'd remembered that?_ Lowering her brows, she smiled softly, even if he couldn't see it.

"Yes. I like the spicier teas. That sounds lovely, Hematite." She said quietly. An odd warmth befell her.

–

"They're not my type, but I haven't had that particular one before. I'll have to try it.~" He sighed softly. "Maybe once all this business with the Star Stealers and Kyanite is finished, we can set aside some time for that."

–

Yellow Diamond listened to Hema's words, taking them all in. A hundred thoughts stirred quietly in her mind.

"I'd like that." She said simply, tilting her head up slightly. By this point, White's tower was in view not too far away. They'd be there in no time. It was incredible just how much faster this was. If only things were different before. If only she had trusted him before...

–

"Ah, by the way. If you need any help with those ships in the docking stations, let me know. If they need to be moved or anything, I'm sure I could help you out with that. Just the other day, I was working on something in the scrap yard, and there was this huuuge piece of a red-eye that needed to be moved, and the Peridots that were working nearby didn't think I could help them out. I didn't recognize them so I guess they hadn't seen me work before. And so I go over there, and I'm at my normal size, right?" Chuckling, Hematite continued on, prattling about his job as the two of them neared the tower, which was only a few minutes away now.

–

Yellow Diamond seemed to not mind listening to his stories. In fact, she seemed intrigued. She was grateful for the help, regardless. Glancing back up at him, she leaned back slightly.

"How did they react?..." She asked, pursing her lip.

–

"Well, they laughed at first, but eventually I convinced them to clear out and let me do my job. And because they were being such little clods about it, I decided to pretend like I couldn't do it before I shifted up and just picked up the entire thing." He gave a good-natured laugh. "Stars, the looks on their faces. It was priceless. There were some scrap pieces they needed underneath the wreckage, so I stood by while they retrieved what they came for. I'm pretty sure one of them said something along the lines of 'why do we need pods when we have gems like that?' They weren't serious, but I found it rather amusing. I thought one of them was going to keel over when they saw me shift up, though."

–

Yellow placed her palm to her chin, grinning subtly.

"That's one way to show them, I suppose!" She responded, lifting her other hand to rest on the top of her leg. "I bet it was amusing to see. I can only imagine." She sighed quietly. Well, there was a reason there weren't too many huge gems running about. It was a little relieving, honestly; she wasn't sure if having too many would be a good idea in the first place. She already had this one to keep an eye on!

–

"They certainly didn't question me after that, and I was able to help them out for the rest of the day. I swear, sometimes Peridots think they're Jaspers or something," he teased, snickering. "They mean well enough, though." Looking forward, Hematite smiled and lifted his hand slightly. They were close enough to the tower for him to let Yellow down. "Well, that went a lot quicker than I thought, actually!" Looking down, Hematite turned to the bridge and held his palm up.

–

Yellow smiled, but it faded quickly as the tower got closer. Standing up, she righted herself once more and stepped up onto the bridge. Turning to face the service gem, she nodded formally.

"Thank you Hematite. I... appreciate it." She said, turning her head to face White's door, a good few feet away. It felt surreal, being on solid ground again. Even if it was a bridge high up in the air. She'd have to try that again someday.

–

Hematite smiled brightly and gave her a polite nod.

"Any time."

Placing his hand onto the bridge, the giant gem closed his eyes, his gemstone glimmering. Within an instant and with a flash of light, Hematite shifted down to his civilian size and leapt up onto the bridge. He stood straight and adjusted his suit, shooting Yellow a small smile. He folded his arms behind his back, standing tall.

"Now, I have a Pearl to pick up."

Saluting formally, the service gem stepped toward White's office door, knocking twice.

–

Yellow gave Hematite a nod, bringing out the diamond pad from her gem once more. She followed soon behind him. The door hissed open, revealing the warmth of White's office. The tallest Diamond stood from behind her seat, lifting her hand in greetings to both of the gems.

"Hello Yellow Diamond, Hematite." White raised a brow in inquiry. She was surprised to see them both here; she’d only been expecting Hematite.

–

Saluting proudly, Hematite smiled up at his leader and quickly stood at attention, his eyes darting around the room to look for a certain gem.

"Good morning again, White. Sorry, Yellow Diamond was on her way here, too, so we traveled together to make better time!" He tilted his chin up slightly, a bright gleam in his eyes.

–

White's brows raised slowly, her lips parting. She glanced between Hematite and Yellow Diamond, smirking.

"Well, that's wonderful to hear! I'm glad you two are getting along better." She said, placing her arms behind her back. Yellow blinked, looking down at her diamond pad without a word. She figured she'd let Hema get his business out of the way before burdening White with what she had. Across the room, sitting at the small table were two Pearls with a tray of tea between them. One of them was far shorter than the other, and, having noticed who had entered the room, perked up.

"Anyways, Hematite. Pink Pearl has finished her briefing and is ready to be returned to you at last. I apologize for taking so long; there was a lot she needed to learn. However, everything should be filled in now! She's been made aware of what it means to be your Pearl, and what her job entails." White spoke, gesturing her hand towards the two Pearls sitting at the table. "If you have any questions or concerns, do let me know."

–

Practically beaming, Hematite nodded eagerly at the Diamond before him and looked over to the two Pearls, quickly making his way over. For the moment, he was just happy to see her again. Before he spoke to her, though, he gave White's Pearl a friendly and polite smile.

"Alright, Red!" He stood straight, his arms folded behind his back. "We've got a mission to get to today, once I pick something up from my living quarters. Are you ready to head out?"

–

Red quickly offered Hematite a salute, standing up to face him. She had a serious, small frown on her face.

"Yes, sir! Whenever you are!" She responded quickly and formally. The other Pearl sitting at the desk smiled, stifling a faint chuckle.

–

With a bright grin, Hematite nodded in return and spun on his heel, heading quickly out of the office.

"Thank you again, White! I'll report to you as soon as my mission is completed!"

–

White gave Hematite a curt nod, seeing the two off. As soon as Red followed behind, the door hissed shut, leaving them to their duties. Yellow approached White finally, now that Hema was out of the way, going on about her own business.

Red walked alongside Hematite on the bridge without a word. Glancing up to him, she raised a brow. There was so much she wanted to say, but she wondered if she should speak before him.

–

As soon as the two of them made their way out of the office, Hematite motioned for her to follow after him. However, instead of continuing down the bridge, he went over to the elevator and stepped inside, waiting for it to arrive.

"So! White gave you a rundown of everything, did she?"

–

Red followed after the Hematite, her arms folded neatly behind her back. She stood next to him, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes. _Everything_." She said simply, pursing her lips.

–

Blinking, the ivory-haired service gem straightened up, pursing his own lips in surprise. Slowly, he looked sidelong at her, not turning his head.

_ "... Oh?" _

–

The Pink Pearl got quiet, smacking her lips.

"Yes. Everything. Everything about you, and everything that I shall be helping you with." She glanced away, furrowing her brows slightly. "Buuuut it's good to see you again, Hematite!"

–

Chuckling nervously, the service gem stepped inside the elevator as it opened up. He turned and waited for Red to follow him inside before hitting the proper buttons to the floor with his room.

"It's good to see you again too. Hah... still, uh. Still excited to be serving a harvester, now that you, well. Know what that is?"

–

Red walked into the elevator, turning on her heel to face the door and holding her chin high.

"Well, it is my job. It's what I was made for! So I can't say I mind too much, I guess. I'll get used to it. I'll continue to do my best no matter what!" She said, forcing a small, fierce smile. It was halfhearted, but only partially. She still truly wanted to perform to expectation.

–

Rubbing the back of his neck, Hema stared straight ahead, only sparing a short glance to the Pink Pearl beside him. He wasn't sure what to say. Of course he'd known that eventually Red would have to find out what he was and what he did for a job, but he supposed he would have rather kept it secret a little longer. The Hematites were a unique gem class, and what they did was rather odd and off-putting to most. He hadn't wanted Red's view of him to be... well. Affected?

Mulling over his Pearl's words, he suddenly realized with a start just how much her knowing about harvesting bothered him. It wasn't something he thought about too often, but. Well, he was suddenly aware that he'd honestly rather keep that part of his personality hidden if he could. The less people who knew about his job, the better.

"R-right. Well. Thank you. And I'll do my best to keep the weirdness to a minimum. Just, try not to share what you learned with too many gems. There are very few who know what I am and what I do. It could cause problems if more gems were aware of just what Hematites are."

–

Red quirked a brow, but she wasn't going to question his methods or wishes.

"Right, I shall keep quiet about it. It will not be discussed!" She said sharply, offering the larger gem a wink. It honestly didn't really surprise her that he wanted to keep something like that a secret.

–

Glancing down at the Pearl, Hematite gave a small, appreciative smile.

"Other than that, do you have any questions? I'm sure there must be something, with everything you and White went over!"

–

Perking up, Red turned fully to Hematite now, a newfound fire in her eyes.

"Yes! I have a lot of questions! What's it like doing what you do? Does it bother you? Is it more instinctual or?" She started, clenching her fists behind her back.

–

Hematite did his best to hide his discomfort at her question, and forced a small smile.

"Well, yes and no. It’s something designed into Hematites, but some of us have stronger hunting urges than others.” He certainly knew at least _one_ Hematite with stronger instincts than himself. “ It’s sort of like instincts, I guess. Hunting and all that… It's still a job, though. I try to think of it as such. And therefore, I try not to let it bother me. I've... had some missions I've regretted going on, but those are few and far between."

–

Red kept a curious frown, but took in any and all information she could.

"I see... I won’t ask about those. Now, what are the energy limits you have? Do you know of an average time? Or what affects it?" She continued.

–

"I do! Generally speaking I can stay at my full size for about an hour or two under stress before I forcefully shrink back down. Now... that's usually cut pretty significantly when I'm fighting. I can only stay big for under twenty minutes, but that's if the fight isn't too strenuous." He chuckled nervously, stepping out of the elevator and heading for his living quarters. "If I’m not under any stress, I can stay at my larger sizes for about three rotations. If I push myself past my limits, however, the results are... undesirable."

–

Red squinted very slightly, but smirked.

"And you can get smaller too! How long do you have to stay small before you can shift up again?" she asked. She was highly intrigued. She hadn't seen Hema super small before, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious.

–

Smiling, Hematite chuckled and shrugged.

"Depending on how hard I push myself, anywhere between six to twenty-four hours. Thankfully, it generally stays around six. I have to get some solid rest, though. If I can't sleep, the hours start racking up. However! I can shift back up instantly if I shrink voluntarily."

–

Red's eyes gleamed.

"C-Can I see?" She said boldly. Gasping softly, she looked away with a warm, red blush on her cheeks. "I-I'm so sorry, If that's alright, I mean. If you want... I'm just..." She looked back to him, holding her palms together. "It’s for... reference!"

–

Slowing his pace, Hematite shot Red a curious, almost amused look. Raising a brow, he chuckled, stopping completely.

"Reference, huh? Welllll... I don't see why not. You'll be seeing it eventually, so."

Stepping back, Hematite cleared his throat, his arms folded behind his back. His gemstone began to glimmer.

–

Red's eyes widened, taking a step back. She watched intently, a small noise escaping her lips.

–

Smiling at the Pink Pearl, Hematite closed his eyes and tilted his chin up, his form soon alight with a bright pink light. The service gem shrank down to a few inches tall within moments, and soon returned to his normal color, holding his arms out at his sides.

"And there you have it~!"

–

Red held her hands over her mouth for a moment, staring down at the small service gem with wide eyes.

"Oh my stars..." She whispered, tilting her head slightly. "I'm... oh, forgive me, this is highly unprofessional. You're just... so tiny!" she said, blinking.

–

Chuckling, Hematite shrugged and smiled, crossing his arms.

"I don't mind. It _is_ rather surprising, especially to those who have only seen my larger forms! You'll probably be seeing  this a lot. It happens more often than I care to admit." Motioning for her to follow, the tiny gem continued down the hall without shifting up. If he had some time to start getting used to being small around her, he wasn't going to waste it.

–

Looking around, Red was quick to follow. She was surprised to see that he decided to stay small. The two walked in silence for a few moments before Red finally mustered up the guts to ask something that’d been nagging at her since White explained just what ‘harvesting’ was.

"S-so, by the way! Do they...." She blushed in embarrassment, but it faded quickly. "Do gems taste... good?" she muttered bluntly.

–

An odd mix of a scoff and an unintelligible noise escaped the gem as he stumbled slightly, looking up at the Pearl.

Well that was certainly not a question he’d been expecting.

"U-uh... Uhhh." _How was he supposed to answer that?_ "Well, I don't make it a point to really focus on that, but. No, not usually. Not the ones that I end up having to harvest, that is. They usually just taste like dust and dirt."

He scrunched up his nose and glanced up to the side. The odd, aching feeling in his abdomen suddenly made itself known again, and he frowned slightly, trying to push the nagging feeling away. _Damn, and just when he was doing so well this morning._

"Buuut. I suppose they aren't... bad." Coughing once into his fist, the gem glanced up at his Pearl. "Next question?"

–

Red raised a brow, but figured she wouldn't focus too much on the previous question.

"Right, and... are there many missions in particular you aren't fond of?" She asked, trying to change the subject quickly.

–

"..." Hematite looked forward, sighing once. He didn't seem frustrated or angry, but he did shift back up, standing at his civilian height as he had been before. His hands fidgeted behind his back as he walked alongside Red. "I'm not fond of shattering missions."

–

She frowned suddenly, looking away.

"I see... Well, are there any missions you like then?" She asked, soon realizing that maybe they should talk about things that made him not upset.

–

Glancing to the side, Hematite forced a small smile. He didn't like thinking about those missions, but he knew Red was just curious. He liked that she was willing to ask about these things.

"Well, don't tell anybody but..." He looked around as if to check if anyone was listening, but he smiled and leaned over, a playful smile on his face.

"I have to admit, I do enjoy hunting missions." He shrugged once. "It's a fun challenge."

–

Red pursed her lip, but smiled soon after.

"Is it an instinctual thing? Or something else? Is it the chase?" she asked, trying to imagine what it would be like to be in his position.

–

The service gem turned forward again.

"It's both of those things, but it's something else, too. It's always a different challenge each time! Each target acts differently, the environments are different, and there's always this odd rush you get from a job well done." A proud gleam entered the gem's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a much softer expression. "And... whenever I'm sent on hunting missions, I often get to visit new, different places. I've seen so many fantastic sights on those jobs. Things I never could have dreamed of seeing otherwise."

–

Red’s eyes widened, and she lightly rested her fingertips over her mouth as she listened to the ivory-haired gem go on.

"That sounds wonderful... I'd love to see some of those places someday!" she said eagerly. However, she suddenly blinked and shook her head, looking forward. She crossed her arms behind her back, regaining a somewhat professional air.

–

He looked over to her and smiled warmly, nodding once.

"I'm sure you'll get to see some of them! I have a few places I'd love to show you, if we get a day off." Looking forward, Hematite blinked and noticed that they were very close to his living quarters. "Oh, but... until then, I have someone you need to meet."

–

Red smiled curiously.

"Oh? Is someone staying with you?" she asked, looking ahead.

–

"Youuu could say that. Blue Diamond gave me a mission to closely guard this gem for the next few weeks. She's... a bit of a handful, so be patient with her." Putting a code into his room door, the service gem stood back, blinking as the entrance opened up in front of him. He went silent.

–

Red raised a brow, stopping behind Hematite as he opened the door. The room inside wasn't very pretty. Pillows were strewn about, as well as papers, files, and assorted knick-knacks from his shelves. Kyan was hanging off of one of the shelves, trying to climb up to the top of one. Gasping sharply upon noticing the gems that had abruptly entered the room, she fell off of the shelf and landed ungracefully on her face.

–

Slowly inhaling through his nose, Hematite raised his shoulders, his entire form tensing. A high-pitched hum rose in his chest as he stared at the state of his room.

"KyyyyaaaaaAAANNNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE!"

–

Kyan slowly raised her head from the ground, grinning ear-to-ear as she sat up.

"OH heyyyy, it's fathead! How was your missiooooon? I see you're back early!" She snickered, pulling her scarf slowly over her mouth.

–

Quickly walking into the room, Hematite dropped all of his poised demeanor, soft, flustered noises escaping him as he darted around, trying to straighten things up.

"Kyanite, I can't believe you! I said not to touch anything while I was gone!" He glared back at her, teeth gritted. "For your sake I hope there's a gem monster in here that you were chasing. Otherwise there is NO excuse for this!"

–

Kyan stood up finally, brushing herself off.

"Oh pipe down, big guy! I just got bored, sheesh. Sorry!" She muttered. Looking up to Red, who had followed Hematite in, she narrowed her eyes. "Ay who's this?"

Red's attention suddenly darted to the small blue gem, her brows furrowed. She didn't speak.

–

Hematite growled lowly and stood straight, putting some of his knick-knacks back on the shelves, turning them in rather specific-looking positions.

"Kyanite, this is Red, my Pink Pearl. Red, this is Kyanite. She got herself in trouble with a rather aggressive rebel group so I'm in charge of keeping her safe until things are taken care of."

–

Raising a brow, Red gave Kyanite a curt nod. Kyan, however, crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks. It seemed as though she were sizing up the Pearl.

"Hmph. She's short." Kyan stated, glancing up and down the Pearl's form.

Red narrowed her eyes, stamping her foot down and saluting.

"I might be small, but so are you. I am under the direct rule of Hematite, and am a special class of Pearl. You'd better get used to me, because I'll be around for a long time. Also... You would do well not to destroy his room again. Lest he makes you clean it up again," She said, letting her arms cross.

Kyan looked taken aback, and almost offended. _Did she really just get sassed by a Pearl?!_ Growling quietly, she turned away and glared at her from the side.

"If ya ask me it looks better this way... adds more personality to the room," she whispered under her breath, looking away.

–

Hematite caught wind of the conversation as he filed away a few papers in a specific pattern. He furrowed his brows, looking up at the two.

"Kyanite, you will treat her with respect. She's going to be around a lot, and you'd better behave around her." A tiny, smug smirk crossed his face. "And like she said... she's a special class of Pearl. She's not just another pretty face."

–

Red was quick to react to Hematite's statement, hiding her face- which felt rather warm, all of a sudden. Kyan rolled her eyes and huffed, walking over to Hema's couch and plopping down on it. She buried her face in the thick cloth that wrapped around her neck. She was grumbling something, but it was impossible to hear what.

–

Rolling his eyes, Hema continued straightening his room.

"Red, could you help me out? These need to go in order from biggest to smallest." He motioned to a small scattered group of diamond pads. "And can you check to make sure none of them are damaged?"

Looking over at the other corner of the room, Hematite frowned. "... Kyanite, fix up the couch."

–

Kyan groaned, flopping over the couch and dangling off of it. Getting down to her feet, she messily ran her hands across the covering. Red rushed over to where Hematite had pointed, swiftly gathering up all the diamond pads she could hold. 

–

"Do it properly. We're going on a mission in a little while here, and I want a clean room to come back to, should I need a rest." After giving his final order, he turned all his attention to his own straightening.

–

Kyan scrunched up her nose, poking her tongue out at the service gem. At least he wouldn't be able to see it under her scarf. Muttering something again, she walked over to grab the pillows that she'd thrown off the couch an hour or so prior. Placing it on the couch and fluffing them out, she paused.

"Wait, _we…?_ " she said, turning her head to Hematite.

–

Not turning to the small blue gem, Hema nodded.

"Of course, 'we'. You think I'm going to leave you alone in here again?" There was a short pause. "I hadn't planned on leaving you alone for so long. It isn't safe for you, so you'll be accompanying me and Red on my mission. I was unable to complete it this morning, so we have to go back."

–

Kyan perked up, holding her fists out in front of her.

Well, at least it wasn't going to be boring!

"Awesome! When are we going?" She asked excitedly. Red rolled her eyes, but placed the corresponding diamond pads up on the shelf. Mission? What sort of mission would she be joining him on? This could be her first opportunity to show him her potential! She couldn't squander it.

–

"It's a monster management job. We'll be tracking and taking out an infestation of corrupted gem monsters. It's a group of corrupted Rubies. They're... rather aggressive. And numerous." Turning his back to Kyan, Hema revealed the claw marks on his suit. "It's our job to take them all out before they cause any damage to the Yellow District."

–

Kyan furrowed her brows, clenching her fists tighter.

"We can take ‘em!" She said fiercely. Red turned to her, looking the small blue gem up and down. She was certainly a feisty one... No matter. She'd probably end up having to watch after her as well. If it was Hematite's duty to keep track of this gem, then she'd have to work equally as hard to protect her, too.

–

The service gem turned and set aside the last few diamond pads, deciding that he would organize them later. There was far too much to take into consideration when putting those ones away to do it right now.

"Mmhm. Just don't get yourself hurt, alright? They tend to use ambush methods. That goes for both of you." Hematite picked up one of the larger diamond pads and pulled up a small map, flipping through a few files that laid on the hologram. "Let's see... Ah!" He turned on his eyepiece, jotting down a few details from a large file detailing a section of the Yellow District. So that's where they were probably hiding. "Alright! I got what I need." Turning to the two smaller gems, Hematite nodded with a serious frown. "Are you two ready?"

–

Kyan seemed rather distracted, and was already eager to get out of Hema’s room. Red, on the other hand, responded promptly. Saluting, the Pearl nodded and gave Hematite a spirited look.

"As ready as I'll ever be, sir!"

–

Giving the two a determined smirk, the service gem walked over to the door and put in the code, hiding it from Kyan so she wouldn't figure it out. He still needed a place to keep her if he had no one to watch after her. With a soft whirr, the entrance to the room slid open and Hema soon walked through, holding the door open for the other two.

"I'll have to carry you two there; it's a bit of a walk."

–

Kyan, surprisingly, was the first to follow after. The Pearl's attention shot over to the small blue gem and she trailed behind her quickly. If she tried to make a break for it, she'd try and catch her herself. Fortunately, that didn't seem necessary.

"Yeah, yeah! I don't mind, as long as it's not here..." Kyan said quickly, looking up to Hematite with excitement.

–

Arching a brow at the Kyanite, Hema looked over at Red, lips pursed, before he let the door shut behind the three of them. With a wave of his hand, he ushered the two smaller gems after him, one of his arms folded behind his back as he headed up the tower hall to the elevator.

"Here's the deal. These corrupted Rubies have been setting small fires around the Yellow District, and have caused enough damage to be a problem. Normally, such small monsters wouldn't be an issue, as they're not a high-enough class to be worthy of extermination. But they've gathered into a group somehow and are working together. Our job is to locate and poof all of them before they create more copies or get any bigger. If left alone, they could grow to be an even bigger problem."

–

Red saluted formally and nodded in understanding.

"I shall do what I can to help you!" she said, marching behind Hematite. Kyan rolled her eyes, but didn't look at Red. She couldn't really complain, anyways; at least she was out of that room for now.

"Then let's get smashin'!" The blue gem said, punching one of her fists into her palm. With a small smirk, she picked up her pace to keep up with the other two gems. _Corrupted Rubies?_ It’d been a long while since she ran into a group of those.

–

Sharply, Hematite turned to give Kyan a serious frown.

"Kyanite, this is not a shattering mission, do you understand? You are not to aim for their gemstones. We are to collect them, undamaged."

–

Kyan flinched, looking away.

"S-sorry, that's not what I meant... I..." she stammered, unable to find the words. "Projections. Smash projections..." she muttered. She looked up at Hema with an unreadable look. Red, on the other hand, stared down the Kyanite, her eyes narrowed. She hoped this one wouldn’t be trouble.

–

Raising a brow, Hematite blinked, his expression softening. He wasn't sure what had just gone through Kyan's mind, but for some reason, he felt like he might have said something he shouldn't. Still. He needed to make sure she understood what his rules were.

"Sorry for snapping at you." He looked forward again, his expression unreadable- not that she could see it since she was walking a little ways behind him. "... There's something you _both_ need to understand while you're with me on missions. I don't shatter gems if I can help it. I don't like cracking them, either." He let out a soft sigh.  "I only damage gemstones if the gem is a volatile threat... Or if they've killed innocent gems." A more professional tone entered his voice. "Collect. Assess. Relocate. Eliminate. Those are my jobs as a H-... as White's Hematite."

–

Kyan went quiet, absorbing Hematite's words. So he wasn't as violent as she thought he was. Guess that made sense, considering he hadn’t actually done anything to hurt her the first time they met. That was, at least, somewhat relieving.

"Alright," she said simply, glancing over to the Pearl. What about her? What was she like? Surely she was just a Pearl; why was he bringing her along? What could she do that Kyan couldn't? She narrowed her eyes, snorting quietly under her scarf. Red had caught that, but chose to ignore it.

–

"Ah- Red, that goes for you, as well. If you can avoid it, please do not aim for any gemstones. I'm unsure what your weapon is, but I'd appreciate it if you aimed for projections only." He offered a small smile that quickly faded. "Only go for gemstones if there is _no_ other option."

–

Red nodded with a resounding 'hmph'. Kyan found herself unable to look away from the Pearl, silently judging her. Red eventually caught a glimpse of Kyan staring and shot her a warning glare, which Kyan returned. However, neither of them said anything.

–

Facing forward, Hema finally reached the elevator and stepped inside, pressing a button to go down to the Sky Bridge.

"As far as my records show, there are about twelve-or-so Rubies. There may be more. Keep a count of how many gemstones you bubble. Red, you know how to bubble gems, correct?"

–

Red and Kyan followed into the elevator behind Hematite, standing side by side. Red nodded again with another affirmative noise.

"Yes sir."

Kyan's brows raised, and she looked away quietly.

–

"Hm. Good. Kyanite, I'd prefer if you and Red both pass gems to me to bubble, if you can. I know where they need to go. Only bubble them yourself if you're too far away to get them to me before they reform."

With a soft ding, the elevator slowly lowered, passing a few floors on its way to the Sky Bridge.

–

Kyan sighed quietly.

"Yes, Hematite," she responded simply, staring straight ahead at the door. Her arms crossed, fingers lightly squeezing into her forearms. Red shot Kyan another odd look.

–

Hematite was glad that the small blue gem was finally behaving- somewhat- and gave a satisfied nod before folding his arms behind him.

"Good. Try not to get burned, you two, and stay safe. If you can, herd the monsters toward me. That's all I have for our briefing."

This was the first mission he'd ever been on, accompanied by non-Diamonds... and the first one where he was completely in charge. He would be lying if he said it didn't feel nice, but it was still a tad odd. 

With a soft ding, the elevator opened, and Hematite quickly made his way down a short stretch of hall before turning to the sky bridge. The service gem smiled faintly before he stopped and spun on his heel, giving the two gems an almost playful look.

"One moment, please."

Turning, Hematite walked over to the edge of the bridge and looked over curiously, humming softly to himself. Kyan and Red blinked and watched him in confusion. After a moment, Hema’s gemstone began to glimmer, and he glanced sidelong at the two gems before leaping off of the high structure, a flash of light quickly following. Kyan’s eyes went wide, and Red stumbled forward in a brief moment of panic. Within an instant, however, the gem shifted up to his full height, and stood straight, stretching his arms above him. His face was level with the bridge at this point, and he looked at the two gems without turning his head, a smile on his lips.

–

Red groaned with relief, placing her hands on her hips. She did not look amused. Kyan stifled a small, but noticeable chuckle, which only increased the Pearl's growing frustrations with her.

"Let's just get going..." Red grumbled, walking over towards the edge.

–

Hema turned to the bridge and held his right palm out, tucking his other arm behind his back.

"Escort for one Pink Pearl and Kyanite~" he said with a smile, a small swell of pride in his chest. Two escorts in one day? He certainly wasn't complaining!

–

Red was the first to hop up onto Hematite's hand, quickly righting herself. Kyan glanced down at the giant's palm, looking between the other two gems. She didn't hesitate for too long, though, and climbed on, holding out her arms to balance herself. She stood up as tall as she could as soon as she'd gained her footing, a small, yet cocky, grin on her face.

–

Carefully, the giant gem curled his fingers to keep Kyan from falling off his palm. He moved his hand away from the bridge and started for the Yellow Tower, sure to keep his pace quick but steady.

–

Kyan sat down on Hematite's hand, grinning deviously up at nothing. Red kept standing however, keeping a close eye on the small warrior gem. Rolling her eyes, the Pink Pearl grabbed hold of one of Hematite's fingers, peeking down at the district below.

–

\--

The walk took about forty minutes or so. Soon enough, Hematite stepped over a small wall that lead to a large ship hangar. There were scorch marks here and there, along with signs of Hema's earlier struggle.

"This is the last place they were seen. Keep your eyes peeled." Slowly, he lowered the two gems to the ground and let them off of his hand, standing straight soon after. He didn't see the gem monsters around, but he knew that they couldn't have gotten far.

–

Kyan and Red hopped off of the Hematite's hand, and as soon as Red had touched down she reached her hands up to her gem. Closing her eyes, she focused, and with a bright flash of light, whipped out two sharp blades. Dual sais; small but sharp and effective. She sliced the air in front of her, holding them out to observe them. Eyes widening slightly, she carefully inspected her weapons. She'd never summoned them before, so this was a first for her.

Kyan stepped back, clenching her fists. She looked away from the Pearl grumpily.

–

Hematite looked down at the sudden light and observed Red's weapons curiously. Huh, he hadn't seen that sort of weapon for a while! He'd only spotted one or two rebels that had used them years ago on one of his missions. Well, at least now he knew what she'd be fighting with.

Lifting a hand up to his face, Hematite flicked on his hunting visor. With a soft hum, the screen glowed to life. A small target flickered onto the screen, though there was no insignia in the center.

The giant gem moved to the side, making his way around a wall of the hangar.

_Whirrrrr_ __

Frowning, Hema paced along the huge building, scanning for the Ruby signatures.

–

Kyan waited for a few long moments, carefully watching Hematite. She placed her hand behind her back, and with a soft blue light, brought out an ebony, metallic-looking bat. It bore a deep-blue gemstone on the end, much like her actual gem. She held it up, tapping the end in her palm, eyes scanning the area for any sign of movement.

–

Slowly, Hema circled around to the next side of the hangar, still not catching any clear signals. He frowned, tilting his head. They couldn't have escaped that far already, could they?

"Do you two see anything? I've got a faint signal, but it almost seems like they're not around anymore. Check for tunnels, maybe?..."

–

Red scoped the area, holding her sais in her hands, readying herself. She didn't see anything, so she tried to focus on listening. At least so far, she couldn't catch sight of anything. Kyan took a few paces towards the hanger, looking up at the massive building.

"Maybe they're inside…?"

–

"They might be, but usually this thing can catch signals through structures... Unnnless those structures are incredibly thick, tsss. You might be right."

The giant gem leaned over, peering into one of the thick windows of the hangar. "I hope they aren't in there, though. There's an active ship docked, and I'd hate to try and chase them around it." A slightly anxious expression crossed the hunter's face. "Yellow would have my gem if we damaged one of her vessels."

–

Kyan stuck out her tongue, tapping her finger curiously against her bat.

"Only one way to find out, big guy! Open the door and see if ya hear anything!...Can you do that from out here?" she asked, peering around the side of the building at the massive service gem. Red walked up to Kyan, giving her a curious look before glancing up to the huge door.

–

Hema sighed and chewed on his lip for a moment, a soft hum in his throat.

"Mmm. Well... Okay, but just a quick peek." The giant gem stood straight and made his way over to the other two before kneeling down next to them, carefully putting his fingers under the door best he could. He tried his best not to force the heavy carbonite shutter, and slowly lifted it up. However, he only made it a few feet before-

**_REEEEEEEE!_ **

Within an instant, three or four bright red, rat-like gem monsters launched from behind the door, multiple Ruby signatures quickly flaring up on Hematite's eyepiece. One of the bristling creatures latched itself onto Kyanite, scratching at her bat. Another made a go for Red, gnashing its sharp front teeth at her.

–

Gasping sharply, Kyan immediately swung her weapon down on the Ruby monster's back, sending it scrambling back with a hideous screech. The rowdy blue gem gripped at her bat and took a few steps back, panting heavily. It'd caught her off-guard. Red, however, was ready and immediately dashed towards the monster that had targeted her. Slashing her sais quickly, the bladed edges of her weapons met the monster with a great deal of accuracy, cutting into its face. The creature let out a horrific scream, scattering backwards and pawing at its snout where Red had struck it.

–

Hematite yelped in surprise as more Rubies spilled from the building, ganging up on his companions. Gritting his teeth, the giant gem dropped the shutter, swiping his foot to the side to kick a few of the copies and mothers away. With high-pitched screeches, they were sent flying to the side, a few of them hitting some nearby scrap and poofing on impact.

Upon fully spotting Hematite, a couple of the monsters latched onto the back of his legs, digging their sharp, black claws into his boots as they scurried up his form.

The creature that had attacked Red quickly retreated, joining the other one in making a go for Kyanite.

–

Kyan reacted quickly, swinging her bat violently down upon the approaching monster's head. With a snarl, it stumbled, back. A direct strike from the warrior barely seemed like enough to deter it. The blue gem grimaced, faced with a hissing, and now even more ticked-off, beast. Red swiftly made her way towards Kyan, stabbing the end of her sai into the monster hard enough to destabilize its form.

_Poff_ _!_

–

With a soft 'clink', the creature's gemstone fell to the ground, catching the eye of the other Ruby monster. Hissing, the rat-like creature leapt at Red, claws outstretched, bright red flames suddenly flaring up along its back.

Hema was quick to bubble and store away the gems he managed to poof. However, he couldn't pay much attention to what was going on down below, and a sudden, sharp pain shot through the back of his leg. _Dammit, not again!_

The giant gem grit his teeth and harshly brushed his hands across his suit where he felt the Rubies clinging onto him. A few of the creatures hissed and latched onto the service gem's hand, scurrying up his arm before he could react. With an unflattering yelp, Hema inhaled sharply through his teeth, shaking his arm to attempt to dislodge the monsters before they got to his face. Letting out a fierce growl, Hematite suddenly swiped his arm to the side, sending the creatures flying overhead Red and Kyan.

_Poff_ _, poff!_

–

Kyan peered overhead as the Rubies were sent flying, her attention snapping back as another creature came barreling into her clumsily. Scratching at the ground, it hissed and snapped its teeth at her, to which Kyan responded with a sharp whack to the face. That time, it was enough to nearly knock it out. Panting heavily, the blue gem's eyes went wide, brows furrowed in fury.

"Kyan, to your left!"

Red shouted, pointing her sai in her direction. Kyanite's head turned abruptly to see two more monsters making their way towards her. Just how many of these things were there?!

–

Hematite's attention finally snapped down to the two as he grabbed one of the creature copies off of his back, quickly crushing it in his hand. He lunged over to the two on the ground, his hand slamming down next to Kyan. However, instead of grabbing her out of the way, Hematite's hand tilted to the side, slamming in the way of the two Ruby monsters.

"Good catch, Red!"

It seemed the last few mothers had come out for the ambush. Good. That would make this a lot easier. Hema's visor surface was crowded with activity, making it a tad harder to focus. How many copies had these things made?!

The two rat-like creatures screeched to a halt as they slammed into the giant gem's hand, and with a wince, Hema grabbed onto them. He made quick work of their projections, ignoring the flames and spikes along the creatures' backs.

–

Kyan growled under her breath, clutching her bat tightly. Glaring over at the Pink Pearl, she lost her focus on the fight itself. Kyan knew she wasn't doing enough damage, and yet this Pearl was fighting better than her! Maybe she could still redeem herself. She made a go for one of the mothers, reeling her arm back to swing. This didn't go unnoticed, as Red spotted the fleeing blue gem. Eyes widening, she followed quickly after.

"Kyan, wait! You can't just-!"

With a nasty snarl, the huge gem monster bared its claws into the ground and lifted its head with an earsplitting screech. Kyan flinched, skidding to a halt and staring up at the monster. She paused just long enough for it to react, and the creature extended its paw, swatting her away into the side of the hanger.

–

The horrid screech caught Hema's attention, and he looked over just in time to see Kyan go flying into the wall. His eyes suddenly locked onto the huge monster that had swatted Kyanite away, widening subtly. So the group had a leader! That was why he couldn't track them all earlier! This thing must have been working from the shadows.

Hema looked around, noticing something that made his heart drop. The other monsters had fled from him, moving away to close in on the largest Ruby creature. They quickly rushed after Red and Kyan, moving to attack them as a group.

With a low growl, the giant gem launched after the swarm, closing in fast. His hands were suddenly alight with bright electricity, and he bared his teeth, snapping his attention up toward the hangar.

"Red, Kyan! Get to higher ground, NOW!"

–

Red nodded quickly and darted towards Kyan. The blue gem was gathering herself up from the ground, groaning and clutching her outfit where the monster had sliced a deep gash into the suit.Before she could react, Red grabbed a hold of her as if she were weightless and jumped up high onto the side of the hangar, clutching onto one of the ledges where a window was. She clung to the wall, Kyan squirming in her arms.

"Let go of me! I can take care of myself!" she growled, only to be stifled by the Pearl's arm, squeezing her close.

"Shhh! Just hang on for a second!" Red snapped.

–

With a flash, Hematite's weapons appeared on his hands, electricity crackling between the silvery prongs. With a sharp inhale, the giant gem stopped in his tracks and slammed his fist into the dirt, the pointed parts of his weapon digging deep. Within an instant, lightning coursed through the ground, going straight for the swarm of monsters that continued to close in on the hangar.

_They didn't get far._

Now formed into a group, the creatures were far easier to take out. The electricity reached them quickly, a chorus of squeaks and screeches ringing out as the ground crackled with Hema's powerful electrical attack. Soon enough, a rapid line of poofing sounds followed, the ground below Red and Kyan barely visible through a thick cloud of reddish smoke.

–

Kyan's eyes widened suddenly. She froze in place. Red watched intently, brows raising. Well, that was impressive! The blue gem started to writhe again, reaching up to the small window sill, grabbing a hold on her own. Red frowned, but refocused her attention to the disappearing crowd below.

–

_Clink, clink clink clink!_

One after another, the Ruby gemstones fell to the ground, the dust quickly settling around them. Hema sat up, his breathing heavy.

"Are you two alright? Kyan, it hit you pretty hard, you okay?"

Retracting his hand from the ground, the giant gem poofed his weapons away, starting to collect up the gemstones into small bubbles.

–

Kyan and Red both fell back down to the ground, both thankfully landing on their feet. Kyan huffed crossly and folded her arms over one another. Red pursed her lips, looking over to the bigger service gem. She shrugged.

"I think she'll be alright."

–

_Vwip_ _!_

Collecting the last gemstone, Hema sat up and sighed, storing the bubble in his gem. He looked over at the two, tilting his head just slightly.

"Well, I'm glad to see you both are... mostly unharmed." Looking over to where the two had been previously, Hema walked over and bubbled the gem that Red had destabilized, glad it hadn't reformed yet. Storing it away, he turned to the two smaller gems and offered a smile.

"Well! That went better than I expected, actually."

–

Red bowed respectively and smirked, placing her own weapons away. Kyan tossed her bat ungracefully to the ground, the weapon disappearing in a small cloud of blue smoke.

"Yeah, it could’a been worse," she grumbled, looking at the Pearl.

Red scrunched up her nose, taking a sharp breath.

"It would have gone even better if someone didn't make such brash decisions..." She muttered, rolling her eyes. Kyan bared her teeth, growling at the Pearl. She was practically bristling.

–

Hema arched a brow, narrowing his eyes for a moment.

"... Actually, Red."

Stepping over, Hema kneeled and offered his open palm to the two gems.

"Kyan's 'brash decision' made the Rubies form into a group so we didn't have to search for them. Should she have rushed in like that? No. Did it end up working out in the end? Yes."

–

Kyan looked over to Hematite's hand, grinning coyly all of a sudden. Red blinked, but shrugged it off.

"I guess you're right. Well done, then, Kyanite." She said, nodding her head and stepping up into the giant's palm. Kyan seemed almost bewildered that Red had said such a thing, but took it to heart nonetheless. It filled her with an odd sense of pride.

"Yeah, well, I guess ya can say it was all part of my plan!" She said, snickering and following after the Pearl.

–

Raising a brow, Hematite chuckled and shook his head slightly, lifting the two off the ground.

"Plan, huh? Of course, Kyan, whatever you say." The giant gem raised the two to eye level, looking them over carefully. Alright, besides the gash in her suit, it seemed Kyanite was undamaged. Red seemed okay as well...

With a soft sigh, Hema lifted his hand to his face and flicked his hunting visor away, offering the two a soft smile.

"Our first mission together and nobody got poofed. I'd call that a success."

Hema's eyepiece chirped to life, and he glanced to the side, giving a silent order for the gemtech to call White Diamond.

–

After a moment, a soft, formal voice drifted quietly from Hematite’s visor.

"This is White Diamond. Hello again, Hematite."

–

"Afternoon, White. The mission has finally been completed! All the Rubies have been taken care of. If Yellow Diamond is still with you, can you let her know? She shouldn't have anymore 'unexplained' fires in the east sectors."

–

There was a small pause.

"Certainly! Good job, Hematite. Yellow Diamond left an hour or so ago, but I can pass the message onto her. I trust everything went well?"

–

Hematite paused and shot Red and Kyan a smile.

"That it did. Red performed very well on her first mission. Kyan helped as well, but I'll report that to Blue Diamond." He turned his attention back to his eyepiece. "That being said, do you have any missions for me?"

–

"No, I don't believe so, at least for now. I'll be sure to contact you if I need any help. Thank you for your report, Hematite," White responded, noticeably pleased.

–

Straightening up, Hema gave a small nod and a bright smile.

"Of course, White Diamond! I shall await any news from you. Hematite, signing out."

_Chirp!_

Hematite looked down at the two as he started to walk off, giving a soft sigh. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I could use a rest after that. What say we do a quick patrol of this sector to make sure we got all those Rubies before heading back?"

–

Red saluted proudly with a small grin.

"As you wish!" she said, looking to the blue gem beside her. Kyan seemed indifferent; at least she wasn't stuck in his room right now.

"Yeah, sure, whatever!" she said, crossing her arms with a small shrug. "Beats the alternative."

–

Pursing his lips, Hema narrowed his eyes slightly, but sighed and tried to ignore Kyan's less-than-enthusiastic tone. With a sharp chirp, his eyepiece glowed to life, starting to scan for Ruby signatures as he walked along the clearest path he could find. He was glad this mission had gone rather smoothly, but Red and Kyan's inability to work together worried him a little. Well, so long as they didn't have any incredibly important missions to do while Kyanite was around, they'd be fine, right?

_Just finish this patrol and you can get back to your room._

He just hoped Kyan would behave while he rested.


	70. Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite has a private conversation with Morgan about something serious.

"Well that certainly could have gone better." Stepping into his room, Hematite sighed and touched the side of his head, where a very sizable patch of his hair was currently missing. "Next time, when I say 'don't hit that thing in the face', please don't hit the thing in the face, Kyan."

Hematite and Kyanite had taken on an extra mission after an already rather arduous day of work; and Hema, admittedly, hadn't been on his best game. Red was off organizing some of Hema's files, and would be gone the rest of the day, making her unavailable for missions. Unfortunately for him, that meant there also wasn't anyone else to watch Kyan for him; and he had to take her along on any missions he had.

The service gem walked over to a shelf and placed down a small, oddly shaped object that resembled a geode.

–

The Kyanite grumbled, crossing her arms indignantly.

"Oh come on, I had it, I swear! I just... didn't hit it hard enough," she said, walking into the room behind Hematite. Eyeing the objects on the service gem's shelf, she pursed her lips and clutched at her scarf. "Besides. I thought it'd make for a good distraction..."

–

"Kyan, _I'm_ the one with training to fight these things, I need you to listen to me when I give you battle orders." He glanced back, running his hand over the side of his head. His hand flashed as he shifted his hair to replace what had been sliced off.  "So until you get some training of your own, you're not to make calls like that. We were both in danger because of it." Turning, the service gem adjusted the knick-knack on his shelf to be just right before he turned back, sighing.

–

Kyan glared up at Hematite, but looked away.

"Well we're not damaged or anything, so I'd consider that a success," she said, turning away completely. She grumbled under her breath, looking displeased at being scolded.

–

Hema wanted to snap back, 'That's not the point', but he bit his tongue and sighed, walking over to the couch. Plopping down with a soft huff, Hematite crossed one leg over the other, leaning back against the cushions.

"Thankfully that was the last mission for today. Red should be back sometime tomorrow... For now," with a soft smile, the service gem sighed and relaxed into the couch, crossing his arms. "I think it's time for some well-deserved rest."

–

Kyan raised a brow, frowning. 

"Awww c'mon... You're just gonna sit around for the rest of the day? That's so boring," she complained, almost too quietly for him to hear. 

Looking at the smaller gem, Hema arched a brow and tapped his fingers along his arm.

"Well I was planning on it. We took care of three missions today; I'm lucky I didn't exhaust myself too much."

Hematite felt the smallest twinge of anxiety flutter in his chest. The idea of shrinking down around such a rowdy little gem did not appeal to him in the slightest. He was glad the last mission ended where it did.

Walking over near the couch, sitting next to him, she crossed her ankles. However, she seemed to second-guess herself and quickly scooted to the end the furthest away from him she could, pulling her knees close to her chest.

–

Tapping his clawed fingers on his sleeve, the service gem looked away for a moment, thinking. Listening to Kyanite complain the rest of the evening certainly wouldn't help him relax, but he couldn't think of many places he could go where she wouldn't be totally bored, and he could still rest.

_Wait a moment..._

"… One second, Kyan."

Sitting up straighter, Hema tapped his eyepiece with a small smile, watching it hum to life.

_Contact Puff. Video._

The gemtech gave a few sharp chirps before glowing brightly. It projected a small screen in front of him.

–

Kyan bit her lip, looking over to Hematite. She quickly looked away, though. If his plans for the day just involved sitting on this couch for hours on end, she wasn't going to take part in it. She didn't know who he was calling, but she didn't much care. Hopping up off the couch, she paced away, muttering to herself.

–

After about twenty-or-so seconds of waiting, the screen finally gave a chirp, an image popping up on the surface of the holo-screen.

"This is Jaspuff, what can- Heyyy Hema! Long time no see, buddy! Hey, Rubes, Hema's  on the communicator."

A small Ruby leaned over into view of the screen. It wasn't apparent at first, but it seemed Rubes was riding on Puff's shoulders.

"Hey, tough guy."

"Evening, Rubes," Hematite chuckled, a warm smile on his face.

–

Kyan spared curious gazes at Hema's eyepiece screen, but tried not to stare for too long at a time. Would he notice her looking? She wasn't too sure. Glancing back up at the holo-screen, she squinted. She raised a brow, lip curling up slightly in confusion.

–

Puff adjusted the screen to look back at her, and smiled at the gem on the other end. From the looks of it, it seemed the two of them were walking through the Blue District.

"What are you up to, Hema?"

"Well, I actually wanted to call to ask the same thing! What are you two doing tonight?"

"Wellll.~" Glancing up at Rubes, who was now resting her chin on her head, Puff grinned cheekily and snubbed her nose with her free thumb. "Rubes just got back from a job, and we haven't been to Morgan's in a while, so we're heading over there! If you’re free, you wanna come join us?"

Hematite felt a bright, cheerful smile cross his face, and a warm feeling spread through his chest.

"Yes, actually! I was going to suggest the same thing if you were free. I'll meet you two there?"

"Sounds good to me! Alright, see you then, scrap!"

_Click!_

The screen powered down, flickering out as Hema's eyepiece shut off. Standing up from the couch, Hema stretched and smiled, glancing sidelong at the small blue gem who was still pacing around.

"Well, Kyan, you're in luck. Some friends of mine are gonna meet us at Morganite's bar.  So I guess you won't be stuck in here for the evening."

–

Kyan looked away quickly, too fast for Hematite to notice she was staring.

"Oh, Morganite's? You mean the pink-haired weirdo?" she asked, peering sidelong at the service gem. "Sounds like it'll be more entertaining than just sitting around here... So I'm not complaining!" she said, smirking slightly.

–

Arching a brow, Hematite narrowed his eyes, placing his hands on his hips.

"He's not a 'weirdo', and I'd appreciate it if you didn't call him that." He turned to her fully. "Morganite is a very respectable gem, and you'd be wise not to cause any trouble while we're there. I'm trusting you to behave." Hematite paused briefly before raising his index finger in a matter-of-fact way. "And don't mess with any drunk gems. They are not friendly."

–

Pursing her lips, Kyan hopped off of the couch and clenched her fists.

"Right, right. Whatever ya say. Don't worry about that; the less gems I have to deal with, the better. Can we get going now?" She shrugged, walking right past Hematite towards the door.

–

Hema rolled his eyes, rubbing his palm across his face. She could at least _pretend_ she cared about anything he had to say.

"Fine. Let's go."

–

–

The streets were bustling tonight. Hema, had to keep to his civilian size for fear of hurting anyone on his way through the district. He'd taken to walking behind Kyan, gently ushering her to the street where Morgan's bar was. As he walked, the service gem would quietly apologize to any civilians he bumped into and get out of anyone's way he could. But Kyan was far less... accommodating.

–

Kyan kept her pace quick and steady, careful not to make any eye contact with the passing gems. A few that walked by shot her an odd look, some more condescending than others. She paid them no mind. She was quiet, kept her head low, and slouched as she paced ahead. After all, she didn't want to risk stopping. As such, she often found herself walking much faster than Hema at times. Gems spared her dirty looks as her shoulders bumped into their legs now and then, but nobody seemed invested enough to stop her or say anything aside from a quick complaint.

–

Though he struggled to keep up with her enough to keep her in his sights at times, Hematite managed to reach Morgan's bar with Kyan relatively close by. Clearing his throat, the service gem stopped and motioned for Kyanite to follow him in. He gave the bouncer at the door, whom he realized was Morgan's usual guard, a polite nod before heading inside.

–

The Amber guard nodded in response, quite familiar with Hematite's presence; however, she didn't recognize Kyanite. Raising a brow under her helmet, she snorted at her as she entered the bar. The smaller blue gem flinched, narrowing her eyes at the guard. However, not a moment later, she froze up. Her breathing hitched, and she quickly looked back down, trailing quickly after Hematite.

The atmosphere was as calm, yet subtly lively, as ever. Warm, vibrant hues coated the gems in a low-lit blanket of color. Morgan was standing behind the bar and, having noticed the newcomers, spared them a quick wave.

"Heeey, Hema! Good to see you! I see you brought your friend," he called out, holding an empty glass in one of his hands. Kyan kept quiet, and remained as low-profile as she possibly could. She didn't seem happy with Morgan pointing her out like that, but held her tongue nonetheless.

–

Perking up, Hema shot Morgan a bright grin and made haste over to the bar, standing next to his usual seat.

"Hey, Morganite. Yeah, Kyan's tagging along with me for tonight. We had a looong day." He glanced back at the small blue gem and patted the seat next to him, the one Blue usually sat in. "But it's nice to be back here. It's been a while since I’ve seen you or-"

"MM GOTCHA!"

With a yelp, Hematite found his feet suddenly off the ground, his upper half held tightly in someone's embrace. Grasping onto the arm holding him up, the service gem flailed his legs, struggling to get loose. However, his momentary panic turned to slightly annoyed grunts once he realized just who had grabbed him.

"Aaaugh, Puff, put me down!" he protested, the last few words coming out more as a laugh than an order. The tall orange gem snickered and ruffled her 'victim's' hair, mussing it in all different directions.

"Heheheh, I dunno Morgan, you think I should let him go?~"

–

Morgan chuckled, raising a brow at the two.

"Go on, then, set him back down. If Hematite came here to relax, then we should let him!" the warrior said, flicking one of his fingers through his hair. By this point, Kyan had quietly made her way over to the seat that Hema had gestured to, squinting up at the side of the bar. Hoisting herself up, she found herself just barely able to reach over, nose-height to the edge.

–

Puff rolled her eyes with a smile before setting Hema down in his seat, ruffling his hair once more before she stood next to him, hands on her hips.

"Good to see you, buddy. We haven't properly talked since that whole... well." She shrugged and tried to look nonchalant. "You know." Looking over, the Jasper caught sight of Kyan and arched a brow, nudging Hema in the side. "Who's this? I didn't know you were friends with a Kyanite!" The taller gem shot Kyan a friendly smile, a curious light in her eyes.

–

Kyan tried not to make eye contact with Puff, but as soon as she'd heard her name, she couldn't avoid it. She looked up at her, their eyes meeting. Kyan found herself unable to look away for a long moment, but sharply drew her gaze away as if the Jasper were looking right through her, making her uncomfortable. And yet, she didn't look uncomfortable. No, there was the faintest glimmer of interest in her eyes as she glanced sidelong at the warrior gem.

–

Leaning over so he could see past Puff, the ivory-haired gem forced a small smile before glancing up at her.

"Well, I'm actually guarding her. It's kind of my job for the next few weeks, or however long it takes to get some business in the Pink District squared away." Sitting up, Hema shrugged and turned to the bar, an odd heaviness in his expression for a moment. His voice lowered, but was still audible to those nearby. "I don't think she's very fond of me."

Kyanite, if she heard Hema, didn't react. Puff looked down at the service gem, sparing him a sympathetic smile.

"Aaah. I've been on jobs like that. Rubes too." She gave him a gentle pat on the back, earning a small smile from the shorter gem.

–

Kyan peeked over again at the Jasper, trying to hide that she was staring. That Jasper looked... smaller than most she was familiar with. Then again, she hadn't seen one outside of the Star Stealers for a little while. _Maybe she was just imagining things?_

Morgan peered over, grinning at the small, blue gem. Kyan looked over just in time to draw back as Morgan leaned over the counter towards her. Clutching her scarf to her mouth, she furrowed her brows.

"Got a problem, Pinky?" she muttered, somewhat annoyed. Morgan kept on smiling, eyes half-lidded. He slowly leaned back to his normal standing position behind the counter and chuckled.

"No problems as long as you don't make them," he crooned. “I'd quit eyeing people up like that if I were you. Makes you look suspicious.”

–

Glancing over at Morgan and Kyan, Hema arched a brow, but didn't say anything. The service gem turned his attention back up to Puff.

"So, where's Rubes? I thought you'd both be here."

"Aah she's talking to one of her R uby buddies about the job they just finished. Seemed there was some unfinished business, but they just had to talk it out. She should be here in a little while."

After Hematite gave her an understanding nod and smile, the Jasper settled into the seat beside Kyan, giving her another curious smile.

"So, how's being guarded by this dork over here going? Has he carried you around yet, or nah?"

–

Kyan leaned back slightly, unsure how to feel about the Jasper. She didn't look as though she meant any harm, nor did she even seem remotely judgmental; that on its own was a nice change. With a small smirk, Kyan looked up at the Jasper.

"Hah...Yeah, it's kinda boring at times being guarded, but... He's carried me before. And that at least is always kinda fun," she said quietly, shuffling her feet against the bars of the stool. She looked away briefly, shooting Hema a curious glance. "You're a friend of his?"

–

Snubbing her nose with her thumb, the Jasper grinned and leaned one elbow on the bar counter, chuckling.

"Iiiii guess you could say that~ In fact I'd say I'm his beeeeest friend, huh Scrap?" she said sarcastically, shooting the service gem a coy smirk. Hematite met her eyes and chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

"I dunno Puff, it's hard to compete with Blue Diamond for that position. Buuuut I guess you're up there on the list.~" The service gem tilted his head slightly, smirking sidelong at the Jasper. Puff snickered and looked away for a moment, the subtlest bit of color painting her cheeks for a moment.

"Oooh, am I? I was just joking around! Good to know.~" She brushed her hair back, looking down again at the smaller blue gem. "But man, you've already gotten to ride around with him? Lucky! Took me a loooong time to get to that point, heheh."

–

Kyan scrunched her nose a little.

"Eh, well... It was under... not so great circumstances, but I still got to. It's..." She stopped, looking back to the service gem beside her. "Actually kinda neat."

–

Hematite blinked, glancing at Kyan curiously. He seemed surprised by her statement, as if it had actually sunken in the second time she said it. His cheeks darkened slightly, and he quickly covered the side of his face with his hand to try and hide it. Puff chuckled and shook her head slightly.

"Let me guess; you were one of h is mission targets, huh?"

–

Kyan shrugged, pursing her lips.

"I guess you could say that. He caught me in a cave and carried me back to the Blue District. He tried to take my scarf..." She said, pressing her palms against the thick cloth that wrapped around her neck. She stared at nothing in particular, seeming to zone out slightly. "Buuuut I got it back, so it turned out alright in the end, I guess."

–

Puff looked up at the service gem, arching a brow.

"You tried to take her scarf? Aww come on, Scrap, that's harsh! I certainly hope you didn't-" Hematite shot Puff a quick look, eyes wide, lips drawn tight, and the Jasper stopped abruptly. The two seemed to exchange some silent words, and Hema slowly looked away with an incredibly subtle shake of his head. "-...make her wait too long to get it back. Anyways." She shook her head with a smile and shrugged. "Well, if you're being guarded by this big clump, I think you'll be just fine.~ He's full of surprises, but I think you're plenty safe with him." Shooting the smaller gem a wink, Puff chuckled and leaned her other arm on the bar, turning to look at Morganite.

–

Morgan grinned, sliding over a drink to the Jasper without a word. As he turned to Hema, however, his usual, charming smile faded. He paused, hesitant.

"By the way, Hematite. If I may... I've been meaning to talk with you about something! Do you have a minute?" he asked, tapping his fingers on the counter top. It was still damp with the condensation of Puff's freshly-made drink. Kyan narrowed her eyes at the bartender, but didn't say anything. Any time she wasn't watching the gems in her immediate view, she seemed to eye-up the other patrons in the club, her gaze wary. Her shoulders were tense, brows furrowed.

–

Puff looked up at Morgan curiously, taking a sip of her drink. She eyed Hema sidelong, but didn't say a word. The service gem perked up, his brows furrowing.

"Oh, uh." He glanced at the smaller gem next to him. "...What about?"

–

"Something that needs to be spoken of in private, if we may," Morganite responded quietly, a faint smile still lingering. Morgan stepped out from behind the counter, walking past Hematite and to his guard. After Morgan leaned over to whisper something in her ear, the guard nodded and stood at attention. Morgan glanced behind him, and, having noticed Hematite was still looking at him, gestured for him to follow.

–

Hematite looked at Puff and Kyan, then back at Morgan, biting his lip.

"Hey, I really hate to do this but... Kyanite, do you think you can stay with Puff for a second?" He turned to watch Morgan leave, his brows furrowed. "I think this is serious."

–

Kyan rolled her eyes, but looked up at the Jasper.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever ya say," she responded simply. Her eyes drifted back over to Puff, whom she stared at with barely-masked intrigue. 

–

Looking up, Puff gave Hema an understanding smile, though he couldn't see it, and took another sip of her drink.

"You go ahead, Hema. I'll watch her."

Without a word, Hematite turned to give Puff an appreciative nod before standing up, following after the pink-haired warrior. He soon stepped outside, looking around for the bartender.

–

Morgan stood outside, casually leaning up against the wall. His smile had all but faded, and his eyes were shaded by his bangs as he stared out at the streets. By this time, the passerby had become far less frequent, only the occasional gem in sight. He looked to his right towards the service gem upon hearing the door open.

"Sorry about suddenly bringing you aside like this, Hematite. I've been meaning to talk to you about something, but never found the chance. If now is a bad time, we can wait until later," he said, crossing his arms. He looked almost... sympathetic? _Worried?_ It was hard to say.

–

Frowning, Hema crossed his arms, tugging at the fabric of his sleeves.

"No, now is fine... Puff is gonna watch Kyanite for me." Slowly, the service gem stepped closer, biting his lip for a moment. He wasn't used to seeing Morgan acting like this, and with the way the warrior was looking at him, he wasn't sure he'd be getting to relax as much as he'd planned. "Is everything... alright? You've never had to leave the bar to talk." He forced a weak chuckle, trying to force down his rising anxiety.

–

Morgan shrugged, his fingers tapping lightly against his arms.

"Hah... apologies. I don't really want the wrong people to hear this. That, and... I'm sure you wouldn't, either," he said softly, raising his brows with empathy. He paused, hesitant to continue. When he did, his voice held a note of nervous reluctance. "That night, at the fusion event. I felt something... Something terrible." The warrior glanced away briefly, but it was short-lived, as he quickly found himself looking back into the service gem's maroon eyes. "At first I'd thought it was some sort of strange power that came from that venom your fusion had. But the more I thought about it, and how Mago reacted to it... the more I thought that perhaps there's something neither of you have told me? Something... dreadful." He shuddered at the thought, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

–

Hematite's brows slowly raised. A prickling chill ran up his spine as he gazed into Morgan's eyes, and Ti's dark words drifted through his mind. Hema had assumed that his fusion with Ti had done something to simply stun Carnelian, but no. There was always a part of him that suspected there may have been more to what Ti had said. He'd hoped that whatever it was... he'd never have to find out.

But he felt he was about to.

"W-what do you mean?"

–

Morgan clutched at his arms even tighter now, looking down at nothing in particular.

"What did she mean? Defective? Doomed? I didn't understand. I still don't. Hematite..." He looked up, but his eyes couldn't meet Hema's anymore. "Why did it hurt so much? Why did it fill me with such a grim, hopeless feeling? Mago seemed so familiar with it, so unaffected; it was as if she was used to that horrible sensation. Is this..." He closed his eyes, his brows furrowed. "Is that... what you feel, too? Is there more to this than I thought?"

Looking away, Hematite gripped his own arms more firmly, his sleeves bunching up between his fingers. His brows furrowed, lips drawn tight. He looked pained.

"...We should sit down."

The smaller gem slowly made his way over to the bench, sitting heavily on the right side, leaving room for the warrior gem.

Morgan followed, sitting next to Hematite without looking at him. He anxiously awaited his response. 

  


The service gem kept his arms tightly crossed over his chest, and was silent for a long moment. A chilled breeze blew down the street, disturbing Hema's white locks.

"… I’d hoped you'd never find out about this. But." Something in his chest tightened, and the smaller gem had to look away entirely. One of his hands lifted up to his neck, his fingertips brushing against his gemstone. "… I'm defective. H-Hematites. In general... We're all defective."

Morgan's brows raised slowly, his lips parting.

"Defective? In. In what way?" he said, the sharp feeling of dread crawling back to him. It was far more faded than it had been that night in the Coliseum, but it was there, nonetheless. "You... all seem perfectly normal to me. Well, other than the obvious size-shifting, but..." His tone became quiet and more curious than anything.

  


As he spoke, Hematite's grip tightened around his gem, as if shielding it from some unseen threat.

"White Diamond designed us to be a super-gem, so to speak. We don't tire nearly as fast as other gems, which we use for our size shifting. We can reach sizes far bigger than any other singular gem. We have heightened senses for hunting, increased speed, strength, agility. We were supposed to be the ultimate 'harvester' gem." Hema swallowed heavily, his shoulders tensing. "But. I guess something went wrong. White's calculations were off, and. All that specializing, and the amount of energy that went into our creation..." His voice lowered. "It made us unstable." He finally turned forward, a distant look in his eyes. He stared ahead at nothing in particular. "It's in our gemstones. We all... look perfectly fine. But that's not the case. Each time we destabilize and reform... we become more and more unstable."

  


Morgan felt his stomach drop. It pained him to hear these words, especially now that he was starting to fill in the blanks. He found it hard to speak.

"So what you're saying is... you're... susceptible to corruption?" He muttered quietly, his hands falling beside him onto the bench.

  


"… No." There was a pause. Hema's head tilted for a moment, as if he was going to turn to look at Morganite, but he stopped. He couldn't do it. "… I'm saying that our kind has a one-hundred percent corruption rate."

  


Morgan's eyes widened. He fell silent. A sharp spike of horror pierced his very core.

_One-hundred percent corruption rate._

"… There's.... nothing you can do? You know with certainty that... it's inevitable?" he said, staring off into the street. Morgan's chest tightened, the dread from Hemati's powers creeping back into his core. He felt his breath catch in his throat, and slowly, he lifted his hand up to his chest.

  


"There's nothing. It's going to happen to all of us. The thirteen of us that remain..." He sighed quietly. "It's going to happen one day. One of us already corrupted. It happened within a few reformations."

Slowly, the gem's hands fell into his lap, and he stared ahead, his expression unreadable. "… I'm sorry if you had to feel that... to feel, well. I don't know.” He shrugged. “I don't fully understand what our fusion did to you."

Morgan held his other hand over his gem, brushing his palm against it. He felt cold.

"I'll be alright... I just wish you would be, too." He sighed, trying to push away the rising anxiety that welled up within him. "I'm... sorry you have to go through all of this. To live with this... What I felt was likely only a fraction of what you all must have felt. I can't imagine..." he stopped, taking in a deep breath. He couldn't continue. Hematite gave a weak shrug.

"I'll be okay. I've got friends like you and Puff and Rubes looking out for me." The service gem spoke softly, his voice slightly strained, but a tiny smile found its way to his face. "I'm sure I'll be around for a long time. I just. Have to be careful. Be smart..." His expression fell, and his voice trailed off. Morgan was finally able to look back up at Hematite. He smiled faintly.

"We'll all do our best to make you feel like every day was worth living," he said simply, placing his hand comfortingly on the service gem's shoulder. "We all take our time for granted... We should appreciate what we have, and make the most of the time that we are given. If there's... anything I can do, Hematite, please let me know."

  


The small gem's form stiffened at Morgan's contact. Looking to the warrior's hand, Hematite went silent, his mouth slightly ajar. He finally lifted his head, looking the taller gem in the eyes.

_We'll all do our best to make you feel like every day was worth living._

"..." Hematite felt his chest tighten, his expression almost looking hurt. But he inhaled sharply, leaning closer and wrapping his arms around Morgan's midsection. He buried his face in the taller gem's shirt, his shoulders trembling. "You've already done more than you know."

  


Morgan flinched at Hema's sudden movement, but calmed quickly and welcomed Hematite's embrace. Hell, he half- _expected_ it this time. With a warm smile, he returned the hug.

"You know where to find me if you ever need someone to talk to. I'll do whatever I can to help, no matter what it is." the warrior said. He knew there was no way he would be able to fix Hematite or any of his kin. But, if he could help him feel better and make the most of what he had left, then it was worth it to him. "Just... promise me you'll keep your optimism up. You've done well about it so far; I'm actually impressed."

  


Sniffling quietly, the smaller gem leaned into Morgan's embrace, his eyes closing.

"Thank you, Morgan. I'll..." Clearing his throat, the ivory-haired gem let out a deep sigh, his trembling calming down. "I'll do my best."

  


Morgan clutched at the service gem tightly before letting go and leaning back.

"I'm glad to hear it. Now... why don't you take the rest of the night to relax like you were supposed to? I'm sorry again to have brought that up. I know it must not be easy to talk about-" He shrugged, looking away solemnly. "But thank you, regardless...for clearing that up with me." He smiled, looking back to Hematite hopefully. "Drinks are on the house for the rest of the night!"

  


The service gem leaned back, sitting up straight as he rubbed at his face. After wiping away a few stray tears, Hema nodded quietly and gave the warrior a weak smile and a halfhearted chuckle.

"Have you  _ ever _ made me pay for a drink, Morgan?"

  


Morgan chuckled, standing up and offering Hematite his hand.

"Come to think of it... It must have always slipped my mind." He said charmingly, grinning. "I don't make Blue pay for her drinks either. Don't tell anyone, heh."

  


Hema smiled warmly, taking the warrior's hand, standing up.

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul."

–

–

_Clink!_

Shortly after Morgan and Hema left, the Jasper had gone rather quiet.

Glancing up to the side, Puff idly swung her legs under her chair. She pursed her lips, running her finger along the rim of her now-empty glass. Morgan and Hema hadn't been gone very long, maybe a few minutes, but in that time, Puff had barely spoken a word to the small blue warrior gem.

Suddenly, the warrior gem sat up a bit straighter, shooting Kyan a devious smirk.

"You  know. I was once a rebel, for a little while.~ I'm not anymore, obviously, buuut."

–

Kyan's eyes widened, turning her head sharply to look up at the Jasper.

"Wha? Really? What was it like? I mean, what did you do?" she asked, suddenly curious.

–

Puff chuckled and glanced around, making sure nobody was listening too intently.

"Weeelll. It was over ten years ago, buuut - "

"Puff and I fused when we weren't supposed to in order to beat up some sods that said fusion of two different gems was disgusting."

"AH-"

Sitting up straighter, the warrior gem looked to her left, staring at the Ruby standing behind Kyanite's seat.

–

Kyan spun around, furrowing her brows. Eyeing Rubes suspiciously, Kyan pulled her scarf over her nose.

"And who are you?" she asked quietly, though just loud enough to hear over the music playing over the bar's speakers.

–

Rubes cocked a brow and walked over to Puff, nonchalantly hopping up into the larger gem's lap. Crossing one leg over the other, she leaned up on the bar, running a hand through her hair for a moment.

"Call me Rubes."

Puff chuckled shyly and pushed her glass aside after finishing her last sip.

"Yep.  Rubes, this is Kyan. Scrap is guarding her for a while  ‘til something gets sorted out, I guess."

"Tough guy, huh? How's that workin ’ out for ya?"

–

Kyan blinked suspiciously, but eased up. She kept her guard steady, in case they pulled anything. It was highly unlikely, but she wasn't going to take chances.

"It's boring," she said simply, looking over the counter. "You a friend of his too?"

–

"Boring, huh? Hm. I'd think hanging out with him would be more exciting." Rubes shrugged casually and turned her head, gazing sidelong at the small blue gem. _Huh... she sure was small for a Kyanite, wasn't she? Then again, her partner was an undersized Jasper, so she couldn't really say much of it._

"Mmm. Sort of." She smiled faintly, holding up a hand in a sort of shrug. "We hang out occasionally, spar, get drinks. So yeah, I'd say so. What about you? I've never seen tough guy on a guarding mission before, I don't believe."

–

Kyan crossed her arms. She wasn't exactly supposed to reveal any details about why she was being guarded, nor did she _want_ to.

"It's classified. Just... I know some gems aren't supposed to find me." She said, glancing around her quickly, nervously. "Direct order of Blue Diamond herself. But..." Sighing, the blue-haired gem looked back to the pair, puffing out her cheeks. "I was kind of a rebel, too. But I'm not really one anymore."

–

"Aaah, alright. Say no more." If Hema was guarding her, and classified info was involved, it must have been serious. Rubes wasn't too keen on prying on the matter, as she didn't want to get into more trouble than she needed to. And asking about these sorts of things often led to nothing _but_ trouble.  "So then, what are you doing now? If you're not a rebel anymore."

–

Kyan swung her legs and spun around idly in her seat, sighing.

"Well, obviously, I'm being watched by Hematite... As for what I'm gonna do after that's over?" She stopped. She hadn't... really thought about it. She'd wanted to run away before at times, but where would she even go? The gems in the city didn't exactly like her. "I'm... not sure. I don't really have a home so."

–

Rubes subtly raised a brow, but Puff's reaction was far more obvious.

"Whaaat?! What do you mean you don't have a home? Isn't there someone you were staying with before... well. Whatever happened to ya?" She glanced at Rubes before looking back at the small blue gem, biting her lip.

–

Kyan suddenly looked a little uncomfortable. 

"W-well, um..." she stammered slightly, puffing out her chest. "I live on the streets! Out in the outskirts! Away from society. I don't have any friends, and I'm okay with that. I... I like the peace and quiet,” she said, smirking proudly.

–

Rubes' expression fell slightly. Her fingers slowly drummed on the corner of the bar, her free hand running through her hair again. She didn't look judgmental or suspicious, really. But she did look deep in thought, as if something was bothering her.

"… Is that so, huh?" The gem looked away for a moment, gathering her thoughts. There was a pause before she sighed softly, leaning her head back over the counter. "Yeaaah, I used to be the same way, believe it or not."

–

Kyan exhaled slowly, raising her brows at the Ruby.

"… Really?" she inquired curiously.

–

"Mmmhm." _She had her attention now? Good._ She felt like Kyanite needed to hear what she had to say. "I was a Pink District gem. After the war, I was a loner. Not exactly a rebel, but I didn't belong to an active district." Rubes shrugged slightly. "I didn't have any friends. I'd abandoned my Ruby squad when they tried to turn against the Pink District... They probably all ended up shattered." She frowned in remembrance, sighing. "Anyways... I spent a long time living as a loner. I didn't really know how to fight, I didn't like talking with anyone. I enjoyed being out on my own. Nobody could tell me what to do, nobody could turn on me, and I didn't have to follow any rules."

–

Kyan's eyes widened slightly. She was listening intently. By the glimmer in her eyes... it seemed something had hit a note in Kyan's very core.

"So what happened... to you?" she asked, folding her hands together in her lap and twirling her thumbs around one another.

–

"I got hurt,” Rubes replied dryly. Puff inhaled sharply, looking away at the shelves. _She didn't like this part._ The Ruby continued."I ended up fighting one too many battles that I wasn't ready to handle. And..." Sighing, the gem frowned and looked down at her chest, gently covering her gemstone. "I got cracked. _Badly_."

–

Kyan opened her mouth to say something, but it was impossible to see. _Cracked? But she looked perfectly fine now._ She caught herself staring at the Ruby's gemstone, looking away quickly. Hopefully the small red gem wouldn't notice.

"How'd you... ya know... ?"

–

"Well, I _was_ in the Pink District. Not everything had dried up yet, back when I still lived on my own." Rubes glanced at the small blue gem, sparing her a reassuring smile.  "That, and. Somebody found me. An Emerald had been sent into the district to... gather up stragglers, I guess. There were many gems, like Morganite, actually, who had changed loyalties before the war. And many were given the choice to change over to a different district after the war calmed down, too." Letting out a soft sigh, the Ruby looked up at the ceiling again. It was hard to tell what she was thinking. "So this... tiny little green gem finds me. And I was in bad shape. I felt like if I had even one more fight, I'd shatter... That crack messed me up. I had no sense of direction or time, and I wandered around the same mile or so of city for weeks. I was trying to find my way to a fountain, or a shut-down medical bay. But... I couldn't so much as figure out my left from my right. But then Emerald showed up, and she escorted me to a small fountain that was still working..."

–

Kyan frowned, remaining quiet. She was practically leaning over the edge of her seat, listening intently. She didn't want to interrupt this time.

–

"But. Before she led me inside, she stopped me and asked why I was out here all by myself, and if I was planning on turning on the Diamonds. I begged her to let me through so I could heal my gem... But she refused. She was barely half my size, and yet. She said she'd never let a traitor into the springs, even if it meant fighting me. I. I promised her I wasn't a rebel. She made me swear by the Diamond Authority." She closed her eyes. "'Nothing is more powerful than a promise made in the name of White, Yellow, and Blue Diamond.' Or something like that. It was the code she lived by. So. I did swear. I swore to pledge my allegiance to whatever district she named, if she just let me into the fountain." A soft sigh escaped the small red gem. "And she did. I was able to heal my gemstone... and. I pledged myself to Blue Diamond."

–

Kyan fell silent. This gem barely escaped death, didn't she? She spent all that time cracked... she couldn't imagine that. She shuddered at the mere idea of such an experience.

"Blue's a fair Diamond, isn't she..." she said quietly, almost to herself.

–

"She is. She welcomed me and a bunch of other gems with open arms. Most of the Rubies who made it through the war actually ended up under her reign, butI'm sure you knew that." Rubes twirled some of her hair around her finger, looking lost in thought. "But I owed my life to Emerald. She and I... really got to know each other after that. We'd hunt small gem monsters in the Blue District, she taught me some sparring methods for smaller gem types. She was my best friend."

–

Kyan clutched the edge of her seat, furrowing her brows. Slowly, she reached up, rubbing the back of her hand with her thumb. Swallowing nervously, Kyan dared to speak.

"What happened?..."

–

"… That's not important." She looked over at the Kyanite, arching a brow. "What happened is that she showed me what I was missing out on. Before I met her, I was all work, work, work, I didn't really care about anyone else. And even though I stuck around her because I felt I owed her a debt... soon enough, I did because I liked having her company. In fact... if I'd never gone with her, I wouldn't have met Puff here." The small, red gem smiled warmly, gently placing her left hand on the Jasper's gemstone. Puff smiled in return, albeit a bit sadly, and carefully placed her hand over Rubes'. She seemed a bit distracted, as if her mind was elsewhere. The Ruby continued, giving a small shrug. "I guess what I'm trying to say is. Maybe give other people a chance. I know the quiet and freedom of being alone can be nice and liberating... But. You never know what you're missing out on unless you give it a try, right?"

–

Kyan couldn't describe how she felt. It had been a really, really long time since anyone had offered her any advice, especially advice like that. She frowned, grabbing her arm, quietly looking away.

She was grateful, but she didn't know how to say it.

"Alright."

–

Rubes smiled softly, giving a quiet chuckle.

"And, hey. I know we don't really know each other. But." Looking around, the Ruby pursed her lips, leaning a little closer. "If you're determined to go back to the outskirts, I can give you a few places to stay that are a bit safer than others."

–

Kyan's expression softened, quickly looking between Rubes and Puff.

"I'd like that... yeah." She said, returning her smile at last.

–

Puff offered the small blue gem a bright smile, giving a soft chuckle as she leaned a little closer the Ruby on her lap.

"Ruuubes, you haven't been visiting those places on your days off, have you?"

"What, I can't spend a day or two at my old haunts?" She smirked up at the orange gem and gave her a quick peck on the chin, patting her shoulder where her hand was still rested. "Don't worry, I'm not getting into any trouble."

Giving Rubes a soft peck on the forehead, the Jasper sat up and smiled, grabbing her empty glass.

"Alright, if you say so.~"

–

With a soft chime, the door to the bar opened up, the lithe, pink bartender making his way into the facility. Humming a soft tune, he held the door open. Kyan peered over curiously.

"Hey, looks like they're done..."

–

Rubes perked up.

"Who's done- Oh. What were those two doing outside? I saw them when I came in, but..." she asked curiously, arching a brow. Glancing between Rubes and the door, Puff shrugged and sat up entirely now, adjusting in her seat.

"They were discussing something in private. It's probably best we don't ask about it."

"Mm." Rubes looked away from the two entering the bar, giving a soft nod. If either Hema or Morgan needed to talk about something in private... it was probably pretty serious. She wouldn't pry if she didn't have to. The Hematite approached the bar, looking tired, but more or less relaxed, all things considered.

"Sorry about that, guys. Everything alright in here?" Hema offered the group a warm smile before sitting back down in his seat. "Heya, Rubes. I see you've met Kyan."

–

Morgan regained his usual spot behind the counter, sighing and smiling. Kyan watched him over her shoulder just before he exited her point of view. Morgan was quick to grab Puff's glass, washing it out.

"Yeah, we've met." Kyan spoke, idly rubbing her palm with her finger.

–

Hema forced his warm smile to persist, even with Kyan's short reply.

"Wwwell, what did you guys talk about? Anything interesting? Oh, Morgan, can I have the usual? Actually..." The service gem smiled at Kyan and Rubes before turning to the pink-haired warrior. "Make that three."

The Ruby shot Hema a curious glance before turning to look over her shoulder at Morgan. _What was his usual?_ If she remembered correctly, Hema didn't like alcohol.

–

Morgan nodded, sparing the service gem a wink.

"Comin' right up, baby," he cooed, spinning around in a showy manner and humming the tune that played on the music station. Kyan raised a brow, peering over the counter top curiously. Squinting, she watched the Morganite with an odd look.

"We... just introduced ourselves." Kyan said, not looking back at Hema.

–

Hema watched Morgan as well, figuring that Kyan wasn't going to give him much of her attention.

"That's good." The service gem glanced over at Rubes and Puff, hoping maybe they would say more than Kyanite was. The Jasper offered a small smile and shrugged one of her shoulders.

"We didn't talk about much. You didn't miss anything important.~"

"Aah, alright." Hema relaxed a little and turned to catch Morgan sliding down two of the colorful beverages. He reached over and caught both, sliding one to Kyan. "I don't know how you feel about eating and drinking stuff, but I figured I'd let ya try this. And hey, if you don't like it, I'll finish it off!" He offered the blue gem a bright smile before turning to his glass, taking a sip.

–

Kyan stared wide-eyed at the colorful drink, grabbing it quickly and swirling its contents. Her sudden movement sloshed the liquid out, making it drip from the sides. She was quick to lick the glass where the drink was spilling. Smacking her lips, she raised a brow, turning away.

"I dunno what it is but I like it..."

–

Grimacing, Hematite picked up a nearby towel that Morgan had left behind and wiped up the counter, shooting the warrior gem an apologetic smile, not really checking to see if Morganite had even spotted the mess.

"Kyanite, be more careful, please. This drink is hard to get off if it sticks too long." He sat up and set the towel aside, putting his drink down. Rubes, meanwhile, turned around in Puff's lap and waited for her own drink.

"You've got good taste. This is my favorite drink over here."

–

Kyan smirked, pulling her scarf down so that she could drink the fruity liquid a little easier.

Morgan was quick to slide down Rubes' drink, and Kyan watched the glass slide down the counter towards the red gem.

"I'll have to try to find a favorite. I kinda like tasting new things."

–

Rubes caught her beverage with ease and held it up for a moment, sparing Morganite a thanks. Looking over at the Kyanite, she smiled and took a sip of her drink.

"Don't try too many things at once, or you won't be able to walk straight out of here," she chuckled, carefully swirling her drink. Hema snickered quietly and nodded.

–

Before Kyan could respond, Morgan peeked over the counter with a soft smile.

"She's not joking either. Most of these are alcoholic and stronger than some. I'd take it in stride, and hey... if you're hanging out with Hema now, perhaps I'll see you more often," he said with a wink. Kyan puffed out her cheeks and rolled her eyes, but took another sip of her drink.

–

Smiling, the service gem turned his attention to his drink, taking a contented sip. Regardless of Kyan's distant behavior with him, he was going to do his best to unwind and have a relaxing night. Rubes was here, Puff was here, he'd had a... well. A meaningful chat with Morganite. And he didn't have any seriously urgent problems weighing down on him right now. Sure, were the Star Stealers and their plans still at the back of his mind? Of course. Were his weird, nagging urges still a problem? Perhaps not for the past few days, but they were certainly still there.

But for now, he was content to sit back and enjoy the night. Soon, this month would be over, the Star Stealers would be broken up, and Kyan would be free to do whatever it was she wanted to do.

Because, whatever that was, it surely didn't seem to have anything to do with him.


	71. Spotted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Peridot explores the kindergarten at night.

It was especially windy today in the White District. The streets were calm and quiet, other than the occasional gem that walked briskly along to get out of the blustery outside air. Gems held their capes and collars close, keeping them from being caught in the quarrelsome winds. But one gem, whose long strides carried her swiftly down the path, had no such troubles with the gusts. Her form-fitting suit and short hair left little room for the wind to be much of a bother. White Diamond herself briskly strode down the street, catching the eye of many passers-by. Some paused in their treks, sparing curious, wide-eyed looks at their leader. She paid them no mind, focused entirely on the path ahead. Where she was going, nobody could be certain. But, if one paid close enough attention to when White Diamond left her tower, they could venture a pretty safe guess.

 

After a brisk walk, White arrived at the doors of the primary archives, she gave the two guards that stood at the entrance a curt nod, to which they responded with a salute. They opened the doors, allowing the Diamond to walk inside the tall, prestigious building. She smirked subtly, eyeing the inside of the immense chamber of knowledge with great respect and admiration in her gaze. Even a glimmer of pride shone on her face. As she walked down the left hall to the public archives, she regarded the pristine, well-kept side-rooms through their see-through panes in the walls. Peridots, Axinites, and Dolomites alike walked to and fro, busy collecting information, organizing, and updating. White smiled and idly lifted one of her hands, fondly running it over the smooth, cool wall of the hall. It didn’t take her long to reach the main area of the archives where certain gems with clearance were allowed to browse public information. After a minute or so, an Axinite let her inside, and she started strolling down the various aisles, as if looking for something.

Soft muttering could be heard a few aisles away from the tall Diamond. It drifted through the quiet library of diamond pads and books. A small, freckled Peridot was sitting at a small studying table, a few archives out in front of her. She had today and the next day off to do as she pleased- which was incredibly rare for her manager to give to her- and she was taking full advantage of it. The small green service gem appeared to be researching rare, non-gem minerals, judging by the holograms that were projected in front of her. Frecks was busily taking notes on her oversized diamond pad, her tongue sticking out slightly as she focused. In her concentrated state, she didn't even take notice of the approaching footsteps. _Ahh_ _, probably just an Axinite making their rounds._

White's gaze finally rested upon a collection of tables, her brows raising as she spotted exactly whom she was looking for. Pacing down the aisle, she cleared her throat.

"Hello, Peridot. I hope I am not interrupting something," she said formally, stopping next to the table.

At first, it almost seemed like Frecks hadn't heard the gem addressing her. But as soon as White stopped next to the table, the small, green gem blinked and caught sight of her. Letting out an unflattering squeak, the Peridot practically fell out of her seat as she scrambled to stand up, politely saluting the taller gem as soon as she found her footing.

"A-ah no, no ma'am! Apologies, my Diamond, you're not interrupting anything!" She stared up at White with an awkward, nervous smile. _Stars, how long had it been since she gotten to talk to White herself?_ White pursed her lips curiously at the  Peridot. She wasn’t exactly surprised by her reaction, but still found it mildly curious nonetheless.

"Good! I've been looking for you. Forgive me if my memory is faulty, you’re the secondary manager to my Hematites, correct?" she inquired, folding her arms neatly behind her back.

"Ah, yes ma'am! Primary Certified Kindergartener and data manager for the Hematites!" She supposed it was natural that White wasn't one-hundred percent positive who she was, despite having worked with the Hematites for years now. After all, she was pretty sure that the last time White had seen her, she'd still had all her limb enhancers. And that had been _quite_ a while ago.

White idly inspected the smaller gem, especially her arms. She cocked a brow in thought, but said nothing as she drew her eyes back to Frecks’.

"Good. I came to find you because I need you to send out a message to _all_ the  Hematites. On and off-planet. Can you do that for me?” She said, straightening herself up. Blinking curiously, the Peridot grabbed her diamond pad and flicked over to a different screen, bringing up her log of communicator signal codes.

"All of them? Of course. And what is the message?" she asked promptly, staring up at White expectantly.

"Tell all of them to assemble in the Primary Kindergarten four rotations from today. I have a very important announcement to make and all of them need to be present. I would like you to send this message out as soon as you can. Alright?" White said, lifting her head high. Nodding, the small green gem jotted down White's words, quickly storing away the file for safe-keeping.

"Yes ma'am, I'll get right on it! Does this include your Hematite, or has he already been informed?"

White glanced away, raising her brows.

"He does not know about the meeting, but I'll be sure to let him know the next time I see him. Don't worry about him," she said, smiling faintly. Frecks smiled back before saluting enthusiastically, giving the taller gem a curt nod.

"Hm! Understood, my Diamond. I will get to that immediately!"

White nodded, lifting up one of her hands.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Peridot. That will be all. Good luck with..." She paused, glancing down to the table below. Her eyes flicked over the various holograms, and she smirked. "Your research of non-gem mineral deposits. If you’re looking for the most detailed information on that, try aisle fifteen, column G," she continued, turning to make her leave without another word. The Peridot perked up, a small, blue blush spreading over her cheeks at White's bit of advice.

"R-right!" 

Watching the Diamond leave, Frecks pursed her lips, brows raising. _Huh, well. If the Kindergarten was going to be filled with more Hematites soon... perhaps it'd be wise to go looking for this mineral sooner than later._ Frecks had no idea when she'd have another day off and a time when there weren't as many harvesters around.

Bunching her hands up in front of her, the small service gem gave a short, determined nod to herself, turning to her research-covered desk.

_Alright, get these messages out, and then see if you can get a sample tonight! No time like the present!_

\--

\--

_Okay, so eleven out of twelve wasn't so bad!_

Frecks stepped up onto the bright-blue planetary warp pad at the head of the White District, standing straight. Without a word, the small service gem blipped away, instantly arriving at the Hematite Kindergarten. Stepping off of the warp panel, the small, green gem used her gemstone to project a beam of light out in front of herself. She walked along the nearest wall, looking at her diamond pad.

It'd taken her all afternoon to contact eleven out of twelve Hematites\- Hema not included, of course- but one of the gems hadn't responded to any of her calls. Perhaps they were on a mission, or were ignoring the messages and calls altogether. But for now, she couldn’t worry about that; she had a mineral to track down.

The archive that White had directed her to contained the last piece of information she’d needed. Whether it was in this Kindergarten or not, what Frecks was searching for only formed in locations where intense gem incubation had taken place. Each mineral's signature was unique to whatever site it was found near, and, if Freck's calculations were correct, this deposit may have already started forming near the Hematite incubation site! The very thought of finding a brand new strain of this rare mineral sent shivers up the Peridot's spine. If she could be the first to find this mineral growing near the Hematites’ emergence sites, well, she couldn’t imagine the reports she could whip up on them. She just hoped she could find some.

Metallic feet quietly clanking against the stone floor, Freckledot made her careful way along the massive Kindergarten wall. It was a long walk to the old incubation sites, and honestly, she felt she'd be lucky if she didn't get lost in here. _Thank goodness for her map!_

It was dark, but not incredibly so. Pale moonlight illuminated the paths below, soft light reflecting off of the rocky walls of the Kindergarten. It was quiet, but the sound of metallic feet clanking through the chasms didn't go unnoticed for too long.

Huffing, Frecks zoomed in on her map and turned the model of the Kindergarten around, peering closely. _Had she made a wrong turn? Or had it just been too long since she was last here? Not **that** much could have changed, right?_ The service gem slowed, sticking out her tongue a tad.

Slinking around the corner, a massive, half-sized Hematite curiously peered around, eyes narrowed. Where was that noise coming from? She'd expected to catch a quick nap, but if someone was slinking around, well, she didn’t want Hemmi to catch her slacking on her job.

Making her way around, the shrouded form followed the sound until she was able to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. Then, not far away, she spotted them: a lone Peridot. And, if her eyes weren't fooling her, it was Frecks. With a sly sneer, she stalked towards her, keeping low. _Oh, this should be interesting._

The Hematite crept low, now practically crawling on all fours. Stalking forward towards the smaller service gem, she grinned ear-to-ear, fangs gleaming in the low light.

With a frown, the tiny, green gem zoomed back out of her map with a groan. Stars, she _had_ made a wrong turn. _That one branching path always confused her... Maybe because the biggest Hematite was usually sleeping in one of the paths._ She hadn't seen her tonight, though. The branching path she’d gone down led to a different sector entirely. If she wasn't mistaken, it led to where most of the Peridots were stationed for research and Kindergarten supervising. _Well, that, and a bunch of dead-ends._

Sighing, the small, green gem stopped in her tracks, looking around in front of her, green light illuminating the walls.

"Well. Maybe I can still get there tonight."

The Hematite inched closer, hunkering low to the ground. She stopped mere feet from the Peridot now, her face ominously close to her. Her dark grin softened into a phony, concerned expression.

"You lost, pal?"

"HaA-!" With a loud, high-pitched yell of surprise, the Peridot stumbled forward a few steps, turning and cowering behind her diamond pad. Her eyes were wide, staring up at the huge, glowing visor in front of her. The light from her gemstone had made it nearly impossible to see the faint shine from the giant gem’s screen. After a moment, however, Frecks relaxed slightly and lowered her diamond pad, breathing a sigh of relief. She recognized those short, ivory locks. _Okay, so it wasn't Hemmi. Good. _The light from her gemstone went out, and the small gem took a few steps back, standing straight.

"U-uh. Well, a little, actually!" She laughed nervously. "I took a wrong turn a few sectors back, but I can find my way to where I'm going!"

Mite poked out her lower lip in an almost mocking way.

"Awww, that's too bad. Such a shame for you to get lost in a place like this, especially at night," she said, grinning slowly. Chuckling softly, she spread her arm out to the side, cutting off Frecks' only route of escape. Tapping her nails on the rocky ground, she narrowed her eyes at the small service gem, though it was nearly impossible for the other to see past the gleaming visor.

Whatever little bit of hope and comfort Frecks was holding onto suddenly faded. Her expression slowly fell, a faint flicker of anxiety rising in her chest. All of Mite’s reports from her harvesting missions raced through the Peridot’s head. The taunting, the tricky hunting methods, the high numbers of destabilized targets.

"Ah, yes, it is!" She took a step back. "So I'm just gonna go and get myself _unlost_ and I'll be out of your hair! I hope you have a good night, Mite, and... Don't uh. D-don't forget about the meeting in four days..."

A hand suddenly slammed down right next to Frecks, digging its nails into the dirt.

"Leaving so soon?" Mite hummed out, sneering. Without warning, her hand suddenly jerked towards the Peridot, pinning her to the ground. The tiny gem gave a terrified squeak as she was pinned to the ground, the harvester's hand quickly wrapping around her form. Mite narrowed her eyes down at the green gem. "But the fun's only just begun! You came wandering into my territory, so surely you must want to stick around for a little bit longer, hmmm? It's rude to trespass, you know..." she continued, her palm enveloping the small service gem.

Frecks struggled feebly, glancing up at her diamond pad that she'd dropped on the ground.

"W-wait, I'll leave, I'm just here for some research!" she pleaded.

Mite's brows raised, her attention perking up.

"Research, hmmm? Heeeey, I know what you can research, since you seemed so eager to ask Hemmi about it," she said darkly, chuckling as she lifted the squirming, tiny gem up to her face. "Up close and- might I add- quite detailed! You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she sneered. Paling, the service gem shook her head, swallowing nervously.

"N-no thank you, m-maybe another time!" Forcing an anxious laugh, Freckledot looked down at the ground, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "S-so can you please put me down?"

Mite turned her hand over as if inspecting the tiny gem, pursing her lips.

"Hmmmm... naaaah," she said cruelly, pinching the tiny gem's shirt between her fingers. Slowly, she lifted the Peridot over her mouth, her tongue swiping over her lips. Squeaking in fear, the tiny gem flailed her limbs, eyes widening as she stared down at the giant gem's face.

"W-w-wait, you can’t do this! White will notice that I'm missing! I-I’ll report you for attacking me!”

"Oh, I _can_. Besides, I'm sure they won't miss one measly  Peridot. You can’t report if you’re not around anymore.”

Heart dropping, the tiny gem clutched at her gemstone, covering it instinctually. After a short, shocked pause, the service gem grimaced, suddenly overtaken with an indignant fear. With all her might, she flailed her legs around, trying to get loose from the giant gem's grasp. If she could just get back on the ground-!

Frecks closed her eyes, all her attention focused on thrashing about so she could get loose.

_Until..._

_WHACK!_

Gasping, the Peridot opened her eyes wide, staring down at Mite's face.

Grimacing harshly, Mite turned away, and with her free hand she rubbed her nose. Sputtering something cross, she turned back to the small, green gem, holding her a little further away. She was glaring daggers into her, fangs bared.

"YOU LITTLE CLOD... You're gonna PAY for that!" she hissed out, lifting her up to her mouth and quickly parting her jaws. She didn't waste any time in tossing the helpless gem in.

Frecks had wanted to apologize to the huge gem, but her words caught in her throat, and she could only manage a sharp yelp as she was tossed down into Mite's mouth. Sitting up sharply, the service gem scrambled back, trying to keep as far from the back of the harvester's mouth as possible. Turning quickly, the Peridot made a go for the giant gem's still-parted teeth, hoping she could hop out before it was too late.

CLACK!

Mite's teeth snapped shut, followed by a sickly-sweet chuckle that echoed around the small service gem. This brat had a lesson to learn, and Mite was going to make damn sure that she didn't show her face around her territory again. The harvester's tongue slipped around the Peridot, pushing her against the sides of her teeth.

Grunting as the wind was knocked out of her, Frecks grimaced and tried to shove Mite's tongue away, cursing under her breath.

"You big clod, spit me out! I just came here for a mineral sample; what is your _problem?!"_

Her brows furrowing, Mite parted her teeth and pushed the Peridot between them, her fangs looming over her. Slowly, she pressed down over the Peridot's midsection, taunting her as if she was going to bite. She chuckled again, the grim sound resounding around her mouth.

Freck's eyes widened, and she froze. She winced with a whimper, trying to part Mite's teeth away from her midsection. But the harder she pushed up, the harder the fangs below her pushed into her back, making her grimace in pain.

"S-stop, don't!"

Her feet thrashed around again, the tiny gem's mind overtaken with panic. Maybe if she could just get her foot lodged between her other teeth, she wouldn't be able to bite down-!

**_WHACK!_ **

With a grunt of pain, Mite flinched, her jaw clenching reflexively.

 

_POFF!_

 

 

Mite's eyes went wide, green smoke billowing from her mouth. Keeling over, she coughed violently, spitting out two metallic limbs and a small, glimmering, green gem. The huge gem covered her mouth, her lip twitching into a mildly distressed sneer. Her eyes flicked over Freck’s gem and limb enhancers. Mite’s breathing was slightly uneven, her brows furrowing as she looked around guiltily. She scoffed quietly under her breath, quickly getting up on her feet.

_If you hadn’t kicked me, you little- tch._ _ Whatever. If she reports me, I’ll just tell White she was checking out my teeth and I twitched. If she’s smart, she won’t say anything at all._

Sparing one last, unreadable look at Frecks’ lone gem, Mite huffed and ran off, making her way out of the dead-end path.

–

-

Whimpering, Frecks clutched her arms tightly over her head, her knees drawn close to her chest. Her form was shaking uncontrollably. Warily, the small gem opened her eyes, a soft whine drifting from her lips. Bright, bluish-white light met her, and she had to squint to avoid being blinded by the change in atmosphere.

_W-where..._ _Where was she?_

_Was she in Mite's pocket dimension?_

"Wha..."

Slowly, the small green gem sat up, rubbing her eyes underneath her visor. Looking down at her feet, Frecks realized with a start that her limb enhancers were gone. _Oh, no! Had Mite taken the other half of her set?!_

The Peridot finally ventured her gaze away from the floor directly in front of her and looked around, eyes widening at the sight before her.

She appeared to be in a huge, spacious, white-gray room that stretched on as far as the eye could see- though, toward the 'top' of the room, the service gem could see a clear, blue sky through ornate, crystalline windows that made up the entire ceiling. It reminded her somewhat of parts of the White Archives.

But that wasn't the main thing that caught her attention.

Mouth falling slightly ajar, Frecks took a slow breath of disbelief, gazing around her. Here and there, seemingly suspended in midair, were huge versions of different diamond pad models and holo screens. And if she wasn't mistaken, she could see strings of information and gem-speak drifting through the open air. Some of the devices were bigger than others, but almost all of them had some sort of image, video, or text on their screen. Upon looking a bit more carefully, Frecks suddenly noticed winding crystalline paths branching out between the giant suspended devices, leading up and away from the main floor. The diamond pads were spread out here and there, reaching throughout the entire room. If she wasn't mistaken, Frecks could have sworn that a few of the diamond pads had video or pictures of the different Hematites on their screens.

Slowly, the small gem stood up, letting out a small, surprised noise as her foot slipped. She quickly regained her balance and looked down, squeaking at the sight of a huge sheet of paper with different graphs and notes on it. Lifting her gaze, Frecks suddenly spotted more pieces of paper lying here and there across the tile floor, but she couldn't make out much of what was on them. There were a few writing utensils laying around, littering the floor along with a few crumpled-up pieces of paper.

Wringing her hands together, the small gem looked around nervously, slowly making her way up one of the glass-like paths. _Well... wherever she was, might as well explore, right?_

-

–

Many hours had passed in the Kindergarten, the moon still hanging high overhead. Thankfully or not, the area in which Frecks' belongings lay was abandoned and quiet. That is, until a grumbling voice came from around the corner. Muttering quietly, another Hematite came wandering around the path, swinging her club around idly.

"Keheh, that'll show Mite to stay away from my cliff," Mati whispered to herself, stopping in her tracks. She looked around. “Now what was she doin’ out here?” she muttered curiously. Her eyes caught a glimpse of something flickering gently in the moonlight. It wasn't incredibly bright, but she could tell something out of the ordinary was definitely there. Curiously, she poofed her weapon away and snuck towards whatever it was silently.

Laying on the cold ground, Frecks' oversized diamond pad flickered dimly in the dark, the screen still turned on. The Peridot's limb enhancers lay nearby, weakly reflecting the low moonlight. Unseen, underneath the metal gem tech, was Frecks' lone, dormant gemstone.

Mati stared wide-eyed at the gem tech. Looking around rapidly, she tried to spot if anyone was nearby. Had someone lost this? Left it? Thrown it out? Well, whatever the case, it was all hers now! With an excited gleam in her eyes, she rushed over, grinning ear-to-ear.

"Woah, Score!" she said with glee.

However, upon picking up the legs, she noticed something else on the ground. Her smile vanished, a soft gasp escaping her. She looked around again, listening carefully. No one was around. How did this Peridot get poofed? And where were their arms?

Sighing heavily, Mati stared longingly at the limb enhancers and pouted. Carefully, she scooped up all the gem tech, and the small, green gem carefully in her hands. She turned to make her way out of the dead-end, looking around warily.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, Mati found one of the small caverns that she liked to hang around in. Stepping inside, she sat down and carefully placed everything down in front of her, watching the mouth of the cave for the possibility of anyone coming in after her. Thankfully, it seemed she hadn't been followed. Her attention refocused back on the small gemstone lying lifelessly on the floor. She frowned, wondering what she should do with it. Someone was bound to notice that they were missing. Quietly, her visor chirped, scanning the gemstone for any damage. After a few brief moments, she sighed in relief. _Unscathed, good._

–

-

In the time it had taken Mati to track down her gemstone, Frecks had taken to wandering around her pocket dimension, still not quite sure what had happened. She figured that perhaps... she'd gotten poofed. But why was she still alive, then? Wouldn't Mite have shattered her?

The small green gem swallowed and stopped in front of a huge diamond pad, her hands bunched into fists in front of her. On the screen... was a picture of Hema.

But, it wasn't any picture that existed in the real world. No, it was a mental photograph. Hematite's brightly-smiling face lit up the screen, a fond memory of Frecks' from the many times she'd gotten to sit down and watch Hema study. She remembered this time in particular... Hematite had brought her some tea to share while he looked over some reports, after she'd had a long day dealing with some grumpy Axinites.

_Stars... Why couldn't all the other Hematites be like him and Tiny?_

Reaching forward, Frecks gently touched the screen, sliding her hand over it to skip to the next photo. It was a picture of Hema sparring in the Coliseum, from a day when Frecks had snuck away from work for an hour or so... She probably shouldn't have done that, but she’d wanted to see one of Hematite's spars!

The service gem spent some time flicking through the photos, a warm smile spread across her face.

Okay... so she'd had bad experiences with two of the Hematites, but they weren't all bad! Tiny was rowdy, but she was a good friend of hers. Tam was nice and treated her as an equal. Mago was... Mago. And Hema treated her kindly.

The Peridot smiled, taking her time and going through more of the diamond pads, reminiscing about some of her favorite stories she'd heard during her time working for White and Yellow.

-

–

Another hour passed, and Mati kept a careful watch over the gemstone. Leaning against one of the ledges inside the cavern, she pressed her palm against her face in boredom. She didn't want to leave it, but she wasn't sure it was safe to take it outside right now. She also didn't want to return her to the other Peridots poofed. That would make her look suspicious. She'd just have to wait this out and make sure they were alright.

Leaning over, Mati carefully lied down next to the gem, gently cupping her hand around the contents that she'd laid neatly next to one another, shielding it from the occasional wind that blew through the mouth of the cave. Her eyes half-lidded; she almost looked as though she were going to fall asleep, but she was just more-or-less worried for the poor gem. She hoped that they were alright in there, whoever it was...

–

-

Looking around, the Peridot gazed up at the diamond pads scattered throughout the room. If she wanted... she could spend hours upon hours in here. But... She needed to reform, didn't she? As much as she wanted to stay here, to stay safe with her memories, she had a job to do.

_Somebody had to be there for the Hematites to report to! And she still had a mineral sample to collect!_

_... Provided she didn't find herself in a rather... inconvenient place when she reformed._

Inhaling sharply through her nose, the tiny gem squared her shoulders with a nod. _Alright..._ _ Time to try this._

-

After some time, which felt like hours, the tiny gemstone began to glow, slowly lifting off the ground as it gave off a bright, green light. Mati's eyes widened suddenly, and she kept her head low to the ground, laying comfortably. She didn't want to move, lest she spook the Peridot. She watched intently, holding her breath.

Soon enough, the gem's form grew out from the gemstone before it took on its defining features, only shuffling through one previous form.

**_Thud_ **

"Uuugh..."

Sitting up, the tiny green gem rubbed her head, wincing faintly. She didn't look much different. Her hair was slightly altered to be less scruffy, and, instead of the colors on her clothes cutting off right below her chest, it had moved down to her midsection. On top of that, two white diamond insignia now laid on her hips, along with her normal yellow insignia on her chest and knees. Below her knees, now void of her limb enhancers, the Peridot's small, sock-like feet were visible. The soles of her feet pressed together as she sat up, grimacing, her eyes closed.

Mati's lips parted slightly in surprise, a small smile on her face _. It was Frecks! She'd seen this one before!_ But, her smile faded, suddenly worried. _Who had done this to her?... How did this happen?_

She didn't really want to ask, in fear that she might spook her. Curiously, she looked to the mouth of the cave. It seemed they were still the only ones around. _Good_. She remained quiet, glancing between the  Peridot and her limb enhancers.

Huffing quietly, the tiny gem finally opened her eyes, squinting at nothing in particular in front of her.

Until she realized her entire view was filled with a huge gem that lay before her. With a sharp inhale, the tiny gem suddenly scooted backwards, trying to make some distance. However, the moment her back made contact with Mati's hand, she squeaked in surprise and fear, rapidly looking between the palm behind her, and the massive gem in front of her. It seemed she hadn't fully processed that whoever was in front of her wasn't Mite. In her disoriented state, she couldn't tell which Hematite it was.

Mati flinched slightly at the small gem's sudden contact with her hand, offering her a concerned look.

"Hey hey, it's okay! It’s me, Mati... I'm not gonna hurt ya," she whispered quietly. She didn't make any sudden movements. For such a rowdy, loud-mouthed gem, her tone and touch were surprisingly gentle.

She didn't know Frecks very well herself, aside from the occasional passing-by. They'd casually spoken once, maybe twice for research or job purposes, but that was about the extent of it. But she did know of this one’s reputation for being highly interested in the Hematites. And, that alone set her apart from the others that worked in the kindergarten. That little detail hadn’t gone unnoticed by the other Hematites _or_ Mati herself.

_Mati... Mati?_

_Well... it wasn't Hemmi or Mite, so... was she okay?_

"..." Slowly, the service gem relaxed, though her eyes never left Mati's face. "Where's Mite...?"

Mati seemed a little confused by the question, blinking in surprise.

"Mite? Uuuuh, I chased her off earlier cuz she was messin' around in my area... Why?" she asked.

Quietly, the tiny gem rested her hands on her midsection, a haunted look crossing her face.

"... She snuck up on me and I kicked her. And... The last thing I remember-" She whimpered quietly, looking away. "... Teeth."

Mati's brows furrowed, and she stifled a low growl. _So this was Mite's doing? That disgusting little..._ Mati's expression fell as she forced herself to relax.

"Mite's not gonna hurt ya again while I'm around. Ya alright now, uuuh.... Frecks, right?" Mati said, cupping her hand behind the Peridot again. She didn't loom over her, nor did she make any attempt to touch her. She could tell this poor Peridot was rightfully terrified.

Looking behind her, the green gem stifled a small shiver. Under any other circumstances... she would have been excited to be so close to one of the Hematites! But the fear from her earlier incident was still lingering, and she couldn't help but feel intimidated by the huge gem, uncertain what she’d do with her.

"Y-yeah. Frecks..." The tiny gem finally spotted her limb enhancers nearby and gasped, reaching over for them. "Oh, stars, she didn't take them!" she breathed out quietly, holding the metallic legs close to her. Her entire form trembled subtly, her eyes shutting tight.

Mati smiled halfheartedly at the small gem. She seemed happy to have those back, at least. She was suddenly glad she hadn’t kept them for herself. Still, she kind of wished she'd studied them more when she’d had the chance. She kept quiet.

Quickly, the service gem slipped the enhancers back on her legs, grateful for the comfort they provided. She reached over to her diamond pad, holding it close to her chest.

"..." Silently, she looked up at Mati, eyes wide. "Did. Did you find my gem and chase Mite off, or?..."

Mati slowly lifted her other hand to her head, scratching her hair.

"Eeeeh, well, vice-versa, more or less. She was wandering around and I whacked her with my club. Theeeen I started to wander aaaand I found you and your stuff. I figured, ya know, better me to find you than anyone else, I guess... I mean, that's not to say someone else wouldn't have made sure you were okay! But like, if Mite came back, I dunno..." She pursed her lips, wondering herself why Mite had just left her.

Clutching her diamond pad closer, Frecks sighed softly. _So Mite had just... spat her out? Oh well, she wasn't going to question it. She was safe, and her gemtech was in one piece. She couldn’t say the same for her last encounter with a Hematite that’d gone sour._

"Well. Thank you, Mati. I-I'm sorry if I'm in your territory or something. I'll leave if you want."

Mati raised her brows, poking out her lip a little.

"Oh, it's okay. I don't mind the Peridots hanging around. I can escort you back to your station come morning if you'd like, ya know. I can’t really let you walk around out there by yourself, it isn’t safe at night," she offered. She figured it was the least she could do. After all, Mite was still out there, somewhere.

Looking up at the Hematite, Frecks blinked, furrowing her brows. She looked almost distressed.

"B-but! I need to go collect my samples, they can only be seen at night, a-and!" She paused, suddenly going quiet.

"Samples?  Wha…?” Mati stuttered.

Frecks’ brows furrowed, and she glared down at herself self-consciously. She drew her knees closer to her chest, a scolding frown on her face.

"S-sorry.  Nevermind. Right. In the morning..." she said submissively.

Mati frowned, looking away.

“Look, it's alright. I just don't want you to get yourself hurt, alright? You've had enough of an adventure for one night, I'd say..." she muttered, leaning her chin against the ground. "Maybe sometime, though, if you ever wanna come back at night, you can call me up and I can help ya find some... whatever it is you're lookin' for."

The small, green gem turned her attention back to the giant gem, blinking curiously. _Wait... was she serious?_

"... D. Do you promise not to hurt me like Hemmi... or Mite?"

Mati felt a flicker of indignance and worry in her chest flare up for a moment. _So it wasn't just Mite, then? Go figure it would be Hemmi too..._

She smiled softly, her visor dimming. She stared sympathetically down at the tiny, green gem, lowering her hand behind her slowly.

"I promise."

The Peridot glanced back at the Hematite's hand, pursing her lips. For a moment, she squinted, an untrusting frown on her face.

"Mmmm." Sharply, she pointed at the gem, holding her diamond pad up to hide her mouth behind. "Swear it on your gem."

Stifling a small chuckle, Mati held up her other hand. She admired this Peridot's courage.

"I'll do ya one better. By the Diamond Authority, I swear it!"

Slowly, Freck's eyes widened, a bright gleam shining in them, even behind her visor. She lowered the diamond pad from her face, mouth slightly ajar. After a long pause, the tiny green gem suddenly leapt to her feet, rushing over to the giant gem's face. All of her nervousness seemed to suddenly vanish, leaving behind the usual, overzealous Peridot that the Hematites were so accustomed to seeing. She looked like she could barely contain herself. It'd been a long time since she was this close to a Hematite that wasn't trying to _hurt_ her.

"O-Okay, you’ve got a deal! Stars, I have so many questions! Ah, you don’t mind, do you? It’s been months since I got to properly ask anyone anything! Why don't I ever see you around, what are your favorite things to do, does that tooth ever get in the way of harvesting missions, what size do you prefer to stay at, and when was your last mission; was it fun?" she prattled on, shooting her questions off at rapid-fire pace.

Within a few moments, the Peridot sat down next to Mati's face with a quiet 'oof', clutching her diamond pad against her chest. She was beaming, gazing up at the giant gem.

Mati's brows raised in surprise. She was taken aback by the small gem's suddenly ecstatic demeanor. Though, it warmed her to see that she was comfortable again. Giggling, Mati shifted herself so that she was laying on her stomach, lifting her hands to prop up her head.

"Hey, one question at a time, hehe," she said, smirking proudly. She was glad to see her coming out of her shell again, so eager to talk to her. It was nice, to say the least.

"Okay, okay!" Sticking her tongue out, the green gem scooted to the side, now sitting in front of Mati's face instead of to her side. She pulled something up on her diamond pad, opening her file on the Hematite before her. "Alright, well... What are your favorite pastimes?"

Mati placed a finger to her lip, thinking.

"Weeeell, I like chasing around other gems and gettin' into scuffles sometimes... buuut I can't do that as much or as carelessly as I used to, ‘cuz, ya know. Obvious reasons. I like guarding things. Mostly places. Mostly my territory..." she said, idly sticking her finger in her mouth and looking up at the ceiling. The Peridot nodded and took down notes, her tongue sticking out slightly in concentration. It took a lot longer to jot stuff down without her arm enhancers, and it took her a good moment to write everything Mati told her.

"What are your favorite kinds of missions?"

Mati looked back down, grinning. _Huh… this Peridot was kind of cute when she took down notes!_

"I like hunting missions! Retrieval and relocation! Deconstruction jobs are so booooring. Buildings can't run, Frecks," she said, snorting.

"Sooo you like tracking, then?" she asked curiously, looking up at the giant gem. So she was like Hema, then? Sure, he'd never directly told her he liked hunting missions, but she always noticed an improvement in his mood when he did relocation missions. His voice on his reports were often different-sounding, too. "How about recon jobs?"

"Ah, recon's kinda boring too, but I guess it's not as bad as deconstruction. But yeah, tracking for sure!" she said, pointing a finger at the Peridot with a cutesy smile. Frecks smiled brightly, taking down notes.

"Ooookay!  What size do you prefer to stay at? Do you shrink down a lot? Have you ever done it by accident?"

Poking out her own tongue, Mati thought hard on this one.

"Well, as you see me now is kind of how I prefer to be. I don't shrink down a lot buuuut I've definitely done it by accident a few times. Not as much as you'd think, though! It's not uuuusually a problem, since I can generally find places to hide. This one time, I shrank down during a monster-management mission and I had to hide in an abandoned building for half of the day before I could return back to normal. Stars, that was stressful,” she said, smiling awkwardly.

"Oooo... That does sound stressful!" she said sympathetically, shaking her head. "Actually, it reminds me of this one time that Hema shrank down and was eaten by a gem monster; he was stuck in there for seven hours! And then there was this mission that Hemmi went on... well." Looking around, the service gem leaned closer, squinting. "Don't tell anyone I told you this... but let's just say that there's a pretty amusing recording that exists where she's just screaming and running from a group of Rubies."

Mati snorted, giggling uncontrollably.

"Oh stars, that sounds amazing... I'd pay to see that, keheh. Heeey, why you askin' all these questions, anyway?" Mati inquired, raising a brow curiously.

"Huh? Oh... well." The Peridot fidgeted with her diamond pad, looking around the cave. She furrowed her brows for a moment before looking back up at the giant gem. Her tone was bright, but guarded suddenly, as if she were choosing her words carefully. "Well... because I think the Hematites are really neat! Some of them, anyways. You're such a unique class of gem, and your powers are so cool! You don't function like other gems, and you're all so different." Shyly, she glanced to the side, holding her diamond pad in front of her chin. "And... I don't know much about you. Nobody does. We haven't really spoken a lot, so."

The bigger gem grinned. She actually felt kind of honored that anyone, especially a Peridot, had taken such an interest in her! She was more than happy to oblige.

"Weeeell, if we're stuck here till morning... I'd say this is a pretty good opportunity to get to know each other!" she said, nibbling on her finger.

"Y-yeah!" Smiling brightly, the tiny, green gem scooted a bit closer, holding her diamond pad close, eyes gleaming. "Where do I start..."

–

-

Finally, daylight arrived. After a long night of assorted, excited questions from the small, green service gem, Mati still found herself laying around the floor of the cavern when she saw dawn light peeking in through the mouth of the cave.

"Heeeey check it out! Looks like it's morning," Mati said, gesturing a finger towards the light. The tiny gem had just finished writing down her last bit of info before Mati spoke up, and she looked behind her, brows raising.

"Oh! I guess it is... I lost track of the time."

Looking back down at the overzealous Peridot, Mati grinned. "You ready to head back to your base yet, Spots?" Blinking in surprise, the small green service gem looked up at the Hematite, a bright smile on her face. Spots, huh? Alright, she'd take it!

"Y-yeah!  Could you bring me to the primary warp pad? I need to get back to the Archives."

Mati perked up, slowly rolling herself over onto her knees. Once she was in a proper knelt position, she lowered her hand next to the Peridot and smiled.

"Sure thing! And if anyone tries to start anything, III'll whack ‘em with my club!" she said in a playful manner, winking down at the tiny gem.

Looking down at the Hematite's palm, Frecks perked up, quickly getting to her feet. For a moment, she hesitated, but quickly shook off the small spike of anxiety in her chest. If this gem wanted to hurt her, she would have done it long before now. The tiny, green gem held her diamond pad close to her chest as she heaved herself up onto Mati's palm, promptly turning to sit down. Mati felt a chill go up her spine. No one had ever willingly climbed up in her hand before; no one had really ever seemed comfortable enough for her to offer. It was surreal, but not unwelcome. Frecks looked up at the gray-haired gem with an excited smile.

"Sounds good to me!" she chuckled, grinning up at her.

Standing up carefully, Mati cupped her other hand to the side of her other palm to give Frecks a little more room to move about if she'd wanted to. Walking out of the cave, she glanced around. It was quiet, and no one appeared to be nearby. _Good_.

Frecks gave a soft, self-indulgent giggle as Mati stood up, and she felt the gravity around her shift for a moment. The tiny gem scooted closer to the Hematite's fingers, peeking over them curiously. _Stars, it'd been over two years since someone carried her!_

For a few minutes, Mati quietly carried the Peridot throughout the Kindergarten. Making a few turns here and there, she noticed some of the dent-like marks she'd left in the walls every couple of hundred feet or so. She liked to wander around a lot, so she thankfully knew her way around enough to generally not need a map. Especially when it led back out to the Peridots, who she liked to watch frequently. At least it wasn't too far from where they were. She just hoped no one else would try and intercept her.

Frecks seemed to enjoy the ride, and kept leaning over different edges of Mati's hand, checking out the ground below as the giant gem made her way through the Kindergarten. Looking down curiously to the Peridot, Mati felt an odd twinge of emotion spike up within her. Curiosity? Excitement? Fascination? _Something else?_ She couldn't describe it, but it wasn't a bad feeling. She'd always thought that the little green service gems were neat, but having a chance to hold one with no consequence? _That was something else entirely._

"So do you get carried very often? Or is this new for ya?" she asked, raising her brows. At the gray-haired gem's question, the Peridot looked up, placing one of her hands onto the palm below her.

"I've gotten to do this a couple times, but... It's been a few years! The last time was back when Hema was trying to fix Mago's shifting problem. Tam carried me around!" She smiled shyly, holding her device close with one arm. "It's always really nice. I kinda missed it."

Mati's expression softened. So she was the first in years to carry her? _Neat! She could take some sort of pride in that!_

"Hehe, well, hey! If you ever need a ride anywhere, I'll be happy to escort ya!" she offered. "That is, when I'm available!" The gray-haired Hematite grinned ear-to-ear, her snaggletooth gleaming in the morning light. Gasping softly, the Peridot turned fully to the giant gem, eyes shining.

"You mean it?!" she asked excitedly, patting her metallic feet against Mati's palm, unable to stay still. _A Hematite as an escort around the Kindergarten?_ _No, anywhere she wanted? Yes please!_

Mati chuckled slightly, turning another corner. She was happy to see Frecks’ spirits back up.

"Sure thing!" she said. By now, she'd made a good bit of progress towards the warp pad; it wouldn't be long before they arrived. _Oh well, she'd enjoyed the smaller gem's company while it had lasted._

The green service gem giggled, throwing her arms up over her head, sure to keep her grip tight on her diamond pad.

"Yes!" Looking around, the small gem stood up on Mati's hand, peering over her fingers. They were close to the primary warp pad, near one of the Peridot hubs. "Okay, this place looks more familiar now!" Without turning, Frecks gave a small nod. "This place is a lot easier to navigate in the daylight." Mati smiled, making her way out of one of the more narrow paths.

"I bet. We're equipped with everything we need to get around at any time of day, buuut you should be more careful. Try not to wander off alone in this place again... alright?" Mati said, her brows furrowed in concern. Frecks smiled awkwardly and held her device close, giving the gray-haired gem a nod.

"Right, right. I'll try to be more careful." She looked down, quickly spotting the large warp panel that lay on a slightly-raised ledge.

Mati stopped suddenly, carefully holding her fingers around Frecks.

"Looks like this is your stop! Take care, alright?" She said, lowering herself enough to let her off next to the warp pad. She was a little sad to let her go, but she knew she couldn't hold onto her forever. Besides, she'd see her again, she was sure of it. Frecks looked up at the giant gem, giving her a bright smile.

"Thank you, Mati! I will.~" She slid down off the gem's palm, quickly stepping over to the crystalline surface. "I'll see you around! Thanks again for keeping my stuff safe."

Mati nodded, lifting her hand slightly as if to wave goodbye. She watched the Peridot intently, almost reluctant to say farewell. Maybe next time, she could ask Frecks if she could study her limb enhancers.

"Yeah... No problem..."

Frecks gave the giant gem a wave before teleporting away, back to the warp near the White Diamond tower, then to the one in front of the White Archives. She made haste back to the huge building and rushed down the left hall to her station. She wanted to get back to her research while she still had the day off, but she had one more thing to do before she could do that...

Stopping in front of a large screen in one of the aisles, the Peridot stood straight, clearing her throat. She entered in a communicator code before adjusting her hair, holding her diamond pad close to her.

Within a few moments, the screen brightened with a warm, white glow before clearing, revealing an image of White Diamond. Frecks smiled, raising her chin. From White's end of things, the Peridot was only visible from the shoulders up.

"This is Peridot, reporting in, White Diamond!" She gave a polite salute.

White looked as poised and professional as ever, smiling softly upon seeing the small service gem.

"Greetings, Peridot. What have you to report?" She asked. From the looks of it, she was sitting next to one of her windows, having tea.

"I have made contact with eleven of the Hematites that you told me to. I'm afraid that Hematiiiite..." She squinted down at her screen, reading off a few numbers, such as facet and cut, to indicate the exact gem. "Hematite four did not report in. I couldn't make contact with them. I'm unsure if they're ignoring my calls or not. They're currently stationed in crystal colony three, in the capital city."

White frowned suddenly, glancing off to the side. It looked as though she were lost in thought for a few long moments before she looked back with a serious nod.

"Alright, thank you for letting me know. I'll be sure to see if I can't find some way to contact them myself. If push comes to shove, I'll send someone out for them. Thank you for being punctual with sending out the message."

With a pleased smile, the Peridot nodded with a sharp 'hm!' in response to White's praise.

"Of course, my Diamond!  That is all I have to report."

White nodded formally, closing her eyes.

"Thank you for your report, Peridot. And... good luck with your research." She opened an eye, smirking slightly. Frecks grinned in spite of herself, shyly nodding and holding her diamond pad close. The communication cut out, and the small service gem stood straight, a warm glow in her chest. Rough night or not, she'd done her job well, she'd gotten praise from White, she had been carried by a Hematite, and she’d learned more about her, too! Speaking of which...

Looking down at her diamond pad, Frecks smiled and rushed off toward her section of the archives. _She had a profile to fill with some new info!_


	72. The Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> White Diamond makes an announcement to all the Hematites.

"Alright. Yes, ma'am, I will be there momentarily."

_Click!_

Hematite stood up from his small reading table, stretching with a soft yawn. After a moment, he turned to look at Red, who was currently reading something on a diamond pad and sitting on the large couch in the corner of his bedroom. Kyanite was hanging off the other end of the couch, her face towards the floor, feet swinging idly behind her. She looked incredibly bored. Smirking, the service gem fully turned to the two, taking a pace toward them as he folded his arms behind his back.

"Red, Kyan! We have to report to White Diamond's office," he stated brightly, eyeing at the smaller blue gem.

Red perked up slightly, but certainly not as much as the small blue gem on the other end of the couch. With a sharp gasp, Kyan flipped over clumsily and rolled off the couch and onto the floor. Scrambling to her feet, she held out her fists excitedly at her sides.

"What?! We're going to White Diamond's office? Really?" she exclaimed ecstatically. Red watched the Kyanite curiously. She narrowed her eyes slightly, lips pursing to the side in uncertainty. Hematite spared Kyan a tiny smile and nodded.

"Yep, I have to report there for an important briefing, or something of that nature. White wasn't very specific. Anyways, just make sure you don't touch anything and that you're calm and respectful, understood?" The service gem gave a curt nod without waiting for a response and headed for the door, his steps even and measured. He was curious as to what this was all about; White wasn't usually so vague. Kyan held her hands behind her back, squinting up at Hematite with a cheeky smile.

"Yeeeah! Sure thing!" she said. Red glared at her, which didn't go unnoticed this time. There was a quiet, awkward pause between the two gems. Getting to her feet, Red placed the diamond pad that she held onto the table and walked past the undersized warrior.

"Well then! We should be off; best not to keep White Diamond waiting," Red stated.

Hematite didn't notice the goings-on behind him, quickly putting in his door code before heading out of his room.

“Right. Come on, then."

-

-

Standing straight, Hematite adjusted his hair and knocked on the office door, waiting for it to open up. Red stood at his right side while Kyan stood at his left. He glanced sidelong at the small blue gem, silently hoping she'd at least keep a _bit_ of composure.

Kyan's eyes were gleaming up at the door; it was even more pristine and gorgeous in person than she’d imagined. The door slowly hissed open, White Diamond's Pearl stood primly in the doorway, smiling warmly.

"Oh, hello Hematite! White is expecting you. I see you've brought guests?" she said, her hands clasped neatly in front of her. Kyan seemed a little too star-struck to react immediately. White’s Pearl was a dainty, pristine figure in such a tall, neat doorway. She looked so small, and yet so huge at the same time. Even with her polite, relaxed smile, she held a strangely ethereal presence to the blue warrior.

Hematite, however, gave the service gem a familiar, polite nod.

"Ah, yes! Sorry, Pearl. You know Red already, but this is Kyanite, a gem I'm currently guarding. I have to keep my eye on her as often as possible, so I figured I would bring her along." He glanced over at the smaller gem. "She will be on her best behavior, of course."

The Pearl spared Kyanite a curious look, to which the small, blue gem responded with a salute. Nodding, White's Pearl stepped aside and gestured for the three to come in. Kyan, as excited as she was, had a feeling that she'd be scolded for entering first, so she instead looked up at Hema and stepped eagerly in place, urging him to walk in. The service gem nodded politely. and walked inside, promptly saluting his leader.

"Hematite reporting, White Diamond."

White looked up from her desk, immediately spotting the service gem.

"Hello Hema.” She paused, eyeing the gem standing beside Hematite. “… Who is this? The Kyanite you were talking about?" White asked. Her brow rose curiously. Hematite said he was guarding a Kyanite, but she hadn’t been aware it was a defective one. Kyan, staring wide-eyed up at the monochromatic Diamond, trembled subtly in place. Drawing a silent breath, she righted herself, trying to play it cool and stand tall.

White moved back her chair and stood up, walking out from behind her desk. Kyan backed up quickly, her head craning back to look up at the tall leader that towered above her. She found herself speechless. Hematite on the other hand didn't seem bothered by White's sudden approach, and nodded curtly in response to her question.

"Yes it is. Kyan, this is White Diamond, leader of the White District, as I’m sure you’re aware." He smiled faintly, glancing sidelong at the smaller blue gem. He remembered his first time meeting White at his civilian size. He couldn’t say he was surprised by Kyan’s stunned reaction.

White raised her brows, observing the blue gem thoroughly. As long as she didn't cause any trouble, she didn't mind having the small warrior in her office. Kyan tried to meet White’s eyes, but repeatedly found herself unable to. Eventually, she settled on staring at the insignia on White’s suit. Her breath came to her in shallow, almost silent little puffs. _Stars, meeting Blue Diamond in person was one thing… but this?_ The warrior gem swallowed and looked down respectfully as White turned her attention back to Hema; Kyan found herself able to relax, if even a tad.

"Thank you for coming, Hematite, I'll cut right to the chase. I have an important meeting that I need to attend today, and you must come with me," White started, turning to walk back towards her window. Kyan's tension eased up, her breath having caught in her throat. Sighing quietly, she looked up at Hematite without moving an inch.

"Oh? What sort of meeting, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked casually, sparing Kyan a short, sidelong glance. He was glad that Kyanite wasn't misbehaving. She'd be foolish to in the presence of White herself, but still. That didn’t seem to stop her with Blue.

"We are both to report to the Hematites’ Kindergarten. I have an important announcement to make regarding a very special event coming up soon!" The Diamond stated with a subtle grin. Turning to her desk, she tapped a nail onto its surface, creating a small 'tk' sound with each touch. "An event in which all of you will be participating in. So I expect your full cooperation."

The hair on the back of Hematite's neck slowly stood on end. His eyes widened subtly as multitudes of possible 'events' she could be talking about rushed through his mind. _What? All the Hematites? They hadn't been gathered all together since their first test as_ _new gems... would it be like that again? Was it something entirely new? White certainly see_ _med to be looking forward to it, whatever it was._

"Absolutely, White Diamond! Are we leaving immediately?"

White nodded simply, looking back to the service gem.

"As soon as possible, so yes," she said, glancing back down at the other two gems he brought along with him. "However, it would probably be safer if they did not join us."

Kyan frowned suddenly, a little disheartened, but she wasn't going to go against the Diamond's wishes. Red didn’t seem too disappointed, and saluted Hematite promptly.

"Shall I escort Kyanite back to your quarters?" the smaller service gem asked professionally.

Hema looked down at the Pearl by his side, pursing his lips as if deep in thought. After a moment, he gave her a nod.

"Please do, Red. Kyanite." He turned to the smaller blue gem. "I understand you get restless. There is a shelf with a small screen in front of it, in my room. It's at the bottom of the right shelving unit. Inside you'll find some diamond pads with my. Well. With logs of my favorite missions. I think you'll find some interesting tales in there, if you're at all inclined to read them. But ONLY read the ones on that particular shelf, please." He offered her a small smile. "I'll be back as soon as I can.”

As much as Kyanite didn't want to go back to Hema’s room, she knew it wasn't in her best interest to disobey or protest. Especially not in front of White Diamond. Crossing her arms, the smaller gem nodded.

"Sure thing," she said. Red turned to White and bowed respectively before spinning on her heel towards the door. Kyan was soon to follow, sparing them both a glance before the door hissed open. Sparing the room one last, wide-eyed look, she left, trailing behind Red. Hematite watched the two leave, silently hoping they would be able to get along while he was away. With a soft, almost silent, sigh, the service gem turned to his leader with a curt nod.

"Ready to leave whenever you are, White Diamond."

The Diamond looked to her Pearl and gestured her hand. The Pearl saluted in understanding, and White turned back to face her Hematite.

"We'll leave immediately," White stated, stepping back out from behind her desk. As she walked, she grabbed the diamond pad sitting on the corner of the table, placing it in her gem. Motioning her hand to the door, she stepped past Hematite. "Right this way."

-

-

Shimmering with a bright blue light, the Kindergarten’s primary warp pad activated, soon revealing Hematite and White standing side-by-side in similar poses. Both had their arms professionally folded behind their backs, chins held high. Hema, however, was noticeably tenser than the Diamond by his side. He couldn't figure out what this event could possibly be, and the anticipation was starting to get to him. He tried not to let it show, however, as he stepped off of the warp pad alongside White.

No sooner had the two arrived when a Peridot quickly approached them, saluting respectfully.

"My Diamond!" She glanced at Hema before jotting something down on her holo-screen. "Twelve out of thirteen of the Hematites are present and accounted for."

White lowered her brows, taking the number into account. Stepping off of the warp pad, White peered down at the small, green service gem.

"Thank you, Peridot. Are they all collected in one place?" White spoke, holding her arms behind her.

"Not yet, my Diamond. We were unsure when you would arrive, so they  have not all gathered yet. I'll send out the word for them to gather in the Cove immediately!"

"Thank you. We'll be on our way, then," She stated.

The green service gem brought a small icon up on her holo-screen and tapped it, looking behind her. "Attention all sector-stationed Peridots: if there are any Hematites within your range, please direct them towards the primary clearing in the north sector!"

Hema looked around, noting how busy the Kindergarten seemed to be today. There were far more Peridots and other various service gems dashing about, either doing work or chatting with one another.

White stood a little straighter now, her hands clasping together in front of her. Looking back to Hematite, she smiled.

"It is a little ways away from here, you know. Would you mind giving me a lift?" she asked.

Blinking in surprise, Hematite turned to look up at his leader. There was an unmistakable gleam in his eyes. Slowly, a bright grin crossed his face, and he nodded enthusiastically, already making his way to the stairs leading down from the small ledge the warp pad rested on. It wasn't too high, perhaps ten-or-so feet off the ground, so the service gem wasted no time in leaping down to the floor, startling a nearby Peridot. They shot him an annoyed glare, but quickly backed up with a surprised squeak as Hematite's form began to glow. The ivory-haired gem shifted up to his half size, his body quickly returning to its normal color as he gave a subtle roll of his shoulders. With a smile, he turned and knelt down, his palm outstretched for the Diamond. A few service gems that had caught sight of what was going on stared on in shocked surprise, a few of them murmuring among each other. _A harvester holding a Diamond?! Preposterous! Especially if it was_ _ **that**_ _harvester!_

White willingly walked up into Hematite's hand as she had done a few times before. Offering him a soft smile, she held onto his fingers and motioned for him to lift her up. She was rather glad to see him so eager to do this for her. Not only would this make transportation much easier, but if anyone got a little out of control, she knew she would be safe in his hands.

Hema's bright smile softened into a warmer, content look as White stepped into his palm. As carefully as always, the giant gem lifted her up and stood straight, turning to walk toward the Cove. He motioned his hand close to his chest, holding it close enough that she could hop onto his right shoulder, if she wished. Glancing down at the service gems making their ways to and fro, Hematite gave them a small gesture with his head, and they cleared out of the way promptly, some giving him leery looks. Ignoring the more suspicious-looking gems, Hema held his head high and smiled proudly, making his way down the chasm toward their destination. It was a lengthy walk from here, about thirty or so minutes, even at Hema’s size. He and White stayed quiet the ride over, and Hematite was content to merely look around as he and his leader neared the northern sector of the Kindergarten. They eventually reached a small crest which barely let the Cove come into sight in the distance.

With the Cove on the horizon, White took note of how many guards there were. The entire top of the wall looked to be lined with warrior gems, if their general shapes were any indicator. White knew about half of them were armed with gem destabilizers, but she hoped they wouldn’t have to use them. The Hematites’ Kindergarten was such a risky place for a Diamond to be, even with bodyguards. No one was taking any chances today.

Heading down the rather large slope, Hematite peered down at the Cove in the distance. It was still a few minutes away, even for him, but he could already see the guards lining the edges of the chasm. He felt a prickle of anxiety in his stomach, but quickly pushed it aside.

_Don't worry. Everyone will behave... She'll be fine._

The slope slowly leveled out, the cliff sides once again rising to block the distant Cove from view. Hema made his way down various 'halls', navigating through normally-confusing twists and turns that would lead to any unacquainted gem getting lost.

Soon enough, Hema caught wind of footsteps behind him, and he furrowed his brows, holding White a little closer as he turned around.

Hemmi, the trouble-making Hematite from two years prior, was walking directly behind the service gem, her eyes closed. She had her arms folded behind her back. Quickly, she walked right past Hema and White.

"Afte rnoon, White Diamond. Hematite,” she said cooly. 

White pursed her lips, staring at the other harvester making her way down the path. She absolutely recognized that one... She'd have to keep a close eye on her and her little ‘companion’ that always seemed to be with her. Perhaps she was coming into the Cove from a different direction. The Diamond didn't respond, but simply watched as she passed by.

Hematite didn't reply either, narrowing his eyes as the taller gem passed him by. He didn't fancy saying hello to the gem that’d caused him so much grief. To this day, he still didn't understand how she hadn't been decommissioned.

Straightening up, the ivory-haired gem continued down the path, soon losing sight of the other harvester.

 

Within a few minutes or so, Hematite passed by a familiar alcove, and was curious to see that Meta wasn’t lying in her usual spot. Perhaps she was already at the Cove? It was almost… unsettling to see that place not taken up by the giant gem’s resting form.

_Or was she the Hematite that hadn’t shown up yet?_

The service gem pursed his lips to the side and hummed a low note. He carried on for another minute or so, soon passing into a more scratched-up section of the Kindergarten. It looked as though a gem monster had pitched a fit through here, with all the little scores in the walls.

Hema was quickly distracted from the odd markings by a low, powerful voice that carried from a nearby pathway that laid a little down the way.

 

" Nope. C’mon, m eeting time."

The largest Hematite, Meta, came around the corner and turned away from Hema, surprisingly only at her half size. She was carrying the harvester with the odd front tooth over her shoulder. He, too, seemed to be at his half height. Hema blinked in surprise, arching a brow at the two down the path from himself and White. Seemed Meta hadn't noticed him.

The odd-toothed Hematite was draped over Meta's shoulder; despite facing both Hema and White Diamond as Meta turned he didn't seem to notice them either. That or he just didn't care enough to say anything. He groaned in exasperation in response to the larger Hematite's statement.

White Diamond spared an odd look with Hematite, as if unsure if she should say something to the two gems down the path, particularly Hita. Hema considered saying something and opened his mouth to do so, but quickly closed it, realizing the two Hematites ahead of him were a bit preoccupied. Looking down and returning White’s look, he shrugged his free shoulder and continued on, soon catching up to the larger Hematites.

"Afternoon, Meta. And... Hita, was it?" Hema said politely, sparing the two a look. The pink-haired service gem glanced in return, pursing her lips for a moment. She spotted White, brows raising.

"Hey,  Hema . Afternoon, White Diamond."

The lankier Hematite was far less eager to respond, simply lifting his hand up with his face towards the ground.

"Hita, Hematite, whatever you wanna call me," he said, going limp once more. White seemed a little surprised by the weight to the lanky Hematite’s voice, but didn’t point it out. Instead, she composed herself and nodded politely at Meta.

"Good afternoon."

Meta gave the Diamond a polite nod, and the faintest... well. Whatever it was, you could _barely_ call it a 'smile'. However, she didn't waste time in pacing off to the Cove with Hita in tow. Hematite blinked and watched the pink-haired gem leave, shooting his leader an almost-amused glance. The two closed in on the Cove, soon walking through the large entrance.

 

The sky was, thankfully, rather clear today; though that could easily change with such a large group of electricity elementals gathered in one place. Milling about on the far end of the Cove, the eleven Hematites stood in a small group, some chatting, some standing and minding their own business. Out of all the faces, the service gem was surprised to see he recognized all but two of the gathered gems. He could see Meta, Hita, Mago, Tam, Tiny, a gem he believed was called 'Mati', Mite, Hemmi, and Ti, who was standing off on her own. Incidentally, he didn't know the other two Hematites by name or face, as they were normally stationed on other planets. Some of the gathered gems looked anxious, while others looked restless or just straight-up annoyed to be around the others. Hema hoped that this meeting wouldn't end with a lightning storm, with how much some of his kin tended to clash.

 

The smallest Hematite held his head high, glancing at the legion of guards that stood atop the cliff sides, and the smaller service gems that were running to and fro, avoiding the giant gems in the clearing.

Some of the guards standing atop the clearing tensed up upon seeing Hematite entering with the Diamond in hand, but relaxed somewhat as soon as they realized that she was in no danger. White looked out to the crowd, narrowing her eyes and scanning over the group. Just as the Peridot had said, they were all accounted for but one. She was only glad that what she was announcing this time wouldn’t be nearly as world-shaking as the last time she’d gathered all her gems up like this.

As Hematite made his way around the group of giant gems, White spotted the ledge she customarily stood upon when gathering the harvesters. A small group of guards stood atop the ledge, waiting for White to step down. White looked up at her bodyguard, patting his finger.

"Alright Hema, you can put me down there and standby."

The giant gem looked down at his leader, then at the large, cleared ledge that the group usually gathered in front of for meetings. It was quite a ways off the ground, which made for a good vantage point to speak to the Hematites with. Hema could see about ten guards stationed around the ledge, with a Peridot standing by. Walking over, the ivory-haired gem nodded politely to the guards and lowered his hand near the center of the perch, letting White climb off. As soon as she was down, Hematite withdrew his hand and stepped to the side, backing against the wall near the place where his leader and the guards were stationed. Seemed he was the biggest line of defense, should anything get out of hand.

White made her way to the center of the cliff, turning to face the group of Hematites. The subtlest, faintest flicker of anxiety creased her features, but she quickly covered it. She looked at the Peridot beside her and nodded at them. The green gem projected a finger screen in front of her, then raised it up to White's face. Clearing her throat, the Diamond placed her arms behind her and looked straight ahead at no one in particular. When she spoke, her voice was projected by the Peridot's finger-screen.

"Greetings, Hematites. I've brought you all here today to make a very important announcement about an upcoming event,” she called, quickly gaining everyone's undivided attention. The Hematites stared across at their leader, some looking anxious, others looking curious.

"Every so often, Homeworld experiences a rare phenomenon where the moon aligns just right in the sky, becoming larger in appearance and vibrant in color. It's been shown to cause changes in weather, and the behavior of some fauna.We are not sure why, but studies have shown that your instincts are at their peak during this time period.  Though you may not know... the test you took all those years ago, when I chose my Hematite, was during this phenomenon. This event is what we call the ‘Harvest Moon'."

Hema raised a brow curiously, listening to White's words intently without turning to look at her. He stared ahead, keeping his professional demeanor. Well... as best he could in the presence of eleven gems that were far larger than him.

The gathered Hematites were formed in rows with the smallest in front and the largest in back. They all listened intently, and some of the more anxious gems eased up, their expressions softening. What was this about their first test? A 'Harvest Moon'?

Mago pursed her lips, keeping her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She was in the front row along with Tiny and another Hematite that wasn't familiar to Hema. She wore a half-visor over her right eye, much like his own. Her ivory hair was tied up in a messy, short ponytail. Hema could have sworn she had a nick-name, but for the life of him, he couldn't recall it.

Shaking his head subtly, Hema straightened up and continued listening.

"Here is the rundown of how this will work. The Harvest Moon is precisely thirty rotations from today. There will be three events, each more difficult than the last. The third is optional. If you can complete these tasks successfully, you get to keep your ranks. However..." The Diamond paused, her expression stern, her tone harsh. "If _any_ of you should fail your first test... You will have far less job opportunities and be demoted a rank, along with being stationed off-planet, _on your own._ It is a simple task, and I expect you _all_ to perform to expectations. You have had years to hone your skills.”  The Diamond glanced down at the crowd, her eyes narrowing. "I hope all of you are paying attention..." she said sternly, eyeing Mati, Mago, Hita, and the two off-planet Hematites in particular.

Some of the gems, Hemmi and one of the unfamiliar Hematites among them, straightened up a tad and frowned, looking up at the Diamond on the ledge. Hemmi pursed her lips, expression unreadable.

The entire group was silent, everyone now paying full attention.

"For the first task, you will all be doing something similar to what you did during your very first test as Hematites. You will all be given the challenge to apprehend one out of a group of small targets, some of which may be familiar to you. You will have four hours to catch said target. Again, much like you did before. Now. Here's the change. You may not crack, shatter, or even _destabilize_ your target. This is imperative. If you do any of these three, or you fail to capture a target at all, you fail your test. If harm comes to the gem's gemstone itself, you will be severely punished. I don't think I need to provide details on that matter." White continued, her brows furrowed. The Hematites shifted uncomfortably in place. White continued.

"You must bring back your target completely intact and unpoofed. You all must show precision, wits, and caution during this test." She paused, raising her brows with a small smirk. "You must show that you can be careful. That you can be nonviolent when you need to be. Some of your missions may require this of you; I need to see that you are capable of being efficient while still showing _restraint_. "

At the announcement that they wouldn't be allowed to poof their targets, many of the Hematites started to shift nervously, for one reason or another. Meta suddenly looked mildly distressed, while Mago looked curious. Hemmi arched a brow, but otherwise, her expression was still unreadable. Ti looked away quietly, lost in thought. She didn't look upset, per se, but something was bothering her. Hema's brows raised, and he glanced sidelong toward his leader. _No poofing, huh?... Interesting._

"Your second task will begin soon after your first. This is where things get... interesting. Regardless if you pass the first or not, you will be participating in this as well. One Hematite of my choosing will be pitted against the rest of you. You are all to shift down to your civilian sizes and avoid capture at all costs. Their job will be to catch four Hematites in total. It does not matter which ones they catch, so long as they catch four. They will be given four hours to hunt you all down. This test will have no penalty for the Hematite chosen to hunt. However, if they should succeed, they will be given more optional break periods and more scenic recon locations." Pausing again, the Diamond held her hands out in front of her, her palms clasped together neatly. "However, if you should be caught by this Hematite, your harvesting missions will be put on temporary suspension and you will be required to attend special training. I need you all in tip-top shape, especially when any of you can shrink at a moment's notice from exhaustion. If you can avoid being caught by a master hunter, you should be able to avoid anyone.”

Meta's eyes widened, and the pink-haired gem glanced away for a moment, shifting her weight to one leg. Mago blinked in surprise and frowned slightly, a faint flicker of nervousness rising in her chest. Tiny rocked slightly on her feet, a devious smile on her face.

The ivory-haired gem to the side, however, did not share Tiny's excitement. Hair standing on end, Hema swallowed quietly, forcing his professional demeanor to stay. They'd all be shrinking down to be chased? Wasn't that dangerous? What if one of them got poofed? Well... perhaps White had the same stipulations in mind as the first test. No poofing, and no damage to the gem. He could understand White's concern, what with the Hematites shrinking down involuntarily during missions, but he could think of a few gems that this was going to be a problem for...

Himself included.

White turned around for a moment, closing her eyes.

"The final task will be optional, and you will be given one hour to rest before participation. There will be no penalty for failing this test, should you decide to join in. However... If you should succeed, you will be given a slightly higher rank, more jobs, and better opportunities to improve your status." She turned to face the crowd again, her expression unreadable. "You will be sent to retrieve _one_ gem, who will be given a twenty minute head-start. You will have three hours to catch them. They will be an exceptional challenge to catch... in fact, I don't expect any of you to pass this test. You are welcome to try, should you feel up for it." With a curt nod, she crossed her arms behind her back.  "For all three of these tasks, you are to be careful with your targets. Do not poof or damage them. Anyone caught breaking any rules shall be dealt with properly. And, last, but not least..." Turning to face Hema, White looked up at him. "Hema here will be available to you every week to provide lessons for your tests, should you choose to attend them. These lessons are not mandatory, but highly recommended. He will be showing you all how to be careful with your targets."

Blinking in surprise, Hema stood a little straighter, raising his chin up reflexively at being addressed. However, his professional demeanor faltered heavily as every Hematite turned to look at him. Some of them looked annoyed, while others looked skeptical. The smallest harvester swallowed hard, doing his best to meet their collective gazes. However, he couldn't ignore the spike of anxiety that rose in his chest.

He'd be giving lessons on being careful? How was he supposed to teach any of these gems about that? And for that matter, which of these gems would even _accept_ lessons from him?

Turning back to the crowd one final time, White crossed her arms.

"I expect all of you to be at your best during the Harvest Moon. Study up, practice, and prepare yourselves as needed. Stay safe, and remember all of the rules. You will be given a much shorter briefing upon the night of the Harvest Moon to remind you of anything you may have missed during today's meeting. Good luck, everyone! You are all dismissed." As soon as White spoke her final words, the two guards standing closest to her stood a little straighter and the Diamond turned to walk towards Hema.

 

Notably, Hemmi and Mite immediately left, along with the two off-planet Hematites. Mite and the ponytail-wearing Hematite shot Hema rather nasty looks while White wasn't watching, before they headed to the other end of the Cove, far out of earshot. Mago and Meta stayed put, while Ti spared Hema a single, unreadable glance before she walked off toward the exit of the large clearing. She didn't say a word to anyone. Hita looked rather downcast, and scratched at the back of his neck as he trudged off, heading back out of the Cove.

Meta rubbed her shoulder, seemingly lost in thought, her other hand on her hip. She looked troubled. Mago, on the other hand, was eyeing Hema and White curiously, her arms crossed. She kept herself turned slightly away, however, so they wouldn't notice.

The smallest harvester turned his attention to White, but not before noticing that Tam, the ebony-haired Hematite that he'd met two years ago, hadn't left yet. She looked incredibly distracted, though, so Hema tried not to pay her much mind.

He squared his shoulders and walked over to the ledge, standing near it, waiting to see what his leader had to say. As White approached, she smiled.

"Hematite, your job is to make sure that whoever attends these lessons is given a proper rundown on how to be gentler with their targets. I know you are the most capable of doing this, seeing how careful you are when you need to be. You're the most able-bodied here for this particular situation, so I hope you understand why I'm getting you to do this," she said, placing her hands together. "You will have a few gems to choose from that you may use as test targets. Just make sure that they do not get hurt. I'll give you a few ideas on how to conduct these lessons later today."

Hema blinked in surprise, giving a small nod. He felt an inexplicable warmth in his chest at White's words, but he didn't show it, aside from a faint smile.

"Right. I'll do my best, White. Though..." He looked around, eyeing the other Hematites. "I don't believe anyone's going to take any advice from me." Turning back to her, he forced a weak chuckle, putting on a smile for her. White frowned slightly, not taking her eyes off of him.

"Even if no one shows up, you should at least try. Besides, I wouldn't speak too soon. I'm sure at least one will show up." She glared out into the small group of remaining Hematites without turning her head. They wouldn't be able to see it, but she was eyeing them rather suspiciously. "If they're smart, they will..." she muttered under her breath.

Hematite blinked and rubbed his neck, glancing to the side.

"Right. So, same schedule as we've made before? Every seventh rotation?"

The rest of the Hematites that were idling about soon made their ways away from White and Hema, seeing that they were still talking. Meta eyed the two as she turned, her expression unreadable. She hesitated. She started looking around, as if expecting something that wasn't there. After a long moment, she sighed and turned back around, walking over to the two. Hematite looked up at the massive service gem, taking a single step back. She turned to her leader and saluted politely.

"Excuse me, White Diamond... when and where will these 'lessons' be held?" The giant gem kept her arms behind her back, so as not to spook the guards still standing nearby.

White raised a brow, but she seemed glad to see someone at least asking questions.

"Here in the Cove, every seventh rotation from today," she replied, a faint smile finding its way to her face. "Find Hematite here if you would like to participate."

Meta nodded in understanding and gave Hema a thoughtful look, expression unreadable.

"Understood. Thank you. I... think I'll take you both up on the offer, if you'd have me there, Hema."

The shorter service gem blinked in surprise, but managed a small, curt nod.

"Of course. I'd be happy to teach you."

Offering the two a faint 'smile', the pink-haired gem saluted again and dismissed herself, walking off to the exit of the Cove.

 

Hematite watched the tallest harvester leave, raising a brow curiously.

_I wonder what that's all about._

Ah well, that was a week from now. No need to dwell on it at the moment. No, he had something different on his mind, now that he finally had a moment with White without Red or Kyan around.

Turning to his leader, who still stood atop the cliff ledge, Hema offered a small smile and held his palm out for her.

"Shall we head back to the Towers?"

White took a few steps forward, holding out her hand to steady herself as she stepped up in Hematite's hand.

"Certainly. I'm just glad that all went as well as it did..." she remarked, though she couldn't quite say that with certainty. After all, they weren't home just yet. The guards stationed at the cliff side saluted as White left, turning back to be on their way.

Hema frowned slightly, but tried to resume his professional air a moment later. Lifting his hand away from the cliff, he stepped toward the exit of the Cove, keeping an eye on any Hematites he could catch sight of. Nobody seemed to be causing trouble, and nobody had looked incredibly angry during the meeting. Perhaps this whole event would go over smoothly?

The service gem soon exited the large clearing, heading back toward the primary warp pad. Looking around, he made sure none of his kin were within earshot before looking down at the Diamond in his hand.

"White... May I ask you a question about Yellow Diamond?"

Raising a brow, the Diamond looked up to Hematite curiously.

"Yellow? Yes- I can't speak for her if this is where you are going, but... anything you need to know that I can tell you, within reason, I shall," she responded with a small smile.

"I was just... wondering," he started slowly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "You've known her for a long time, obviously. Do you know if there's anything that she likes to do outside of working, sparring, or having tea? I get the feeling she isn't one for nature." If her reaction to the greenhouse had been anything to go by, he felt that assumption was justified. White looked away briefly, staring off into the horizon. If anything, she was rather surprised at his question. Why did he wish to know _that?_

"Well, she probably wouldn't ever tell you this herself but... She likes the stars. Looking up at the sky at night, thinking about space. Wondering how many worlds are out there, looking at all the different constellations. They fascinate her, in a way," she suggested, looking back up to Hematite with a coy smile. Hematite blinked a few times, gazing at the Diamond with a look of undisguised surprise. _The stars? Really?_

"O-oh. I uh." He looked up to the side, pursing his lips. "I never would have guessed she was the stargazing type. Good to know..." Offering the smaller gem a smile, he nodded once and regained his professional composure. "Thank you, White."

White's smile faded into a more curious look, but instead of prying, she figured that she'd just let this play out however it may. Whatever he had up his sleeve was probably none of her business... but maybe she'd hear about it later. As long as they were getting along, she didn't mind either way.

"Not a problem, Hema."


	73. The Wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two Hematites go on an off-planet mission together.

_**Let me tell you a story.** _

_**  
It's not a very long story. In fact, for gems... it's pretty short. Maybe you'll listen. Maybe you won't. Not many gems listen to tales of this sort. They don't care to change their opinions on matters like this; so, they don't pay stories like this any mind.** _

_**  
But I suggest you pay attention. You seem smart.  
You can learn a lot from paying close attention.  
  
I know things. Things that maybe I shouldn't know about. Things that gems probably don't ** _ know __**that I know about. What can I say... there's little else to do when you've been lying around a Kindergarten for years. You start to pick up on things. You start to see sides of gems they don't think anyone sees.**

_**  
But then, sometimes... even when you pay** _ **really** _**close attention...  
All you ever see about someone is what they ** _ **want** _**you to see... What they** _ **let** __**you see.  
  
This is a story... about a wall.**

  
  


  
  


_\----_

_Present day, in White Diamond's office..._

_\----_

 

_Twelve out of thirteen._

 

This wasn't acceptable; more specifically, this was _concerning_.

Pondering silently to herself, White Diamond sat at her desk with a diamond pad in hand. Scrolling through its contents, she held a finger close to her lip. White silently flipped through all of the Hematite's profiles, one by one, in search of a specific gem.

 _Ah, there she is._ Pulling up her reports, sure enough, White took note she hadn't had much activity in the past few months or so on her logs. No reports, no contact, no sightings, _nothing_. She'd been sent to a far-off planet to do some special recon and had never returned. Perplexed, White frowned. She knew she would have to get her to come back, one way or another. Though, she wasn't answering any attempts to get in touch with her. Looks like she'd have to send out a search party. Whether this gem was lost, running away, or worse, White trusted her gems to find her.

It was risky, and she couldn't send any standard squadron out for a Hematite, lest something went awry. That, and the planet itself was notoriously hostile, especially for normal-sized gems. No, she'd need one of the other Hematites. Or, better yet... _two_.

Her brows lowering, she muttered something quietly and skipped back a few files, looking over who she thought would be ideal to send off for this mission. They would need to find them quickly and efficiently, so she searched for higher success rates within the Hematites’ logs. Mati was out of the question, Tiny was too erratic, Hema was too small... She'd need just the right choice for the second largest Hematite's recovery.

White flicked back to Hematite number six and stopped, her brows lowering. The Diamond's free hand fell from her face, nails clacking onto the desk. She flicked a finger, projecting Hematite six's profile in front of her. Then, she swiped forward a few, to Hematite ten. Her eyes quickly scanned through all the gem's information. White nodded in satisfaction. Pulling up the two Hematites’ pictures, she thought for another long moment. _Yes, this will do just fine._ Pushing the pad to the side for a moment, she reached for her communicator and pulled it in front of her.

"Contact Hematite 10 and Hematite 6. Video call.”

Within a few seconds, two hologram screens projected themselves from the device, flickering into view. The Diamond sat up a little straighter now, entwining her fingers together. It took a long moment, but the screen on her left glowed to life, a soft pink hue overlaying the image. The gem on the screen rubbed at her eyes, skewing the video feed for a moment as she lifted her visor. However, quickly righting herself, and the screen, the giant gem saluted and gave a small nod.

"Meta reporting, White Diamond."

White nodded promptly, glancing from Meta's screen to the other, which remained blank. She stayed quiet, awaiting a response from the other with bated breath. _She'd just seen that gem at the Kindergarten, surely they were available._

 

_Kshh!_

 

A bit of static and noise later ,and the other screen lit up as well, revealing a lanky and tired-looking Hematite. They were laying on the ground from the looks of it, rubbing the side of their head and adjusting their visor. Brows raising for a split second, the Hematite gasped audibly and sat up straight, his expression falling back to a neutral, bored look after he recovered his composure.

"Hita reporting, White Diamond."

White raised a brow, but remained unreadable as ever in her serious expression.

"Good morning, you two. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," White said, looking between the two screens. Meta shook her head subtly, stifling a yawn with a rather amusing expression.

"No, my Diamond. Just resting up. Some of the Hematites were sparring in the Cove last night and making a bunch of noise." The pink-haired gem gave a shrug, once again resuming her rather stoic air. "What is it that you need? Does it concern the Harvest Moon event?"

White shook her head.

"No, I have an imperative mission for the both of you," she stated, her tone carrying a slight edge. Hita lifted his chin slightly, but didn't seem to react much more than that.

"What kind of mission?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck. White pulled the diamond pad up in front of the two so that they could see it in the screen. Thumbing through the files once more, she displayed the absent Hematite's profile for them.

"This Hematite has been missing for a while now and has not responded to any attempts to contact her. I would like you two to go and retrieve her for me, if you can. Not only that, I would like you to retrieve her as quickly as you can. It's important that she is here for the event," she said. Meta's eyes widened subtly at the sight of the Hematite on the diamond pad screen. She muttered something to herself, but it was too quiet to pick up on the video feed. For a moment, she seemed distracted. The lankier Hematite shrugged a single shoulder, looking off to the side. He grumbled out a noise quietly, slowly looking back towards the screen.

"Forgive me for questioning your orders, my Diamond, but...." He paused, looking away again. "Any particular reason you picked _me_ to do this?..."

White narrowed her eyes slightly, biting the inside of her lip. With an annoyed look, she tapped her finger onto the desk.

"Because. Despite you being late all the time with your work, you do your work _well_ and you have a higher success rate than most with high-risk missions. Which brings me to why I'm having Meta here go with you; she is normally sent on much more... serious missions, but she, too, has a high success rate... and she's efficient with her work. I figured with you two working together, you could get this done more effectively and stay far safer as a pair... aaaand..." She lifted her head high, glaring up at Hita's screen.  "You need a little more work experience, Hita. You don't get many jobs, and you always take your time with them, so Meta is going to make sure that you don't _slack."_

Hita's shoulders hung a little lower, though his expression didn't change.

"…Do I have to?" he asked, sighing heavily. White's lip twitched, the Diamond rolling her eyes impatiently.

"Yes. You do. And you will. And you will both return before the Harvest Moon event. Do you have any more questions?"

Listening to White's tone sharpen with Hita, Meta felt a small frown tug at the corner of her mouth. Hita remained quiet. He looked away in resignation. Sighing softly through her nose, the pink-haired Hematite nodded once.

"Understood, White Diamond. We'll bring her back before the event. We'll leave immediately, once you send us both the coordinates. Will we be going off-planet?" she asked respectfully.

White brought something up on the diamond pad, typing something in.

"Yes, you will, so be prepared. You will depart immediately. I'll be sending you the direct coordinates soon. Once you have received them, you should take a ship there. I've already scheduled one for you and it should be ready by the time you arrive at the docking station at the White District Sky Port. Thank you both for your cooperation."

"Yes, my Diamond. Thank you. We'll head there right away,” Meta said respectfully. With a salute, the well-built harvester gave a small nod, a serious frown on her face. "Meta, out."

_Kzzt._

Hita saluted as well, his eyes closing.

"We'll return as soon as we can, White Diamond. We will not disappoint you. Hita, out."

_Kzzt._

 

\----

_**I know a few things about the gem known as 'Meta'.** _

_**...'Meta' is a terror: the most powerful Hematite, a force to never reckon with. Almost all Hematites, myself included, know to avoid her at any cost, and for good reason.** _

\--  
 _Some time ago in the Kindergarten, years after Hema was chosen to be White Diamond's guard, before the first Hematite tragically corrupted..._

 _\----_  
  
"You're lucky White Diamond isn't shattering you for this, you useless chunk of carbon!" bellowed a furious Jasper from a ledge in the Cove. She was backed and surrounded by many of her fellow guards, along with various workers who were trying to go about their business in the large Kindergarten clearing. They were all the way on the east side of the Cove, and seemed to be yelling at one of the giant gems that resided in the Kindergarten.  
With a dour expression and defensive body language, the giant, pink-haired gem that'd one day be known as 'Meta' sat with her back to the cliff sides, an arm propped up on a bent knee. She stared ahead numbly, her lip curled into a faint, irritated sneer. She glanced up at the guards badgering her from the floor or the ledges every once in a while, but, for the most part, tried to keep her eyes forward.   
The giant gem wore a single-piece, near full-body suit of a dark gray color, with a singular, large, white diamond insignia in the center of her chest, right below her oddly-shaped gemstone. She also bore elbow-length, lighter-gray gloves and knee-length boots of the same color. The boots were capped with the maroon color Hematites were prone to wear, and had little white patches on the back.  
Rather boldly, another Jasper stepped forward, brandishing their war ax.  
"Yeah! You gems are a menace; White Diamond should be shipping you _all_ off-planet!" she snarled, gritting her teeth down at the giant gem. Meta's eyes widened faintly, and she glared up at the orange warrior, her long, oversized fangs bared. The guards all stepped back a pace, visibly put-off by the gem's sudden anger. She furrowed her brows, expression dark.  
"You keep bothering me and I'll throw _**you**_ off-planet, you lousy excuse for a warrior," she growled lowly, bristling. The Jasper on the ledge scoffed, glaring daggers down at the massive gem.  
"That's big talk from someone who tried to shatter a manager!" she crowed, earning a roar of agreement from the collected guards, and even some workers, around her. Meta frowned defensively and lowered her gaze back in front of her, going quiet. The guards continued to badger her, despite not getting any further sort of reaction.  
They carried on, unaware that, from far across the Cove, they were being watched. Three Hematites stood in the distance, two of them working, one of them off to the side, already finished with his part of the work. The two that were currently chipping away at a large portion of the wall were the two gems known as Mati and Spike. Spike was punching away at the wall with his knuckledusters, which bore thin, short spikes on them. Mati, on the other hand, was whacking at the cliff-side with her club. But... despite them having a job to do, they stopped _very_ often to look over at what was going on across the way, catching wind of what was being said here and there. The Jaspers weren't exactly being quiet, and Meta wasn't hard to hear, even when she spoke lowly.  
With a sharp _crunch,_ a large piece of the stone wall crumbled to the ground, splitting into pieces as it hit the floor. Spike bounced back on his heels and wiped his brow with a quick huff, proudly putting his fists on his hips. He looked over as the Jasper started yelling again, and he raised a brow curiously, a cheeky, sharp-toothed grin on his face.  
"'Ay, Mati! They're _still_ goin' at it over there, huh?!" he half-whispered, nudging the taller Hematite’s arm as he looked over towards the commotion at the other end of the Cove.

The grey-haired hematite twisted her club in her hands, quite obviously eavesdropping on the other gems.   
"Yeah! Apparently big shot over there's getting punished for trying to shatter the Peridot manager... wonder what _that's_ all about!" she said with a mischievous, curious grin. “I didn't think she was that stupid! You don't just attack that uptight techy!”  
Sitting not too far away was the third Hematite. The odd-toothed Hematite, who'd gotten his work done early, had decided to stick around and make sure Spike and Mati would finish their own work. But, in doing so, he couldn't help but overhear some of the gossip going about, or the yelling of the guards not too far away. He kept quiet for the time being.  
 _Still, trying to shatter the manager? What on Homeworld was she thinking?! Why would she do something like that?_

Spike practically bounced around in place, pacing a small circle around the club-bearing gem.  
"Heeey, you think she'll be shipped off?" he whispered to her, still loud enough to be heard by the nearby maroon-haired gem. "That'd free up a lot of territory, huh? Heheheh. Bet you'd looove that, ‘ey, Mati?"  
Raising her brows, Mati tapped her fingertips on her chin curiously. She cooed out a noise of intrigue, suddenly prancing around behind Spike.  
"OOooooh! You're right! That _would_ be a lot of space! Maybe we could even _share_ it! You think she'll get in trouble again? I wonder if she'll wanna finish the manager off after she gets done being punished..." she muttered darkly.

The sharp-toothed gem gasped softly, lowering his head as he rubbed his hands together deviously. His brows furrowed, a grin on his face.  
"Shaaare, you say? Mehehehe, I like the way you think, _bratty Mati,"_ he teased good-naturedly.  "I've always wanted to check out her place at night with ya, but she's almost always there and she chases out anyone who gets even close; trust me, I've tried." He smirked and tapped his fingertips together, a dark look on his face. As he spoke, his words became faster and more morbidly excited. "Mmm, if she goes and gets herself sent off-planet, we won't have to worry about her hovering over our heads anymore or telling us what to do, or interrupting her stupid naps or sparring sessions with-" _Chomp._ Eyes flying wide, the Hematite suddenly shot his hands to his mouth, covering it with a stifled, pained shout. He rapidly tapped his foot in barely restrained, angry frustration. Mati gasped and suddenly _exploded_ into laughter, pointing her finger at the sharp-toothed gem.   
"AAaahahaa! What's wrong, ‘ey? Did you bite your tongue again?" she cackled.   
The maroon-haired hematite off to the side raised a brow curiously, but still remained quiet. He reclined against the edge of the stony wall and stared ahead, deep in thought. Spike continued to angrily tap his foot on the ground at a rapid pace, still covering his mouth. A pained, frustrated groan escaped him before he took his hands away, his tongue sticking out between his teeth.  
"StaaaAaAArRRS, I hate that!" he complained, looking down and poking at the sore tip of his tongue. An amusing whine sounded in his throat.  
"Then perhaps you should stop talking so much," said an icy, calm voice. Spike practically jumped out of his skin as he whipped around to see none other than Hemmi walk around the corner, where she'd been working. The tall, pretty Hematite known as Ti was strolling along behind her, practically on her tip-toes. She peered around the slightly-taller gem, a curious smile on her face.  
"Afternoon, Spike! Did you go and bite your tongue again?" she asked sympathetically, a soft, well-meaning giggle following. Spike turned an amusing shade of pink and crossed his arms, looking away as he puffed out his cheeks.  
"N-nooo! ... Maybe. Okay, yeah. Yeah, I did," he admitted. Ti chuckled and spared Mati a look and a small, friendly wave.  
"Afternoon to you too, Mati! Are you guys finished with your work yet?" she asked. Mati flicked her club over her shoulder, leaning on one heel. She smirked, eyeing the slightly shorter, ivory-haired gem standing beside her.  
"Weeeell, not yet. We overheard some gems barking at uuuh. Hm. Big boulder over there." she said, gesturing her thumb over her other shoulder. Hemmi peered over the shorter gems, raising a brow. It didn't take her long to notice the commotion.  
"Ah, is Meta in trouble again?" she muttered, frowning. Mati made a strange face, as if she didn't recognize the name 'Meta.' Spike, on the other hand, chuckled and went to lean up against the wall, but misjudged how far away it was and fell over. He quickly recovered, dusted himself off, and leaned on it again, clearing his throat.  
"Yyyep, tried to shatter a manager, apparently.~ White Diamond is deciding her punishment."  
Hemmi scoffed faintly and stared over at the giant gem across the way. One of the Jaspers was still yelling at her, and seemed to be getting more aggressive. Hemmi narrowed her eyes.  
"Doesn't surprise me. She's always been prone to violence."

The odd-toothed hematite folded his arms behind his head, glancing idly between the group of other Hematites  
 _She has a nickname? I had no idea...And this isn't the first time she's done something like this?_  
 _Maybe it's best to be wary of that one, then._

Hemmi shook her head, huffing quietly.   
"I hope White Diamond decides wisely on that one. She can't-"  
  
 _ **"YOU KNOW WHAT?!"**_ bellowed a voice from across the Kindergarten. Without warning, Meta suddenly hoisted herself to her feet, turning to glare daggers down at the Jasper. Hemmi and Ti stiffened up, watching intently. Spike perked up as well, his brows raising. With a startled 'eep', Mati scrambled back behind Spike, staring over at where the shout had come from. Everyone fell quiet.   
Furrowing his brows in concern, the maroon-haired gem quickly stood up, but stayed where he was. Meta grit her teeth and pointed an accusatory finger down at the tiny guard, sending them scrambling back into the wall. She was _seething._  
"HOW ABOUT YOU STOP TALKING ABOUT THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT?!" she shouted, sending subtle tremors through the Cove. Spike looked down at his feet, noticing the vibrations. The smallest shiver ran up his spine as he slowly looked back up, brows furrowing in grim curiosity. The gems near Meta were sent into a startled, panicked flurry, and many of them scrambled to get as far from her as they could. She was heaving, her breath coming out in low, powerful growls. "YOU WEREN'T THERE, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, SO HOW ABOUT YOU BACK OFF AND LET WHITE DIAMOND HANDLE THINGS **BEFORE YOU FIND YOURSELF** **BETWEEN MY TEETH!"** she snarled, reeling her fist back. The tiny guards trapped on the ledge shrieked in surprise as Meta suddenly struck a portion of the wall off to the side, leaving a _massive_ crack with an impact that seemed to shake a good portion of the Cove. The Jasper slowly looked to her left, where Meta had struck the cliff side next to the ledge. It wasn't anywhere near enough to be considered a 'missed hit', but it was close enough to be _unnerving._ Meta growled lowly and withdrew her hand, watching as a massive portion of the rock crumbled away from the impact of her fist. Everything went quiet. Nothing but the subtle cracking of broken stone could be heard for what felt like an eternity. Scoffing, Meta turned away and skulked off towards the entrance of the Cove, sparing the group of her kin across the way a quick, dark look. Hemmi narrowed her eyes while Ti hid behind her, squeaking softly. Frowning, the maroon-haired gem turned away, staring awkwardly up at the divets in the wall that he, Spike, and Mati had made. He didn't want to risk making any eye contact with the angry Hematite. Mati, on the other hand, went back to working, nervously whacking away chunks of the wall. Best not to raise any suspicion. Meta quickly made her way out of the Cove, grumbling to herself. Hemmi shook her head, sighing softly.  
"Be careful of that one. From day one, she's been trouble. Came right out of the wall with her hammer in hand... things like this are to be expected, I suppose," she said idly. "No matter, she'll be taken care of accordingly. Come along, Ti. Spike, finish up your work promptly," she said professionally, heading off to some other section of the Cove. Spike quickly did a strange sort of half-salute before he turned around and got to work on the cliff face again, humming a tuneless melody to himself. Neither him nor Mati paid the maroon-haired gem anymore mind.

\----

_Back to the current day, at the White District Sky Port..._

\----

Having shrunken down to her civilian size of about twenty-or-so feet tall, Meta stood before a large, white ship that was stationed at the White District Sky Port. As promised, White Diamond had promptly sent her the coordinates of the missing Hematite's assigned job, along with a few details of what said Hematite had been doing before she went off the grid. Meta had taken to briefing herself on the mission dossier, hoping to glean whatever useful information she could.

For her own sake... she hoped Tita was just ignoring White's calls and hadn't gotten into trouble. Thankfully, White had also sent over the Hematite's exact gem signature. Hopefully that'd make her easier to track, wherever she was. Meta knew Tita could be one to ignore calls, especially when focused on a mission. She could hope that was what this was.

Tapping her foot slowly, the well-built service gem watched a few Axinites and Danburites dash to and fro, checking over the state of the ship before launch. Her hands were idly tucked into a large pocket on the front of her suit that reached across her lower abdomen. Glancing back at the large warp pad that lead into the facility, Meta wondered when, or _if_ , Hita would show up.

Soon enough, a single Axinite made their way over to Meta with a diamond pad in hand, not looking up from its screen.

"Your ship will be ready to depart in five minutes,” they said with a nasally tone, quickly turning to walk away. Seemed they were too busy to stick around. Just after the Axinite had scurried out of sight, the nearby warp pad gleamed to life. Meta watched the Axinite scurry off, raising a brow. She never was too terribly fond of the dusty gems. They were always so snooty and curt.

A figure appeared on the gleaming, blue, crystalline circle. It was Hita, and, despite being late, he hardly seemed to be in any rush to get off the warp and make his way to the docks. He, too, had shifted down to his civilian height of twelve or so feet tall.

Spotting his mission-partner not too far away, he lifted his hand in greetings and made his way over.

"Hey, Meta."

The pink-haired gem stood up a little straighter as she spotted the odd-toothed Hematite. Taking one of her hands out of the large pocket, Meta gave a small wave in reply.

"Hey. Ship's gonna be ready in five."

She stepped to the side so Hita could stand beside her, and returned her hand to her pocket as she gazed up at the vessel. Hita craned his neck to look up at the ship, raising a brow.

"You uh... ever been on a mission like this before?" he asked, his arms drooped beside him, shoulders and back slightly hunched. Without turning her head, the well-built gem shrugged a shoulder and glanced at the shorter Hematite.

"Tons." Her eyes continued to scan over the hull of the small ship, as if checking for any faults. There was a short pause, but she continued with a soft snort through her nose. "I'm usually sent off-planet. How about you?"

Hita looked away, grabbing onto his neck with one of his hands.

"Never been off Homeworld before..." he said quietly.

"Mmm." _So was_ _ **that**_ _why she'd sent them together?_ Meta arched a brow, not turning to look at the other service gem.  "Well. I've been to this particular planet a few times. So we shouldn't get lost. This uh. Should be interesting for you, though."

Hita nodded. The door to the ship hissed open, two service gems saluting from inside. One was the pilot, a Nephrite, also known as a Jade, and the other was a Danburite.

"Your ship is ready!"

Meta perked up slightly, immediately walking toward the ship entrance.

"I hope you brought something to read. This trip's gonna take a while," she said casually over her shoulder, a hint of dry sarcasm in her voice. "Or you could probably just sleep. That works, too."

With a shrug, the service gem stepped up the ramp to the ship, ducking inside to avoid hitting her head. She looked around at the spacious cockpit, noting how the interior to the ship had gotten an upgrade since her last off-planet mission.

Aside from a few supporting struts, the inside of the small vessel was rather open and roomy, with the control panels and pilot's seat blocked off in a separate 'room' at the front of the ship. It wasn't nearly as impressive as the hand-ships in the Yellow District, but this vessel was meant for quick transportation, not for intimidation or holding prisoners.

Meta took note of a Peridot and Danburite at the front of the ship, both gems bearing White Diamond insignia on their suits. Ever since a certain 'incident' with Hema, which none of the other Hematites knew about, ships bearing the harvesters were no longer set on auto-pilot without an on-board maintenance gem. In fact, they rarely had auto-piloted ships at all anymore. Almost all the vessels taking the Hematites to other planets came with personal pilots now to try and avoid accidents in the future.

The large gem made her way to a section of the ship that was relatively clear of anything and sat down, one leg stretched in front of her, the other bent at the knee. She leaned her head back against the metal wall, her eyes drifting half-shut.

Hita followed soon after, glancing around the ship himself. He was careful not to touch anything. So the trip would take a while... hopefully he could get a decent nap in before they arrived. It wasn't like he had much else better to do. Walking slowly over to the wall adjacent from Meta, he looked at the floor, his form slowly losing balance before he hit the floor with a loud, ungraceful thud. Embracing the cold surface of the metallic flooring, Hita groaned and looked over at Meta, straight through her. The impact hadn't fazed him at all.

Meta didn't move an inch aside from lifting her head from the wall, her expression remaining the same for a solid moment. Slowly, she raised a brow, pursing her lips.

"Yep. Iiii've had days like that." Leaning her head back against the metal, she fully shut her eyes, sighing softly through her nose. Hita blinked, his brows raising very slightly. He didn't respond, but grumbled something and rolled over, tapping his tapered fingers onto the slick, metallic floor.

They were in for a long ride.

 

\----

… _**'Meta' stays away from other gems as much as she can. She interacts with others as little as possible and shuts almost everyone out.**_

_\--_

_A few years ago..._

\----

 

"If you'll hurry it up now, we need you at this work station. Would you kindly pick up your pace?" a nasally voice called from atop one of the high cliffs. Sulking down a winding pathway, Hita followed a small group of service gems to his next job. He seemed rather disinterested, though wasn't exactly quiet, either. Every now and then he'd mumble or complain, groaning in response to every order he was given, much to the frustration of the manager.   
He didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry, either.

The group meandered through various confusing Kindergarten hallways, heading every which way as they made their way to a Peridot workstation that needed Hita's assistance. They had some electronics that needed fixing up, and he was the only one with slow enough movements to not break everything. That... and he was their only option currently, aside from...  
 _"Do we need to call White Diamond, you hulking boulder?!"_ squawked a nasally, furious voice.  
The group Hita was with rounded the corner, though Hita was slowly following behind as they hurried on past the scene. The corridor they found themselves in was well-known for being right near a _certain_ Hematite's territory. It held the one entrance to Meta's main, self-proclaimed 'turf', where she'd emerged from the Kindergarten walls years and years ago. None of the other Hematites, aside from one in particular, were ever allowed in there. Unfortunately, that often meant that _workers_ couldn't get in, either.  
There, ahead of Hita, laid the giant gem everyone had come to know and fear, _Meta._ She was laying on her left side, her back to the path, one of her arms being used as a 'pillow' of sorts. A collection of Peridots and other workers stood behind her, pestering her to no end. They all looked _furious,_ but hardly any of them dared to go near her.  
The group that was leading Hita steered clear of the mess, staying on the other side of the path. One of the Peridots near Meta brazenly went up to her and gave her a sharp kick to the shoulder blade, not even earning a wince.  
"We need to get in there, you clod! Get out of the way!" she shouted up angrily. Watching warily from afar, the maroon-haired hematite turned his head slightly, staring blankly at the group, his eyes drifting up to the hard-to-miss figure laying in the path to her territory. His pace slowed further, though he didn't exactly realize it.   
_Was she sleeping? Why was she in the middle of the pathway like that if they needed to get through...?_

Another Peridot came over and squinted, nudging her foot against Meta's back.  
"AY! Can you even hear us?!" she shouted up, earning a murmur of agreement from the other workers. After a short pause, the massive figure sighed heavily, replying quietly.  
"Yes. I can hear you," she said monotonously, her tone low. The green service gem at her shoulder blades scoffed and kicked her _again,_ making _sure_ to hit the same spot.  
"Well _GET UP,_ then! You can't stop us from working in there!"  
"You're not scheduled to work in here until tomorrow."  
"So?! You have no right to keep us out, you great waste of space!" she shouted.  
Subtly, Meta tucked her arms a bit closer to her, though it was hard to tell if she was being defensive, or if she was getting _angry._  
"Just leave me alone," she said quietly, her tone unreadable.   
"Ugh!! Stars, it's like talking to a-!" The Peridot scoffed and got ready to kick her again, but she paused, blinking. After a long moment, she suddenly laughed, as if thoroughly amused with herself. "Nyeheheh, aaah right, my bad!" She turned to her fellow workers with a snide grin. "Sorry everyone, I forgot! There's no point in arguing with this thing!" She lifted one of her floating fingers up to her nose, snubbing it smugly. "That's not a gem, it's a _wall!_ Silly me, how could I forget?"  
The other workers busted out laughing, some of them chiming in and quickly catching on to the undesirable nickname. Meta didn't respond.

Hita narrowed his eyes, but his expression remained relatively unreadable.   
_Well, that was unprofessional._ _They could at least try talking her into moving without all the kicking or name-calling._  
"Hey! I said pick up the pace, bucktooth. Keep it moving." the manager called back. Hita glanced quickly back at the manager, but kept his gaze on the massive gem blocking the pathway. He sped up, trailing behind them without a word.

\----

_Back on the ship..._

\----

Meta fell asleep for some time- how many hours or days, she couldn't say. Eventually, however, a little 'turbulence' woke her up. Opening her eyes unevenly, she blinked, squinting out the window nearby. _Ahh. Asteroid belt. That explained it. Seemed they'd gotten past the worst of it, though._

The pink-haired gem turned to where Hita had been when she’d fallen asleep, raising a brow.

Hita lay perfectly still on the ground, unmoving even as the ship was rattled. Meta couldn't see it, but his eyes were open, staring at the section of the ship wall in front of him. He'd remained like this since he had originally laid down. The only sound he would make was the occasional quiet sigh through his nose, but that was the extent of it.

For a moment, Meta's expression faltered, but quickly returned to its usual, neutral state. A certain gem's words flashed through her mind, making something in her stir. She inhaled slowly through her nose, shifting slightly in place.

"Hey. You up?"

Hita's head shifted slightly, turning towards the other service gem.

"Yeah." He muttered quietly.

"..." Slowly, the pink-haired gem withdrew her hands from her pocket, crossing her arms over her chest. She pursed her lips for a moment, then looked away. Hita blinked, but otherwise seemed unfazed. The two sat in silence for a long minute, but, just as the odd-toothed gem started to look away...

"So, one time I was sent to do a harvesting job on this planet, and it seemed like a pretty straightforward job." Meta pursed her lips, shrugging one of her shoulders. "But nobody bothered to mention that my mission led me straight through wild Mica territory."

Ah yes, Mica, one of the most territorial wild gem creatures known to gemkind. Even at only a foot or so big, with huge teeth and bushy tails, they were quite the formidable foe... when gathered in groups of twenty or more, as they usually were.

Hita's brows raised once more, and he stared right at Meta. For a long moment, he was unresponsive. But, rolling over completely to face her, he moved his arm under his head. Resting his chin on his forearm, he continued to look at her, unmoving.

"… Sounds pretty bad. How'd you handle it?"

_Alright, so she'd gotten him to move; that was a step in the right direction._

"I didn't." With a single, weak chuckle, the service gem stared ahead, out the front window of the ship. "They got pretty mad that I was stomping through their hunting grounds, but they also didn't want to mess with me directly at my full size." Meta's lip curled into a forced-looking smirk, her teeth just barely visible for a moment. "So. Wanna know what ended up happening?" She paused for effect. "… I kid you not- swear on White Diamond- I had a swarm of over fifty Mica trailing after me for three months while I was on that mission."

Hita blinked again, his hand clutching at the floor slowly. By the look on his face, he didn't look terribly interested in Meta's story. Then again... he always looked like that.

"That's rough. Did they mess with you much after that?"

"Yes. Yes they did." The pink-haired gem rolled her eyes. "Any time I woke up from a nap, they were usually pretty close-up, like they were trying to plan some sort of ambush, but every time I'd wake up and move, they'd scatter. But they did this every time I napped. But no, here's the best part." The service gem gave a soft, forced laugh. "So, I get to the actual harvesting part of my mission, right?" She sniffed once, glancing at the gem on the floor. "Mica are a bit more spiteful and intelligent than I gave them credit for."

The lanky gem grumbled and rolled over, sprawled out on the floor, now looking up at the ceiling

"What'd they do?" he asked, staring at nothing in particular.

Meta paused for a long moment, tapping her fingers along her upper arm.

"They kidnapped one of my targets in the middle of a battle."

Blinking, Hita slowly turned his head to look at Meta. For even the briefest moment, he looked genuinely perplexed.

"… How?"

"Those things are very good at carrying things away in a swarm," she stated simply, arching a brow. She narrowed her eyes at nothing in particular. "Very good."

Hita raised a brow, his face more or less expressionless.

"Heh." Slowly, Hita put his arms on the ground and pushed himself up, turning himself to face the other service gem. He sat down, leaning against the wall adjacent to Meta.

"So did you... finish that mission?"

Meta raised her brows at seeing Hita finally sit up.

"Yeah, eventually. I chased down the swarm and found my target gem stuffed into a tiny cavern in some crystals. It would have been almost amusing if they hadn't had a bunch of scratches on them from the ordeal. So I finally shooed all the Mica off and got the last target out of their bind before heading back to Homeworld." Shrugging once, Meta looked away, her expression unreadable. "It's one of my favorite missions to talk about, but most people aren't around m-... my area of the Kindergarten long enough to tell them about it, so."

Hita lifted his chin up slightly, his neutral expression unchanging.

"Do you like having someone to talk to?... he asked, his voice a little quieter than it had been before. He draped one of his arms over his legs, propped up on his knee.

Quiet for a long moment, it almost seemed like Meta hadn't heard the smaller gem's question. She continued to stare out the window, at some other planets in the distance. Slowly, she inhaled through her nose, letting the breath out after holding it for a good few seconds.

"Yeah."

Glancing away for a moment, Hita didn't say anything more. The two sat in silence. Hita reflected on how he preferred to be away from others, but perhaps that didn't apply to everyone. He gazed out the window as well, stars glimmering out in the distance. Worlds he had never seen stretched out for light-years around them; the thought that each star and planet out there held its own story was haunting to Hita, yet alluring at the same time. Space has a way of making you realize just how small you are in the world.

A long stretch of silence drifted between the two. Meta listened to the quiet hum of the ship, and her eyes slowly drifted shut after a few minutes. Her breathing was slow and even, and almost seemed oddly... 'measured'. Every now and then she'd tap a finger on her leg, the same amount of counts each time. Four. Then Seven. Then Eight. Repeat. She said not a word.

It was Hita who eventually, hesitantly, broke the silence.

"Maybe... maybe I could come visit you every now and then. If you'd like. Listen to your stories more..." Hita looked down at his hand, his fingers tapping against his leg. "I'd like to hear more someday."

The pink-haired gem finally perked up, turning to look at the smaller Hematite sitting on the floor. If one looked hard enough, they'd see the faintest gleam in the normally-stoic harvester's gaze, but it passed quickly. Meta shrugged and gave a soft, weak-sounding chuckle, her impressive fangs once again visible for but a moment.

"Hm. Well..." She looked out the window again, hiding her smile. "I've got plenty of them. They're not nearly as good as that one, though," she stated with a hint of dry sarcasm. Hita clutched his legs close to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"I'd still like to hear them. I'm sure they're pretty good. I'd share my own sometime, but I dunno if you'd care too much for them." He glanced away, taking a deep breath. "No one usually cares what I have to say, so. I dunno if you'd be interested,” he said heavily. Meta's brows raised in surprise. Her smile faded quickly, and she frowned in concern, not turning to look at the other gem.

… _Stars, Tita, you were right about him being in bad shape._

"… Well, I'd like to hear any stories _you've_ got. It gets boring in my corner of the Kindergarten. So." Turning to the smaller Hematite, Meta tilted her head, her expression oddly unreadable.  "I'll listen to whatever you've got to tell."

Hita glanced back up at Meta, though it was hard to tell what he was thinking. His arms clutched a little tighter.

"Huh.... You'd be the first, then. I'm not exactly the most... interesting gem, ya know," he said, sighing too quietly for Meta to notice. "But I wouldn't be opposed to talking... every now and then, if you wanted." He looked away again, his brows lowering a little. "Not like I've got anything else to do most of the time."

"Hm... I don't know, Hita." She turned her attention back out the window. "We're Hematites. I'd say we're pretty interesting by default." Shrugging with a soft sigh, she suddenly leaned back, stretching her arms over her head. Her voice came out oddly strained from the effort as she continued. "But, yeah. I'd like that. Need to have something to do in the downtime between missions. And you don't seem so bad, so I wouldn't mind having you around." She rested her hands in her front pocket again, leaning her head back on the wall with a long yawn, accidentally showing off her rather impressive, oversized fangs. The other, smaller service gem couldn't miss them. Looking down, he raised up one of his fingers to his own tooth, tapping it gently.

"… Do you ever get people messing with you about your teeth?" he asked, looking down at nothing in particular. Upon seeing Meta's impressive chompers, it wouldn't surprise him.

_Ah, there it was. Guess he was bound to point them out some time. Everyone always did._

"Hm? What do you mean, exactly?" Meta looked over at the smaller gem, raising a brow. Hita looked away very briefly, his brows furrowed slightly. He almost looked self-conscious, but his face was so unchanging that it was impossible to tell.

"I mean... do you ever have gems making comments about them? Do you think they're nervous around you because of them?" His gaze didn't meet hers. A soft scoff escaped the pink-haired gem. _Gems? Nervous about her teeth? Was the sky blue?_

"Yes, I do. But that's the point, isn't it?" She glanced to the side, expression unreadable. "Most gems are smart enough _not_ to comment on them after the first time. Gems that _know_ me, at least. I can't tell you how many mission targets have made remarks on them." She shrugged. Hita didn't move.

"Funny, everyone seems to _know_ me by mine."  It was uncertain what he meant by that, or how he felt about it. Finally, he looked back to her, his brows raised once more. "I guess it's not so bad. It's a defining feature, anyway. Just... some seem to think it’s more silly than anything..."

"Mmm." Meta raised a brow, lost in thought for a moment. It was hard to tell what she was thinking. "I'm sure I'd be known for mine if they were seen more often." _After all, she did make it a point to hide them._ "Well. I think they're interesting. Do they help with your missions?"

Slowly, Hita looked back at Meta.

"Depends on the mission... Generally, yes." He said quietly, lowering his arm back over his knee.

"Then I wouldn't call it 'silly'," she stated simply, staring quietly at the smaller gem. "As long as it doesn't impede you, then I don't see a problem with it." Meta was quiet for a long moment before she shifted her legs, both of them now stretched out in front of her. "Mind if I ask you something?" 

Hita's lip twitched slightly, but that was about all he did. Blinking, he pulled his leg closer with his hand.

"Go ahead."

For a second, the other Hematite hesitated, as if she had suddenly lost the words she'd wanted to say. Everything she wanted to ask about him suddenly left her, and she was left wondering if she should ask anything personal about him at all. She had reason to be mildly concerned, and yet at the same time... she didn't know this gem. This was the most they'd spoken since they'd popped out of the ground, and they were on their way to a potentially dangerous mission.

Meta quickly decided that now wasn't the time to be asking for Hita's life-story.

 

The service gem paused for a moment before she shifted in place again, pursing her lips.

"What do you think about the new rules for the Harvest Moon?"

Hita thought for a moment, tapping his fingers on his knee.

"Hm... I'm not sure... I'll be honest; I'm not sure if I can do it." He faltered, his expression falling for a moment. He suddenly looked worried. "I wasn't able to complete the first test we were given... and now, if I don't complete this one, I'm not sure what will become of me. I don't exactly have the best reputation as a worker, and if White is dead-set on sending failures off-planet..." he said, trailing off.

Meta's expression fell as well, and she glanced to the side, sighing through her nose. She already knew Hita hadn't passed the first time around, along with Tam and three other gems; HT, Tae, and the late Spike. She didn't know how they felt about not being official harvesters. It seemed as though it bothered _this_ gem, at least.

"I'm sure it won't be too bad. Maybe less harvesting missions, more destruction jobs... I don't know." Looking away from the smaller Hematite, Meta furrowed her brows, suddenly looking concerned herself. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter. "But whatever happens, I'll probably be right there with you. There's no way I'm passing."

Frowning, Hita looked up to Meta and clutched at his knee.

"I think you can do it," he said simply. He wasn't certain as to why she thought she couldn't.

"No, you don't get it. I _physically_ can't do it." The larger Hematite withdrew her hand from her pocket, staring at her palm solemnly.  "… When you have nothing but destruction and shattering missions... it doesn't exactly prepare you to be 'careful'. And I don't know if I can even learn how to be. I don't know my own strength, and I'll fail the test if it gets away from me like it always does, and worst of all I just-...” Meta stopped, her lips drawing tight. She suddenly looked self-conscious and turned away, her hand resting limply on her stomach. When she spoke again, her voice was strained. “I just. I can't stand the thought of someone getting hurt because of me."

Furrowing his brows slightly, Hita looked away. A strange, meaningful look crossed his face, as if he were suddenly lost in deep thought at Meta's words. Frowning slightly, he shook his head, trying to think of a reply to her previous worries.

He didn't really get put on too many harvesting missions, either, and when he did, he wasn't sure if ‘careful’ could be a term used to describe him. Then again... he hardly had the opportunity to test out being gentle. Relocation missions weren't common. He was usually used for destruction in the Kindergarten, or for hauling stuff around. Hita looked up at the bulkier gem, one of his brows furrowing slightly.

"Then we should practice."

"...Yeah,” Meta agreed softly. “You. You think those 'lessons' that White's Hematite is going to offer will help?" She looked up from her hand, gazing at Hita with an unreadable expression. She seemed nervous, but vaguely hopeful that there may be some chance that the two of them could abide by White's new rules. Hita lifted his chin slightly, raising his hand up to scratch the back of his neck.

"I guess it's worth a shot. I mean... It  _ is _ White Diamond's Hematite. We saw what he was like during that first test... his target was fully intact. Maybe we can learn something from him..."

Meta pursed her lips, shrugging and putting her hand back in her pocket. By her expression, it seemed Hita's statement made sense to her.

"Yeahhh. But. He's also the smallest. He might just. Not be strong enough to poof targets. Who knows." She looked up at the ceiling, huffing quietly. "But I guess you're right. He's our best shot, either way."

She turned her attention back toward the front window, brows raising as she realized that their destination may be closer than she had thought. She was starting to recognize some of the neighboring planets. Hita shrugged, his gaze drifting up to the ceiling.

"We're all so big to normal gems, though. Even as small as he is.... He still has a lot of strength, I'm sure. Just look where he is now. If he couldn't do his job properly, I'm sure White would have had him decommissioned a while ago," he said, turning his head to look out the window. Raising his brows slightly, he watched the vast expanse beyond them. He wondered what it was like out there. Meta suddenly stood up, stretching with a soft sigh.  
"Yeah... you've got a point." She yawned again before shaking her head, putting one of her hands back in her pocket. "We're almost there. You ready?" Looking down at the smaller Hematite, she took a step toward him, offering her hand. Hita craned his neck to look up at the bigger service gem, inhaling through his nose. Reaching out his hand, he took hers and hoisted himself up.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess. Let’s just get this over with so we can go back home and I can take another nap..."

"Hm... Yeah, no kidding." Letting go of Hita's hand, the pink-haired gem stepped over toward the pilot's room, staring out the window at the planet looming in the distance.

_We're coming, Tita. Hold out just a little longer, wherever you are..._ She frowned silently, her fists clenching in her pocket. _And please... please be okay._

\----

  
_**...'Meta' is huge, hungry, a ruthless Harvester. Being in her way means death for any unfortunate gems in her path. And those that dare pester her may likely share the same fate.** _

\--  
 _A few years ago..._

  
\----  
 _Gleam!_  
A civilian-sized Meta appeared on the Kindergarten main warp pad, startling a few nearby Peridots. She had her hands in her pocket, her face towards the ground. She made haste off of the warp pad and down the stairs, shifting up to her full height as soon as she was out of the way of any workers. She sighed heavily, huffing her bangs away from her face.  
She'd been gone for a solid four months on her last mission. Nobody had heard from her, nobody had seen her, and yet, nobody dared invade her territory while she was gone. They'd long since learned not to do such a thing.  
Meta trudged on down the path, her expression tired and unreadable. Her footsteps echoed through the Kindergarten hall as she made her steady way toward her territory. Along the way, she passed by a long, straight path that contained a plethora of strange, flat-topped rocks. Flat-topped rocks that a certain Hematite was very fond of napping on. Meta didn't even seem to notice Hita as she passed by the cluster of ledge-like stones, and she kept walking. However, about halfway down the path, she sniffed once to herself and seemed to wilt, a soft groan escaping her. Not a moment later, a tall, lithe Hematite with jet-black hair came around the corner, tapping on a screen projected in front of her from her visor. It was Tam. Perking up, the ebony-haired gem quickly trotted over, but kept her distance from the larger Hematite. She seemed absolutely _starstruck_ upon seeing her.   
"Oh, hello Meta! Good to see you back! How was your mission?" she asked, folding her arms neatly behind her back.

Meta frowned and sighed heavily, starting to walk past the gem. She didn't reply, and kept her hands tightly folded in her pocket. Tam's expectant smile faded as she watched the larger Hematite pass by. She huffed, quickly following behind her. Lifting an index finger, another fascinated grin spread across her face, and she forced a chuckle.   
"E-excuse me! Ah, maybe I was too quiet. How did your mission go, Meta? You were gone for so long! I'd love to hear about it if you have time to tell me!" 

With a low, short growl, the service gem turned around, glaring grumpily at the shorter Hematite.  
"It went _fine._ Why do you care?" she grumbled, turning and pacing forward a bit more quickly. Tam squared her shoulders, tensing noticeably. Her smile faltered for a moment, but she didn't avert her gaze.  
"O-oh, I'm just curious as all! I mean, I've never heard of a Hematite who's left the planet for four months before. What sort of mission was it?"

The well-built gem frowned and looked back again, fully turning to the smaller Hematite.  
"It was a harvesting mission. Shatter on sight. I just had to shatter over two hundred gems over the course of four months on some ruined planet; now if you will _please_ excuse me, Tam, I feel I deserve a _rest."_ Her tone was low, irritable, and grumpy. She had huge, dark circles under her eyes. _She looked_ _ **exhausted.**_

Tam's expression completely fell, her eyes widening. She fell quiet, taking a few steps to back away from the taller gem.  
"O-oh, um. I'm terribly sorry, then. I'll let you sleep." she said, her once-enthralled tone having dropped into barely-masked anxiety.   
Hita, who both gems had _assumed_ was sleeping not too far away, opened one of his eyes to peer over at the pink-haired Hematite. He remained silent so as not to alert either of them. He soon closed his eye again. _Meta's statement sent a vague chill up his spine. Two hundred shatter-on-sight gems in four months? That was no small feat, even for a Hematite. That was_ _ **brutal.**_

Meta huffed and looked away.

"Thank you," she grumbled, turning back around and making her way away from the black-haired Hematite. She was soon out of sight, and well on her way to a well-deserved nap.

 

\----

_Current day, on Hita and Meta's target planet..._

\----

_Ksssssssssk!_

The ship touched down, hissing as it landed upon the docking station. Their arrival had, fortunately, gone smoothly. After a minute or so, the ship powered down and the door whirred open. A metallic walkway jutted out steadily from the door, touching the floor of the landing pad below. The ship appeared to be perched on a tall landing-pad with a long staircase leading up to it from the planet floor.

After another minute or so, Hita stood at the doorway looking out to the planet below. He froze in place for a moment, taking in what little he could see already.

The ship dock laid about fifty-or-so feet off of the ground, with a large staircase leading down to the planet's surface below. The docking facility itself was small, and there didn't appear to be much civilization nearby. If one squinted, they could see a distant spire on the horizon; one of many that were stationed on the planet.

The planet that seemed to be almost entirely made of crystal.

Light reflected dazzlingly off of the 'plant life' that laid densely across the surface below, casting bright spots of color on the docking station and the ship that rested upon it. Huge, crystalline structures that resembled trees stretched far above the docked ship, reaching to the sky with gnarled branches, odd-looking vines stretched between them. Bright crystal 'droplets' glinted in the afternoon light, hanging delicately from the vines. The closer one got to the ground, the denser the crystal lifeforms grew, creating a thick layer of shining flora. Many of the lifeforms resembled what little 'nature' was left on Homeworld, but they bore luminescent, almost translucent, forms. Wildlife scurried here and there, spooked by the ship touching down.

Meta slowly walked up behind the smaller service gem, gazing out at the beautiful landscape.

"So. What do you think."

Hita stared out upon the horizon, his lips parting ever-so-slightly. Taking a single step down onto the ramp, he gazed around, regarding the planet in awe.

"This place is...." He paused, taking in more of the scenery. "Pretty..."

"Mmmhm." Meta trailed after him, taking in the familiar sights of the land around her. _Hm. Seemed this place had really recovered well from her last visit._ "Tita and I love this place. It's my favorite planet that I've visited so far..."

Hita stepped down off of the ramp onto the docking station itself, looking down at the ground.

"I can see why..." he muttered quietly. Soon after he'd spoken, the Peridot that was on their ship quickly scurried up to the door and saluted.

"We shall remain here for as long as you need. However, we _are_ scheduled to return within two weeks, so please be as quick as you can,” she stated.

Meta glanced back over her shoulder, nodding curtly.

"Understood. We'll be back as soon as possible." The service gem looked down at Hita before she headed quickly down the station staircase, hands now at her sides. "We'd better get moving. Tita's mission was pretty far from here; it might take us a few days to get there."

Hita nodded in understanding and turned to face the opposite direction of the ship. The ramp whirred back up into the vessel and the door hissed shut, leaving the two service gems to walk in silence.

Meta walked down to the planet's surface, glad to see that the main path leading away from the docking station hadn't been completely overgrown. Some creeping plants had invaded the large, flattened path that Meta had cleared out last time she was here, but it generally looked the same.  
"Alright. First thing you need to know about this place." She turned to the smaller service gem, giving him a serious frown. "It's infested with crystal shrimp and stuff like it." She arched a brow, giving him a look that said _'I'm sure I don't need to say anything else'._

Hita turned his head to look at Meta for a moment, but looked back out to the path.

"Greeeeat," he said sarcastically. _Alright, be wary of the wildlife. Got it._ Placing a finger to his visor, he adjusted the gemtech and narrowed his eyes slightly. With a quiet whir, it glowed a little brighter. "Let's get going, then..."

Meta nodded once, turning back to the path. Without touching her visor, she activated it, frowning seriously.

"Let's."

The gem's form began to glow, and she started down the path, slowly shifting up to her half size. She wanted to move as quickly as they could, but she also knew she'd get worn out fast if she shifted to her full height. Whirring softly, the harvester's hunting visor pulled up a small map, marking their destination with a large diamond insignia.

Hita watched as Meta made her way down the path, following after her and shifting up just under his half height. Pulling up his own map, he picked up his pace to where he was able to keep up with her. As they walked, he glanced around, taking mental notes on everything that they passed. He'd never been off Homeworld before, so everything here was a new experience for him. New knowledge. A new adventure.

Glancing to her side, the pink-haired gem gazed ahead, looking up through the gnarled branches of the quartz trees.

"Oh, and another thing... we're only going to be able to travel during the day. We'll have to camp out and wait out the nights."

Raising his brows, Hita looked up at the significantly-larger gem.

"Why is that?" he asked. He assumed it was to preserve their energy, but he couldn't be positive if it was for that, or, another reason. She seemed to know it far better than him, after all.

"Well, one, we both need to rest. You do not want to revert to your civilian size around here. Two..." The gem turned her attention up to the sky, frowning for a moment. "You don't want to move around at night. There are quartz rays that go on the hunt around that time."

Hita looked back to the path ahead, quietly inhaling.

"Good to know..." he said, though his tone tried to mask the fact that he had no idea what quartz rays were. But, by Meta's tone, he knew they probably weren't good. Were they native to Homeworld? If so, he'd never read up on them, nor had he ever run into one as of yet. He didn't fancy breaking that streak.

Meta continued on, as if she'd caught Hita's subtle uncertainty.

"They're somewhat unique to this planet, as far as I know. They're these huge... how do I describe them." She frowned and drew her lips tight. "They can hover, and they drift around at night and look for stuff to eat. And all I can say is, I don't know how big they usually are because it varies... but I've seen one that dwarfed me."

Hita's expression faltered for a moment, his eyes darting up to her again.

"That's uh... kinda big," he said. _Alright, so definitely keep on the down-low around here. Got it._ He wouldn't want to run into anything like that, especially if it made even Meta look small. _What kind of creatures was this planet housing?_

"You think? Thankfully, they exclusively come out at night, so we're safe right now. And then, of course we've got other creatures, too, but the crystal shrimp and the quartz rays are the only things we really have to worry about." She nodded once. "As far as anything else you should know... hm. Don't worry too much about breaking anything. This place grows back a lot faster than you'd think. We're likely going to cause some damage around here. It's not a big deal. Oh. But don't eat anything here. Bad idea."

The smaller of the two lifted his head a little, gazing up at one of the quartz trees. From the looks of it, some of its branches were snapped off, sharp pieces of it jutting from the ground below. They were grown-over with other plant-life.

"I take it you've tried before."

"Yes. Sapphire berries are not as tasty as they look. Or sound." The larger service gem squinted at nothing in particular. "I couldn't talk for a week."

Frowning, Hita leaned over slightly, slouching as he walked.

"Alllright." Quietly, Hita made a note to himself, placing a small warning on the planet's description in his visor's database.

_Dangerous plant life. Take caution._

"Aside from that, there's not much I can think of." With a single nod, Meta tucked her hands into her front pocket, staring ahead. Slowly, they crested a hill, soon standing at the top. Out in the distance, massive rises of crystal peeked from the horizon like huge, curved teeth. They resembled mountain ranges. There were a few Homeworld spires stationed here and there, scattered over the vast landscape. It seemed that almost the entire surface of the planet was overgrown with the odd, crystalline wildlife.

"Alright. Tita went on a recon mission out there." she stated simply, motioning to the huge rises of crystal in the distance. "We can get there in two days if we keep moving at this pace... hopefully she's still around there. Otherwise, we're going to have one heck of a time tracking her down.”

Hita reached the top of the hill a few moments after Meta had spoken, looking out to the horizon. He hoped that all the contents of this planet wouldn't interfere too much with their radars. _Still... possible danger or interference aside, he couldn't deny that it was gorgeous here._

"Then let's keep going. The more tracks we make now, the less we'll have to do later, I guess," he said, looking down at the steep slope before them.

"Mhm."

Without another word, the taller Hematite made her way down the hill, heading straight for the heart of the large 'forest' before them. This was going to be a long walk.

–

–

After hours and hours of silent walking, the two gems had covered a considerable amount of distance toward their coordinates. They hadn't run into any trouble thus far. Various creatures had taken notice of the two gems, but none dared to approach them. The landscape looked rather similar, no matter how far the Hematites went into the wild, aside from the plants getting taller the further they went. It was all just as beautiful and foreign as it was by the docking station.

But now... instead of the surface of the planet dancing with bright blues, purples, and yellows of all different shades cast from the crystalline plant-life... the world slowly was plunged into warmer hues. Reds, yellows, and oranges spread across the planet's surface, casting beautiful light into the facets of the quartz trees. And, while the sight was beautiful... it could only mean one thing.

 

_Night was approaching._

 

_\----_

_**...'Meta' doesn't care about other gems. She's only out for herself.** _

_\--_

_A few years ago..._

_  
\----  
  
_ The maroon-haired gem lounged over a ledge with his arm hanging off the side. He stared off at nothing with a hollow expression. He felt drained and unable to move very much. He didn't even seem to be _all there,_ mentally, if the look in his eyes was anything to go by.  
  
 _"That's not what this is about, you clod!"_ _  
_ _"Did you just shove me?! Why I oughta..."_ _  
_ _"Oof- HEY! Cut it out, Jet! I'll be informing the manager of your incompe- WOAH!"_ _  
_  
Hita lifted his head slightly upon hearing a rising, angry commotion nearby. It seemed one of the Alabasters had gotten into a bit of a squabble on top of the cliffs with one of the Jet soldiers. He'd only caught the tail end of it, though, it seemed.  
 _  
_ _"If you push me, I push back. You got that? I'm sick of how you pristine snobs look at me and my group! Keep your prissy little hands off of me."_ _  
___"Well if you would sodding PAY ATTENTION..."

  
  


_Thud. Thud. Thud._  
Heading through the same path that Hita found himself lounging in, Meta held her head low, gaze trained on the ground as she watched her step. It didn't take her long to pass by the maroon-haired gem, nor did it take her any time at all to hear the commotion up on the cliff side. As she walked along, she glanced up, raising a brow curiously to see if she could spot what was going on.

_THUMP!_   
The Alabaster went flying to one side, violently thrown by the Jet warrior. They didn't seem to pay the massive Hematite any mind. With a fierce growl, the Jet cracked her knuckles and walked aggressively towards the Alabaster.  
 _"You've got a lot of nerve talkin' to me like that, you little pebble!"_  
  
Hita's brows raised slightly, as did his head.  
 _She was right near them. Wouldn't she say something to stop them? Or at least try to break it up?_

The giant gem spotted the Alabaster as they were sent flying, and for a _brief_ moment, she paused, stopping entirely in her tracks. She stared up at the two silently.

The Alabaster was the first to spot Meta. They trembled in terror, though it was uncertain if they were scared of the Jet, or _her._ The tall Jet warrior, who had their back turned to Meta, placed a foot over the Alabaster's chest.   
_"You shove me again and I'll be shoving your gemstone into the dirt. You got that?"_

Visible to only Hita and the terrified Alabaster, Meta's expression actually _softened_ for a moment. She opened her mouth, as if to say something... but quickly closed it and turned away hesitantly, continuing down her path. Her shoulders rose a bit, her face no longer visible to anyone in the path as she headed for her territory.

Hita's brows furrowed slightly, his gaze drifting from the pink-haired gem to the squabble on top of the cliff.   
_She could have done something. She could have_ _ **said something.**_ _But she didn't. And yet, he'd caught the change in her face. He couldn't tell what that was about; and he wasn't going to ask, either._  
Waiting for Meta to leave completely, the maroon-haired gem propped himself up at last and grunted.   
"Hey. You, Jet. Leave that gem alone; go on now. You've got somewhere to be, don't ya." he mumbled just loud enough for them to hear. The Jet turned sharply around, clenching their fist crossly.   
"Excuse you?! Mind your own business, ya freak-tooth monstrosity!" the gem barked back. In her distraction, the Alabaster managed to scramble up, sparing Hita an almost thankful look before bolting off in another direction, far away from the Jet warrior. Hita grumbled something under his breath, slowly returning to his position draped over the ledge. He didn't have time to mess around with this gem, nor did he care. As long as they weren't fighting, and as long as no one was getting hurt, he wasn't going to bother, especially not with a Jet being involved.  
 _Had Meta gotten involved in the first place, maybe the fight wouldn't have escalated quite into what it had. It would have ended early. Stars only knows where it would have gone if_ _ **Hita**_ _hadn’t spoken up. She just didn't seem to_ _ **care**_ _enough to say anything..._

_\----_

_Back during Hita and Meta's mission, sunset..._

_\----_

  
  


Hita's eyepiece chirped every now and then upon spotting a few creatures that scurried to and fro. He managed to ignore them for the most part, but as he'd noticed the time of day drifting, he started to tense.

"Hey," he said, holding out his hand for a second. "I think we should find somewhere to stop for the night..."

Meta had already taken notice of the setting sun, and frowned seriously, snorting quietly through her nose.

"Right. None of the spires are close enough to get to... let's see if we can find a hangover to hide under or something." She had already started looking around, her visor checking for signs of unwanted wildlife. "Tch. There might be some shrimp around here." Rubbing her forehead, the bigger gem growled lowly in frustration. "Great. Just what we need." The service gem picked up the pace, heading for the mountains in the distance. The closer they got to them, the more likely it'd be they'd find a cave or something to bunker down in. As she walked faster, her gait was less even and careful, and she snapped a few branches here and there as she rushed past the quartz trees. "If I remember right, there's an alcove a few minutes ahead!"

Then again, the last time she had been here was over a year ago... she just hoped it wasn't blocked off or overgrown. Hita looked up at the sky, or rather, whatever sky he could make out. The crystalline branches draped high up overhead, thickening as they waded through the dense, gem-like foliage. Sure enough, the more they walked, the more Hita started to hear noises. Small, quiet chatterings of gem creatures. Just as Meta had said, Hita started to spot the unnerving, poisonous creatures here and there, slithering over the branches and trunks of the trees.

"Careful..." he whispered, noticing that they were becoming more and more frequent the denser the foliage became.

Meta started to notice the creatures as well, her eyes widening. Sweat formed on her brow as the poisonous creatures became more and more frequent the further she ran, forcing her to slow down. Even at her massive size, one shard from a crystal shrimp was a big problem, and posed a serious threat if she were to get scratched.

"Tch... alright, I'm not risking it."

No sooner had she spoken, the service gem began to glow, shifting down to nearly her civilian size. Hita's eyes widened subtly as he stared down at the now-tiny gem, compared to him. It was odd to see Meta smaller than him, to say the least. She was a lot more bulky than he was, and probably less agile, so it made sense for her to be smaller to try and navigate the dense foliage. But he didn't want to take any chances, either. He absolutely knew the dangers of crystal shrimp.

With a brief glow, he shrank down to his own civilian size a few moments after Meta did. This way, it was less risky for them to run into any of them. But they were also more vulnerable to other things, should they be caught.

"How much further until we reach the alcove?" he asked, keeping quiet as they ran.

Meta kept a steady, brisk pace, her eyes darting around to keep on the lookout for any shrimp that might be a bit too close. Her visor was able to catch the individual signals, alerting her to their presence, but she was more worried that one might drop into their path from one of the huge, crystalline trees.

"Just a little further ahead..." she replied in a hushed tone, frowning. _At least... she hoped it was._

 

Soon enough, the forest began to thin out, and opened up to reveal the base of the expanse of jagged mountains.

"Okay... hm."

Looking around, Meta frowned, trying to recall where the entrance to the cavern was. She looked behind them, grimacing. The sun was about to set entirely.

Hita gently pressed his lower lip against his tooth, keeping an eye out both above and below them. Thankfully, none of the creatures had gotten in their way. _Thank stars they weren't an aggressive species._ He eyed the mountainous region before them, lifting his arms behind his head casually.

"Okay, so, not judging your sense of direction or anything, Meta, but uh... I don't see anything..." he said, looking up at the sky again.

"Well, you _should_ be judging it because I can't find it..." she murmured quietly, her voice flat, yet slightly tense-sounding. Looking around, Meta scratched her head, thinking hard about what the cave had looked like. She knew there was a large chip in the cliff side right above it, but that could have easily filled itself in... Growling softly, the larger gem scanned the cliff sides before her, quickly making her way around a corner that was partially hidden by plant life. After a moment, she gasped softly. _There!_ The service gem rushed over to a huge, crystalline wall, hurriedly pushing aside some overgrown brambles.

 

"..." _Oh no_.  "It was right here. The entrance was right here." Gritting her teeth, she slammed her fist on the hard surface. _Nothing_.

Hita stood behind Meta, staring over at the wall that she'd made her way to. His heart sank, but he still wore a steely frown on his face.

"Come on, Meta, maybe there's something else out here. If anything, maybe we can find somewhere to hide out of sight." He said, adjusting his visor. Turning, he glanced carefully up the walls.

 

 

_Rrrrrrrurururu_

 

 

Meta stiffened, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end at the low, rumbling gurgle that sounded nearby.

"… We don't have time."

The last light of day slowly faded. Gradually, the forest to the left of the Hematites started to glow, different plants and creatures lighting up the beautiful crystalline structures and forms. Meta didn't move.

 

_**Rrrrrruuurrrrrrhh** _

 

 

Hita's brows furrowed, and he stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he turned his head to look at the forest near them. He had a bad feeling about this.

"What is that noise..." Taking a step back, the odd-toothed gem held his breath. Hita's visor clicked, scanning the area. Even though the dark was settling in, they were still illuminated in the soft glow of the terrain around them. It was as beautiful as it was ominous.

"Shh."

 

Slowly, a large cluster of quartz trees shifted, less than a hundred-or-so yards away. The gurgling sound from before sharpened into a low thrum as a massive, almost translucent, form rose from the forest. It closely resembled a gem creature that could be found back in the aquarium on Homeworld, with huge, stretching 'fins' and a long, almost thorny-looking tail that drifted out behind it. It bore a pair of prominent 'feelers' at its front, right below which... was a giant, barely-opened, bright-blue eye. Toward the center of the creature, one could distinctly make out a chunk of gem that appeared to be its center. It was just visible, even amongst a dazzling array of star-like patterns that adorned the creature's underbelly.

The huge gem creature drifted up from the forest, climbing its way into the air with a low thrum. It seemed to be waking up... if its single, squinted eye was anything to go by.

Meta felt her body go cold. It was even closer than she’d thought. She'd stopped moving, her hands still on the wall. But, despite the massive threat looming overhead, her eyes were locked on the smaller service gem, only occasionally darting to the huge creature drifting lazily over the nearby trees. It seemed to be circling.

"Hita. Don't. Move,” she breathed.

Hita froze in place, his head craned up to look at the massive beast that hovered overhead. His eyes widened slightly, both mesmerized and unnerved. He stayed silent, frozen in place. But, they couldn't just stand there, could they? Despite his gut telling him to run, he didn't. Meta knew this place better; maybe it wouldn't see them.

For a moment, the quartz ray almost seemed like it was going to head the other direction, slowly turning its gaze away from the mountainsides. Meta relaxed slightly, slowly slumping her shoulders. _Okay, good. If it went out to the main forest, they'd be fine, right?_

But her hope was short-lived.

As the giant creature passed a particularly high quartz tree, a group of noisy crystal shrimp caught its attention, chattering and grumbling as they munched away at the crystal branches.

 

_**RrrrRREEEEEEEEE!** _

 

Without warning, the seemingly-lethargic creature turned on a dime, its huge eye opened wide, casting a bright light on the crystal tree and its inhabitants. A massive mouth suddenly appeared near the monster's feelers, revealing rows of dangerously-sharp teeth. The quartz ray 'latched' onto the crystalline tree, breaking various branches off as it quickly snapped up the poisonous creatures without a second thought, sending a chilling screech through the surrounding area as it crunched them up in its jaws. Hita tensed up, his brows raising. _Well that wasn't good_. Swallowing nervously, the service gem clenched his fists slowly.

While the monster was occupied, Meta slowly, carefully, made her way closer to Hita, summoning her weapon as silently as possible. The larger service gem clutched the handle of her weapon, an odd mix of a hammer and a pickax. She didn't take her eyes off of Hita's back...

Where a single crystal shrimp was latched onto his suit.

Hita could sense Meta approaching behind him, and had caught the tell-tale flash of her summoning a weapon. Her shadow loomed over him, making his eyes widen nervously.

"Meta... what are you doing..." he whispered as quietly as he could. He didn't dare turn away from the monstrous creature that loomed dangerously close to them.

As carefully as she could, the larger gem reached her weapon forward, lining it up with the creature on Hita's back.

"...”

Slowly, she lifted the hammer-like weapon, eyes locked on the poisonous shrimp.

_**WHACK!** _

Without so much as glancing Hita's back, Meta managed to dislodge the creature, sending it flying toward a nearby section of cliff. It hit the rock surface hard, letting out a horrendous, high-pitched shriek.

 

Which immediately drew the quartz ray's attention.

 

The massive monster perked up from the crystal tree it was perched on, a large section of the gnarled branches completely gone, along with the crystal shrimp that had rested there. Its eye locked directly onto the nearby Hematites, its large pupil constricting as it locked onto its targets.

 

 

"… I think we should go now," he said quickly, locking eyes with the monstrosity before them.

 

_RrrREEEeEEEE!_

 

Before Meta could so much as move from behind Hita, the quartz ray launched off of the crystal tree, making its quick way down toward the currently-tiny service gems. The light from the creature's huge eye eerily illuminated the entire area surrounding the two Hematites, bathing them in vibrant blue light.

A blue light that almost drowned out the bright pink light that suddenly flashed from behind the maroon-haired Hematite.

 

_**T h u d** _

 

The massive creature let out another rumbling thrum as it closed in. Its long, barbed tail flicking angrily behind it, the quartz ray shot down toward the smaller Hematite, completely focused on Hita.

 

_**W H A C K!** _

 

Hita held out his arms in front of him instinctively, bracing for an impact that never came. With a sickening screech, the huge monster reeled back, crashing into a section of the nearby forest.

Glancing quickly from behind his arms, he watched the quartz ray thrashing about in disoriented frustration. Slowly, he looked up, only to notice that Meta had shifted up, and was now towering above him at her full height.

Meta's visor whirred aggressively, glowing bright pink in the low evening light. She stifled the low growl that tried to rumble in her chest. She didn't want to attract any more of these creatures to their location. The massive gem quickly crouched down, putting her hand on the ground, her eyes locked on the thrashing creature nearby.

"Climb on."

Without a second thought, Hita wasted no time in hopping up onto Meta's palm. Though, instead of staying on her hand, he nimbly latched onto her arm and crawled up onto her shoulder, gripping easily at her suit. Once he made his way up, he turned around to face the quartz ray just beyond them.

Meta glanced at the smaller gem in surprise, though it was hard to tell with her visor blocking out her eyes. Glad that Hita was, relatively, out of harm's way for the moment, the massive gem clutched her hammer tightly in her hands, glaring at the quartz ray as it finally righted itself. She glanced sidelong at the wall where the cavern used to be, getting an idea.

Screeching loudly, the monstrous creature shot back into the air, eye locking once more onto the gems below, though this time it seemed to be specifically focused on Meta. Foolishly, it dove down again, its horrific mouth parted in a loud, frustrated cry. The giant gem wasted no time in giving the creature another good THWAK with her hammer, sending it flying off further than the first time she’d hit it. Immediately after, she suddenly turned to the huge, crystalline wall, bringing the pickax side of her weapon crashing against it.

_CRACK!_

A huge fault formed along the crystal, a sickening shudder dully echoing in the cavern behind the thick wall.

_CRACK!_

Meta grit her teeth, putting all her energy and focus into breaking down the wall.

Which, unfortunately, distracted her from the fact that more quartz rays were closing in on their location from the forest.

 

Hita carefully held onto Meta's shoulder, clutching the fabric near her neck as she swung her weapon. Ear-splitting cracks rang through the air, crumbling crystalline rock clattering harshly against the ground below. However, it didn't take him long to notice that the quartz ray they had been fighting previously now had backup.

Glowering, Hita looked out to the forest.

"Pick it up, Meta! We've got trouble!"

"What?!"

Looking up, Meta froze for a moment, eyes widening. _Oh_.

A group of about six smaller quartz rays were making their way closer, their huge eyes scanning the forest as they closed in on the racket made by their thrashing kin. Gritting her teeth, the massive gem twirled her weapon around, slamming the blunt side into the crystalline wall. It shuddered, almost giving way. However, as she reeled the huge hammer back for a final strike, one of the quartz rays dove for her, biting onto the end of her weapon. Another one wrapped its barbed tail around her arm, pulling it sharply away from the handle of the hammer.

Hita's eyes narrowed, and, with blinding speed, he raced down Meta's arm, his hands glowing a bright pink. Without a word, he launched himself onto the smaller ray, digging his claws into its tail. With a bright flash, coursing pink electricity shot through the ray, making it screech and writhe in pain. It let go of her arm, and Hita steadied himself. He knew that had probably zapped her as well, but it least it wouldn't hurt her nearly as much. The tiny gem leapt off, landing ungracefully on Meta's gloved forearm.

Meta blinked in surprise, her arm tingling faintly from Hita's attack against the quartz ray. However, now that her arm was free, she latched back onto her weapon.

"Brace yourself, Hita!"

Hita nodded and scurried back up Meta's arm, reattaching himself to the cloth over her shoulder.

The instant the smaller gem was back on her shoulder, Meta reeled her weapon back, smashing the pickax side into the wall, along with the quartz ray still on the end of it, shattering it instantly. She didn't bother even looking for the pieces to bubble, as the crystalline wall was already crashing down around her hammer, burying the shards. She didn't need them anyway. The thick wall now bore a hole big enough for the huge service gem to slip through, and she rushed in after making sure none of the other quartz rays were locked onto her. Her weapon vanished in a show of bright pink sparkles, and she hopped inside, sending pieces of crystal tumbling to the floor as she did so.

Hita steadied himself again as they entered the cavernous hole. Looking behind them, he could still hear the faint screeching of the quartz rays. That had been far too close.

"Do you think we lost them?" he whispered, turning back to face forward.

Meta didn't stop, even as she approached a more narrow part of the caves.

"Those things need to be able to see to hunt. As long as we stay in here for the night, we'll be fine." Closing her eyes, the service gem shrank down to her half height. Hita held his arms out from his sides slightly as Meta shifted, but was careful not to slip. She turned to look at the smaller gem on her shoulder, her visor dimming so Hita could see her eyes. "… Thanks for getting that thing off of me."

He nodded, his brows raising.

"And uh... thanks for saving me," he responded, looking away for a moment. It was pretty dark in this cave, but as long as they had their visors, it wasn't impossible to see. There was some sort of comfort in knowing that Meta was grateful for anything he did, but he couldn't describe it. No one had ever thanked him for anything before, really. Not genuinely, at least.

"No problem." Meta gave the smaller Hematite a quick nod before she looked around the cave, curious if anything else had changed since she was last here. "Hm. Seems this place is clear. We should be safe for the night."

Slowly, the giant gem slumped against the cold stone of the cavern, slouching into a sitting position. She leaned her head back against the rock wall, closing her eyes with a sigh.

Hita, though normally he would have slid off by now, found the huge harvester's shoulder to be far more comfortable than a cold, crystalline floor. Yawning, he slumped over Meta's shoulder, crossing his arms under his head. They'd be stuck here until morning, but at least he was resting.

Meta opened one eye for a moment, glancing at the gem on her shoulder.

"..."

The tiniest hint of a smile crossed her face before she closed her eyes again, yawning quietly. _Alright... better get some shut-eye._ They were going to be here a while; might as well take advantage of it.

After a few minutes, the giant gem dozed off, keeping her visor on to scan for gem signatures, should anything wander into the cave.

_\----_

_**...'Meta' doesn't even seem to care about her own kind. There are so few of us... and yet the news of one of our own kind being shattered didn't even seem to faze her.** _ **  
\--  
** _About twelve or so years ago... after the unfortunate events leading to Spike's untimely corruption..._

  
\----  
  
 _Strange... White's never called all of us in the same place since that weird test. What's going on?_  
Frowning, Meta looked around the Cove. Tita, the Hematite with a forehead gem and a curved, slight buck-tooth was at her side, her fingers laced with Meta's, their hands clasped together subtly. They stood at the back of the group of assembled Hematites. The gems were arranged into four rows of three, by shortest in the front to tallest in the back.  
But what was strange, was... _they'd been ordered to shrink to their civilian sizes, and were completely surrounded on all sides by legions of guards._ Even some _fusions_. They were, granted, only same-gem fusions such as four-Jasper fusions or five-Ruby ones, but still. None of them had ever seen such a collection of gems in the Kindergarten, much less when all of them, even Tae, HT, and Tita, who were usually stationed off-planet aside from occasional visits, were collected in one spot. Meta looked around at the Hematites standing around in front of her, milling about and muttering among one another. She couldn't help but notice that... between Mago and Tae, there was an empty spot. She furrowed her brows, trying to remember who usually stood there.  
 _… Wasn't it Spike? Where_ _ **was**_ _that chatterbox? He'd been gone for a few weeks now, hadn't he?_  
Tita leaned her head on Meta's arm, pursing her lips curiously as she looked around.  
"Mmm, what do you think is going on, Meta? Does White do this often?" she mumbled curiously, looking up at the much taller gem with an inquisitive, open look. Meta glanced sidelong at the gray-haired gem, gently squeezing her hand.  
"Not really, that I know of," she mumbled, shrugging her free shoulder. The giant gem turned her attention up to the ledge before them, wondering silently when White would even be getting here. There was a large ledge covered in guards, all ready for her, but there was still no sign of their leader.

A few of the Hematites muttered amongst one another with increasing agitation and worry. What was all of this? Why were they here? Some looked to be drawing conclusions already, while others watched the guards in a curious manner. _Unfortunately, whether they were assuming the worst or acting aloof... nobody was prepared for what they were about to hear_  
There she was. White Diamond herself, finally walking up to the front and center of the ledge. A few of the Hematites noticed immediately and took a more professional stance. However, for _once,_ their leader didn't match their nature, much to the concern of some.   
In fact, White looked to be visibly _distressed_ over something. Her eyes were wide, peering quickly around the group of accumulated gems. They may have been at civilian size, but she was preparing herself for the worst. This announcement hadn't gone well the last time she delivered it, after all.  
 _Here went everything._  
As White stepped forward to the front of the ledge, a massive holo-barrier formed in front of her, blocking off the Diamond completely. Many of the gems started at the sudden appearance of the holo-screen. They muttered quietly among themselves, staring up at the Diamond with confused, curious looks. Tiny rocked back and forth on her heels, her hands clasped behind her. Mago stood with one hand on her hip, her usual cocky demeanor diminished slightly by her growing curiosity. Tae, a smaller Hematite with ivory hair and a short, scruffy ponytail, kept looking over her shoulder at Tita and Meta, sparing the gray-haired Hematite an unreadable look. She covered it up by pretending she was looking around, though she tried to keep her eyes up on her leader. HT, a Hematite with long, pointed fangs that poked down out from her upper lip, stood professionally with a curious frown, tilting her head. She quietly scuffed her foot on the ground, not saying a word. Hemmi and Mite were chatting quietly, but settled down when White went to speak up.  
Meta, on the other hand, frowned deeply at the sudden appearance of the holo-screen. _What was that for?_ Tita tensed up as well, squeezing Meta's hand quietly.  
"...What's going on?" she muttered, earning a soft 'shh' from the taller, pink-haired gem. She watched White intently. Hita stood with his hands folded behind his back, staring silently at the screen, and- ultimately- his leader. He narrowed his eyes with faint worry, twirling his fingers behind his back.

  
"Hello, everyone." she started, running her palms together nervously, "I'm afraid I have some... _terrible_ news."

Mati glanced down at the empty spot next to her, swallowing quietly. She looked back at White, shifting her weight from one foot to another. Whatever White was about to tell them, Spike would be missing it. She'd have to fill him in later.   
Tam on the other hand, seemed _expectant_ at first, but her once-eager expression softened into a far more worried look. _Terrible news?_ She looked around quickly, taking a single step back.  
The Diamond bit her lip, grimacing. She looked to the side for a moment, hesitant to speak. When she did, however, her voice was surprisingly loud and clear with forced professionalism.   
"Your fellow Hematite, Hematite twelve, or as some may know as 'Spike', has... **corrupted."**

Tiny stopped rocking on her heels. Hemmi went silent, as did Tae, HT, Mago, and Ti. Tita gasped softly, covering her mouth with her hand. Meta's eyes widened subtly, but then returned to normal, a deep frown on her face. Tita leaned on her quietly, her free hand moving to grasp the edge of Meta's glove.  
"N... not Spike. Oh, stars, Meta, what do you think happened?" she asked in a hushed whisper, sparing her a glance. Meta didn't reply.

Mati seemed the most distressed out of _any_ of them. Her breath caught in her throat, her hand shooting up to her mouth. She glanced back at the empty spot, then back at White in sheer disbelief. Small tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She looked away.  
 _But White wasn't done._  
"And that isn't the only bad news I have, I'm afraid." the Diamond started again, this time looking out _past_ the crowd of Hematites She looked pained, _guilty_ even. She sighed, forcing herself to continue, and forcing herself to regain her professional composure. She hesitated, lowering her face towards the ground for a moment...  
\----

_Back on the crystal planet, after a peaceful rest..._

\----

It took them less time than they'd expected to travel what they had deemed a considerable distance from their starting point. With a few extra hours at hand than they had anticipated, Meta and Hita had found themselves nearing their destination at last. Fortunately, they hadn't run into too many problems along the way. A few run-ins with the local wildlife here and there, but nothing enough to sway them from their path.

Hita paid particularly close attention to his visor as they closed in on their target area. As soon as they got close, he'd perform a few scans to see if he could pick up Tita's gem signature. Throughout the majority of their travel, Meta and Hita had remained quiet unless they had to communicate something. At least they seemed to work well together so far.

The two service gems both stood at their half heights, currently climbing a rather large rise to what should have been Tita's mission destination. Meta heaved herself up the last bit of the steep slope, staring out in surprise at the sight that greeted her.

"Whoa."

The hill that the two gems had been climbing stopped abruptly about a hundred feet away from where Meta stood, clipping into a sheer drop that lead into the biggest Kindergarten that Meta had seen in a long time. She knew this planet had been used partially for gem production, and that there were Kindergartens here and there, but this one seemed to stretch on for miles into the distance, at _least_ five times the size of the Kindergarten that the Hematites stayed in back on Homeworld. Probably more.

Giving a low whistle, Meta crossed her arms, frowning at the massive expanse of barren landscape before her. If Tita was still anywhere in here... It was going to be difficult to find her. The two Hematites had no idea how deep this Kindergarten went, nor how far into the labyrinth they would have to travel to find their kin.

Standing straighter, the pink-haired gem glanced at her visor's map, sighing through her nose.

_Scan._

...

..

_Whirrrr_

_Click!_

Frowning, Meta stared at the signature that laid far, far into the maze of huge rock walls. Sure enough, Tita's mission location was somewhere smack in the middle of the maze of cliffs.

Walking up behind Meta, Hita stood with his arms to his sides, scanning the horizon.

"Do you think she got lost in there?..." he asked, his visor following the same procedure as Meta's had done. It was a good thing they had been given Tita's exact gem signature, otherwise this would have been immensely harder.

"No. I can't really see her getting lost. I wonder if she got poofed... and her gemstone got stuck in something." she pursed her lips, slowly shaking her head. _Unless she finally... No, she’d promised that she wouldn't._ "It's not like her to ignore calls for _this_ long... Sure, she'll pass them over sometimes, but she always replies later. And if this was just a recon mission, she should have been able to do that easily enough." The taller gem carefully walked over to the edge of the hill, checking for any sort of steady path down to the Kindergarten. There didn't seem to be any. Sighing, Hita peered over the edge of the cliff, staring down into the steep pit below.

"Well, we have to find her one way or another... Just... be prepared for anything, alright?" he said, kneeling down and placing his hand on the side of the ledge. With one heave, he launched himself over the edge, sliding down the wall. His fingers dug into the sheer crystalline face, creating a loud screeching sound as he descended.

The taller gem watched Hita carefully, arching a brow as he landed at the bottom of the large slope. _Huh, those things came in handy, didn't they?_

Looking around once more for a smooth way down, Meta pursed her lips. Frowning, the pink-haired gem looked at her hands, squinting thoughtfully.

"… Hmmm."

With a bright glimmer, the service gem's arms suddenly glowed with a pink light, shifting slightly in form. When the light died down, Meta stared at the new massive, claw-like fingers on her hands. Leaning down, she dug her hands into the cliff wall, following after the shorter service gem, her claws scoring deep gouges in the stone.

Hita peered up at Meta, taking a few quick steps back to allow her a place to land safely. Turning away as she neared the bottom, Hita stared out at the Kindergarten. Meta shook her hands out after landing, knocking some rocks loose from between her fingers. With a bright flash, her form returned to normal. The giant gem turned around, looking out at the massive chasm ahead of herself and Hita. Putting her hands in her pockets, Meta started down the chasmic path, looking around at the myriad of holes in the towering walls.

Hita kept a close eye on each and every one of the holes. Thankfully, this place seemed relatively abandoned. Occasionally he'd see a glimpse of a small gem creature, but they would quickly scurry back within the dark confines of the holes. He picked up his pace, but stayed behind Meta.

 

The two gems walked through the Kindergarten for what felt like hours before the path started to slope downwards, leading to the deeper parts of the gem production site. Then, both their visors chirped, catching 'sight' of Tita's gem signature within five miles of their location. Meta's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat as she stared at the gray splash of color. She's still here. Oh stars, she's still here. The giant gem rubbed her forehead, slowing her pace. Hita seemed mildly relieved too... though, as soon as he found the same results as Meta, he frowned. If she was still here... then why wasn't she responding to any attempts to contact her? Why hadn’t she finished her mission? How come she hadn't returned? None of it sat well with him, and he felt something terrible gnawing at him within the pit of his stomach.

Both the gems, without so much as exchanging words, slowed their paces until they stopped. They both followed the same pattern. They looked at their visors, waited for the extended scan to refresh after a few minutes, and then checked the gem signature's location. It hadn't moved. The two gems looked at each other, a serious frown on either of their faces, and they carried on, silent.

Meta frowned deeply as they continued forward, the slowly-cooling air making her hair stand on end. The further they ventured into the Kindergarten, the colder and staler the air became. She finally broke the silence as their visors refreshed again, showing Tita's signature had, in the past few minutes, still not moved.

"Either she's sleeping, or her gem is stuck somewhere..."

The vague anxiety brewing deep within the shorter of the two was steadily rising with each passing step. The longer they went on down their path, the more wary he became. What kind of gems were grown here, he wondered. His thoughts were cut short by Meta's statement, and he lifted his hand to his visor, moving it up slightly.

"Only one way to find out..."

Meta frowned, looking nervous.

_Right..._

A flare of dread made the taller Hematite's stomach turn but she pushed on, determined to track down the missing service gem.

_You’d better just be taking a really long nap, Tita._

-

-

The two gems ventured deep into the Kindergarten, the walls soon so high above that they cut off most of the light from the surface. Meta looked around as she and Hita rounded a corner, their visors faintly lighting the path ahead.

 

 

_Crunch_

_Crunch_

 

A faint, deathly sound echoed through the chasms, sending a shiver up the pink-haired gem's spine. Hita stopped dead in his tracks, refusing to take another step forward.

Something didn't feel right. Furrowing his brows, he slowly looked around, scanning the cliff sides looming over them.

"Meta..." he whispered, tensing up. He'd definitely heard that. What was that? Silently, he ordered his visor to perform a closer-proximity rescan. It chirped and narrowed down to a two-mile radius, scanning the area far quicker.

_Whirrrr_

_Click!_

Strangely enough, Tita's signature still hadn't moved. However, it was much sharper now that they were nearby. It seemed her gemstone was just around the corner, relatively speaking. With how huge this Kindergarten was, 'around the corner' could be a far cry from 'down the hall'.

Meta stopped as well, but suddenly shifted her weight from foot to foot, as if impatient.

_No, they couldn't stop now, she was so close._

"… I'm going to go check it out," she said quickly, her tone hushed. She turned the corner, taking a few bold paces down the dark chasm. She could see a faint light in the room at the end of the massive path, dimly-glowing crystals shining in the darkness of the deep canyon.

Hita didn't want to stay too far behind, lest they got split up. He followed quietly after. _Well, at least she was close._ Maybe they could see what was up and, assuming everything was okay with her, they could transport her safely back home. But first they needed to find her, one way or another. Keeping a close eye on the walls, he listened carefully for any more strange noises, but nothing came.

The corridor took a good few minutes to traverse. It seemed everything had quieted down... until the two gems got about a hundred-or-so yards from the large, dark room at the end of the chasm. The closer the two got, the more apparent it was that the dimly-lit space was far bigger than they ever could have predicted.

 

_**C r u n c h** _

_Scraaaape_

 

Meta stopped dead in her tracks, her visor having caught the faintest bit of movement in the center of the crystal-lit clearing, near a rather huge quartz spire that jutted from the floor at an angle, up into the wall of the Kindergarten. It had to have been at least three hundred feet in diameter, and stars only knew how tall... There were chunks of it missing here and there, and from what Meta could see... there were claw and teeth marks scoring various patches of the towering crystal.

Taking a single step forward, Meta narrowed her eyes, peering closely at where she'd seen something move moments before. _Was something... there?_

 

**Crick!**

 

The giant gem inhaled sharply, looking down at a piece of crystal she'd shattered underfoot. Suddenly, panicked shuffling sounded from the right side of the quartz spire, and a large, dark form darted behind the huge crystal. Hita trailed after Meta silently, arriving a little too late to catch sight of anything out of the ordinary. His visor scanned the area once more.

Not much changed. Tita's signal was the only one for miles...

And it had moved just slightly.

Meta felt her breath catch in her throat, though she remained silent. Her visor, too, had refreshed.

But she didn't want to believe what it was telling her.

The worry was back, and stronger than ever. Clenching his fists, Hita took a bold step forward beside Meta, squinting into the darkness of the cave. He remained quiet, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. _Well... there was no use in standing around. They had a job to do._

 

"Tita?..."

 

No reply.

 

_**Crunch** _

_**Scrape, scrape** _

Swallowing, Meta stepped a few paces into the cavernous room, heading for the crystal spire.

"… Tita? Hey." She furrowed her brows. No response. "Titaaaa. Come on, quick slacking off. We've gotta get you back to Homeworld. White's not happy that you're ignoring all your calls."

 

_Skitterskitter_

 

"!! .... T. Tita?"

Hita's brows furrowed in surprise, and he straightened up, no longer slouching.

"Tita,” he called sternly, an edge to his voice.

 

_sssk sk._

Raising his head up, Hita stepped forward again, but still remained behind Meta.

_Something was wrong..._

 

Meta boldly picked up her pace, checking behind the crystal spire for the shadow she'd seen moments ago.

… Nothing.

All she could see out of the ordinary was a large hole in the ground, near the base of the quartz, scored with a myriad of claw marks.

"What on Homeworld..."

 

_sssk_

 

The sound suddenly came from a different direction, behind the two service gems. But before Meta could react, something huge and heavy tackled Hita and launched him away with a powerful kick, sending him flying a good distance away before it scurried back into the shadows with a low hiss.

Stifling a yell, Hita skidded into the ground, digging his claws into the crystalline floor to slow his tumbling. _What was that?!_ Coughing, he got quickly to his feet, his gem glowing. Within seconds, his gemstone projected a wide, pink ray of light in front of him.

"Hita! Are y-. .."

Meta stopped mid-sentence, her breath sticking like a shard in her throat at the sight of what the smaller service gem's light illuminated.

 

Plastered against the wall, haunches raised, was a huge, almost rat-like gem monster with long front claws and a long, light-gray 'mane' that covered half of its face. Six bright, wide eyes stared at the two gems in anger and fright, the fur on the back of the creature's spine bristled into messy tufts. Sharp, stark-white teeth glinted in the light of Hita's gemstone, along with the creature's impressive back claws. A stout tail thrashed angrily behind the gem monster, thumping loudly against the stone wall.

And there, in the middle of its forehead, laid a silvery gemstone.

 

Meta stood, frozen, her eyes wide.

 

_Whirrr_

_Click!_

 

Gem Found: Hematite

Aliases: Titan, Tita, Tough Stuff, Jade-Crusher

Status: **CORRUPTED**

Mission: Relocate

 

Hita's brows raised, his visor clicking. It, too, scanned.

 

Gem Found: Hematite

Aliases: Titan, Tita

Status: **CORRUPTED**

Mission: Relocate

 

As Hita sharply stepped back, a small target appeared on his visor's screen, honing in on the creature that took refuge in the back of the room. His eyes widened in undisguised horror, his jaw dropping open slightly. His entire form tensed up, frozen in petrified disbelief.

_No._

_No, that couldn't have been one of_ _**them** _ _._

_That couldn't be_ _**her** _ _._

But it was. And he knew it. The visor didn't lie, no matter how much he wanted it to. Tita, somehow, had gotten corrupted. Tita, the very gem that he’d actually managed to talk to every once in a while, even to the point of sparring with her on-and-off, was there in front of him. Twisted into an unfixable monstrosity with no warning. An awful, freezing chill shot up his spine, his body leaning back slightly. As terrible as this was, as sick as it made him feel...

 

_They still had a job to do._

 

But Meta... Meta didn't care about the 'job' anymore.

"Tita... Hey..." Slowly, Meta took a step forward, her tone as low as it always was. "It's alright. It's me, Meta... Boulder-arms... You recognize me, right?"

The creature bristled, taking a few sharp steps backwards, baring her teeth up at the service gem. Hita gasped quietly, holding his arms out swiftly.

_"Meta! What are you doing?!"_ he whispered loudly, baring his teeth with rising horror. _Was she crazy?! She was gonna get herself hurt!_ Quietly, Hita made his way around the side, keeping the light of his gemstone on the two. He didn't want to risk Meta getting attacked in the dark if he shut it off.

"Shh!" she hissed through her teeth at the smaller gem, her eyes wide, brows furrowed. She'd be damned if she didn't try to handle this peacefully first. "Hey, Tough-stuff, it's alright. We're... we're just here to bring you back to Homeworld." She took another step forward, earning a vicious screech from the gem creature. Meta winced, but kept moving forward. "It's alri-"

 

_**ReeEeeeEE!** _

 

With a fierce cry, the huge creature shook its head, jaws parted in a horrific snarl, beads of drool spattering onto the floor. An eerily familiar clicking sound echoed around the cavern, seeming to come from the monster itself. Without warning, Tita launched forward, easily tackling Meta to the ground. The pink-haired gem cried out in surprise, quickly shooting her leg up to kick the monster off of her, sending her flying back.

Without a second thought, Hita's hands glowed brightly, massive gauntlets appearing over them. At the ends of his digits, there were sharpened claw-like tips. His visor glazed over, a single target appearing within the center of the screen.

His expression fell deadpan, eyes hidden behind a curtain of pink. The light from his gemstone faded out, leaving the cavern in dimly-lit darkness. To his left, he heard hissing. With every noise that drifted from the twisted creature, a stab of nausea pierced Hita's very core. He'd had to prepare for the worst. He'd had to prepare for anything. To do what was best for everyone, safely and efficiently. This was no different...

But it was different. And no matter what he tried to do... he wasn't able to push that away.

Clenching his fists, he held his gauntlets out in front of him, his hands sparking brightly with blinding, pink electricity. The shadowed to his left let out a sharp battle cry before the sound was suddenly drowned out by the crunch of cracking rock and shuffling. Silence followed, aside from a faint rumbling sound. In a flash of sparkles, Meta summoned her own weapon and glanced around, teeth bared in a snarl. A moment later, Tita suddenly popped out of a freshly-drilled hole in the ground behind Hita, her huge claws outstretched to strike the service gem. Hita whipped around the second he'd felt the small tremors beneath him. The light of his visor illuminated a huge, furry figure and gleaming claws and teeth.

_**THWACK!!!** _

With an immense force, Hita slammed his electrified fist into Tita's midsection, knocking her back only a few feet. Tita let out a sharp grunt as Hita sent her back a few feet, her legs giving out under her clumsily. She was still huge, heavy, and pissed off; Hita was hardly strong enough to send her very far. Inhaling sharply, Hita darted back, his fists sparking. It was unlikely that the punch had done more than stun her from the impact for a few moments.

The service gem's electricity coursed through the monstrous form, stunning her in place for a moment. She shook it off quickly, though, and snarled viciously at the maroon-haired Hematite. Her mane had been knocked aside, fully revealing a small, gleaming, silvery gem on her head. A sharp clicking sound emanated from the creature's throat, echoing harshly off the stone walls as she skirted around the smaller Hematite, her eyes never leaving him.

Hita kept steady. Kept silent. For as long as he could see her, he could brace himself for any attacks she might throw at him.

_But what about Meta?_

He could only assume what the ominously familiar clicking sound was. An adapted targeting system, perhaps. They were both locked onto each other. Taking note of Tita's gemstone location, he glowered heavily at the beast, baring his own massive, thick teeth back at her. It seemed Hita's front tooth wasn't the only odd feature he bore. His other teeth were cone-like in shape, far more beastly-looking than human.

Stifling a low growl, Hita hunched over, his arms outstretched. He never took his eyes off of Tita. The ratty creature seemed to be locked in a sort of 'dance' with the other Hematite. She'd leap forward a pace or two, feign a swipe, and then leap back, never getting close enough for him to land a hit. She moved with the practice of a tactical fighter, and seemed to know everything Hita would do before he did it.

 

The charade went on for another few moments before suddenly-

_**THWACK!** _

With a sickening screech, Tita went flying into the nearby wall, her massive body leaving impressive cracks in the stone.

 

"TITA! Snap OUT of this!"

Meta took a heavy step forward, her hammer clutched tightly in her hands. Her chest was heaving, her breath coming in deep, pained growls. From the look of things, she seemed furious. Quickly scrambling back onto her side, the huge creature screeched in fury, her hackles bristling. She launched off of the wall and made a direct go for Meta, her claws outstretched.

 

_**FLASH** _

 

_**T H W A C K!** _

 

Tita was sent flying into a wall again, a now full-sized Meta having landed a heavy hit to her side with her weapon. The creature snarled viciously, letting out a howling cry that echoed off of the massive cliff sides. Meta felt her chest tighten. The corrupted gem howled again; its voice sounded warped, like a horrid mix between Tita's voice and the creature's snarling vocals. Scrabbling at the floor, the corrupted Hematite fought to get up, but shrieked in pain with every attempt. Meta grimaced, a barely-restrained, choked sound catching in her throat.

 

Tita was in _pain._

 

The pink-haired Hematite rushed forward, quickly closing the distance between herself and the downed gem monster.

_Just put her out of her misery._

Within an instant, Meta heaved her weapon over her head, aiming directly for the corrupted Hematite's head. Her eyes were wide, teeth bared. In her eyes, barely-visible tears pooled.

 

_I'm sorry, Tita._

_I should have let you go when you had the chance._

"..."

The giant gem hesitated, her chest heaving. Her face twisted into an expression of undisguised _**anguish**_.

 

Tita took her chance.

 

In Meta's moment of hesitation, the massive monster scrambled to its feet, quickly tackling and pinning the pink-haired gem to the ground. Snarling, the creature lifted its head, teeth bared, eyes locked directly onto Meta's gemstone.

 

 

**ACT.**

 

Within an instant, a blinding flash of maroon and gray shot out from the side, clinging to Tita's neck. Hita barreled himself with all of his might directly into the corrupted gem, lanky arms wrapping around her as much as they could. She was quickly knocked to the side, off of Meta's chest and away from her gemstone. Her teeth snapped at the open air. Within a second, Hita scrambled up the hissing beast who was momentarily disoriented by his sudden impact. He took his chance.

Tita didn't have much more than a moment to react, squirming around with Hita's form crawling up to her face. It didn't take him long to reach her head. With a fierce snarl, Hita reeled his arm back, his visor clicking one final time.

 

_** "HITA!! NO-" ** _

 

_**C R A C K!!!** _

 

 

 

_**POFF!** _

 

Soft, pitiful clinks echoed around the cavern as the cloud of gray smoke cleared, revealing Hita... and a small cluster of silvery shards.

Meta laid on the ground, eyes wide and unblinking, staring at the tiny pieces scattered on the cold floor.

For a long moment... she didn't move. She didn't thank Hita, didn't check her own gemstone for any damages, nothing. She merely laid there, motionless, not even daring to breathe, lest she blow the tiny pieces away.

Her visor slowly dimmed.

Hita sat up over the glinting silver shards, hunched over with heavy, ragged breaths. They slowed, and he hovered his palm over Tita's broken pieces. His hand trembled, before, slowly, it retracted. Gradually, he looked over to Meta, his eyes still hidden by the bright glow of his visor.

His lips parted to speak, but no words came out. There was silence. Cold, eerie silence. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to _**do**_. Every fiber of his being felt cold, felt sick... felt _**wrong**_. He knew what he'd done. And he couldn't take it back, even if he wanted to.

"I'm... sorry."

"… It had to be done." Meta's tone was low, flat, _emotionless_. Slowly, the massive gem sat up, her weapon, which laid on the floor, vanishing in an instant. The pink-haired Hematite looked over at the shards on the floor, her expression unreadable. She reached over, hovering her hand above the pieces. Taking a slow, deep breath, she extended a single finger over the shards.

_Vwip_

The pink-haired gem lifted her hand, revealing a tiny silvery bubble. She brought it up to her gem, which flashed as she stored the shards away.

"..."

Meta stood up, not bothering to shift down. With Hita at his half size, and her at her full... she _**towered**_ over him. Hita backed up slightly as he stared, unsure of how Meta would react. At her size, if she was angry enough with him... _no. She wouldn't... right?_

Slowly, after giving the smaller gem an unreadable look, she made her way over to a downed crystal spire, looking it over for a moment. After a pause, she turned around and sat down, hunched over, elbows resting on her lap, expression neutral and unreadable.

Hita eased up a little when she turned away. Quietly, he reached behind his head, his gauntlets disappearing with a bright light. His visor, too, faded. He wanted to say something. He wanted to say anything.

He could only imagine what Meta might have been going through, right now. He knew what Tita meant to _him_ , but, while there always seemed to be something more between her and Meta, they'd remained rather private about it. Guesses were all he had, in this case. He walked over quietly, raising his hand slightly just behind her. Though, he didn't touch her, pressing his tooth into his lower lip. Instead, he walked over beside her and sat down, pulling his knees close to his chest. He didn't say a word.

For a long time, it seemed like Meta hadn't even noticed Hita sitting beside her. She was silent for... well. Far too long.

Minutes passed.

One, then five, then ten.

Meta didn't move. She stared ahead at nothing. She almost looked... bored. But there was something else there... she looked _hollow_.

A thick, heavy silence seemed to fill the entire Kindergarten.

Until...

 

"... Three. That's. Three of us now. Gone."

 

Her words stung Hita's very core like icy blades slicing into his skin out of _no-where_. He didn't want to think about it. About _any_ of it, any of _**this**_. Looking down at the ground at nothing, he clutched his legs tighter, biting more into his lip. He couldn't speak for many moments, haunted by what they all knew about themselves... Haunted by what he'd just _seen_. His mind suddenly got away from him, and he couldn't help but suddenly worry about _everyone_ corrupting, one by one. Seeing their numbers dwindle away, seeing them _suffer_. He couldn't bare to think about it, but his thoughts stormed and swirled about out of his control, settling a heavy, hollow feeling in his gut. He stayed silent, despite the sudden, nagging need to cry out, to say or do something.

He merely sat there... numb physically, but in mental agony.

 

Despite the torment Hita was going through, Meta seemed... oddly unfazed.

She stared ahead, her face stoic and expressionless as it usually was back home.

 

\----

**But what could I have expected from her?**

 

… _**After all, if there's anything that anyone knows... it's that the great, and powerful 'Meta' doesn't do one thing**_ **in particular.**

\----

White lifted her head to gaze out over the collected service gems.

"As much as I regret to say this, Hematite twelve's corruption brings catastrophic news. What this means is that there is a flaw in your gem's coding. A flaw I  _ thought _ I had fixed, but somehow or another, it wasn't... entirely eradicated.  _ In time, you shall all inevitably suffer the same fate as them. I'm not sure when, or how quickly it will happen, but it is certain. I'm. I'm sorry." _

The crowd fell silent. They all seemed to be in a strange sort of shock, in one way or another. But... as the shock passed, _the unrest spread._ Mago held a hand over her mouth, her gaze falling to the floor. Her eyes went wide, her clawed nails digging into her cheek. She took a slow, unsteady step backwards, accidentally bumping into Ti. She looked up sharply. Ti was staring directly at White, her hands clasped over her mouth, her eyes widened in _horror._ Mago's brows furrowed, and she had to look away, back down at the floor. Ti, on the other hand, looked off to the side, her gaze not locked onto anything in particular. For a brief, fleeting moment... her brows furrowed in what looked to be _anger,_ but she squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head and completely covering her face as she clumsily sat down, curling in on herself.  
As the muttering among the gems picked up, HT suddenly raised a hand.  
"White Diamond? If I may... how can you be so certain of this? What if it was just... a freak accident? Gems have corrupted before, haven't they?" she asked, keeping her composure steady.

The diamond shook her head, her breath catching briefly in her throat.   
"We've run tests on twelve's shards. They've all come to the same result. The gem itself was... faulty. This was an otherwise normal reformation that was doomed from the start. You never knew them, but there were more of your kind before you. Two batches. The first did not go as planned at all. The second batch showed promise, but they all, too, corrupted as well in time."

The Hematite with the sharp fangs slowly lowered her hand, her face going _blank._ Her fingers twitched, her eyes slowly falling to stare ahead, her gaze distant. She didn't ask anymore questions. Mati stared wide eyed at the diamond, completely unmoving. She clenched her fists at her sides, breathing slowly.  
Tam looked _petrified._ Her hands shook behind her, her once albeit forced professional stance falling. She hunched over slightly, biting her nails. She was an anxious _mess._ This couldn't be real... No, there had to be some mistake! _This couldn't be...There had to be_ _ **some**_ _light to this news._  
And Hita, having once stood near the middle row, stepped off to the side. His eyes were wide in _horror,_ staring down at nothing on the ground. He didn't move, nor did he speak up. He lifted his hands to clutch his upper arms and turned to face away from the Diamond.

Tae's breathing picked up, and she quickly shook her head, backing away from the rest of the group. She tried to run off, her eyes wide, but yelped and backed up as a Jasper fusion stepped threateningly towards her, keeping her in line. She whimpered quietly and looked around, her eyes brimming with tears. She looked up at Hemmi.  
"Sh-she's not telling the truth, right?!" she whispered, quiet enough that the Diamond wouldn't hear. "That's gotta be a lie!"  
Hemmi was stunned. She looked down at the ground, her brows furrowing, her eyes flicking to and fro as she stared at the floor. After a long pause, she frowned and looked away, lightly covering her mouth with one hand. The faintest tears welled up in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. Seemed even _she_ was shaken by this news. She ignored Tae's questions, unable to come up with any answers. Mite cowered behind Hemmi, her arms held close to her chest. She whimpered quietly under her breath, eyes wide in panic. She took a shaking step back behind the pink haired hematite, looking quickly around for _any_ kind of solace. An answer, some kind of hope. Some kind of guidance. _But, for once, she found_ _ **none.**_   
Tiny turned and looked at her fellow Hematites in confusion, frowning subtly. She looked at Tam and Mati, tilting her head. For a moment, she looked as though she wanted to say something, but... with how everyone looked, she decided it'd be best to ask later. Her head tilted up to look at the very tallest of the group, Meta, towering far above her. She seemed... _entirely unaffected..._  
Meta was staring up at White, her face a mixture of confusion and... something much harder to pin. Tita was turned towards her, her face buried in the crook of her arm. Her shoulders were shaking, the softest sobs escaping her. She clutched weakly at Meta's suit, shaking her head. It sounded like she muttered something to the bigger gem, who then gently hushed her and ran her hand over her back, as if to comfort her. Eventually, her gaze drifted from White Diamond to rest on Tita, and she frowned faintly, now merely doing her best to calm her companion down.  
The diamond glanced around, strangely surprised at the lack of _anger_ in the group's response. They all just seemed distraught or disbelieving in some way or another. _At least it was better than a rioting outrage._ Her shoulders hung low, the diamond turned away slightly. She didn't want to risk sticking around for anything _should_ things have gotten nasty once the shock wore away. There wasn't anything more she could do, anyway.   
"That is... all I have to say. Please continue to do your best, and be the best gem you can be with your time that you are here with us. I... sincerely apologize."  
  
 _And she turned, and she left._   
  
The holo screens went down, the guards trailed behind her, and the fusions eventually dissipated and went on their own way.   
The Hematites were left to their day in cold, somber silence.

Eventually, each of the Hematites left. The entire Kindergarten was left in silence, though each Hematite's respective territory was _heavily_ guarded for now. The only gems left in the Cove, when all was said and done...  
  
 _Were Tita. And Meta._  
  
The two retired to a corner of the Cove they'd gone to many a time before to talk. It was somewhat secluded, and a bit of a blind spot from the guards, not that many were left in the clearing. Meta and Tita both sat in the cool shadows of the little alcove, far away from any of their kin. Meta was shifted up to her half height, sitting back against the stone wall. Tita was sitting in her lap, a bit smaller than her, her head leaned up on Meta's collar. Her free arm was draped limply at Meta's side, her other hand picking quietly at the suit near Meta's gem. Meta's arms were loosely holding the smaller gem closer to her, her eyes staring blankly ahead. Both of them had hardly spoken a word to each other since White's horrible news. But... now that they were alone. Now that they were finally in private... Tita had something to say.  
"... Meta?"  
"Hm."  
"... Meta. Hey." Sitting up, she suddenly cupped the pink-haired gem's face in her palms, giving her a warm, fond smile. Meta looked at her, finally seeming to focus on _something._ Tita gave a soft, weak chuckle.  "Let's leave," she whispered. The well-built gem frowned subtly, raising a brow.  
"You mean like. Leave our hiding spot? Tita. I'm tired. I don't want to move right now, okay? Let's just stay here a little long-"  
"No, Meta. _Leave_ leave. Let's get out of this stupid place, let's _**run."**_  
Meta looked confused, even _shocked_ for a moment, before she reached her hands up and gently pulled Tita's hands away from her face.  
"Wh... what? Tita, calm down. The shock is getting to you. Go back to relaxing, okay, Jade-crusher?" she said quietly, as if trying to calm the smaller gem. Tita pouted and shook her head, sitting up a bit straighter. She rested her hands on Meta's shoulders, looking at her with a serious glint in her eyes.  
"No, Meta. The shock has passed. I've never thought clearer in my life. C'mon, think about it, Boulder-arms! If you and I went on a mission on my planet, we could run away on... I don't know, on a cargo ship or we could battle our way to a warp pad! We could find somewhere else to live, safe and sound! We'd never have to do missions again, I never liked them anyways," she added, as if to herself "And we could be _together._ You, me, and nothing but the galaxy to explore!" she said brightly, a warm, excited grin on her face.  "We could be safe. We can't corrupt if we don't get destabilized... and with you and I watching each other's backs, that'd _never_ happen!"  
Meta could only sit there and stare. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly agape. The world around her went quiet.  
"... You're. You're _serious,_ aren't you?"

Tita blinked and stuttered for a moment, lightly gripping at Meta's suit.  
"Wh.. of course I am, Meta! We can't stay here! White's not even giving us a break, we're just... gonna go right back to our old jobs! I know for a _fact_ gems like Ti have been poofed a bunch of times, Tiny too! Like... Spike had only been poofed _once_ before, I think! We just can't risk it, Meta."  
Meta frowned and lightly rested one of her hands on Tita's arm, running her thumb over it.  
"Tita. Look. I know you're scared. I am too."  
The smaller gem's expression fell. She slowly looked down, her eyes resting on Meta's gemstone. The pink-haired Hematite frowned and continued.  
"But that's crazy-talk. We can't just leave. What happens when the Diamond Authority notices we're missing, and they send a Red Eye to find us-"  
"To the _Shard Morgue_ with the Diamond Authority!"  snapped the smaller gem, gripping Meta's suit tightly. A sharp, icy chill ran up Meta's spine, and she looked around, quickly covering Tita's mouth with a hushed 'Shhh!'. Tita let out a soft, startled squeak that ended up muffled by Meta's hand, and she stared wide-eyed at the bigger gem, brows furrowed in hurt surprise. Meta's eyes met hers, and she looked _panicked_ for a moment as she slowly drew her hand away, cupping it over Tita's cheek instead.  
"Stars, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it..." she said softly, her voice wavering a tad. Tita relaxed slightly, putting her hand over Meta's that was rested over her cheek. Her gaze dropped to her gemstone again. Meta frowned faintly. "Tita... how could you say that? They're our leaders... _White_ is our leader. She didn't mean to do this. Surely, she couldn't have known. You saw how she was up there... she's upset about this."  
Tita frowned subtly, her brows furrowing together.  
"She's probably just upset she's losing workers."  
"Tita, you don't mean that."  
The smaller Hematite's expression softened, and she slowly let her aggression die down, mouth falling slightly agape.  
"I-I. I know." Tears pricked at her eyes, welling up in their corners. "I'm just so... confused. And scared... a-and I don't." Her face twisted into a pained, almost _grieved_ grimace. She pressed Meta's hand firmly against her cheek, sniffling quietly. Her bleary eyes rested on Meta's silvery gem that laid on her chest. _"... I don't want to lose you."_

Meta's normally grumpy demeanor fell _entirely,_ and she slowly moved to pull Tita into her arms, holding her close. She rested her chin behind the smaller gem's shoulder, closing her eyes. Exhaling shakily, Tita returned the embrace, burying her face into Meta's shirt. Soft sobs escaped her as she wept in her companion's arms, her stomach tying itself into knots.  
"I barely even get to see you as it is! What if I come to visit one day and you're _gone?!_ What do I do then, Meta?" she whimpered, gritting her teeth together in pained distress. Meta's brows furrowed together, and she felt an unpleasant tightness in her throat.  
"Shhh. Shh. I'm not going anywhere. I promise." She opened her eyes. "I haven't been poofed yet, now have I? It takes a lot to take me down, you know this," she chuckled weakly. "I don't plan on letting this get me any time soon. Do _you?"_ she asked, almost as if in a teasing manner. Tita blinked and sat up, sniffling as she pulled away from the bigger gem. She smiled lopsidedly, a determined spark in her eyes.  
 _"Hell_ no. I'll take a cargo ship to the face before I let this stupid... _defect_ take me down." Chuckling, the gray-haired gem reached up and wiped at her eyes. Meta smiled faintly, reaching up and helping her. She brushed her thumb over Tita's cheek. Her brows raised in surprise as Tita suddenly reached up and cupped her hand to her face, keeping her from pulling it away.  
"... Meta?"  
"Yeah?"  
"... What if... What if _I_ had a chance to run?"  
"What?"  
"Like. I could still call you and we could still be, you know. In touch. But I'm not quite as sturdy as you, hah. I know I've been poofed, I dunno... at least a few times. I could just stay safe, and you could stay here."  
Meta frowned sadly, though there was a steely sternness to her gaze.  
"Tita. No more of this... You need to stay loyal to the Diamonds. That's our job, that's what we were made for. We're lucky White is keeping us around, with this news of us being defective... We're lucky we're still alive." Tita frowned sadly, almost _guiltily,_ and looked down. Meta continued.  "You have a job to do, and so do I. _Someone_ has to keep things from turning to chaos here. Gems only seem to behave when I'm around. If I left, Tiny and Mati would turn this Kindergarten upside down." Tita giggled softly at the thought, sniffling again and nodding. She didn't interrupt.  "... And you have your place too. I'd hate to see you get on the Diamonds' bad sides. So just... Stay safe, stay strong, and we'll be fine. Who knows... maybe some day they'll fix us."  
The smaller gem looked a bit doubtful of that last bit, but she nodded all the same.  
"... Okay. I'll do it for you. But _only_ for you, deal?" she said with a pout, gently letting Meta's hand go. Meta smiled faintly, letting out a soft chuckle. For a second, Tita looked off to the side, lost in thought. Not a moment later, she leaned up, closed her eyes, and placed a soft peck to Meta's lips. The pink-haired gem turned a faint reddish hue, her brows raising. Though, she hummed a soft note and leaned forward, placing a small kiss to Tita's gem that laid on her forehead.  
"Deal."

_**\----** _

_**There's one thing that I, and everyone else knows, with 100% certainty.** _

 

… _**The great and powerful 'Meta'**_ **never cries.**

_\----_

 

 

For a moment, Meta opened her mouth to say something... but instead of words...

 

A sharp, choked sound echoed around the huge cavern as the pink-haired service gem suddenly buried her face in her hands, taking a moment to angrily chuck her visor away from her face. It clattered to the floor, a small crack forming in the lens. Soft, broken sobs, only slightly muffled by her hands, escaped the well-built gem's throat. The sound was haunting, distressing, and seemed to echo for miles through the abandoned Kindergarten.

Hita looked up almost in disbelief at the bigger service gem, brows furrowed in deep concern. For a long moment... he looked _stunned_. He trembled faintly as he lifted a hand to touch Meta's arm, but he quickly thought better of it.

"H-hey...  _ we're _ still here..."

Sniffling, the larger service gem shook her head slightly, her hair clutched in her hands.

"For how long? We can't avoid it forever. I can lay around all I want, it's going to happen some day." Taking a shuddering breath to try and calm herself down, Meta grit her teeth, but instead of steadying her, the inhale came out as a choked sob. The service gem wiped at her face with the 'heel' of her palms, her eyes stinging. "It isn't _fair_. Why _her_? Sh-she was the only..." breath catching in her throat, Meta bit her lip, holding her head tightly.  "She was the only one who ever _talked_ to me! Sh-she was..." she managed, her voice heavy with undisguised grief. Sure, Mago paid her a visit now and then... but it wasn't the same. She and Tita had something different... something deeper than mere passing talks now and then.

Shaking her head, Meta drew her lips tight and frowned, refusing to speak more. She buried her face in her hands, shaken, weak sobs cracking from her chest. It seemed that, even if she had more to say... she was unable to continue.

 

Hita fell quiet, his expression returning to its usual, neutral state. He'd finally gotten control of his own emotions, at least, and had a steady hold on them yet again. His brows raised slightly, and he looked up at her.

 

It hit him all in a wave. Everything he knew about this gem, everything he'd seen from her, or heard about her, came washing over him at once. All the stories, rumors, the countless things he'd seen himself... They all suddenly mixed with what he'd seen on this mission.

He thought about how respectful Meta had been to White Diamond, despite showing disrespect to authority in the past.

He pondered on how Meta had been willing to tell him a funny story, or even allow him to come talk to her in her territory, when it seemed little more than Tita ever got in there before.

Meta's concern for passing the Harvest Moon flashed through his mind. She seemed more worried about _not hurting_ her target than actually passing her test.

Hita mused on the fact that... even though Meta was known for being ruthless, violent, and a merciless shatterer of gems, she'd been gentle with him. She'd been careful with him and watched over him while they rested in that cave, and hadn't lifted a finger to harm him... even after he shattered the one she obviously cared so deeply for.

He thought about what he'd just seen. How distraught Meta seemed over Tita. How, in some small or big way... Tita had meant a lot to her, and she had a capacity to care that was far deeper than he ever could have known. A capacity to care that, even in a moment of mortal peril... kept her from being able to shatter a gem she valued as a companion.

 

In a mere moment, Hita realized that almost everything he knew about 'Meta'...

 

_**Was wrong.** _

 

… _**And he suddenly wanted to know what he'd been missing.**_

 

"Hey... Meta. Can I tell you a story?"

At first, it seemed she hadn't heard him. Meta took her sweet time calming herself down, but after a minute or so, she sniffled and wiped her face, slowly turning to the smaller service gem. She looked confused and tired, but vaguely curious; though, it was tinged with the faintest bit of suspicion towards the smaller gem. _What kind of story could you possibly want to tell me right now?_ After a pause, she nodded.

Hita looked away, back down at his arms that crossed over his knees.

"The day we all found out about our fatal flaw... something changed in me," he paused, frowning heavily. "Finding that out took what motivation I had. It took everything that I was away. I mean.... I didn't exactly know _who_ or what I was before. But... it wasn't _this_. I wasn't numb, empty... I wasn't _tired_ all the time like I am now." Slowly, Hita raised his hand up to his visor, taking it off of the bridge of his nose. Lowering his arm with the gemtech in hand, he glanced over its sharp pink edges.  "I didn't know what to do with it. I didn't know what to do with myself… Then one day, I managed to embrace it. The numbness, I mean. Somehow or another... I came to terms with what would happen to me. I didn't like it, nor did I look forward to it. I simply... learned how to live with the knowledge it was coming." Pausing, he crossed his arm over his knee again, the visor still in the clutches of his palm. "But not a day goes by that I don't worry. That I'm not thinking about what will happen to everyone else around me. I know I'm going out someday. But the only difference between me and the others is that I'm no longer afraid to die.”

Meta listened quietly, her eyes wide. As Hita's 'story' went on, she turned to stare ahead of her, unable to look at the other service gem. She felt something in her chest tighten, and her expression faltered, pain as clear as day on her face.

Hita's brows suddenly furrowed, and he scowled heavily.

"But I know not everyone else is in the same ship as me. And _I'll be damned_ if I sit by and watch good gems around me suffer, especially our kind, with how much we already have to deal with. But... for the longest time, I didn't think any of our kind shared that sentiment very strongly, aside from maybe White's Hematite. So... I found it hard to care much about _most_ of our kin, much less to actually... _talk_ to many of them." His expression fell again, back to its once neutral state. Certainly, that would sound like a strange statement from someone who never seemed to care about anything or anyone, not even himself. If you asked anyone else, Hita never really seemed to care about anything.

But they were wrong.

They were wrong about _both of them._

Hita looked up at Meta, lip twitching slightly.

"Without anyone to care about, every day to me was just another ticking clock towards the end. Every day felt pointless to me. Every job wasn't worth doing, every conversation wasn't worth having. Friends weren't worth making." He looked away solemnly. "Or so I _thought_ , at least." He paused, looking back up at her, craning his neck to look right into her eyes.

"Because one day... I met a wall."

Meta looked down at the service gem, brows raised. She looked confused, and paused quietly for a moment.

"... A wall?" she asked with a small frown, her brows furrowing together. She almost looked... mildly _offended_ for a moment, remembrance flashing through her eyes. Hita nodded, closing his eyes.

"The wall was big. The wall was tall. The wall was stoic, unmovable, unbreakable. Unwavering. Steady. The wall was infamous for its size. Its strength. Everyone the wall stood before cowered before its immeasurable stature." He stopped, flipping his visor over in his hand for a moment. He paused. “... Meta, do you know what walls are made for?”

Meta frowned and looked down, her brows furrowed. Her eyes darted to and fro before a soft, frustrated groan escaped her.  
“For... keeping people out?” she muttered, looking back at the odd-toothed gem.

The maroon-haired gem shook his head softly as he met Meta's eyes again.  
“No,” he said simply, brows raising. A gentler tone entered his voice. “Walls are built to protect.”

Her brows raising, Meta opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again, looking thoughtful. She fell into pensive silence. _To... protect others? To be protected? What did he mean by that? And for that matter, where was he going with this?_

Hita, on the other hand, wasn't done. He turned away for a moment.

"But, no one ever tried to speak to the wall,” he continued, sighing softly. “If they just listened closely, maybe they'd find that the wall would speak back. And that the wall had much to say. Stories, tales, advice even. The wall has knowledge. The wall has power." Hita stopped, looking sidelong back up to Meta, his expression unreadable. "Though, inevitably, there will always be some who seek to tear down a wall. They're built for a reason.”

Hita suddenly shifted, standing up with clenched fists. He turned to face her, placing his visor back into the bridge of his nose.

"Some feel they know all there is to know about this monolith of a structure. They see one side and they assume they can judge both sides by what they know. But I want to know the other side. The side that nobody else sees. I think there's more to it than just 'keeping people out'. And if it would allow me... I wish to protect that wall, to stand behind it, even if no-one else will. So long as _it_ stands to protect others, against all enemies, I will do the same for it as long as _**I**_ stand, however long that may be.”  He stood straight, a strange sight from the usually hunched-over gem. “By the Diamond Authority, I swear it."

Meta blinked slowly, a soft exhale escaping her. It took her a moment to process everything, to understand that Hita was talking... _about her._ The pink-haired service gem glanced away for a moment, wiping her eyes with the side of her hand one last time. The worst of the initial shock had passed. She felt tired, she felt hollow, and she knew she wasn't done grieving. But... for the moment, she felt her strength return. She could be strong, at least for now. Tita would have wanted her to make it home safely. She spared Hita a meaningful look.

"... It's a shame the other Hematites only know you for your tooth. You've got a way with words." Turning to look at the smaller Hematite fully, Meta arched a brow, her expression unreadable... Before a genuine smile crossed her face, her over sized teeth peeking from behind her lips. "Thank you, Hita."

Hita's brows raised, though his expression didn't change much more than that.

"And thank _you_ for reminding me there are still those of us that actually, you know... value other gems besides ourselves. Even ones that are smaller than us." Slowly, Hita lifted his hand to his face, readjusting the visor he had placed back over his eyes. "When we get back home... I'll be sure to visit you again. That is... if you'd like me around."

Raising a brow, the larger Hematite heaved herself up from her seat, picking her visor up off the ground. She placed it back over her eyes before turning to the much smaller service gem standing on the fallen crystal.

"So long as you like hanging around walls, I don't see any problem with it," she said simply, a small smile crossing her face. Hita nodded simply, peering up at Meta through the glowing lens of his visor. His expression changed subtly, the _tiniest_ of half-hearted smiles tugging at his lips before it faded.

"Now. Let's go home. I think we both need a nap after this one. You look like you could use a good rest..."

"Mmhm." Stepping closer, Meta pursed her lips, seeming to mull something over for a moment. Shrugging, she crouched down, picking the smaller gem up with both of her hands, soon propping him up on one of her forearms so she could carry him. Might as well save them some time. "We both do."

Hita adjusted himself in Meta's arm, expression unreadable. However, he didn't object. After glancing back at the crystal spire, Meta frowned deeply, a look of grief crossing her face... and made her way out of the dark room, heading back out of the Kindergarten. Now wasn't the time to grieve Tita. There was a place for that, and it was back on Homeworld. For now...

_They had a long walk back to the ship._


	74. Point of View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite shows someone a beautiful sight in the Blue District.

_So that's all 400,730 files accounted for._

Sighing, Yellow turned off the diamond pad with a soft click, pushing it gently to the side. For the first time in months, she'd finished all her rounds early, and she didn't have anything else on her schedule. Pursing her lips, she turned in her seat to look out the window. Her hardened, focused visage softened into something more perplexed. 

It wasn't often that she got a day off. Honestly, she didn't know what to do with herself now. Normally she had some sort of other check-up work to do, or some list to double-check... but with how hard she'd been working since finally making things up with Hematite as of late, she'd rushed through her taxing quota of work. She supposed she could always check on the state of off-planet colonies, but that was scheduled for later.

Perhaps she would visit White or Blue today, or spar with her Pearl like she did sometimes. Or, maybe she could go through all those files again... It didn't hurt to be thorough, after all. Tapping her fingers on the arms of her chair, she leaned back, huffing quietly. The Diamond fell into pensive silence as she gazed out the window. Thoughts of the past few 'eventful' years eventually found their way to her idle mind, quietly pulling her away from her office. She zoned out, a calm, but thoughtful look on her face.

Some time later, the Diamond's communicator started to beep, glowing with a bright white light. Turning sharply in her desk, Yellow looked to the small device. _Oh good, maybe someone needed some work done in the district._ Sitting up straight and clearing her throat, Yellow Diamond mustered up a professional air and activated the small device.

"This is Yellow Diamond."

A familiar, friendly voice spoke up on the other end of the communicator.

"Afternoon, Yellow. This is Hematite. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Yellow, admittedly, was surprised to hear Hematite's voice on the end of the line. Of all gems she expected to get a call from... he wasn't one of them.

"Oh, hello Hematite. No, you're not interrupting anything. How can I help you?"

"I was calling to see if you had any jobs for me today. Blue Diamond just took Kyanite aside for the afternoon to confirm a few facts she needed, which, honestly could take a few hours, or the whole day, knowing how hard it is to get information from Kyan." He chuckled once, though quickly cleared his throat and regained his professional air. "Is there anything that needs doing in your district, or any work you need help with?"

Yellow's brows raised slightly. A mildly disappointed look crossed her face.

"Actually, not really... if I had any jobs available, I'd probably be doing them myself... There's not much going on today."

Tapping his fingers along his small studying table, Hematite blinked in surprise at Yellow's statement. _She didn't have anything to do...? Huh._ Looking over at Red, who was relaxing on the couch, Hema smiled brightly. Seemed he'd gotten an idea, by the look on his face.

"Oh, really? Well." He cleared his throat at the service gem across the room, making sure she'd hear him. Red perked up, putting down what she was reading at the moment as she gazed curiously at the Hematite. Continuing, Hema held a finger up to his lip, gesturing for Red to keep quiet. "My Pearl actually has the day off as well... So she'll be elsewhere. I was wondering, if I may be so bold, if you'd like to go somewhere tonight. I wanted to show you something."

Yellow's lips parted, and her eyes betrayed her piqued curiosity. She gazed down at the communicator, furrowing a brow with both intrigue... and trepidation. _He's never asked to show me something before... what's this all about?_

"Well, I don't really have anything else planned. So I suppose... Hm. I don't see why not?" Yellow Diamond said, placing a finger to her lip.

Tapping his palm one last time on the table beside him, Hema smiled brightly and nodded once, despite Yellow not being able to see him.

"Excellent! I shall meet you at your tower around dusk. Hematite, signing out."

_Click!_

Tapping the screen once, Hematite powered down his eyepiece before turning to the service gem sitting on the couch.

"So, Red." Rubbing his hands together, the ivory-haired gem smiled almost deviously, though it was hard to tell if he was serious, or if he was just putting on a playful act. "How do you feel about having a day off to go study, or explore the districts?"

Red stood up from the couch, holding her arms behind her back formally. She looked up to him with a fierce, yet slightly confused gaze.

"You're really giving me the day off? A-are you sure about that, sir? I mean, I'm not questioning you or anything I... just." She fidgeted behind her back, her professional demeanor faltering as she looked away. 

"Of course I'm sure!" Standing up, the service gem walked over to the couch and sat down beside where Red had been seated. He patted the cushion and smiled at the Pearl, inviting her to sit back down. "Yellow and I are gonna go somewhere later, and it's probably best we're alone. Besides! There's no harm in you having a day to yourself."

The Pearl looked to the spot where Hematite gestured. Almost reluctantly, she sat down next to him, folding her hands in her lap. She looked to him curiously, her lips parted. 

"I don't know what to say... thank you! But, what should I do?..."

Hema looked up to the side, pursing his lips.

"Hmm. Well. You can always read some mission logs of mine, if you find anything interesting that catches your eye. Or, there's always the White Archives. Since you're my Pearl, you have access to any of the files I do, aside from restricted ones that I need to sign to gain access to." With a small shrug, he continued. "Or, you can always take a better look at the White District. You haven't seen much of it, right?"

Red thought for a moment. It was true that she hadn't seen too much of the district... but there was also so much she could learn! She'd have to take advantage of the time she was given. With a smile, she nodded and looked over to the Hematite eagerly.

"I suppose you're right... I could probably find something to do in the Archives. Ah... Thank you so much, sir!"

Hema smiled brightly, nodding once at the smaller gem.

"Don't mention it. I've been meaning to give you some time off, after all those recon missions I've been passing off on ya." Finally turning away from the pink gem, Hematite looked up at the ceiling, his expression calm, but unreadable. "And this is the perfect time. I'm glad Yellow and I will finally get some time away from the Towers."

After all, they'd only spoken a small handful of times after the ordeal with Topaz. Now that they finally had time to talk, perhaps Yellow would actually get a chance to relax, even. Hema had never seen her take a day off, in all his years working for the Diamonds.

Red stood back up and saluted the other service gem with zeal.

"Then I wish you the best! I shall return later. Do enjoy your evening with Yellow Diamond, sir!" Red spoke, stifling a wide grin with a small, professional frown. Crossing one leg over the other, Hematite nodded and reclined back on the couch, bobbing his foot in place.

"Thanks, Red. I'll see you later."

-

-

Taking a deep breath, the service gem adjusted his suit's collar, making sure his sleeves and such were straightened and he was as tidy as possible. He made his way down the last stretch of the Sky Bridge, biting his lip anxiously.

_What if she's already seen this place...? What if she doesn't like it?_

_Maybe she's busy now, something might have come up._

_What if she doesn't let me carry her up there? Sure, she let me escort her along the Sky Bridge, but._

Frowning, Hema shook his head, trying to quell his rising doubts. _No, come on. It's worth a shot._

Stopping in front of the Diamond's office, Hema cleared his throat and stood straight, knocking a few times on the door. The entrance hissed open quietly, Yellow's Pearl standing within the doorway. As if hesitant to let him in, she looked over him condescendingly, but didn't say a word. Turning, the Pearl walked to the side, allowing him to enter. Hematite narrowed his eyes for a moment at the snooty Pearl before he stepped inside the room. Squaring his feet, the service gem saluted politely.

"Evening, Yellow Diamond. I hope your afternoon wasn't too boring." He offered a small smile.

Yellow stood up as soon as the door opened, standing as properly as she could.

"I'll be honest, I wish I could say it wasn't," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. "I digress. What was it you wished to show me?"

The service gem smiled sympathetically, tucking his arms back behind him. He swallowed quietly, just subtly enough to go unnoticed.

"Well, it's not exactly here. It's out in one of the districts. It might take us a little while to get there."

Frowning a little, Yellow placed her hands together almost awkwardly.

"Oh. I see... well... which district is it in, then?" she asked with an unreadable expression.

"It's in the Blue District! It's about an hour or so from the main section of the outer city, on foot." Hema's fingers brushed together behind his back quietly. "If we get going now, we should get there in time."

Nodding to the Pearl, Yellow looked back to Hematite and started for the door.

"Well, we should get going then,” _In time? In time for what?_ Yellow had a fleeting doubt that she should have started prying for more details, but. If he was being vague, maybe there was a reason behind it. Reason or not, however, she couldn't help the uneasy feeling in her gut.

Hematite smiled and followed after his superior, measuring his steps so that he could keep up with her as they headed for the elevator. He was rather quiet for a few minutes, until he finally mustered up the nerve to break the silence.

"So, how has work been lately? Did that problem with the docking station work out?" he asked as they stepped in front of the lift. With a mechanical whir, the elevator door opened to welcome the two gems in. Walking through, Yellow turned to tap one of the buttons on the wall.

"Ah, yes, actually! I had to get a team of seven Peridots out there to take care of it. You'd think one would have been enough, but nooo the next thing you know, they all get their limb enhancers caught to the magnetic fields on one of the ships, and then the Danburites are sent in to deactivate the power, and then all the Peridots go _flying_ -" She shuddered in remembrance, frowning. "But, I digress! What about you?"

The service gem chuckled in amusement at the mental image of a Peridot getting stuck to the outside of a ship, but quickly tried to stifle himself. He stepped inside after the Diamond and looked around idly as the elevator made its way down with a subtle, gentle lurch.

"Things have been going well! Watching the Kyanite hasn't been as troublesome as I thought, and Red has been doing really well on her assignments." The elevator stopped with a soft ding, the doors promptly opening. "Oh, and Blue seems to be making progress with the, uh... Well. The group that she's dealing with." He glanced around for a moment. It was silly to think anyone would be listening inside the Towers, but he felt he couldn't be too careful. Besides, Yellow would know who he was talking about. The two gems stepped out of the elevator, heading for the central warp leading to the districts. "That's why she borrowed Kyanite for the day, I guess she's making sure some last details are correct. She said she'll probably be sending someone out to take care of them soon."

The Diamond walked side by side with Hematite, measured, even steps matching his pace perfectly and almost robotically.

"Ah yes, those heathens. If they were of my district, I'd take care of them myself..." she muttered somewhat crossly under her breath. With a heavy shrug, she sighed. "Buuuut I guess I can't interfere too much. Blue hasn't told us a lot about this group, just that they've been pestering her, and she seems stubborn about us not helping her with it. I can't imagine why, though."

"Mmm." Hema drew his lips tight, glancing up to the side. "Yeah, there's a lot she doesn't know yet. There are a bunch of holes in what we _do_ know. So I'd guess she isn't sharing much until she's sure of things." Shrugging slightly, the service gem frowned.  "But I agree... I only hope I get to help take some of these gems down." He snorted quietly, not saying anything else. Looking out to the inner-tower facility before them, Yellow narrowed her eyes.

"Well _I_ simply hope she takes action before too long, lest they become more of a problem,” s he stated quietly, glancing up to the sky. Daylight was going to fade before too long. She could only wonder where they were headed. Hema looked up at the sky as well, frowning slightly. He hoped they would make it there in time... After a few minutes of Hema leading her to the central warp that laid between all the Diamond Towers, Yellow quirked a brow, unable to hold her tongue anymore. "Hm... Alright, I'm at a loss. Where are we going?" she asked. Hema perked up and looked at her with a smile.

"Well, that would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it? But I guess I can give you a hint... It's right outside the Coliseum, about a twenty-minute walk from there." He looked up to the side. "In the opposite direction of the Shard Morgue facility, if I'm not mistaken? Somewhere around there."

Stepping onto the blue, crystalline surface, he stood at attention, waiting for Yellow to activate the pad.

Curiously, the Diamond bit the inside of her cheek, stepping up onto the warp pad with the service gem. With a bright flash, they were immediately sent off to the Blue District. She couldn't shake the small, yet rising feeling that something might be wrong. There wasn't much around the Coliseum except open, barren fields where gems would go to train and spar. Beyond there, well. There was _nothing_. _What could possibly be there for her to see?_

Hema headed off as soon as the two of them warped to the Blue District, looking around at the civilians that were heading home or hanging out. A few citizens took curious, or outright surprised, glances at the two gems, eyeing the taller, yellow one. The service gem seemed to ignore any weird looks, holding his head up, eyes half-lidded. He didn't have time for dirty or suspicious glares from the occasional gem. Yellow, on the other hand, was too busy paying mind to all the looks she was receiving to really pay much attention to Hema. Be they curious, concerned, or outright confused, she could tell by everyone's glances that they knew something was up. Most gems knew about what had happened between her and Hematite many years prior, and all of them assumed she despised him for it. Besides that fact, though, it just wasn't often that Yellow Diamond was seen walking around the cities, especially in the Blue District.

Once he and Yellow Diamond were about halfway to the Coliseum, Hematite sighed, frowning.

"I just don't understand it. Why are there so many groups out there looking to hurt Homeworld?" he said quietly, half to himself. For many moments, Yellow didn't respond to Hema's words. In fact, she almost didn't hear him at all. Turning her attention back to him, though, she raised her brows with a confused hum. It took her a moment to re-process what he'd said.

"Mmngh... I'm not sure. But, regardless of their reasons, they will all be brought to justice someday," she said, looking intently ahead. "Those that go against the Diamond Authority are fools. We do all that we can to ensure that life in our districts is as pleasant as possible. I never thought our rules were that bad. I mean, they're all within reason!" She clenched her fists, looking away at the buildings she passed by. "You'd think they could follow the simplest of laws..."

Nodding quietly, the service gem tucked his arms behind him, sighing.

"You would think, huh? I've seen so many rebels try to justify themselves and their actions. Whatever their reasons, I can't help but wish there were more of us Hematites to take care of them. Going against you, White, and Blue is one thing... But then when they put innocent gems at risk, I just..." He frowned, sighing sharply through his nose. "It's unacceptable."

Hematite's words kept repeating themselves through Yellow's mind, though she found it hard, for some reason, to process them all right away. Her thoughts kept drifting elsewhere. And yet, whenever she did finally gather up what he was saying, she felt a mix of pride well up in her chest. Holding her head high, she furrowed her brows with a scowl.

"Hm, yes... what sort of lowlife excuse for a gem would put the lives of our citizens at risk for their own selfish gain... For their own foolish 'reasons'. It's disgusting,” she grumbled.

Shaking his head, Hematite huffed, pursing his lips.

"I just hope this stuff is resolved soon. The quicker, the better. Blue can rest easy, Kyanite can... do whatever it is she wants to do. And I can focus on the upcoming event." _And maybe I can finally get a harvesting mission._ "I'm assuming you already know of it, of course." He glanced up at his superior curiously, blinking once. Yellow stared ahead, her eyes widening slightly.

"Oh, right! The Harvest Moon. Ah, yes I know all about it. I know Blue is looking forward to it for some reason, but..." She paused, muttering something too quietly to hear. "I simply don't see how, really."

Though he glanced to the side, Hema didn't say a word, acting like he hadn't heard that last part.

"Well, she seems intrigued by the Hematites in general, so perhaps it's because of that. Then again, this is going to be a rather different event, so maybe it's the thrill of something new?" Smiling, the service gem shrugged, chuckling softly. "Who knows with her." Looking forward, Hematite kept up his steady pace, his smile quickly fading. "… I just hope I'm prepared for it," he muttered, too quiet for Yellow to make out the words clearly. Yellow held her wrist as she walked, though kept the rest of her gait as professional and proper as she could.

"Perhaps. I just think she's up to something from the way I've heard it... buuut maybe I'm just suspicious." She closed her eyes for a moment, shrugging her shoulders. "Regardless, I know White has a few plans, herself. But I'm not inclined to say what."

Blinking in surprise, Hema curiously looked up at Yellow.

"Oh? Is it something she hasn't told us about yet?" he asked almost eagerly, his eyes faintly shining. "I know she mentioned an optional event but I still can't place who would be the target for that..."

Yellow took a glance at the smaller gem beside her, stifling something of a smirk. 

"Heh... now, you know White would have my gem if I told you anything," she said with an almost devious tone. "Just be on your toes. I know she's picked out someone very special for that. Be ready for anything. That's all I can say."

Hema's expectant expression fell slightly, his cheeks puffing out for a moment.

"Awww. Well, it was worth a shot," he said quietly, smiling as he looked forward again. "I'll try to be prepared."

The two gems soon spotted the Coliseum on the horizon, out in the middle of the huge fields that surrounded it. Hematite looked up at the sky, pursing his lips. The first stars were starting to come out, purple hues washing over the cloudless sky. Yellow, however, took to a quiet air, lost in thought about the upcoming event for the Hematites.

The two walked quietly toward the great Coliseum, eventually passing it by entirely. Seemed there was a night event going on, though no fusions were involved this time. Hema took a quick glance through the large front gate, but kept moving as the two of them made their way into the fields just outside the huge arena.

  


Soon enough, however, as some hillsides came into view, Hema stopped in his tracks, turning to Yellow.

"Okay, so... hear me out."

Yellow stopped abruptly just as soon as Hematite did, though her confusion wasn't very well-hidden. Looking to the side for a moment, she hesitantly laid her eyes back on him. Why were they out here?

Catching her quite off-guard, an old, familiar feeling pricked at Yellow's core. She crossed her arms, quickly trying to push it away.

"… Okay...?”

The service gem motioned to the rather jagged-looking hillsides in the distance, smiling awkwardly.

"So, that's where we're going. It's about a ten-minute walk from here, well, at this height," he added quietly, coughing at the end of his sentence. "But here's the thing... it's really difficult to traverse and get to the top... Annnd. In order for the surprise to work." Crossing his arms, Hema looked to the side, not able to meet the Diamond's gaze. "You'll have to keep your eyes shut until we get to the right place."

… He wanted her to _what?_

For a moment, she looked almost offended. However, her expression fell into undisguised, nervous confusion. If she closed her eyes, she'd be vulnerable. There was no one around for miles, and she was out in the middle of these fields with _him_ \- the same gem that had caused her such distress not too long ago. She didn't look sure of either him or herself, and she held up her hand to cover her mouth. Grumbling, she looked away, her brows furrowed. She wasn't so sure if this was a good idea... But she was going to give this a go. Even if every fiber of her being told her not to, that this would end badly. She should show a little more faith in him, right? They weren't going to get very far if she couldn't trust him.

"… Alright," she said, inhaling deeply. _But don't try to pull anything..._

Blinking in surprise, Hema turned sharply to look up at the Diamond, a look of undisguised shock on his face.

"O-okay! So, uhh. You won't have to close them until we actually get over there." He stepped back, soon turning to jog a little distance from her. Turning around, he smiled reassuringly and cupped a hand over his mouth, speaking loudly. "But I'm gonna need to be a bit bigger to make the climb, so give me a moment!" Dropping his hands, the service gem closed his eyes and focused, soon shifting up to a little under his half height.

"Wait, wha-!"

Her eyes widened suddenly as she took a few quick paces back. She stared up at him, her anxiety rising _rapidly_. She hadn’t expected him to do _that_. Suddenly, she wondered if agreeing to this had been a good idea. She stood perfectly still though, swallowing nervously. _It'll be fine. He's just taking you there. You've done this before... Kind of._ But she had been in a public place, then. Out here, there was no one around to see them. No one around to see what he would do if he decided to turn on her when she least expected it.

Hema attempted to give the smaller gem a reassuring smile, but it fell flat when he noticed how nervous and surprised Yellow looked.

… _Maybe this was a bad idea._

Instead of making his way to the hills like he'd been ready to, the service gem reached his hand up to his sleeve, gripping at it quietly.

"… We can. Go back if you wish. We can do this some other time, and maybe we can come here a bit earlier." He looked away. "And you can make your way up yourself, if you'd prefer that."

Yellow Diamond blinked, her lips parting to say something. For a moment, she looked like she'd regretted having reacted the way she did.

"Wait, no. It's alright. I can... I can go with you." She said, stepping towards him a few paces. She wasn't going to back out now; she’d already agreed to it. Besides, he'd sounded excited for whatever this was. He had went through all the trouble of contacting her and coming to get her. He'd already made plans for this, so she figured it would be rude not to at least go with him. She wasn't entirely sure about this, but she had to try, right?

Glancing at the Diamond, Hematite felt his expression soften, though he still didn't smile quite yet.

"Okay. Just... I'll let you know when to close your eyes, but for now, let's just get over there."

Motioning for Yellow to follow, the service gem jogged off toward the jagged form in the distance, keeping his pace at a relatively-leisurely speed. Yellow nodded and started for him, breaking out into a sprint just to keep up with his strides. At the very least, he wasn't making a go for her now. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she thought. _Right... just trust him. Blue and White have done this before, too._

But they also had a better history with him...

  


Soon enough, the two approached the jagged 'hills' which, now that they were closer, looked far more like a small, steep mountain range, but... miniaturized. The rocks forming the structure looked unnatural, as if they'd been put there by an outside force. Even for a gem, it seemed like a slightly dangerous climb. One wrong fall, and one could end up with a damaged gem. Well... perhaps not a Diamond, but any other gem... it was better safe than sorry.

Especially if said gem needed to have their eyes closed for the climb.

Looking up at the steep rocks, Hema huffed through his nose, soon turning to look down at the Diamond.

"…" Smiling nervously, the service gem backed up a few paces, crouching onto one knee and extending his palm. "It's a short climb. I promise I'll try and get up there as quick as I can!"

Yellow peered up at the gem-made cliff-side, trying to make out what she could. Glancing back over to Hematite, her eyes drifted down to his hand. She was nervous, but in their run over to the huge rock structure, she'd managed to mask it. She was getting better at that, nowadays.

"Alright, just be careful," she said, stepping forward. Reluctantly, she stopped in front of his hand, glancing down at his fingers. _It isn't going to be that bad. You did this somewhat recently. Come on..._ _ **show some courage.**_

She stepped up into his hand, holding her breath. Slowly, she looked up at him, meeting his eyes. Time seemed to stop around her as gravity shifted under her feet. Carefully lifting his hand, the giant gem stood back up. He looked up at the steep rocks before turning his attention back down to Yellow Diamond. However, instead of keeping her at arm's distance, he moved his hand closer, motioning it toward his shoulder. Gasping quietly, Yellow flinched back, gripping one of his fingers tightly. She bit her lip, looking between Hematite's mouth and his eyes as he brought her closer. _Her mind was screaming at her to jump_. 

"Here. Just climb on and close your eyes. And don't let go!" he said with a small smile.

Her gaze drifted to his shoulder, and she finally took a breath. _It's okay. Everything is okay._ Boldly, she hopped up just as he'd told her to, shakily taking a stand. She peered over his back at the ground far below.

This was it.

Whatever happened next was up to fate. If she was foolish enough to walk into her own demise... then so be it. The Diamond crouched down, nervously clutching the fabric of Hematite's suit.

She closed her eyes.

As soon as Yellow had a good grip on his shoulder, the service gem looked up, setting his jaw. _Alright. This didn't look too hard. He'd done this twice before... Now he just had to make sure his 'passenger' didn't fall off._

Frowning, Hematite reached forward, getting a firm hold on the ledge he'd used last time he was here, and started climbing up. For a minute, he was silent, focusing on his efforts to scale the large rock structure. He made no move to hold Yellow, no signs that he was trying anything funny. However, he did shoot her a glance every few moments to make sure she was alright, and still closing her eyes.

Though she wanted to open her eyes, she kept telling herself not to. _Just do this one little thing for him. You said you would. Come on, be brave._ Grasping tightly, she hunkered down as she felt the weight of the world shift around her. Somehow or another, though, she managed to keep herself steady.

There was a long, tense stretch of silence as Hematite made his last few heaves up the sheer face of the 'hill'. Slowly, however, he lifted himself up to a much larger ledge and stood straight with a small smile.

_Alright, the hard part’s over._

Glancing at the Diamond on his shoulder, Hema made a much gentler climb to the large, flat area on top of the huge rock.

"I believe this structure was made by some Spinels that got into a fight out here, or got a little too invested in a training spar," he commented, trying to fill the space with idle conversation. "I guess they never bothered to put it back to normal, though, hah."

Within a few moments, Hema suddenly stopped. A gentle breeze blew at his back, disturbing his hair.

_They'd made it in time._

Slowly, the service gem sat down, making sure Yellow wasn't jostled too badly. He went silent.

Yellow couldn't respond. Partially because she didn't know what to say, and partially because she was trying to hide the rising anxiety welling up within her. The longer she went without opening her eyes, the more her suspicions raced through her mind. She had no idea where he was taking her or what he was going to do to her. What was he planning? Her fingers dug into his shoulder, sweat forming on her brow. _This couldn't be good... why was he silent?_

  


Minutes stretched on. Hematite quietly knocked his feet together every once in a while, making a soft sound with each hit.

Tap

Tap.

_Tap._

  


After what felt like ages... Hema caught sight of the faintest glimmer on the horizon; the very light he'd been waiting for.

  


Okay... _Now._

  


"Alright... You can look," he said softly, gazing out at the magnificent sight before them.

Slowly, Yellow opened one eye. But, she quickly opened the other once she noticed where she was.

The altitude from the perch the two gems found themselves on brought them far away from the city lights. Far above, thousands of stars glittered brightly. Sure, the Blue District already had gorgeous night skies, but this... this was a new level of breathtaking. One could see for what felt like forever from here, like you could lose yourself in the distant galaxies by just looking up. But besides that... the district stretched far below, glittering beautifully in the dim light of the night. The flickering lights of the bustling cities glittered like jewels far below, and the far-off hum of life filled the air. The main city looked absolutely tiny from here. Even the great Coliseum, with its impressive stature, seemed to be dwarfed from this height. And then, far, far in the distance, stood the Diamond Towers. If one looked closely enough... they'd even see glimpses of the Yellow and Pink districts.

"Wha..." Yellow whispered breathlessly, letting go of Hematite's outfit completely. Raising a hand to cover her mouth, she silently stared out at the scene before her, entranced. All of her tension receded within an instant. Within this one, seemingly-tiny moment, a flood of wonder overcame her.

The Diamond relaxed, looking down slightly back at the district. She sat down more comfortably on his shoulder and placed her hand down. It was warm, but slightly windy up here. It was peaceful. Serene. _It was lovely._

"Did you....did you bring me here to show me this?..."

Smiling almost _excitedly_ , Hema glanced sidelong at the Diamond before looking up at the sky, near the horizon.

"Yes, but just wait for it... there's something we needed to be here at just the right time for..."

There was a pause.

  


After a minute, as if on a silent cue... faint glimmers of color lit up on the horizon. Soon enough, the light turned into ribbons of color that dazzled the night sky above the Blue District, reaching as far as the eye could see. Hues of blue, green, pink, and purple... they all danced slowly above the city, completing the gorgeous view.

"On the clearest of nights... this is one of the best places to see the crystal auroras."

Yellow's eyes widened, staring up with awe at the light show far above them. She hadn't seen a display this beautiful in _centuries_.

"Heh..."

Yellow's fingers gripped at Hematite's suit again, her hands placed firmly down next to her. She was taken aback by the sight of not only the stars, but a phenomenon she couldn't have even remembered was this gorgeous. She inhaled slowly, her fingers loosening. She looked down, eyes half-lidded, a faint, yet genuine, smile on her face. She lifted her hand up next to Hematite's face, hesitantly placing her palm on his cheek.

"So this is what I've been missing out on."

Hema gazed up at the sky, completely mesmerized, an entranced, but happy, smile on his face.

"Yeah... it's. The view from the Towers is nice, but this is something else, huh?" he asked quietly, folding his hands in his lap, fingers lacing together as he tapped his feet against one another. Yellow kept smiling, but she finally turned her head slightly to look at him.

"Hm... Ah, yes... right. It's beautiful up here," she said quietly, looking back down to the city. Her expression fell just slightly, a quiet sigh escaping her. "… Thank you... Hema."

Hematite gazed up at the stars a few moments longer before blinking in surprise, finally turning to the smaller gem, realizing, with a small start, that she'd placed her hand on his cheek.

 _And that she'd called him_ _'Hema'_.

"Hm? Oh... No need to thank me. I just thought... since you finally had a day off, and we'd never done something like this," he said softly, giving the Diamond a warm smile. "Why not, you know...?"

Yellow's hand retracted, folding neatly into her lap. _It_ _had been_ _worth it. She was okay. He was okay._ Everything... was okay. And yet... she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.

"Hm...You really are full of surprises."

Blinking in surprise, the service gem felt a flush of color pass over his cheeks before quickly fading. He looked away again, smiling as he reached a hand up to rub the back of his neck.

"Ahh. Everybody says that," he chuckled softly, looking back up at the colors dancing on the horizon.

Yellow stifled a small, faint chuckle. _Sure_ _they_ _did._ Then again, he really was.

"Do you come out here all the time?..."

Subtly, the gem shook his head.

"Not to this spot, no. I've only ever been here twice, but." Sighing softly, Hematite leaned back ever-so-slightly, making sure not to disturb the gem on his shoulder. "Stargazing is one of my favorite things to do on nights off... so I come out to the fields rather often." Slowly, Hema's expression fell, though it was impossible to tell why. "..."

Yellow hadn't even noticed Hematite's expression change. She was still staring up at the sky. She wished she had more time to do these sort of things nowadays. But she knew that there was work to be done and progress to be made. Still, it didn't mean she couldn't enjoy it while it lasted.

The two sat in silence for some time, but as the aurora faded from the sky, Hematite lifted his chin slightly, his eyes focused on a distant, glimmering light in the sky. A particularly bright star glimmered in the distance.

"… I wish I'd studied more star maps in my early years." The service gem's voice was soft, laced with an unreadable mix of emotions. "Maybe if I'd known you could so clearly see Homeworld's galaxy from Earth... it could have been some sort of comfort."

Yellow's own expression sharply fell, a frown finding its way to her face.

_Earth._

She looked back at Hematite, her brows furrowed with undisguised concern. But no, it wasn't just that. There was something else there. A lingering hatred for that word, that planet. Why was he bringing that up?

It was in the past. She wasn't going to let it come back to her like that, and she wasn't going to get worked up just by its mention. She leaned forward a little, her arms crossed.

"You're better off on Homeworld..."

The service gem glanced in surprise at the gem on his shoulder, her words hitting him harder than he understood. His chest tightened for a moment, but he forced himself to shake it off, gazing once again at the tiny, bright light.

"Yeah. I only wish I could have made contact sooner, you know?” he muttered. Then, slowly, his brows furrowed, and he paused hesitantly. “... Yellow?" Sitting up slightly, Hema turned his head toward the Diamond, expression filled with a complex mix of emotions. He almost looked like he was pleading for the answer he wanted... the answer he needed, but wasn't sure he'd like what he'd hear. "Did... Is it true that none of my messages ever got to Homeworld? Not even to your communicators?"

Yellow blinked in surprise at his question, looking away with a heavy heart. She knew what he was referring to. All those years ago, when he was stuck on that vile planet.

"We never received anything. None of us. Not me, not Blue, not White. No frequency on any given station was able to pick up whatever it was you broadcasted." She looked back to him, brows furrowed. It was hard to tell what was going through her mind. She only hoped he could believe what she'd said... because it was the truth. They'd never received anything from him.

In an instant, Hematite felt a weight lift from his shoulders... a nagging, deep-seated doubt that had never truly left him since his return to Homeworld over two years ago. Despite all he'd been through since coming back, despite the new found trust he'd found in all three of the Diamonds over the course of that time... There was always a small part of him that wondered if he'd been left on Earth on purpose, if his calls had gotten through, but they were ignored, by one Diamond or another.

But. They'd really never gotten anything. He couldn't imagine what White must have thought... Immediately after she told him about... well. His 'flaw'. He inexplicably went missing for ten years?

"Hah. If that's the case, I'm. Kind of baffled how White never replaced me."

Yellow looked down at the city again, her expression almost haunted. It was quickly covered up, however. She found herself smiling again.

"White... always had this hope that you'd come back. It took her five years before she started having any sort of doubt that you'd ever return. We... She... tried to send you messages. Though, it sounds like you never got them, either," she said, her smile fading again. "Blue managed to keep White hopeful for the remainder of your stay on that planet. She always said that, one day, maybe you'd come back." Yellow continued, inhaling through her nose. "But I won't lie and say that towards the end... that hope started to slip away for both of them."

"...Well. I can't blame them. I. Didn't hold on as long as they did." An almost-guilty tone laced his voice. "I was sure I'd been left there. I thought maybe White considered me a danger and found leaving me on a distant planet an easy way to get me out of the picture." The service gem clutched his hands tighter together, lips drawing tight. "I wish I'd known how wrong I was."

He didn't know it, and she wouldn't tell anyone, but it worried her to see him like this. Why was he talking about this _now? Was he... alright?_ For a brief moment, it occurred to her just how odd it was that his feelings meant so much to her in that moment, but... she couldn't help but feel partially responsible for his doubt in White. 

She looked up at him, frowning. She didn't know quite what to say.

"… You know. I wish I'd at least said ‘welcome back’..."

"Aah. We all make mistakes," he said quietly, shrugging his free shoulder. There was a short pause before he looked up at the stars, forcing a smile. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring down the mood, it's just. The last time I went stargazing like this with someone was with... a gem back on Earth. She was the one good thing I found there, honestly. I guess this just. Brought that back, you know?"

Something about what Hematite said struck a chord. She looked up to the sky, craning her head back to get a good look at the galaxies spread far and wide above them.

"Yeah. I used to do this with White and Blue sometimes. More often Blue than White, since her district has the best view of the sky at night..." she said, almost longingly. "… You must miss this gem."

"… I do, yeah. She." He sighed softly, frowning a little before he continued. "She opened up her home to me and taught me a lot. She's actually the gem that taught me how to use my lightning whips... and she showed me how to fight, even at my smaller sizes. Even after my visor lost all power, she stuck with me, supported me. But." A pause. "She and I. Didn't part on good terms. I found out she'd been hiding Earth's galaxy warp from me for years, and I got angry and left without saying goodbye. When I went back a few hours later... She was gone." Quietly, the service gem shifted in place, a sigh escaping him. "My only regret is that I didn't get to apologize for going off on her, and that I never made sure she was okay. I just wanted to get home." Frowning, he shook his head. "But I'm not going back there. I looked for her for so long... I don't know where she could have gone. And, even if I could find her... I don't think she'd want to see me."

Unfortunately, there was little that Yellow Diamond could do or say to bring any sort of comfort to the service gem, and she knew that. But she could still try. She lightly rested a hand on his cheek.

"Maybe someday, she'll turn up again here. Who's to say... all I know is..." Her brows furrowed, another strike of guilt and pain rushing through her very core. "Don't give up all of your hope. It took you ten years to return to Homeworld. Who knows? Maybe you'll change your mind and visit her again someday. Or maybe she'll come back to Homeworld. Time brings change, Hematite. Fate has ways of surprising you, even when you think you know everything." She smiled warmly, placing her hand back down on his shoulder. "But whatever happened to her... I'm sure she'd have missed you, if it was the other way around.”

Hematite listened quietly, brows raising. After a moment, he looked at her, a faint smile on his face.

_Fate has ways of surprising you._

"Yeah... maybe someday. Thanks, Yellow." The service gem chuckled quietly, his gaze dropping for a moment. "… So. Funny story. You know how the Harvest Moon is coming up, of course. But. Did you know I'm actually tutoring the Hematites on how to be careful with their targets? It was White's idea."

Yellow was relieved to see that Hematite not only seemed to feel a little better, but he'd changed the subject.

"I didn't, actually. White never told me about that. But, I think you'd make a good teacher," she said, her expression more neutral now. By this point, the sun had completely set, the dark navy sky still twinkling with millions of bright stars overhead.

"Hah, really?" Smiling brightly, the service gem glanced at the Diamond on his shoulder. "Well. Hopefully I will be, for my, you know, one pupil." He chuckled dryly, though it didn't sound bitter, exactly. He was almost glad that only one Hematite had taken him up on White's offer. Less headaches to deal with. "But who knows, more might show up once I actually start the lessons..." he said quietly, a rhetorical air to his statement.

Looking up at the stars, Hematite relaxed slightly, eyes wide.

"… Yellow. Can I ask you one last thing... about the Harvest Moon?"

_He wanted to know something else? She'd already told him she couldn't reveal much of anything._

"That depends on what it is." She said, pursing her lips curiously.

"... Do you know if. Tsss. How do I put this." Biting his lip for a moment, the giant gem frowned, furrowing his brows. The serious expression softened for a moment, but was now tinged with a sad nervousness. "What will happen to me if I fail the tests? Is... White planning on taking on whatever Hematite performs the best? Or has she not mentioned anything like that?"

The Diamond looked away, thinking for a moment. _Well, honestly, that wasn't really the question she had been expecting to hear. But at least she could_ _ **answer**_ _this one._

"White has no intention of replacing you, whatever happens... if that's what you're worried about, Hematite," she said, offering him a reassuring smile. "Regardless of your performance, you'll be fine. Honestly? White's doing this to try and weed out the Hematites that can't be trusted to be careful with other gems; civilians and the like. She's being firm about sending those who fail to other planets where they'll be exposed to far less gems. She also figures splitting them apart may help cut down on some of the tension that's been reported among them now and then. That and, of course, there's the given that it's a chance to check up on all your skills. But, no, this isn't a test to replace you. Though, you'll still probably have to face consequences if you _do_ fail, so... just do your best, alright?"

Blinking in surprise, Hematite felt the tension leave his shoulders, and his form relaxed considerably. He wasn't in any danger of being replaced? Stars... that was a relief. He thought... maybe this was White's way of renewing her bodyguard to be the most capable Hematite. It was a silly doubt, sure, but it hadn't left him alone since White's announcement about the events.

"R-right... Right!" With a curt nod, the service gem looked down at Yellow, smiling faintly. "I will. Thank you." Turning back to the view before them, Hema sighed softly. "Sorry, I didn't bring you out here to pelt you with questions."

Yellow stifled a small chuckle, crossing one of her legs idly over the other.

"I don't mind. Just try to think a little more positively, alright?" She said, glancing sidelong at the bigger gem's face. She didn't mind the questions; it was more or less seeing him even remotely upset at such a time that bothered her. _He didn't deserve it._

"Right. Sorry." He smiled sidelong at the smaller gem before gazing up at the stars. "...We should stargaze from the Sky Arena sometime."

Yellow looked up again, pausing to take in the view one more time.

"Take it from me... it's nice up there, too." She grinned. "Maybe one night, we can have another spar and I can teach you some new tricks... or rather, help you hone the ones you already know, if you'd like."

The service gem's expression brightened, and he nodded once, clasping his hands together again.

"I'd like that. Maybe I could make you some tea and bring it up there with us. Or perhaps we could have it ahead of time, in your office. Whichever works best for you."

Yellow Diamond tilted herself to the side, leaning on one arm. She paused again, thinking for a moment. She smiled, meeting Hema's gaze at last.

"I'll let you surprise me."


	75. Practical Use

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two of Hematite's friends help him train for his upcoming test.

"Tsss... That's the second time this month I've lost hair." Carefully, Hematite touched the back of his head, where a rather impressive section of his white locks had been torn out by a gem monster. _Damn, and he’d thought getting rid of his long hair would prevent this sort of thing..._ Swiping his fingers over the patch, he formed his hair back in place, sighing quietly. Looking over, he frowned, cupping his hand over his mouth. "Kyan, Red! It's safe to come out now!" He turned with a small, bubbled gem in his hand, quickly storing it in his gemstone. 

Red was the first to jump out, standing ready for anything. With a fierce salute, she stared intently at the taller service gem. Kyan walked out slowly, her arms crossed. She looked somewhat annoyed.

"’Bout time! I still don't see why I couldn't have a go at ‘em... I could’a taken ‘em," she grumbled crossly. Pursing her lips, Red narrowed her eyes at the small blue gem with acute frustration.

"You would have cost us the mission, probably..."

"What's that supposed to mean?! You don't know how I fight!"

"You fight like an untrained Axinite."

Growling, Kyan clenched her fists and faced the Pink Pearl, agitation etching creases into her face.

"How about I show you-" Before Kyan could continue, Red held up her hand to Kyan's face, walking towards Hematite and completely ignoring her. Appalled, Kyan held out her hands, speechless. "UGH! FINE!"

Hematite frowned, shaking his head with a sigh before he shifted down and folded his arms behind his back.

"Come on, you two! Cut it out. Red, please don't be rude. Kyan, don't be so brash. One spray of acid from a Jade could be deadly, it'd only take one slip-up. Alright? That's why I had you both hide." Huffing, the service gem looked around, his eyepiece scanning for any remaining signatures. There seemed to still be a faint signal, but Hema frowned, arching a brow. It seemed it was still lingering, like it did sometimes. He couldn't tell. There didn't seem to be any gems in the immediate area. 

The three of them had gone on a short mission that morning, despite the job not being due for another few days. He knew he had the lessons to give in a few rotations, and he didn't want any jobs getting in the way. So he, Red, and Kyanite had all left this morning to take care of a rather troublesome corrupted Jade. Thankfully, the mother hadn't fully formed to its potential, so there wasn't as much danger to the White District as there could have been. Still, it had tried to go directly after both Red and Kyan, putting them at risk. Thankfully, it seemed they were in the clear.

"Alright, we should get going, though. I really have to take care of something today before White has me in the Pink District tomorrow."

Raising a brow, Kyan crossed her arms again and turned towards Hematite.

"What sort of something?" she inquired. She'd hoped it didn't have to do with anything official like attending more briefings or just walking around. For such an interesting gem, Hema could be rather boring. Shrugging, Hematite started off toward the White District warp pad, which was, thankfully enough, only a few minutes away.

"It's nothing much, really... But. I will need help." Turning to the two shorter gems, Hematite arched a brow. "From both of you."

Red and Kyan both shot each other a curious look which soon drifted over to the other service gem.

"Really?" Kyan said, giving him a bit of a suspicious glare. What did he need help with from _her?_ Red nodded astutely and grinned, closing her eyes.

"Certainly, sir. What shall we help you with, then?"

Tapping his chin, Hema hummed thoughtfully, going quiet for a moment. He'd been mulling this over since a few days ago, but with the events of this morning's mission... he knew they didn't have a choice in the matter anymore. If he was losing hair to mere Jades, he clearly wasn't on his a-game. He needed someone to train him for the Harvest Moon test.

He thought over his next words carefully as he and the two gems neared the warp pad.

"How do I put this." Clearing his throat, the service gem closed his eyes, inhaling quietly through his nose. "Neither of you know this yet, but I will soon be participating in a series of 'tests' that will determine a few... well. A few _important_ things. It's imperative that I pass these tests, but it's become clear to me that some of my skills could really use some touching up. That's where you two come in."

Kyan's arms fell beside her, and she rolled her eyes with uninterested distaste.

"Whaaaat? What do we have to do with this? I don't like tests... too much like Gem Academies," she grumbled. Red frowned. She, for one, didn't seem quite as annoyed; in fact, she seemed more curious than anything.

"What do you mean, sir? How can we help you?" she asked. She looked perplexed, but was trying to hide it with an air of professionalism.

"Weeell... They're tests that are specific to my kind, the Hematites. There are a few events where we'll be tested on certain abilities and traits we have. For example, during one of these events, all of us will be pitted against one Hematite, whose sole job is to track and capture us." Arching a brow, Hema looked away for a moment, lips pursed. "And, needless to say, my agility isn't the best. So... Kyan." Looking at the blue gem, Hematite popped his lips once. "Feel up to giving me a few pointers? You're the most agile target I've ever tracked, and you certainly kept me on my feet. I'm sure I could learn a thing or two from you."

Kyan's eyes widened slightly, looking between the Pink Pearl and Hematite. He wanted _her_ help? With something like _that?_ Suddenly, under her scarf, the smaller blue gem's grin widened slyly, and she crossed her arms.

"Your most agile target? Oh, really?" She smirked with an odd sense of pride. Chuckling impishly, she turned her head away but kept an eye on Hema as they continued to walk. "Weeeeell... I suppoooose I could teach ya a few of my tricks!" she said in somewhat of a cocky tone. Red's lips parted slightly, her brows furrowed in slight concern. She stepped forward, standing alongside Hematite now.

"Sir, do you think that's a good idea?... I mean..." She paused, biting her lip nervously and looking back at Kyan, who still held her overconfident stance. "I might be able to help too! I'm pretty agile myself. Wouldn't it be less risky to accept lessons from someone who's been properly trained?" she said. That finally snapped Kyanite out of her cocky pose, right into a defensive, yet aggressive. Clenching her fists, she stepped towards Red almost threateningly.

"Hey, back off... Don't try to take this from me! He asked _me_ to do it! I'm perfectly capable! You don't need special training to each someone how to avoid getting _caught!"_ she snapped, puffing out her cheeks indignantly. Red grimaced, but stood her ground against the huffy Kyanite.

"I just think it would be ill-advised to do this with someone he barely knows or trusts," she retorted, glowering down at the shorter gem. Kyan narrowed her eyes, but looked away quickly. A brief, hurt expression crossed her features. Frowning slightly, Hematite arched a brow and stopped in his tracks, waiting for the other two to do the same. The two looked at Hema in surprise.

"Alright, listen up, you two," he said sternly, his playful tone gone in an instant. Both Kyan and Red flinched slightly, Red less-so than Kyan. Hema looked back to them and continued. "Kyanite. While I was asking you if you could help, you would have to do it anyways, even if you wanted to deny my request. Remember, you're still under my jurisdiction until the stuff with 'that group' is handled. I simply wanted to be polite and let you accept or refuse yourself, first,” he said, semi-sternly. Kyan's brows raised before they suddenly furrowed. She looked away, crossing her arms. Hematite sighed and cocked a brow. “Red." He turned to his Pearl, giving her a slightly softer look. "I understand your concerns. But I've been thinking about this for a few days. While I know you are perfectly capable and quite agile yourself, Kyanite here has... well. She's incredibly skilled at not being _caught_ in particular. I... actually have some other training for you in mind, which Kyanite cannot help me with. That being said..." He squared his shoulders.  "Kyan. You will provide me with any tips you can manage, and assist me with some practical demonstrations. Red... I would like you to supervise. In fact, you should take notes, if you feel so inclined. Knowing how to avoid a Hematite is very valuable information." He was sure he didn't need to explain _why_ to her.  "And please... for the love of White Diamond, you two. Try to show each other a little more respect. Red, I actually do hold some trust with Kyanite. I know she isn't going to try any funny business... And. Kyan." Turning to the smaller blue gem, Hema arched a brow, his expression unreadable. "… We're going to be using an interesting method for the demonstrations, and I'm going to trust you to be careful, alright? Can you do that for me?"

Kyan blinked a few times, keeping quiet for a moment. Red didn't change much, but did look mildly baffled. Kyan scoffed softly under her breath.

"I-I was gonna accept anyway! I mean, I can _try_ to give you some tips," Kyanite said, looking away quickly. Red sighed, but kept quiet. Maybe she _could_ learn a few things from this.

"Then that's good! I'm not saying I expected you to refuse. Just..." Pinching the bridge of his nose, the service gem sighed softly, his shoulders relaxing after a moment. "Do your best, alright? I'm not saying that you have to be successful in teaching me. I just thought you'd be the best gem to go to this about. And Red is the best gem I know to watch over the process and make sure nothing goes awry." Hematite nodded at the two without waiting long for a response, and walked toward the warp pad a little distance away.

Kyan perked up, quickening her pace to keep up with Hematite's strides. Red followed after, keeping a close eye on Kyanite.

"Where are we going to do this, then?" Red asked. 

"Well, I asked Frecks to grant us clearance for an area around the Towers. It's among the research facilities, you know the ones. I needed somewhere for us to really test out anything Kyanite teaches me. And since the facilities are rather close together and varied in structure, it's a close enough emulation of the Pink District." With a curt nod, he stepped onto the large district warp pad, turning to face forward.

"Ooohh, but without any of the added danger of its inhabitants," Kyan added smugly, hopping up onto the warp pad with Red behind her. "I getcha. Neat! I can run around without you getting your uniform in a bunch..." she snickered. Red groaned quietly and pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh.

With a bright flash, the warp pad activated, sending the trio out to the White District.

-

-

Stepping out before a large, factory-looking building, Hematite stopped and squared his feet, looking around. The three gems were in some sort of docking and loading area riddled with cargo that was to be shipped to the different districts. Everything was packed into incredibly sturdy crates or bins, so there was little risk of the three gems doing any damage. Of course, that didn't stop Hema from promising White, via Frecks, that he, Red, and Kyan would be careful not to harm anything. All around the area were beams, pipes, crates, scrap, you name it. It was the perfect place to practice agility and avoidance... if you were small.

And, thankfully, Hema had a plan for that.

Turning to the two gems, Hematite adjusted his eyepiece and turned it on, bringing up a blank file to start taking notes.

"Alright, Kyanite. First off, are there any tips you can think of right off the top of your head? And Red, you may go and find a vantage point to watch and listen from, if you wish," he said casually, shooting the Pink Pearl a small smile. Red looked over at Kyan, who seemed to be oblivious to her gaze. Nodding curtly, the Pearl turned and made her way for a nearby pillar. If she could sit up top, she might be able to get a good visual of a vast majority of the area. Kyan placed a finger over her scarf, running it over the cloth where her chin laid.

"Weeeeell... hmmm... what exactly are you lookin' to learn here? Ya don't wanna get caught, right? Well, one thing's for sure... you're gonna have to get a general idea of your terrain to have the best results for that. Know your surroundings. If you can analyze that before anything, then you're already off to a good start. Visualize what you think something looks like from all sides and go from there."

"Visualization and terrain analyzation, alright. Seems logical enough." A small bit of text appeared on Hema's screen, visible from either 'side' of the device, though it was reversed from Kyan's perspective. _Maybe I should make a more detailed map of the Pink District where we were tested last time,_ he thought to himself. Kyan turned to face the layout of the area before her. It seemed she was already doing exactly what she had told Hematite to do.

"Aaaand let's see... You're gonna have to be quiet. That's kinda obvious. Try to run on the tips of your toes. That always helps me. The less contact you make with the ground, the less noise you'll make. Aaand the less chance you have of crunching a rock under your big feet.” She turned again, standing up on her tip-toes with a sly grin. Hematite raised his brows in surprise, his mouth opening slightly, though he didn't say anything. For a moment, he glanced to the ground, at his left and right.

"B-but... Uhm." Frowning, Hema scratched the back of his head. "Wouldn't that make running slower, if you made less traction with the ground? And isn't that a bit more dangerous?"

Kyan pursed her lips, grumbling something.

"I guess that's subjective. Depends on your build, maybe. Ya see, I'm short and stubby. And you can put more weight into moving forward if ya know how to do it just right... you should practice that!" She grinned, lifting one of her feet and motioning it in a circular pattern. Staring down at the gem's feet, Hema pursed his lips with a soft 'hm'.

"Well, I'm a bit... lankier than you, so it might be a little harder."

Sure, walking on tiptoes had worked for Howlite, but she was stalking, not fleeing from something. However, despite his doubts, the service gem took another note on his eyepiece. At the same time, he tested out standing on his toes, quietly humming to himself. _Alright, so he could try that at least once._

Walking a few steps away from Hematite, Kyan clutched the fabric of her scarf.

"It also helps to know whoever is chasing you. That's not really gonna help you if you've never met them before, of course... buuut if you happen to be chased by someone or something you're more familiar with, then maybe that will help you find out their weaknesses. For example: if you're being chased by a Jasper, note that they are bulky. Smaller, thin spaces are ideal if you can find any. Or an Epidote! They’re kinda stumpy and short, and don't climb too well unless they have scouting gear. You could get to higher ground if you're getting chased by one of them. Buuuut as for your kind..." She turned, eyeing over Hematite with a critical gaze. "I'm not too sure... you know more about them than I do, probably."

Frowning thoughtfully, Hema dropped back onto his heels.

"Well, that's the thing. Tsss." Looking to the side, the service gem narrowed his eyes. "There are bulky Hematites, small ones... All sorts. Tough gems, wimpy gems, gems who climb on rocks... And I have no idea who will be chosen..." He sighed through his nose, now speaking more to both Kyan and Red. "Hematites are all-around... very skilled. Some are just more specialized than others. A few of them are incredibly fast, some bear greater strength... I only wish I knew who was going to be picked." Shaking his head, the service gem sighed softly. "I digress. Next?"

Kyan narrowed her eyes for a moment, but she kept her smile.

"Okay, well... Hmm... I guess, it helps to have speed on your side. Are you fast at all? If not, you should stretch more and practice jumping and running."

For a moment, Hema almost looked embarrassed, and looked up to the side, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm afraid I'm not very agile, no. I'm not the fastest, and my coordination needs some work. If I'm not fighting, for some reason I can never seem to move well on my feet."

Raising a brow, Kyan crossed her arms again and shifted her weight to her other foot.

"Maybe I can help with that," she said simply, grinning.

Pausing, Hema narrowed his eyes at the smaller gem.

"… I'm sure you'll be able to." He gave her his own coy smirk, but it was unclear why he was smiling. "But we haven't gotten to that yet. Anything else?"

Murmuring something under her breath, the smaller blue gem glanced up at nothing in particular.

"Not off the top of my head, anyway. If I think of anything else, I’ll tell you. But, I guess I could show you much better than any words." She quickly hopped to a different stance, holding out her fists in front of her. Hematite was silent for a long moment before he slowly narrowed his eyes at the blue gem, his smirk widening into a grin.

"Alright, then. Let's begin, shall we?" Motioning his arm out to the side, the service gem gestured to the huge, cluttered facility around them. "I'll give you a small head start."

Without a word or second thought, Kyan swiped the loose hanging cloth around her neck and bolted off. Within a few seconds, she was out of sight. Ducking swiftly behind one of the beams, Kyan turned in all different directions to look for places to hide. Not too far away, there was a pile of large, hollow tubes stacked upon each other. However, there was a wide-open space between her and the pile, so it'd be risky to run across.

Hema smirked, cracking his knuckles. _He never said how long the head-start would be_. A few moments after Kyan had vanished, the service gem chased after her, doing his best to remember where he'd heard her footsteps retreat. Stars, she really was light on her feet. Even in such an echoey place, she managed to stay rather quiet. Slowly, the service gem climbed up a small group of metal crates, keeping his body low. His eyes quickly scanned the ground below, checking for any movement.

Kyan had heard Hematite closing in on her location. Carefully, she peeked out from behind the beam from which she hid, spying him somewhere near the building. She waited until he wasn't looking anywhere near where she was and made a mad dash for the pillars, quickly hopping up into one.

Unfortunately, Hema didn't catch the sound of Kyan's retreat until she made her way into one of the open pipes. He turned his head in time to see the tiniest flicker of movement, but he wasn't sure if he was seeing things or not. Narrowing his eyes, the service gem took note of the large tubes. Slowly, a small grin crossed his face.

_Pipes only have two ways out. How do you handle a situation like that, Kyan?_

Slowly, the service gem crawled down the stack of crates, landing lightly on his feet. After a moment... he stood on his toes. Instead of rushing toward the large, metal pipes, Hematite crept closer, his steps nearly silent. However, once he was close enough...

_Flash_

Within an instant, the far end of the building pipes were blocked off by a massive, half-gloved hand, cutting off any escape. The now-huge service gem smirked to himself, keeping his eyes trained on the open ends of the tubes. There was silence. Nothing came from within the tubes. A long pause stretched on before Hema's smile started to fade. _Wait... he had seen her go in, right?_ Slowly, the service gem lifted his free hand to the stack, hovering it above the metal beams. After a moment, he narrowed his eyes, drumming his clawed fingers on the outside. _Surely, if she was in there, this would startle her out, right?_ He kept his hand firmly planted over the end of the tubing. His mind was nagging him to lean down and peer into the pipes, but with his current reach, he would have to lift his hand to lean down.

Perhaps she went in another direction?

The small blue gem hunkered down low in the pipes, pushing her scarf into her face and biting down on the fabric. She was silent. She managed to keep her nerves well in-check, remaining unfazed by his scare tactics. If she could just wait this out, maybe he'd move away long enough for her to make another move.

After another long pause, Hema scoffed and puffed his cheeks out, almost pouting.

"Alright, where are you, ya little..." The giant gem leaned down to the entrance of the pipes, peering into them one-by-one. However, bringing himself closer forced him to lift his hand, freeing up the other end of the steel tubes.

As soon as Kyanite saw a light appear at the other end, she darted swiftly out, jumping onto the ground below. However, she couldn't stifle that sound. And she knew it. She made quick tracks, eyeing a building not too far from the end of the pipes. The doors were sealed up, but a small pipe ran up the wall, leading to the ceiling. As soon as she found herself standing outside the building, she latched onto the pipe and climbed up, making her way for the roof.

Blinking, Hematite sat up with a sharp 'hey!', a blinding flash of light soon following. The now normal-sized gem rushed after his target, running down the length of the metal pipes after her. This time, he managed to keep up, and looked up as the small gem made her quick way up the side of the building. Frowning, the service gem glared at the pipe and latched onto it, attempting to climb the same way as Kyanite. Sticking his tongue out in concentration, the ivory-haired gem made his clumsy way up about ten feet before his hands started to slip. Letting out a rather unflattering yelp, Hema latched firmly onto the pipe, his heels digging into the wall... Until he slowly started to slide down, a scowl forming on his face as he descended.

Cackling quietly, Kyan hopped up nimbly to the roof and made her way over the slick metal shingles that tiled the top. At least from this height, she had a good vantage point. But she wasn't going to stay up there for long. She quickly rushed to the side, her eyes darting around for anything she could use to her advantage. Between her and another building was what looked to be a miniature power spire. It was powered down, however, so she knew there was no risk in touching it. Stepping back a few paces, Kyan rushed forward and leapt off the roof, arms spread out to catch the side of the spire, which she met with a soft thump. Wrapping her arms around it as best as she could, she squirmed up the spire until she managed to reach the top.

Eventually, Hema found himself sitting on the ground, his arms still wrapped around the pipe. He slowly let go and looked up, frowning. _Alright... large cliffs with foot and handholds were one thing... but this? He couldn't get a grip on it!_ And with how slick the building's walls were, he knew he wasn't going to get any sort of hold on it with his claws. Huffing his bangs away from his face, the service gem hopped up and made his quick way around the building, not trying to be quiet. Alright, climbing skills can be worked on later. For now...

Looking up and around, Hema finally caught sight of the small blue gem far above him, and frowned, a sudden flicker of anxiety rising in his chest. In a flash, he shifted up to his full height, still standing some distance under the gem. The buildings in the facility dwarfed the harvester, even at his full potential.

"Careful, Kyan!" he said quickly, holding his hands out near the side of the building, should she slip up. He still watched her, however, and took notes on her movements. _Stars, she was a natural, wasn't she?_ It made him wonder how many gems she'd had to run from to get as good at it as she was...

In no time, Kyan reached the top. There were a few wires hanging from one of the spires connecting to the building just up ahead. Grinning smugly, she looked down at the huge service gem below. With only slight hesitation, she unraveled her scarf from her neck and wrapped it around the wire. Taking in a deep breath, she grabbed onto the ends of the scarf and jumped, zip-lining down towards the other building. Her hair fluttered behind her, her teeth baring in a wide grin. Hematite bit his lip and followed after the gem, keeping his hands up, should she fall. She was far too high for his comfort; he couldn't reach her, even if he jumped. Within a few moments, she slowed down, reaching the top of the next building. She hopped off, whipping around to snatch her scarf from the wire, wrapping it around her neck once more. His anxiety eased up as she touched down on the next rooftop. Lowering his hands, the service gem tilted his head, eyeing Kyan curiously.

 _I've gotta get me one of those, someday._ Seemed that scarf could come in handy in more ways than he’d thought.

Eyeing the top of the building around her, Kyan quickly took note of the rooftop's structure. She didn't plan to stay up here any longer than she had to.

"Keep on the move as much as you can!" Kyan called out behind her, glaring over the side of the building at another tall spire. "It's risky to stay in the same place for too long depending on where you are! Try to throw your pursuer off!"

Hema pursed his lip, following after Kyan best as he could. Soon enough, however, she was out of view. She stopped within the middle of the roof, narrowing her eyes. Reaching down, she started to feel the shingles underneath her feet. _There._ Prying off a loose metal tile, she reeled her arm back and tossed it towards the next tower. Fortunately for her, it made contact with a loud _'tink!’_

She turned on her heel and headed back towards the _other_ spire from which she'd just gotten off of. Hema's eyes widened as he heard the loud clinking sound, and he made his way around the side of the building, toward the noise. However, he frowned in confusion as he stopped, and he see the blue gem anywhere. He scoffed under his breath, quickly heading back where he'd last seen the tiny gem.

While Kyan assumed Hematite was distracted by her little diversion, she took the chance to leap down the corner of the building where another pipe ran down the wall. Within seconds she reached the ground and bolted off for the opposite direction in which she'd been running originally. She recalled seeing some messily-stacked debris off near the pipes. Unfortunately for her, she didn't realize Hema had been trailing after her instead of investigating her diversion.

Smiling coyly, the service gem shrank back down to his half height, chasing after the blue gem. If he could catch her, they could move on to the more practical part of the training.

"Should have stayed on the roof, Kyan!" he called after her, quickly closing in.

Gasping silently, Kyan looked over her shoulder to see Hematite closing in, and fast. She suddenly regretted risking being back on the ground. If she could just make it to the pipes... well, that trick wouldn't work twice, but if it would slow him down...

She hopped up inside as soon as was close enough and darted for the other end. Bolting out from the exit, she didn't dare look behind her now with the rubble now in sight.

 _The pipes again, really?_ The service gem frowned and hopped over the large, steel tubes, landing heavily in front of them, looking down. A moment too late, the giant gem crouched down and quickly covered the pipes, noticing a second later that Kyan had already slipped through. Huffing in frustration, he turned around, getting to his feet again.

Kyan chuckled breathlessly and hopped up onto the metal crates that Hematite stood upon earlier. Within an instant, she was back over the top of them, heading for the scrapyard.

"What's the maaatterrrr? Can't catch me twice?" she taunted, barreling towards a few large broken metallic pillars. Eyes widening, Hematite grit his teeth at the small gem's taunt, quickly bolting after her. In an instant, he flicked his hunting visor on, tracking her movements with pinpoint accuracy within moments with the help of his visor's predictive software. Working to be lighter on his feet, the gem skirted around the large pile of crates, crawled over a huge transport ship, and leapt after the smaller gem, landing heavily on all fours behind her. A familiar phantom feeling sharpened in his core, a flare of his hunter's instincts suddenly catching him off guard.

Before he could process what was going on, the giant service gem lunged forward, his massive hand snatching Kyanite up as she fled. He quickly lifted her up to his face, his form low to the ground, expression unreadable behind his hunting visor.

–

Writhing in his grasp, Kyan huffed harshly and pulled her arms out to her sides. Pushing against Hematite's hand, she didn't even bother to look up at him. After a few solid seconds of grunting and complaining, Kyanite eventually stopped and hung her arms with a soft sigh.

"Not baaad! Not bad." she said, puffing out her cheeks. "You coooould lighten up a bit though...You're really squeezing me..." she grumbled, eyes drifting up to his visor. After a moment, Hema's frown softened, and he shook his head, as if clearing it. Slowly, he lowered his hand to the ground, depositing the smaller gem back to the floor.

"Sorry about that," he said simply, almost sounding a bit... _distracted._ Within a few moments, the service gem sat up, swiped away his hunting visor, and shrank back down to his normal height, still sitting on his knees. "Alright. That was a good demonstration." Standing up, the ivory-haired gem dusted himself off. After a moment, he adjusted his sleeves, an almost nervous smile finding its way to his face. "But now... I think it's time I tried these methods myself."

Raising a brow, Kyan crossed her arms and looked over the service gem as he spoke.

"Do I have to chase you now or something?" she asked curiously. Hematite looked over the smaller gem in return, as if silently sizing her up. Finishing his adjustments, the service gem cleared his throat, standing professionally.

"As a matter of fact..." Arching a brow, Hema smirked slightly, his gemstone glimmering dimly before a blinding flash shielded him from view. The light quickly faded, however, to reveal a now-tiny service gem who still stood in a poised, professional manner. "Yes, you do."

Kyans eyes widened slowly, her gaze drifting down to look at Hematite. For a few moments she stood speechless, motionless.

Red noticed this and immediately straightened up on the pillar which she perched herself upon. She eyed Kyan harshly, her gaze flickering between her and the shrunken Hematite. Red readied herself to jump, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh my stars... You're TINY?!" Kyan cried, a bright glimmer in her eyes. Quickly, she reached down and snatched up the tiny gem, holding him up to her face and looking him over excitedly. Red quickly hopped off her perch, landing tensely. Yelping quietly, Hematite clutched at the side of Kyan's hand as she snatched him up.

"Kyanite!" he growled in surprised shock, struggling to get loose. "Stars, don't just grab me like that!" He frowned up at the much bigger gem, his cheeks puffed out. Kyan flinched slightly at Hema's outburst, but she didn't let go of him. Red's lip curled into a displeased sneer.

"Put him down!" she called out angrily, heels planted firmly in the ground beneath her. Kyan looked over and huffed in annoyance at the uppity Pearl.

"Pipe down, squawker, I'm not hurtin' him. I'm just... lookin' is all!" she retorted crossly, looking back at Hematite with the same awe as before.

Red glowered at her with an offended scoff, grumbling. She stood in place not too far away, but she didn't make any move to get closer.

"I-it's fine, Red! It just caught me off guard, that's all," he called over, not taking his eyes off of Kyan. "I'm sure Kyan is going to be careful like I asked her to be." The edge in his voice faded at this point, the shock wearing off from Kyanite's brash action. "But, yes. This is part of my size shifting. What, did you think I could only get bigger?" he asked almost coyly, trying to regain some of his composure.

Red hung her shoulders low, squinting untrustingly at the blue gem that held her boss in her hands. _Just as long as she doesn't try to pull anything..._ She crossed her arms and stepped back quietly, clearly displeased. Kyan gazed down at the shrunken gem, eyes still wide.

"Well... yeah, I did." she said, blinking in surprise. She turned him over gently in her hand, looking him over in fascination. Once he realized that Kyan wasn't going to harm him, the service gem stayed still as she looked him over. He certainly wasn't too keen on her checking him out like a piece of gem tech, but he supposed this was rather intriguing for a gem who didn't know about this sort of thing. Despite his slight discomfort, he stayed still for the curious blue gem.

"Not surprising. It isn't something I share with most gems; I'm sure you could think of a few reasons why. However, I figured this would be far more effective for this test, as I need to emulate the real thing as closely as possible."

Huffing quietly, Kyan finally decided she was done messing around and placed Hematite down on the ground in front of her. Standing back up straight, she crossed her arms and took a step back, raising a brow.   
"Alright, then, how exactly are we gonna emulate this 'test' of yours? What do we need to do?" She inquired, unsure how him being this small was going to play into whatever it was he was getting at.

The tiny service gem stepped back himself, adjusting his sleeves once more.  
"Well, the Hematite that will be chasing us will more than likely be at a much larger size, so you chasing me around at my usual size wouldn't do much good. In addition... you may need to use this."  
Swiping his hand over his eyes, the tiny gem conjured up a hunting visor, quickly removing it. "This is what Hematites use to track gems, if you recall." Placing it on the ground, the service gem touched it, shifting it to a larger size so Kyan could put it on. "I'll show you the basics of how to use it."

Raising her hand quickly, Kyan stopped just as she was about to reach out for the gem tech. She looked over to Hematite curiously, in awe. _Wait, so she was going to get to use one of these?..._ She wondered if she was going to be able to grasp how it worked. Carefully, she picked it up and looked it over, brushing it off a little. Pursing her lips, she eyed the gem tech suspiciously before slowly lifting it up over her face. It wasn't a perfect fit, but she managed to maneuver it over her eyes.   
"Okay, how's this weirdo whatchamacallit work..."

"It's called a hunting visor. Now, place a finger on the middle of the screen to press it close to your face, and say 'activate'. It should form more comfortably to your face," he instructed simply, standing professionally. Hopefully she'd be able to connect with the visor to use it. _Blue was able to, so why not her?_ Kyan didn't react immediately, seemingly a tad reluctant to follow his instructions. However, she soon lifted her finger to the screen and did as he'd said, wondering if she looked ridiculous doing this or not.  
"Activate?" With a soft glow, the visor warped to fit the shape of Kyanite's face more comfortably, eliciting a soft gasp of surprise from the small, blue gem. Pressing her hands to her cheeks, she hunched over in excitement, staring down at Hema. "I did it!"

Hematite couldn't help but smile softly, glad to see that it had worked.  
"Good job! Alright, now. You should see some stuff on the screen. See that radar at the top right? Now say 'scan' and watch what it does."

Kyan clenched her fists tightly and looked up at the radar.  
"Um... Scan!"  
Within a moment, the map on the side of her screen started to change, filling up with color. Her eyes widened slightly, and she tilted her head. "What's this?..."

Clearing his throat loudly, Hematite called up, "Isolate signature radar!" The visor chirped in response to Hema's voice, and all other details on the screen vanished, the radar taking up the whole space before Kyan could read anything. The radar had a splash of gray, pink, some greens a little further away, a splash of blue where Kyan stood, and a few white dots. "That is a radar that tracks what are called gem signatures. Each gem type has a unique signature that this device can hone in on and show the location of. You should see me, Red, and anyone else nearby. Now, because we're in such close proximity, this visor will automatically update and show you my general location. Your job is to use it to follow and capture me, in conjunction with your senses. It is only there to assist you; do not rely on it entirely. Nothing else on there is really of practical use for this training. Do you think you can handle this?"

Kyan glanced over the map curiously, taking in all the information that she could.   
"Gotcha! Yeah, I think I got it." she said, grinning widely under her scarf. She seemed a little more than eager to get started. Taking another firm step back, she steadied herself. "So is there anything else I need to know about this thing? Or can we get going?" she said hurriedly.

"Well, try not to break it, I suppose! Also. It is _imperative_ that you be careful, should you catch me. Understood? There is no leeway on this. Let the radar update itself, and don't tell it to scan any more than it will on its own. Other than that... you should be good." The service gem turned around, eyeing the area around him. This was going to be tricky... she was quick, and she had the advantage of a visor. He would try to evade her without using much of her advice, first, before trying to adjust his methods. He wanted to see if there really was much of a difference. After a moment, he glanced back, arching a brow.  
"Ready?"

Kyan poked out her tongue, her eyes darting all around the visor. Soon, she looked down at Hema and nodded, squaring her stance.   
"Ready!"

Hematite smirked slightly, humming a soft note before he suddenly adjusted into a more active stance. Within a moment, he darted off, easily slipping into a tiny space between two large metal crates. His footsteps were quickly muffled, fading into the stack of cargo boxes.

Kyan's eyes widened slightly, looking to the side, then back in the direction of which Hematite had ran. _Was she supposed to follow him immediately? He'd never mentioned how long_ _she should wait_ _._ Her eyes narrowing slightly, the blue gem smirked and darted off for the direction in which he'd gone. Well, at least she'd given him a few seconds of a head start. How hard could it be to catch him?

Hema made his way far into the huge stack of crates before _stopping entirely,_ pressing his back against a large, metal box. There were small spaces here and there that Kyanite could squeeze through, but unless she looked in just the right spot, she wouldn't see him. He was hidden slightly by the shadows of the nearby crates. Holding his breath, the tiny gem listened to Kyanite's approaching footsteps, trying to keep track of where she was.

It didn't take long for Kyanite to make haste, hopping up on top of one of the large crates. Narrowing her eyes, she kept silent and looked around. Had he run off behind these somewhere? Scanning the horizon, she kept her eyes peeled for any flicker of movement. Nothing. Quickly, she hopped down next to the crates, getting herself lower to the ground so if he _was_ around, maybe he wouldn't see _her._

While he couldn't _see_ her at the moment, he’d certainly _heard_ her jump down to the floor. He pressed himself closer to the crate he was hidden behind, staying in the shadows. She was close by, he could tell. Slowly, he moved away from where he'd heard the sound, staying close to the two boxes he was taking refuge between. His footsteps were quiet... but certainly not _silent._

Unfortunately for Hematite, the area that they were training in _was_ quiet. Faintly, she could hear the soft steps of the tiny gem _somewhere_ behind the crates. She turned her head sharply to where she thought she'd heard sound and quietly paced towards one of the dips in the crate, standing on the tips of her toes to make as little noise as she possible could. Though, as big as she was compared to Hematite, it was unlikely she was completely silent, either.

The hair on the back of Hematite's neck stood on end when he heard Kyan's approaching footsteps. He suddenly realized she was far closer than he thought, and bolted out of the shadows, toward the large pile of rubble that Kyan herself had tried to run to. Staying out in the open wasn't an option right now, as the small blue gem was far faster than him at this size.

The small warrior gem perked up upon hearing the tiny footsteps retreating. Furrowing her brows fiercely, she darted up over the crates and climbed to the top, glaring down at anything she could see. She caught a small glimpse of Hematite just before he had reached the 'safety' of the rubble up ahead. Swearing under her breath, Kyan jumped down and made a mad dash for the miniature junk yard.

_Maybe this wasn't such a great idea._ Hematite frowned seriously as he tried to make his way over and through the various bits of scrap, cargo, and stars knew what else that laid in the large junk pile. It was like a jungle of metal and gem materials, making it near impossible to traverse at such a tiny size. Not to mention, it didn't exactly feel safe to be around such unstable pieces of scrap.

The Kyanite, however, was _used_ to scaling rubble and odd terrain. Grinning under her scarf, she hopped up onto a jagged, broken, metal tube that jutted from the ground, gripping at its surface. Her visor had, by this point, performed a rescan automatically. She didn't think too much of it at the moment, but she happened to notice that not only was the gray close by, the green from earlier was seeming to close in as well. It wasn't _strong_ _,_ per se, but it was noticeable She wondered how many different individual signatures this thing could pick up at one time. It was interesting, at least... but not what she was focusing on.   
Quickly leaping from the pipe to the ground, Kyan glanced quickly around to look for wherever it was the Hema had run off to. He was right; this thing could only help to an extent. She'd have to do all the careful scouting herself. _Not like she wasn't skilled in spotting small details_ _,_ _either._ If she had learned anything from her time as a member of the Star Stealers, it was how to be a half-decent lookout, at the very least. Maybe, just _maybe_ _,_ this would come in handy for her now.

There was a long, tense pause of silence, almost to the point where it seemed that Hema might have gotten away. Until, that is, a quiet voice swore to themselves nearby, behind the Kyanite.   
Hema had gotten himself stuck on a sharp piece of scrap metal, and was struggling rather noisily to get himself mobile again. He hadn't noticed that Kyan was perched _very_ close by, too focused on his snagged suit to see her.

Whipping her head around, Kyan spotted a small bit of gray and maroon nearby. Crouching low, Kyan quickly shuffled around a few pipes and scrap, holding her scarf close. She made sure that the ends weren't hanging loose around here. She didn't want to suffer the same fate as Hematite here, or _risk tearing it_ _,_ for that matter. Swiftly, she hopped up onto a steadier, half-opened box and peered right down at Hematite, her visor chirping slightly as she'd gotten closer. The noise made her jump slightly, but her eyes remain locked onto him.   
"Ahah!"

The tiny gem yelped in surprise, looking up at the larger gem, his cheeks puffed out. He held up a hand, signaling for her not to grab him, before he turned his attention back to his suit.   
"Alright, no, you got me. I'm in a bit of a bind here. Can ya get me loose? Then we'll try this again. I didn't take the terrain into account, and I didn't use your tip-toeing method."

Kyan pursed her lips, hopping down from her perch. Making her way over to Hematite, she stood for a moment, looking him over with a pitiful chuckle.   
"That's rough. Yeah, try not to do that." she retorted, reaching over carefully behind Hematite's shoulders and pinching his outfit between her fingers. Lifting him at an angle, Kyanite was able to pull him off the scrap with relatively minimal damage to his suit. She turned her hand over and let him sit freely in her palm, lifting him up a little higher to her face. He couldn't see her expression at all, but she wasn't exactly as _proud_ as she thought she'd be. She had been hoping that, when she'd caught him, it would have at least been fair. Well, she couldn't be _too_ disappointed anyway. After all, he _did_ say they were going to give it another go.

Mumbling a quiet 'thanks', the tiny gem sat himself in Kyan's palm and looked up at her, adjusting his suit and checking it over. Seemed there was just a small tear, nothing major. He'd fix it up later; it wasn't exactly a priority.  
"Alright, Kyanite. Why don't we go back to a clearer area and we can try again? This time... how about a twenty second head start?" He smiled coyly at the larger gem, arching a brow. He wanted to see if her methods really would make a difference, and he wanted to see if he could outsmart her enough to avoid her for a little while. "Good job so far, though! You kept up rather well."

Kyan looked up at the scrapyard and frowned. He was right; it could get a little dangerous in here if they weren't careful, and it wasn't necessary to risk getting damaged just for a training regime. Making her way out, she peered around at the more open field, glancing up at one of the spires. Red had made her way back up to the top, idly swinging her leg off the side with a watchful eye on the two. At least she wasn't getting too involved right now.   
Kyan placed Hematite on the ground again and took a few steps back, huffing.   
"Alright, get going!! I wanna catch you already!" she sneered, pulling her scarf up over her nose.

Hema rolled his eyes with a snort, though he couldn't keep a small smile off of his face. _Well, at least she was actually eager to help. Though he couuuldn't help but wonder if part of this was a desire to get him back for chasing her down. Ah well, he supposed he'd never know for sure._   
"Alright, alright." He chuckled and quickly headed off in the direction of one of the large facility buildings, quickly ducking behind the wall. And just behind the wall, out of sight, were the large, steel tubes that Kyan had hidden in before. The tiny service gem stopped in front of them, out of Kyanite's view, and tapped his chin quietly, eyeing the smaller spaces _between_ the tubes, where they rested against each other.  
 _Hmmm..._  
Thinking fast, the service gem scrambled up into one of the spaces. If Kyan looked for him over here, he figured she'd probably check the tubes themselves rather than the space between them.

After twenty solid seconds of counting, Kyan bolted off as soon as she'd recited the final number through her head. Eager to get started yet again, she followed the same procedure as she had done previously, making her way swiftly over to the area which she'd Hematite go off to. Only this time, she stopped in front of all the tubes, huffing in exasperation. There were a lot of them, and they were much bigger than her. _They were far easier to work with when she was the one hiding..._ Hopping up into one, she started looking through each of the tubes, grumbling silently to herself.

Hematite had spotted the gem as she climbed up into one of the pipes, and he smirked silently to himself, keeping low. With any luck, this would take her a while to track him down. He knew the radar would be locked on his location by now, so she _would_ find him eventually, but this test was about time. The longer he could go without being caught, the better practice it was. As Kyan shuffled through one of the pipes, Hema wondered quietly to himself if there might be any tubes in the Pink District. Then again, he didn't want to shrink down during the real test, and in all honesty, another Hematite would probably just toss the pipes aside if they were checking them.

With each passing minute, Kyan started to get increasingly frustrated. The radar showed that Hematite was somewhere around here, but _where?!_ Grabbing into one of the dips in the side, Kyan hoisted herself up into one of the tubes, but paused sharply. _Wait... did she see that right?_ Slowly she turned and grabbed onto the edge, looking over upside down into one of the crawl spaces between the pipes. Her hair hung messily behind her, the light of her visor illuminating what the darkness had been covering up slightly. There, in the crevices, was Hematite.   
"Ey!" she growled, quickly adjusting herself to see if she could reach through far enough to get him. It was just a little too small of a space for her to squeeze through herself, even though she was fairly small in general. Maybe if she tried hard enough...

At the sight of the visor at the end of the crevice, Hematite immediately hopped up, bolting in the opposite direction of the smaller blue gem, going for the open end of the tunnels. However, a few moments later, he faked out, running back towards where Kyan had been the moment before. If he was lucky, she'd be looking for him at the other end long enough for him to sneak out and run somewhere else.

Kyan had hopped up into one of the tubes and ran to the other side, but was confused when she saw no trace of Hematite. Growling, she slammed her fist onto the side of the tube in which she stood, frustrated and grumbling under her breath. Had he gone into another crevice? Stars, she didn't want to keep running around these stupid things all day! The visor refreshed however and showed that Hematite's signature _had_ moved, but in the _opposite_ direction of which she was faced. Turning on a heel, she dashed in the other direction, quickly hopping out of the other side.

The delay gave Hematite plenty of time to make a break for it, and he rushed towards a large building near the main clearing that he and Kyan had started in during their first run. This time, Hema was sure to keep on his toes. And although this slowed his pace a tad, his steps were near impossible to hear unless you weren't moving, yourself. He heard some quiet clattering to his left and veered clear of it, frowning. Huh, Kyanite must have been closer on his tail than he thought. While he was running, the tiny gem picked up a small rock, holding it tightly in his fist. He whipped around the side of a building, staying low, waiting to see if he'd lost the small blue gem.

Kyan tapped at her visor a few times, grumbling crossly as she made her way towards the patch of gray on her map.   
"C'mooooon, where'd he go..." She murmured, skidding to a halt around one of the buildings. Turning her head quickly, Kyanite hadn't seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary...but he couldn't have gone _too_ far, right?...

Spotting the larger gem nearby, Hematite peered around the side of the wall he was hiding behind, narrowing his eyes. A faint frown crossed his face as Hema looked to the area behind her, clutching the pebble in his hand. After a moment's pause, he chucked it as hard as he could, smirking as it hit a hollow metal box about ten feet behind Kyan, making a noticeable clattering noise.

The blue gem's head whipped around again, narrowing her eyes. She didn't make any sudden moves this time, though. _That sounded..._ _off._ Not like a gem in particular, but something hard and concentrated. But it was worth checking ou,t at least, if it was anything. Making her way over to it, she peered around the ground and groaned quietly upon noticing a small pebble laying on the ground. She turned her head around, squinting angrily behind her.   
_Nice try, fathead._   
Whirling around once more, Kyan _bolted_ towards the building.

Hematite had all but vanished by the time Kyan made her way over to the building, and he was nowhere in sight. The hunting visor hadn't quite refreshed yet, so it was of no help. Even from Red's vantage point, the tiny gem was nowhere to be seen. There was a stretch of tense silence... until.  
The hideous but unmistakable screech of a gem monster sounded from behind a huge cluster of crates that were covered with a heavy, blue canvas. Not a second after the screech, a tiny, panicked voice cried out in surprise, but was quickly cut off by loud clattering and hissing.

Kyan's hair stood on end, her eyes widening. Without warning, she reached behind her and pulled out her bat. **That was not supposed to be a part of the training...**   
"RED!" Kyan shouted, quickly rushing after the clattering monster. The Pink Pearl had caught sight of the gem monster soon after it had emerged and was already on her way down by the time that Kyan had called to her. Her feet touched the ground briskly, summoning two sais with a fierce glare upon impact.   
"Hang on, Hematite!! We're coming!" She shouted, swiftly darting towards them.

Two small Jade monsters had snuck into the area where the gems were holding their training. One of them was tearing at the canvas covering the boxes, acid dripping down from its pincer-like jaws. However, what the other one was doing was far more concerning. Undeterred by its tiny captive's cries for help, the insect-like creature snapped its jaws at the gem, hissing loudly down at him. Hema found himself cornered, barely dodging the creature's dangerous, acid-drenched beak. In his panicked state, he couldn't size shift, and he felt a stinging panic filling his chest. He'd only barely heard Red and Kyan through the snarling of the gem monster, and was therefore surprised by the shadow that suddenly fell over him.

**THWACK!**  
With an earsplitting noise, Kyan swiped her bat just right to knock the Jade monster out of the way, sending it flying in the other direction. As if shocked by her own action, Kyan slowly looked down at her bat while the hissing creature quickly shook itself back to its senses. The blow had sounded a lot nastier than it actually was, and the creature, aside from being momentarily blindsided, was undeterred. With another fierce snarl, it launched itself towards her with acidic drooling pincers poised to strike.   
"Get down!"   
A voice called from behind the small blue warrior. Ducking instinctively, Kyan dropped her bat and held her arms over her head as Red came dashing _right over_ her with her weapons drawn. She landed directly in front of Kyanite, holding her sais out to the side in an offensive stance. Striking swiftly at the Jade monster, she managed to slice clean through its midsection, resulting in a hideous snarl followed by a small, green cloud of smoke. _One down, one to go._   
Quickly, Red darted forward and bubbled the small gemstone that fell, sending it away with a single tap... just in time for the other gem monster to come tearing through the thick blue tarp, its acid having eaten away a hole in the side big enough for it to shred through. Without taking her eyes off the monster, Red held her weapons in front of her more defensively now, ready to counter whatever attack the creature might have coming for her.  
"Kyan! Grab Hema and take him somewhere safe!" Red ordered with stern, forced calm. Kyan _would_ have argued about the Pearl bossing her around, but for once, she knew that this just wasn't the right time. Nodding, Kyan turned to retrieve the tiny service gem. _Safety now, pride later._

Hematite latched onto Kyan's fingers, eyes wide, his breathing shallow and rapid. He was trembling subtly.  
The Jade monster in front of Red let out a fierce screech at the sight of the Pearl's weapons, and it skidded to a halt, backing up a few quick paces. This didn't last long, however, and it shot a dangerous spray of green acid at the gem, aiming for her legs.

Red jumped up and delivered a swift kick to the side of the monster's head, knocking it back. Slicing her weapons together, she narrowed her eyes with determined ferocity. Kyan made a break for one of the nearby spires as soon as Hematite had jumped up in her hand. Careful as to not drop him, she tucked him close and ran as fast as she could. If Red could at least take out that monster, then hopefully they'd be safe. Looking down, she glanced over Hematite's tiny frame again to see if the monster had damaged him any further.  
"Are you alright?!"

The creature screeched as it skidded to the side, dazed for a moment. However, as soon as it recovered, it whipped its tail at her feet. Clacking loudly, the pincer at the tail end of the monster managed to grab onto the Pearl's tailcoat and tug her to the side, knocking off her balance. It took the chance to try and leap at her, jaws wide.  
Hematite managed to look up at the blue gem holding him, nodding slightly.   
"Y-yeah... I think I'm fine."

He couldn't see it, but Kyan smiled _very_ faintly upon seeing that he was unharmed. Brows furrowed, she looked up at the spire before her, towering high above. However, instead of climbing it, she held Hematite close and looked behind her to see if Red was alright. The Pearl was a little busy at the time, rolling to the side as the monster came barreling towards her, spitting acid where she once laid moments before. With a sharp intake of breath, Red cried out furiously and lunged towards the gem monster, stabbing her sais clean into its body and making quick work of it. With an explosion of green smoke, the Jade's gemstone clattered to the ground lifelessly, quickly bubbled up by the Pearl and sent away to wherever she had sent the other one.   
Her weapons fizzled away as the area fell ominously silent at last. Sighing heavily, Red ran her fingers through her hair, making her way for Kyan.

Hematite peered over Kyan's fingers, his breathing still rather rapid. However, it was slowly calming down. Seemed the chaos had settled, and the training grounds were safe again. The tiny gem booted up his eyepiece, scanning for signals. Seemed some Peridots were nearby, along with some Danburites... but no sign of any Jade signatures. Letting out a sigh of relief, Hema relaxed against Kyanite's fingertips, rubbing his forehead.  
"Stars... That's what I get for not doing a thorough once-over after a mission. They must have followed us here."

Red rushed over as fast as she could, eyeing the tiny service gem within Kyan's hands. Without a word, Kyan held him out to her, passing him over. The Pearl carefully took Hematite into her own hands, holding him up in her palms and turning her head to look him over.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir, we should have been more careful...I hope those dreadful things didn't hurt you." She winced, sighing quietly.

Looking back at Kyan for a moment, the tiny gem fidgeted with one of his sleeves, which seemed to be mildly singed by acidic spit. Other than that, however, he seemed unscathed, albeit shaken.   
"No, no. It's alright. None of us could have known that would happen; they were well hidden. And I feel alright, just a few singes here and there. Nothing too bad." He smiled reassuringly up at his Pearl, giving her a thumbs up. "Thanks to you both."

Kyan held her hand behind her head, clutching awkwardly at the fabric of her scarf hidden behind her mess of hair. She wondered if she should feel responsible for the condition he was in... Perhaps not. It was like Hematite had said: there was no way they could have predicted that would happen. But she still felt the smallest twinge of guilt seeing him like that. Furrowing her brows, she cleared her throat and held her hand up to her visor, taking it off.   
"Sorry that went awry. Maybe we can try again some other time, or something... I dunno." She said, the tone in her voice masking slight frustration. Something wasn't sitting too well with her, but it was uncertain as to _what,_ exactly.   
Red sighed with relief, smiling warmly at the smaller service gem in her hands.   
"How do you feel? Can you shift back up, then?" She asked promptly, wondering why he _hadn't_ earlier.

The service gem looked back Kyanite, frowning in concern at her tone. However, he didn't respond right away, and looked back at Red, taking a deep, steadying breath.  
"I feel alright. Give me a moment." Standing up, Hematite looked down at the ground and jumped from the Pearl's hand, his form starting to glow halfway down to the floor. In an instant, he'd shifted back to his civilian size, standing straight and adjusting his hair. Clearing his throat, Hema turned to the two smaller gems, giving them a somber nod.   
"Again, thank you both. It's alright, Kyanite. I actually learned quite a bit from that. I didn't go into this expecting to perfect avoidance methods in one go. You were very helpful." He held his hand out for the visor, giving her a reassuring smile. "Thank you."

Kyan's lips parted slightly, though nobody could see it. She looked from Hematite to the visor, running a thumb gently over its slick surface. She handed it back to him without a word, looking away quickly. "But what about the rest of your training? Your test?" She furrowed her brows, looking back up at him, clenching her fists tightly. "Does this mean we're done for the day, then?.." She said, half expectant. Red frowned, looking up to Hematite as well.   
"It's not my place to say, nor do I have the authority to make this call, but... If I may state my own opinion, at least.... I think it might be safer and wise to call it quits for the day. Hematite can't risk any more accidents like that, nor is it very good for him to tire himself out, either."

Hematite smiled at the two, shaking his head slightly.  
"We're done for now. But not to worry; I have many weeks before the tests to train. Next time, however, I will be far more thorough in my scans so this doesn't happen again." He nodded curtly. "So that being said, yes. Training is finished for the day."

Red and Kyan made very subtle eye contact, but looked back at Hematite with a brief nod of understanding. Crossing her arms, Kyan scuffed her heel against the ground in a pouting manner, but she knew it was for the best. Red saluted promptly and gave Hema a determined, yet slightly calmer-than-normal look.   
"Then we should probably head back for the day. All of your work is completed and I think you've earned some rest..." Red spoke, shaking her head with a hint of concern.

Nodding, the service gem sighed quietly. Rubbing the back of his head, he looked up toward the nearby White Tower, pursing his lips.   
"You're right. We've all earned a rest. Kyan? If you don't want to rest, feel free to read, as usual." He offered the small blue gem a smile before walking off toward the Tower, his arms folded behind his back.

Kyan grumbled something under her breath, something about not wanting to read. Red happened to catch some of what she was saying, but not much. Raising a brow, Red turned her head to look at Kyan as they walked behind Hematite. She smiled, thinking for a moment.  
"You know, Kyan. If you don't feel like reading, either... Maybe you could show me a few agility techniques. As long as you don't destroy Hematite's room, that is!" She said. Kyan perked up slightly, eyes widened.   
"You... you want me to? You mean it?" She asked, stifling some excitement that had rekindled within her. Red wanted _her_ help? Red chuckled softly and nodded, looking ahead again.   
"Perhaps you can teach me how to be more quick and light on my feet. And, maybe someday, I coullllld... oh I don't know... show you a thing or two about how to swing that bat around!" She said, closing her eyes and holding her head high.   
Kyan stifled a small gasp, rushing forward to keep her pace as evenly beside the two service gems as she could.   
"I... okay!! Sure!" Kyan said, blinking in a bit of surprise. "I think that'd be cool. And not as boring as reading..." She said, rolling her eyes. Red glanced sidelong at the small warrior gem, her expression soft.   
"Then it's a deal! Thank you for your help today, Kyanite. You were... exceptional." The Pearl remarked, folding her arms neatly behind her back just as Hematite had his. Kyan was seemingly stunned that the Pearl was suddenly far less snarky to her than usual. With a coy smirk, Kyan puffed out her chest proudly and kept a steady pace. "Yeeeaaah, but I coulda been better... Thanks for saving our gems back there... you were pretty great, too." She said, her ego toning down a fair bit. With an awkward glance, she looked away from Red. Though, the Pearl didn't seem to mind one bit.  
"I'm just doing my job.~" Red hummed. Kyan fell quiet, her face falling blank behind the soft cloth of her scarf. But she smiled faintly.   
_Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she thought._


	76. More Than You Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite loses track of Kyan in the Pink District.

_Well, well, well, a mission that could get two things done at once... perfect!_  
Adjusting his eyepiece, Hematite stood up from his studying table in the White Archives. He looked over at  Kyanite, who was hanging off of a chair nearby, a bored, blank expression on her face.  
"Come along, Kyan. I've gotten my mission briefing; we need to perform recon in the Pink District. Seems there might be a possible infestation of corrupted Axinites that are creating some troublesome tunnels. According to a scout, that is. White's unsure how reliable they are, heh. But, it's worth checking out." He motioned for the smaller gem to follow him as he walked toward the guard screen that led out of the study. Kyan hopped up out of her seat, eager to get going. _Ugh, finally, I hate this place! It's boring and all the workers are snooty jerks! Well... most of them, anyway._ Frecks walked over behind the ivory-haired gem and picked up the diamond pads he had left at the table. She smiled at Kyan before giving Hema a soft chuckle.  
"Good luck with that if it _is_ Axinites. Don't let em bite ya!”  
Kyan perked up when Frecks scurried into the room. She opened her mouth to say something to her, but hesitated as she looked her over. _She looked...different._ _Had she gone through a form change?_ _What, why? Did something happen?_ The warrior gem furrowed her brows, unsure if she should pry. She decided to leave it, for now. Instead, she scurried over to Hematite, standing by his side as he shot a smile to the freckled  Peridot.  
"Thanks Frecks. Corrupted Axinites are nasty! Hope you’ve got quick reflexes, fathead," she teased, nudging Hema in the side. While Kyan wasn't going to pry about Frecks' new look, Hematite was more than a little curious.  
"Ah, yes, we'll be sure to be careful, but. Frecks, is that a new form?" he asked gently, raising a brow as he motioned a hand toward her. Stiffening subtly, the green service gem shot the two a wide, forced smile.  
"Nope! I just decided to make my outfit a bit more accurate, you know? I'm not just a Yellow Diamond gem, after all!" Standing straight, the Peridot took a step back, a few diamond pads in her arms. "Sorry, I can't chat, gotta go get these filed away!" she said cheerfully, immediately turning to trot off down one of the aisles. Hematite blinked in surprise and rubbed the back of his head, frowning.  
"Huh. Okay?"  
Kyan eyed the green service gem curiously, but shrugged her shoulders and turned to continue walking. Hematite followed after the short blue gem, sparing a final glance back down the aisle after Frecks. _Hm._ _Perhaps he'd look into that later..._  
As soon as the two were outside the archives,  Hema turned to Kyanite and smiled down at her, almost coyly.  
"Well, Kyan. It's a long walk to the warp and then to the place where we're going in the Pink District..." He arched a brow, his smile widening slightly, looking almost _expectant._ Kyan perked up, running out in front of Hematite boisterously with her hands clenched in front of her.  
"Heeeeey I know how we can make some tracks! You thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked, grinning ear-to-ear under her scarf. She was practically walking backwards at this point, a hopeful gleam in her eye. Hematite chuckled, covering his mouth just slightly. _Her enthusiasm for being carried was always so refreshing._ Stopping, the service gem grinned at the shorter gem.  
"Hmmm. I don't know... were you thinkinnnggg..." In an instant, his gemstone began to glow, and soon enough, a now giant, half-sized Hematite stood in the street. He crouched down and offered his hand to Kyan, a bright smile on his face. "This?~"

Kyanite wasted no time in jumping up ungracefully into Hema's palm, grunting quietly as she squirmed and righted herself, hopping up on her feet with an excited grin. Watching the tiny gem clamber up into his palm, Hematite felt a familiar twinge in the back of his mind, and he frowned slightly for a moment, trying to push the unwanted feeling away. _No, not right now._ _Come on._ After a brief pause, the worst of the spike passed, and  Hema lifted his hand, continuing to walk down the street once his hand was steadied. Kyan cackled excitedly.  
"Alright, big guy, to the Pink District!" she crowed, pointing her finger in the direction she thought their destination was. The giant gem stifled an odd, startled look. After a short moment, Hema chuckled, covering up his momentary falter, and gently nudged Kyan with one of his fingers.  
"You realize you were pointing at the Blue District, right?~" he teased, arching a brow. Kyan felt her cheeks grow warm, and she pushed her scarf up over her nose.  
"…My bad," she said, looking away awkwardly and puffing out her cheeks. _Oops._

"No problem, no problem. I get turned around a lot, too," he said casually, shrugging a shoulder. Looking down at the gem, Hema blinked quietly, suddenly looking lost in thought. He still felt that rather nagging urge at the back of his mind, but it was slowly ebbing away. Pursing his lips, the service gem hummed quietly before lifting Kyan a bit closer to his shoulder. "You know. I sometimes let people ride up here, if you're interested."

Kyan blinked, craning her neck to look up at the service gem's shoulder. She went wide-eyed, even more so than usual. Without warning, Kyan jumped over to Hematite's shoulder and latched onto his suit, climbing up over him to get a good spot. She stood up, grabbing into the cloth on his neck, looking over his shoulder with amazement.

"Whoa, careful there!" he said quietly, smiling in spite of himself. Hematite felt a warmth in his chest at Kyan's eagerness, and he couldn't help but chuckle softly as he attempted to look down at her. Moving his hand away, the giant gem folded his arms in front of him. Kyan puffed out her chest proudly, letting go of the huge gem's suit once she regained her balance. Looking out at the city beyond her, a subtle breeze blowing her hair back as Hema walked along the busy city street, Kyan felt something warm stir in her core _._ Sure, she'd climbed buildings and been up in high places before... but _this_ was something else. This was... an entirely different experience. Smiling zealously under her scarf, she tried to quell the rising excitement that built up in her chest.  Homeworld had never looked this way before. It was still as grand and prestigious as always, but instead of feeling dwarfed and even trapped by the monolithic buildings surrounding her, Kyan suddenly felt as if she were, perhaps, seeing them as equals for the first time. Perhaps, even, they were below her. She felt big, protected; no one was going to mess with her up here. _It was perfect._

Small, quiet giggles escaped Kyan, muffled by the thick blue cloth that wrapped around her neck. Her eyes shone, regarding the world around her with absolute joy. Catching the soft giggling, Hematite felt a fond smile spread across his face. The warm glow in his chest spread out through his whole form, making the hair stand up on the back of his neck for a moment. His pace quickened just slightly as he made haste to the warp pad. To think, this was a gem he'd relentlessly chased down only weeks ago.  
-

-  
The service gem stepped toward the warp pad, shrinking down to about fifteen feet so he could use the panel. Kyan remained where she sat, though she took up his entire shoulder now instead of a small space by his neck. Kyan swayed to the side gradually as Hematite shifted down, finding herself momentarily clinging to his neck. Her arm brushed his gem, and her eyes went wide. She swiftly let go, though, grumbling unintelligible words as she looked away. Crossing her arms, she puffed out her cheeks and looked down to the warp pad.

Hematite quickly activated the pad, instantly transported to the Pink District. Bringing up a map on his eyepiece, the service gem stepped off of the pad, shifting back up once more.  
"There we are. Now... where are we headed," he said, half to himself. His eyes scanned over the map. He took note of three locations, each further into the district than the last. "Looks like we may be here for a few hours... maybe the whole day. This recon covers quite a bit of ground," he commented, already making his way toward the furthest location. He knew if he started with the spot nearest the warp pad, he might run out of time and energy to get to the last one. And that was never a good thing. "We'll start with the furthest and make our way back."

Kyan raised a brow, but grumbled under her breath. She didn't really fancy doing a bunch of _recon_ for a few hours. All it was  was walking around and making sure nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. She'd be lucky if this mission had any action to it. Of course, that would mean running into some gem monsters or something, so honestly, she wasn't sure which was worse. Boredom or battles. Huffing quietly, she held her arms tightly to her chest, peering down at the district.

 

The two made their steady way to the first recon point, which took Hema a long while to reach at a slower pace. Once he reached the location- an abandoned city block about five miles across- he lifted his hand up to his shoulder, offering his palm to the smaller gem.  
"Alright, Kyan. There isn't _too_ much you can help me with here, but I would like you to go around each area we check and look for anything that might raise concerns, alright? And then  come report back to me. If there's _any_ sign of danger, come to me immediately. Don't go any further than a couple miles.”

Kyan hopped up onto Hematite's hand without question, biting the inside of her cheek.  
"Yeah, yeah, I can do that, noooo problem," she said, glancing sidelong at the much larger gem. As soon as his hand got close to the ground, she hopped off and adjusted her scarf.  
_Like hell she was going to stick around here._ Grinning under her scarf subtly, she gave Hematite a rather slacked 'salute', and then darted off to the east. Hematite watched the gem run off, a sudden spike of anxiety flaring up in his chest. He suddenly hoped he hadn't just made a huge mistake.

_She’d better come back. I don't want today ending with a hunt._  
Forcing himself to focus on the task at hand,  Hema sighed and began scanning the area with his eyepiece for Axinite signals, or anything else out of the ordinary. At least it seemed there weren't many, if any, gem monsters around. Just the normal flora and fauna. _For now._

 

As time went on, Hema found himself wrapped up in his work. He didn't pay much mind to anything around him, aside from what he was taking notes on, and time stretched on without his notice. He figured, in the back of his mind, Kyan would be back in an hour or so, as this was a rather large section of the Pink District. _Ah well, as long as she was back before it got dark, and he didn't hear any commotion, things would be fine._ If she stayed within five miles, he'd be able to track her down. He only hoped it wouldn't come to that.

 

The further the smaller blue gem went, the quicker her pace became. She soon found herself sprinting through the district, messy hair and scarf trailing behind her. The tiny gem leapt with practiced ease over every obstacle she met, clambering skillfully over what she couldn't overtake in a bound. The abandoned city rushed past her in a blur of dulled, gray and pink buildings spattered with brightly-colored flowers and creeping vines. For the longest time, all Kyan could hear was the sound of her own breathing under her scarf, and the crunch of rubble and plant life under her feet.

Then, before she knew it, she stumbled out over a broken partition of wall, which dropped her out to the city limits. The uncanny line of buildings stood tall against the vast meadows and sparse patches of forest beyond the city block. Kyan slowed until she completely stopped, chest heaving. A fresh breeze brushed her hair back, carrying with it the cloying scents of the wild flowers. Closing her eyes, Kyanite inhaled deeply. Breathing in the familiar scent brought back a flood of memories, some of them good, most of them not so good... But more than that, it brought back an old, distant feeling of freedom. For the first time in the last month- no, for the first time since she joined the Star Stealers, it felt as though she could go wherever she pleased, do whatever she wanted. The suffocating weight of the Star Stealers' constant, watchful eyes felt lifetimes in the past. That, and Hema's constant, overbearing supervision seemed miles away, as though he wasn't even in the same district as her.

There, at the cusp of the meadow where winds danced and the scent of the world drifted on the breeze, on the dividing line between society and nature, she stood, pensive. She looked back over her shoulder. The city loomed high above her; the buildings did not sway like the grass- they didn't welcome the pleasant breeze that drifted past them. No wind broke through their barrier, as if they shunned the very nature that crept over their walls and painted them with bright splashes of color. Their rigid forms stood dark against the sky, forming a jagged line like some creature had taken an uneven bite out of it.

Kyan's nose scrunched up, and she turned to gaze out at the meadows that laid before her, and at the other city blocks that stretched on for miles in the distance. She realized with a hopeful flutter in her chest that she recognized some of these places. Some of her oldest haunts laid not too far from where she stood... so tantalizingly close, yet impossibly far at the same time. She was already standing at the edge of the distance Hema told her to stay within. If she went any further, she risked breaking his rules. _But his rules were so boring and stifling._ Weeks of being cooped up in his room or being drug along to the Archives were starting to get to her. She just wanted some sort of time away from him, some solace away from him watching her every move and telling her what to do all the time. She couldn't touch anything, she couldn't mess around and be nearly as energetic, and all  Hema seemed to do was either go on missions or read or sleep. She wanted so badly for all this to either be over, or to run away.

_But she still had to go back, didn't she?_ He'd hunt her down if she ran off, no matter how far she went. And even if she did avoid him, what awaited her out there in the Pink District?  The Star Stealers. They were still a threat, and would continue to be so until someone took care of them, and Kyan knew it. But that didn't stop a voice deep down in her core telling her to run. Run far away and never look back. It would have been easy. So temptingly easy.

Kyanite looked back at the city again. With long, slow steps, she backed away from the monolithic towers and their vine-covered walls. Her brows furrowed, a frown creasing her face underneath her scarf. Then, wordlessly, she bolted towards the meadows, her scarf trailing behind her. Her breaths were quick, quiet, but even.

_I can't disappear forever. But maybe he won't notice if I go check on some old towers for a little while. I still need a place to stay after I'm finally free from him.  
Just one or two spires... then I'll go back. Yeah.  
No harm in that._

Racing through the meadows, Kyan picked up speed, making her hasty way towards the next city block in the distance. If she remembered right, which she was pretty sure she did, one of her favorite towers wasn't too far from here, maybe fifteen miles out. _That wasn't too far, right?_ She'd go give it a peek, make sure it was still in one piece after all this time, and then come back. So long as she didn't run into anybody she knew from that nasty rebel group, she'd be fine. _Their bases were nowhere near here, what did she have to worry about?_

 

Forty or so minutes passed before Kyan saw what she was searching for on the horizon. Perking up, she picked up speed again and dashed for the massive buildings up ahead. She felt a familiar warmth come back to her; something comforting. Something happy. Not only was she glad to see that her sense of direction hadn't failed her in this familiar place, but the building appeared to be just as she last saw it years ago.  
Although, upon approaching it, she noticed something _off_. She stopped a few good yards away from the old residential spire, craning her neck to look up at the massive, crumbling architecture. It was tall, slightly thinned like a spire, but it was wider than the usual model. Perhaps that was because of its old age. It had many archways carved into the sides with an immense amount of foliage draping around the crevices and sides of the building. It was crumbling in some places, but all-in- all, it seemed to be in relatively stable shape. Kyan liked to come here sometimes and hide out, digging through the contents of its interior to see if she could find any neat treasures. She never did, but it was a nice place for her to stay, regardless. It also had a wonderful view of the sunrise, which she liked in particular.  
_But what caught her attention was **not** the building itself..._ it was the huge, white diamond insignia that bore itself on one of the walls, the plants brushed away to make room for it. It was apparent that someone had been here and placed the insignia there, but who, and why? She tilted her head, vexed, but brushed it off quickly. She wasn't sure what it meant, but that didn't change the fact that it was still standing. She made her way towards it, brushing away some of the ivy and lichen that blocked the entrance, dipping inside eagerly. If it looked the same on the outside, she could only hope the inside was untouched, as well! The little blue warrior went about busying herself with checking each room, no matter how decrepit, paying close attention to anything that'd changed since she was last here.

Kyan found herself so wrapped up in checking around the old spire that she lost track of time. An hour or so stretched on when something in the distance began to approach. It was slow, powerful, and yet still quiet enough to go unnoticed... at first.

_Clink. Thump. Clatter._  
_Nothing_. Puffing out her cheeks,  Kyan couldn't decide if she was unsurprised or disappointed by the fact that _nothing_ had changed on the inside. Muttering something under her breath,  Kyan continued through the corridors of the massive, run-down building. She had rummaged through a few rooms over the past hour but nothing of interest was really there. Huffing, Kyanite turned out of one of the old rooms and started walking up the spiral path that lead up the side of the spire. Most of the archways that were cut into the outer wall were overgrown with vines, just barely providing sight to the outside world. The small gem glanced over once in a while, but kept her attention forward for the most part as she rushed up the stairs to another room. But, as she walked up, she suddenly faltered, brows furrowing.

_…Did she just... hear something?_

 

 

_Thud_

  
_Thud._

  
**_Thud._**  
  
Huge, thundering footsteps sounded in the distance, nearing the towering spire that  Kyanite found herself in. Kyan's eyes went wide, her mouth falling slightly ajar. _That doesn't sound like Hema_, she thought to herself, a faint prickle of panic in her chest. His steps were far quicker and lighter, and, as far as Kyan knew... he didn't _hum_. A soft tune drifted on the mild breeze blowing through the small city block. It sounded like someone was definitely humming to themselves. The footfalls eventually drew closer and closer until a huge figure stepped out into view from behind one of the neighboring towers.  Kyan just barely caught sight of the figure down the street before she panicked, diving behind the partition that laid between two of the arched 'windows' leading to the outside world. _Oh stars, that's either a really big fusion, or there are more of Hema's kind than I thought._ Either way... Kyan had a sinking feeling in her gut that if this gem didn't pass her by, she was about to be in _big trouble._

A gem with a suit similar to Hematite's sauntered into the street. She casually hummed a little tune, though with _how_ she was humming it, it seemed perhaps she didn't know the song terribly well. She kept repeating the same chorus, occasionally breaking into a verse before uncertainly looping back to what she knew. The massive gem was at her full height, her visor HUD dancing with activity.

The closer the giant gem drew, the more Kyan felt her curiosity nagging at her. If this was a fusion, she needed to report it to Hema. They could both be in danger. If it was another of his kind... well. She had to admit that possibility both intrigued and frightened her. Swallowing quietly, Kyanite slowly peered around the partition she hid behind. She couldn't see well through the vines. Furrowing her brows, she reached forward and cautiously poked her fingers through, just barely parting them enough to peek out. Her eyes went wide at what she saw.

The gem, which Kyan could now clearly see was more than likely a Hematite, was closing in on the building, not having noticed her yet. She was too preoccupied with her visor, which seemed to have copious amounts of text on it.  
"Let's seeee. Noo. Nope. Mmm. No." Her eyes scanned along the side of each structure she passed, looking for the telltale mark that she had come for.  
_And finally, she found it._ A spire far down the street from her bore the telltale insignia that marked it for  destruction, and the ebony-haired Hematite made her leisurely way down the path.

It was Mago.

 

Reading over her assignment briefly, the giant gem stopped about forty feet from the building, tapping her foot.  
"Aaalright, this should be the only one,” she muttered to herself, sizing the tower up. As her eyes scanned along the spiral pathway, they stopped, glancing back at one particular section. Kyan inhaled sharply, but then covered her mouth, hiding behind the partition again. _So it is a Hematite! Why else would she look like that? What is she doing out here?!_ Kyan thought rapidly. The faintest bit of sweat broke across her brow as the gem standing outside the tower shifted in place, eerily quiet.

“Hmm.” After a pause, Mago squinted at the general area she _thought_ she'd seen some movement in, shifting her weight to pace a step closer. Before, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary to the giant gem, but now that she was focusing her attention... she _sensed something was off._ A tiny smirk crossed the ebony-haired Hematite's face, before it widened into a subtle grin. A certain sense of hers was picking up on a considerably warm gem signature behind one of the spire's walls. It wasn't hot enough to be a Ruby, she could tell that much, but it was higher than the average gem.  Mago leaned closer, her eyes glinting behind her visor.

Sure enough, now that she was concentrating, there was absolutely someone there. A Ruby-sized gem was hiding behind one of the spaces between the archways. Slowly, the giant gem slunk over, her shoulders raising, head lowering slightly as she peered around the edge of the archway. She reached forward, her clawed finger drifting towards the curtain of vines.  
"My, my, do I have a visitor? You may wanna clear out of there, whoever you are,~" she crooned, some of her bangs falling over her eyes.

Kyan felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, her skin crawling. But she staved it off by shaking her head, brows furrowing. Taking in a slow, deep breath, the tiny warrior steeled herself and stepped boldly out from behind the pillar, now _face to face_ with the ebony-haired gem  who was a **lot** closer than she'd thought before she turned around. At the same moment  Kyan turned around, Mago brushed the plant-life that'd been blocking her from view out of the way. There was nothing standing between them, now. Though a sharp pang of fear stabbed through her gut, Kyan kept her composure. Puffing out her chest, the tiny gem indignantly crossed her arms and glared up at the huge gem, meeting her eyes.  
"What do ya think you're doin' here?!" she called up, her voice projecting as loudly as she could. "This is my place, go get your own!" she continued, puffing out her cheeks.

Blinking quickly a few times, the giant gem leaned back slightly, her smile actually _widening_ at the bold little gem's words.  
"Oh, this is _your_ tower now, is it? Last I checked, it had White Diamond's insignia on it, not yours," she sneered teasingly, eyes half lidding as she looked the tiny gem over, as if sizing her up. "What are you going to do, _make_ me leave?"

If the undersized warrior felt any fear at Mago's words, she certainly wasn't showing it. Eyes wide, she took a step forward towards the ebony-haired gem, holding her fists out in front of her.  
"I might...! Whatsit to ya? I found it first!" she sneered, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Raising a finger to her lip, the giant gem narrowed her eyes back, a sort of chuckle escaping her, though one could easily mistake it for a soft snort. Tapping her clawed nail on her upper lip, the ebony-haired Hematite gazed down at the tiny blue gem curiously.  
"Hmmmmm, you may have found it first, but you seee..." Suddenly reaching over, the giant gem deftly snatched up the back of Kyanite's suit, bringing her close to her face. "I'm kind of here on _business_ , so you need to be out of the way.~"

Gasping sharply, Kyan writhed in the huge gem's grasp, grunting and squirming around angrily.  
"Put me down or I'll bite you! Rraagh!" she growled, baring her teeth behind her scarf. Her anxiety was rising with her annoyance, and her instincts were screaming at her at this point.

_Hm._ _This one was certainly putting up a fight, wasn't she?_  
"Heheh. Go ahead. I can't promise I won't bite back, though," she commented casually, shifting her fingers to just hold Kyan's suit by her clawed nails. "Chill out, little scruffball. I just need to tear this thing down, and then I'll be on my way.~"

Kyan stopped squirming, eyes widening.  
"W-wait! You can't tear it down! I..." She stopped, furrowing her brows again and holding her fists close to her chest. "It’s my favorite spot! Well, one of them, anyway... B-but that's not the point!" she grumbled loudly, looking back to look at the building. _That_ seemed to finally break the gem's rather sleazy attitude. Standing a bit straighter, the ebony-haired Hematite glanced to the side, pursing her lips.  
"One of your favorites, huh..? Sorry,  li’lbit. It's my job, orders from White Diamond. It's nothing personal..." she said quietly, shrugging her free shoulder.

"MMmrraaaggghh!" Kyanite flailed her arms around and shut her eyes tight, grumbling and growling as she pitched a veritable fit. "Noooo! I don't care, you can't tear it doooown!" she groaned loudly. Grumbling, she suddenly let her arms hang down beside her and gazed sadly at the spire. She knew this wasn’t going anywhere, and there wasn't anything that she could do or say to convince this gem to spare the building. Could she fight her on it and pitch a fit? Sure... but was the risk of angering this gem really worth some crumbling old tower, even if it did have a lot of memories in it? No, not really... _It_ _was time for it to come down._ Rolling her eyes with a heavy sigh,  Kyan crossed her arms in frustration, glaring up at the ebony-haired gem. Muttering something crossly under her breath, she looked away almost solemnly. "Fine... But put me down, at least so I don't have to watch. Not like it had much in it anyway... none of these buildings ever seem to." The huge gem arched a brow at her tiny captive. It almost seemed like she was _disappointed_ in her sudden change of demeanor. Her smirk quickly returned, and she looked the small blue gem over, turning her hand slightly to take a look at her from the back.  
"Put you down?  Ohhh no, not quite yet." Spotting Kyan's gemstone, the Hematite furrowed her brows curiously. "What kind of gem _are_ you, anyways?" she muttered quietly. Her visor chirped and whirred quietly, scanning the tiny gem.

Kyan's eyes widened a little, her disappointed grumbling quickly turning back into frustrated growling. She thrashed about, swinging her arms at nothing in particular.  
"Hey! I _said_ put me down! I'm a  Kyanite, whatsit to ya?!" she snapped, puffing out her cheeks. Raising her arms to her scarf, she tugged it up over her nose, trying to look behind her at the massive gem. Though, with the way she was being held, it was hard to see her. "And what are **you?!** Another Hematite?"

If Kyan _had_ been able to turn around to fully look at the giant gem behind her, she might not have liked what she saw. The Hematite's visor was now glazed over, a small target with  Kyan's gemstone shape in the middle locked onto the tiny gem. Teeth glinting slightly in the early afternoon sun, the ebony-haired gem turned her captive back around.  
"A Kyanite, huh? Never seen one of you before.~ You must be rather rare, hm?" she hummed. She kept the tiny gem far enough from her face that her wild swings wouldn't hit her, but still held her close enough to be... mildly disconcerting. “ _Yes_ _, I am._ The name's  Mago."

Kyan flinched slightly, peering up at the _eerily familiar_ blue gemstone in the center of the target insignia in front of her. Though, by the look on her face, she seemed more _fascinated_ than unnerved.  
"Well...we're not _rare,_ per se... We're not common, either, though." She narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms out in front of her. Eyeing the Hematite suspiciously,  Kyan couldn't keep her mind off of the target. She wasn't entirely sure what it meant, but something about it put her off a little. Hema had been able to find her and find out who she was via those strange pieces of gemtech, so maybe Mago was just trying to identify her.  
Biting her cheek slightly, Kyan glanced to the side, huffing with forced bravery.

"It's Kyan, by the way. Now if you'll excuse me... I have somewhere to be. I gotta get back to fathead..." she grumbled, rolling her eyes. She wouldn't say it, but being this close to Mago's face was a bit unnerving. Only Hema had ever held her this close, and he didn't look at her like this Hematite was. On top of that, though, she knew she had to get back to Hema soon. She didn't want him getting angry at her, or for her to be found by some other, less-than-friendly gems if she stayed out here much longer.

Mago chuckled quietly, pulling Kyan a _little_ further from her face. Her visor slowly went back to normal, her eyes visible once more as the target blipped off the screen. Now, only a few boxes of text and some graphs remained, which detailed her job concerning the tower.  
"Fathead, huh? Well, whoever that is, I'm afraid they're not getting you back quite yet.~ I've never had the... pleasure to meet a gem of your kind; do you really think I'm going to pass this up?"

Muttering crossly from behind her scarf, Kyan glared up at the huge gem in front of her, boldly.  
"Eh, they go by Hema most of the time... works for White Diamond? He's doing some recon or something and he's..." She stopped, lifting her hands to her face and pressing them to her forehead. "So BORING!" she groaned with an exasperated scowl. "I mean don't get me wrong... he's not _mean_ or anything, really... He's just... I  dunno how to describe it. But that's not the point... He's supposed to be watching me for something, and he might not like it if I'm gone for too long." She paused, pursing her lips slightly and glancing off to the side.

Mago stayed quiet as Kyan rambled on, though a _devious_ smirk spread across her face. _Ohoho_ _, so this gem was with **Pipsqueak** **?** Well that changed things._  
As soon as the small blue gem was done speaking,  Mago chuckled and tapped a finger to her upper lip. "Aah, Hema, huh? Yeaah, I wouldn't call him boring. I'd call him _out of luck,_ though, because now he's definitely not getting you back for a while," she hummed all too casually as she paced away from the tower, toward a rather sturdy-looking building. Without a second thought, she turned around and hoisted herself up onto the rooftop, crossing one leg over the other. She leaned back slightly, holding herself up with her free arm. " Nooo, I think I'll hold onto you for a little longer.~ Maybe I'll even take you back to the Kindergarten with me; make pipsqueak _work_ to get you back."

With small grunts of protest, Kyan squirmed about as the Hematite climbed up onto the roof. _Okay, so she liked being up high and all, but she wasn't entirely sure about being **this** high up._ As long as she didn't fall, she guessed it wasn't so bad. She calmed her thrashing, crossing her arms once more over her chest and huffing quietly.  
" _Fine_. I... I like it here away from him better, anyway. At least he's not nagging me, or telling me not to do something, or keeping me under such a close eye..." Her expression fell slightly, but she quickly checked herself, changing her tone. “ Agh, neverm\- Wait... you talk like you know him,” she suddenly muttered, looking up at the giant gem.  
"Yeaah, I know him," she crooned, eyeing the tiny gem curiously. She slowly turned her hand over, dropping Kyanite into her palm instead of keeping her dangling from her fingers. "He and I go wayyyy back, heheheh. But how did _you_ meet him, eh? You said he's watching you or something?"

Kyan blinked with slight confusion upon being turned over, but happily sat down in the gem's hand. That was better. In fact, she could even say it was... _neat._  
" Aaaah, he was sent to retrieve me or something ‘cuz I was making trouble here and there... got caught up with a few bad gems. Now he's protecting me, I guess, until they do something about it. I caaaan't really go into specifics buuuut..." Kyan felt a prideful, coy smirk twist its way onto her face. "Could say I was a bit of a rebel, kind of. I'm not really anymore, buuuut... When I was, I was totally cool! Hardly anyone would mess with me! Heheh..." Kyan chuckled proudly, holding out her hands to the side expressively. But, they fell, and so did her expression. "At least, _most_ gems anyway. But that's not the point, either; fathead caught me and now I'm stuck with him for the time being, and I'd rather be anywhere else, but... well. There." She frowned heavily, her brows furrowed. "I thought the White District would be a lot more entertaining than it actually is.... not my style, really. Everyone's far too cushy and stuck-up, and nobody _does_ anything!”

Listening quietly to the tiny blue gem, Mago smiled slyly, resting the side of her face on her raised shoulder. This gem seemed completely unfazed by being in the hands of a harvester, and the Hematite couldn't help but feel a potent sense of intrigue. Perhaps she was used to it because of Hema? But, surely she should have been nervous with a strange new gem she didn't know. But, no, she stood up to her; she seemed almost entirely unbothered. The more time Mago spent around this feisty little warrior, the more she felt her all-too-familiar hunter's instincts backing off. It was rare that ever happened... and she'd be lying if she said it wasn't _nice._ She wasn't entirely sure _what_ it was about this spunky  Kyanite, but the urge to actually _go through_ with what she’d teased ago was slowly getting stronger. _Pipsqueak wouldn't miss her if she 'borrowed' her for a while, right?~_  
"You're a little small to be a rebel,  ain'tcha?" she teased, bending her index finger down to ruffle Kyan's messy hair. Without missing a beat, she added, "I can respect that. You've got spunk, li’lbit. I like it." Mago smirked and lifted her face from her shoulder, rolling her eyes. "Aaah yeah the White District is sooooo stuffy. Now the _Blue_ District, that's more my speed."

Kyan made a small, yet indescribable noise as the huge gem messed with her hair even further.  
"I'm not small! Everyone else is just... big!" she huffed, standing up to her feet with her arms akimbo. "But, I like the way you think. The Blue District's far less _boring_ than the White District! This one time I watched a riot that went on for three days _straight._ But get this! By the time it settled down, no one even knew what they were all fighting over!"  Kyan shrugged, stifling a small chuckle. "I think they had fun beating each other up. And it was entertaining to watch. I didn't get involved myself, buuuut...." She paused, looking away. For a moment, she almost looked like she wouldn't continue, like she regretted saying what she had. Her expression suddenly fell, far more unreadable than before. "I can't say I haven't been in on some fights before."

Mago noticed the change in Kyan's demeanor, but brushed it off, figuring she shouldn't pry.

"Oooo, a three day riot, huh? Maaan I wish I'd been there for _that;_ I would have _loved_ to break up that fight." Chuckling, she grinned slyly, glancing to the side. _That would have been a satisfying mission to be given._ "So you're scrappy too, huh? Nice." She snickered, holding the tiny gem a little closer to her face.  Kyan went quiet, as if she'd zoned out. For a moment, Mago simply gazed at the tiny gem, her lips pursed. After a long pause, she gazed at the off-colored cloth around the tiny gem's neck. "...I like your scarf," she commented casually, her cocky smile returning once more. Perhaps it was better to change the subject. "It suits you, even if it does muffle what you say sometimes."

Raising her brows, Kyan glanced down at her scarf, gently pressing her hand into the side of it.  
"O-oh yeah? I mean... I CAN FIX THAT IF I TALK REALLY LOUD!" she shouted, smiling up at Mago ferociously. She clenched her fists, holding them up confidently in front of her. "But thank you... It's very special to me," she said simply, her expression softening as she clutched at the thick blue fabric.

Grimacing slightly, the Hematite chuckled, shaking her head slightly.  
"You don't have to shout, ya pebble," she teased, sitting up a bit straighter. Slowly, she lifted a hand up to the tiny blue gem's scarf, extending a clawed finger. "Just do this sometimes." 

Kyan winced _slightly_ as  Mago lifted her finger towards her, but kept herself steeled. Her eyes focused entirely on the cloth as Mago lowered her finger to it, as if she was afraid she'd tear it. She closed her eyes tightly as the gem's finger tugged slightly at her scarf. Gently, Mago pulled down the front of Kyan's scarf, tucking it under her chin. "There. Problem solved.~" Kyan stayed still, but opened one of her eyes to look down to see what she'd done.  Mago quickly lowered her hand again, once more propping herself up. Her face completely exposed, Kyan looked from her scarf, to Mago's hand, to the gem's eyes. She puffed out her cheeks again, frowning shyly.  
"Y-yeah, I coulda done that too... I just didn't wanna," she said, crossing her arms and plopping back down on the Hematite's hand, glancing off to the side as her messy blue locks draped over her face. "…I like your hair. It's fluffy."

"I know, that's why I did it for ya~" she chuckled, shrugging. At Kyan's comment, she blinked and puffed her bangs away from her face, tucking some of it behind her ear. "Yeah? It's not as fluffy as yours, though. You look like you've got your own pocket dimension in there," she teased.

After a moment, Mago arched a brow, glancing at her screen. _Right, she still had a job to do, huh._

"...Hey, so. Sorrrry about the tower and all, but I still gotta take it down. And I have some other jobs to get to, so I should probably do it pretty soon here."

Kyan's disappointment rushed back, though it quelled itself almost instantly. She couldn't really be _too_ upset, even if it was disheartening. There were plenty of other places to check out, and this certainly wasn't the only place she could watch a sunrise from. She could deal with it.  
"That's okay. It makes room for progression, I guess."  Kyanite stated, oddly more accepting than she had been before. "I need to get back to Hema _sometime_ today anyway..."

"Eeeh progression smogression, if I had a choice I'd just skip on it and go back to the Kindergarten, buuuuut White wouldn't be very happy with me, so." Shrugging, Mago sat up straight, curling her fingers behind Kyan so she wouldn't be at risk of falling. "Youuu want me to bring ya back to Pipsqueak?~ I'm in no hurry to get this job done."

Kyan seemingly perked up upon hearing Mago's offer, grinning ear-to-ear. Except this time, her face wasn't hidden by the massive cloth she wore around her neck.  
"That'd be awesome!" she said, not even _trying_ to contain her excitement. _Riding on two huge gems in one day? How lucky could she get?_ "Can I ride on your shoulder?... I mean, if you'd let me that is," she said, looking away pretty shyly.

Surprisingly, a faint wash of pink crossed the giant gem's face, though it faded quickly, and was rather hard to see under her visor. Pursing her lips, Mago looked up to the side. A soft chuckle escaped her, and she smiled, her bangs falling back to the side of her face.  
"I meaaan. Sure, if you want. I don't mind." Holding her hand near her neck, the giant gem sat up, sliding off of the rooftop of the building. The tiny blue gem hopped up eagerly onto Mago's shoulder much like she had done with Hema a little while ago. Standing as tall as she could, she kept her balance and turned, facing forward.  
A small, satisfied noise of awe escaped the blue warrior as she eyed the area around her. _Stars... no matter who it was, she'd never get over this. _Mago stood up straight and chuckled, crossing her arms in front of her.  
"Better hold on, I can't promise I'll catch ya if you fall," she said casually, flicking her hair back behind her shoulder. This Hematite was _considerably_ taller than  Hema, especially when one compared her full size to Hema's half size. The world below seemed _dwarfed_ by the giant gem, aside from a few towering buildings that would make even the biggest Hematite look small.  
Visor glazing over,  Mago started walking forward, doing a quick scan of the area around her.  
"So. Where'd ya leave Pipsqueak?" she asked idly, checking out her radar to see if he was nearby. Seemed he was quite a distance away, as he wasn't showing immediately on the visor. Kyan held on as Mago began to walk, chuckling under her breath with giddy excitement.  
"Oh, he's somewhere around the northwest sector," she said, suddenly remembering that there were three areas in which he had to scout. She hoped that he hadn't wandered off _too_ far if they had any hopes of finding him easily. Though, she couldn't lie... a tiny part of her didn't want them to find him.  But... Kyan suddenly wondered if that was how she _wanted_ to feel.

"Aaalright, let's see if we can't track this clod down," she sneered, a devious grin on her face. She didn't exactly want to bring Kyanite back, but if she was being guarded by him, she _had_ to be in a fair amount of trouble. That, and now that she thought about it,  Mago really didn't want to risk White's anger if she interfered with Hema's job... as much as she wanted to whisk this tiny gem away just to make his life more difficult.  
The giant gem went quiet for a few minutes as she tried to find a good path back toward the northwest sector. Eventually, she came across a wide, paved 'road' of sorts, and walked along it, arms swinging casually at her sides as she made her way through a patch of the city block. They walked for what felt like half an hour, just enjoying the silence. Hema still hadn't shown on Mago's radar, so she figured he must have been in the far northwest, not just a couple miles off. No matter, it gave her time to hang out with her spunky new acquaintance.

After some time, Mago finally broke the silence.  
"So. How long are you stuck with Hema, huh?"

Kyan had since sat down on Mago's shoulder, dangling her legs over the edge just slightly.  
"Eh, I think until the end of the month when they get this little problem solved..." she said. She hoped it wouldn't be _too_ much longer before something was done about this rebel group. She didn't want to run into anyone from there, lest she be recognized. _But while on the shoulder of this huge gem, she'd love to see someone try._ They couldn't reach her up here even if they wanted to!

"Aah, gotcha," she replied idly, focusing on her visor's screen. She'd spotted a faint gray signal a few miles away, and was headed directly for it. "So, you said he's pretty boring, huh? Have you two sparred or anything? Or is it not the kind of situation where you can do that?" Mago figured if nothing else, the two of them could make idle chatter while she looked for Hema's signature. And, she was actually curious. She knew sparring was something that he enjoyed doing a lot, and often did with friends of his, so she didn't see any reason for him not to have one with Kyan.

Kyan frowned. _A spar?_ Well, to be honest, she'd never actually thought about having one with him. She grimaced slightly, looking in the opposite direction, lost in thought.  
"Nah... We’ve never sparred before. I don't think he can, anyway. I mean... I don't think he's allowed. I mean he might be, I just never asked," she said. She didn't simply _spar_ with other gems. "I get tossed around enough as it is. I'm fine not sparring with anyone."

Brows raising, the giant gem glanced slightly to the side. However, she quickly turned her attention back to her visor radar.  
"Aah, I know how that is," she said quietly, her tone hard to place. "Just curious."

Kyan's curiosity was getting the better of her. _How could **she** possibly know how  Kyan felt?_ She was huge! Puffing out her chest, Kyan made a 'hmph' noise, looking up to the ebony-haired gem.  
"I bet you could beat anyone up that tried to mess with you! I bet it's cool, being as tall as you are..." She smiled faintly, looking down with a wistful look in her blue eyes. "At least... _I_ think  it's pretty rad."

"Hah! Well I mean, sure, I _could_ beat up anyone that tried to mess with me, but there's always someone bigger than you." Snorting in discontent, the giant gem shook her head slightly. "..." It suddenly fully hit  her what Kyan had said, and she looked down at the tiny gem, her eyes masked by her visor. "Wait... you think it's cool?”

Kyan wondered who could _possibly_ be bigger than  Mago. If there really were more of these Hematites, she wondered if she'd ever see them around like Mago here. With a small grin, Kyan clenched her fists and grabbed at the fabric of her scarf which still remained lowered under her chin.  
"Totally! Stars, what I wouldn't give to be big like you! That'd be so neat! I could see the world higher up, and maybe I wouldn't get picked on as much for being small." she huffed, her smile fading quickly into a more annoyed look. "…And maybe I could be _somebody_ other than a burden."

Mago's pace faltered for a moment, and she felt an unpleasant twinge in her chest. Looking forward again, the ebony-haired gem frowned, her lips parted slightly. She _wanted_ to comment on that last bit, but she suddenly found herself at a loss for words. _She barely knew this gem, and yet... she felt some sort of kindred pull to her._ "...Hah. Kyan, you'd be surprised what being big can and can't do for ya. It might not be as great as you think. Buuuut I understand where you're coming from. And, hey, you've got Hema to ride around on for now, so at least you can be 'big' that way, right?" she snickered, quickly regaining her aloof air. The signal on her visor was getting a bit closer, and she picked up her pace, heading toward the gray splash of color.

Kyanite felt strangely comforted by Mago's words, but she refused to believe that being big was anything but cool. _Well sure, it might make getting around in smaller places harder... and people might be intimidated by you._ _But, to her, was that really such a bad thing? No!_ Mago was right, though. When the Hematites were big and carrying her around, they made _her_ feel bigger. They even made her feel _safer._  
"Yeah!" she responded, her boisterous tone returning to her. "No one messes with me when he's around!"

The two gems soon strolled into a large city block, once again surrounded by huge, ancient buildings.  
"Heheh, I bet not.~ Hema's got quiiite the reputation. Anyone who _did_ try to mess with  ya probably-" Cutting off mid-sentence, Mago stopped, stiffening. She was incredibly close to the gray blotch on the screen, but now that she was in range, the gem signature was fully identified. And from the looks of it, the signal was heading _toward_ her.  "Stars, **no,"** she muttered crossly under her breath, clumsily looking around for somewhere to hide. However... she was far too late. A bright, almost sing-song voice called down the path as a giant gem- another Hematite- rounded the corner.  
"I  thooouught I heard someone familiar."  
A tall, silvery-haired service gem sauntered from behind a rather large tower at her _full height,_ making her way toward the much shorter Hematite.  Mago stiffened considerably, clenching her fists at her sides. Her hair screened Kyan from view. Kyan gasped breathlessly, quickly grabbing her scarf and yanking it up over her nose. _What is that? Or rather, **who** is that?_ She kept quiet, keeping as still as she could. _Geeze, how many Hematites **are** there?! They all look so different..._

Mago frowned as Ti stepped closer.  
"What are you doing out here, Ti?"  
Sneering, the taller gem flicked her hair behind her shoulder, putting a finger to her lip.  
"Just doing a little harvesting. Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Hematite. The better question is, what are _you_ doing out here?~ "  
Scoffing, Mago grimaced and looked away for a moment. This, however, moved her hair aside, revealing the tiny gem on her shoulder. Ti gasped quietly, straightening up at the sight of the Kyanite. The ebony-haired Hematite noticed the reaction and immediately grinned, turning to look Ti in the eyes. She motioned a hand toward Kyan.  
"I happen to be on a special escort mission, thank you very much. So I would appreciate it if you moved. You happen to be _in my way."_

Kyan stiffened upon being noticed, puffing out her chest just as she had did before with Mago. _There wasn't much use making herself look bigger than she already was when she was dwarfed by such a big gem._ She wasn't sure who this was, but she hoped she wasn't going to bother them.  
"Yeeaah! Beat it!" Kyan heckled, crossing her arms with half-lidded eyes. She felt a small, confident smirk find its way to her lips. Surprisingly, Ti's demeanor shifted considerably at the sight of the smaller gem, and she smiled sweetly, stepping out of the way.  
"Of course, so sorry! I'll let you two get on your way!"  
Mago narrowed her eyes at the lithe gem as she walked by, but didn't say anything at first. Soon enough, she turned forward again.  
"Good luck with your harvesting," she said flatly, the faintest trace of venom in her voice. Ti looked up and straightened herself, clasping her hands behind her.  
"Watch your back out there, you two!~" she called after them, quickly turning to head back where she was going in the first place. Mago scoffed quietly under her breath, quickening her pace just slightly.

Kyan frowned as they passed by, shrugging slightly. _She had seemed nice enough, but Mago hadn't seem too pleased about running into her._  
"Who was that?..." she asked, looking up at the ebony-haired gem. Mago glanced down at the tiny gem on her shoulder, pursing her lips.  
"An old headache. Don't ask." Her tone left very little room for arguing, and she was quick to drop the subject. "Anyways. I'm gonna take her signal off the radar so we can actually find Pipsqueak. Hopefully nobody else is out here..." she muttered, covering her mouth with a few of her fingers. She really didn't fancy running into Hemmi out and about. Mentally, she deleted Ti's signature from her visor's screen, clearing up the area where she'd been hanging around. Faintly, in the distance, Mago could see what she could only hope was Hema's signal, and she made her way toward it.

"Hmph..." Kyan grunted, looking up at Mago's dark hair that draped behind and around her shoulders. Reaching out boldly, she grabbed a handful of it, pulling it a little closer to her and looking it over. _It wasn't **quite** as messy as she'd thought._ Actually, it was pretty slick. One would think it silly, but  Kyan found it somewhat fascinating to be looking at super-sized hair.  
"Do gems even make hair brushes this big?..." she muttered rhetorically.

Blinking in surprise, Mago gasped softly, glancing toward the tiny gem without turning her head.

"...I mean. Probably not. I don't think so, at least," she replied quietly, unaware that Kyan hadn't meant the question to be answered. "I just use my fingers, so." The giant gem reached up and ran her clawed fingers through a section of her long, black hair to emphasize her point.

Kyan looked up at Mago, immediately letting go of her hair.  
"O-oh, really? I think brushing my hair is too much trouble.. My fingers wouldn't do me much good anyway." she remarked, following a similar pattern to Mago. Though, her fingers weren't very good for brushing. In fact, if she ran her fingers through her hair enough, it was likely to get caught on tangles. She could probably just fix that by a simple form shift, but she didn't feel much like doing that, either.

"Mm. I just like doing it in general. I dunno. I find it relaxing," Mago commented quietly, keeping her eyes forward. Her expression softened, though it was hard to tell with her visor blocking her eyes.  
_This was nice... She was actually having a normal conversation with a gem that **wasn't** a Hematite?_  
For a moment,  Mago once again considered running off to the Kindergarten, but she pushed back the urge. _No, she had to return this gem, as much as she didn't want to._  
Going quiet,  Mago pushed on, running her fingers through her hair once in a while.

Kyan glanced between Mago and her hair quietly, thinking to herself for a few long moments. _Relaxing, huh?_ Crawling a foot or so over,  Kyan poked out her tongue and reached out her hand, boldly 'petting' the Hematite's hair, running her fingers through the silky, black locks. It was strangely mesmerizing to her, watching the massive strands of hair part and fall back into place as her fingers passed through them. It was like a weird... curtain. It was so soft, yet solid at the same time.

Eyes widening, Mago felt her breath catch in her throat. Sure, the feeling of the tiny gem brushing her fingers through her hair was subtle... barely noticeable, even. But it was still there... and the ebony-haired gem would be lying if she said she wasn't a bit dumbfounded.  
"..."  
Slowly, her shoulders relaxed, completely back to normal like they were before the two of them ran into Ti. Eyes half lidding, the giant gem sighed through her nose, a _genuine_ smile spreading across her face.  
_You're an odd little one..._

Kyan stopped eventually, tilting her head slightly as Mago's hair fell back behind her shoulders. She wondered if Hema had hair as soft as Mago. Maybe she'd find out one day; though she thought that was unlikely. Hema didn't really seem like the type to enjoy physical attention. Turning again, she shuffled herself to sit on Mago's shoulder as she'd done before, legs dangling off the side. Staring off into the horizon of the district beyond them, Kyan went silent.

The two walked on quietly, the sun shining down on them. Kyan found herself cooled by the shadows of Mago's hair, like a big, natural curtain. She reflected on how different the three Hematites she'd seen looked. One with short white hair, one with long black hair, another with wavy silver hair. And that didn't even account for their body shapes... it was strange to see such variation in anything but Jets and the occasional 'defective' gem, as society liked to label them. She wondered how many more of Hema's kind there were, and what they were like.

And then, Kyan got to thinking. Thinking about things she hadn't for a little while; things she had never talked to anyone about. And then, strangely... the longer the silent minutes ticked on, the more drawn Kyan felt to ask this gem- whom she'd admittedly just met- a question.  
"…Do you ever wonder what it's like to be someone else?" she said softly, staring out at the horizon. Mago stayed quiet, still stroking her fingers through her hair. As she thought about Kyan's question, though, her brushing slowed tremendously. Her eyes fell towards the ground.

"...Nah. I'm awesome the way I am, hah... Do you?" she replied quietly, glancing at the small, blue gem. The giant gem crossed her arms, letting her hair settle back behind her. Kyan narrowed her eyes, but grinned slightly, crossing her arms as well.  
"Pfff... Nooo, I'm pretty awesome too!" she said, closing her eyes with a proud grin. "And no one can tell us we aren't!"

Mago managed a chuckle, tilting her chin up proudly.  
"No, they can't."

The two quietly ebbed and flowed between silence and casual conversation, though they didn't discuss much of anything of substance. The weather, what Hema was like as a bodyguard- which, Kyan used as a chance to mostly complain -and where Hema could be.  
  
Soon enough, Mago closed in on the gray signal on her radar. It'd taken a while, and they were almost completely back at the primary Pink District warp pad. Standing akimbo, the giant gem pursed her lips, looking around. _Pipsqueak was somewhere around here..._  
Within a few minutes of looking around,  Mago started slightly at some loud clattering to her left. Reflexively, she held up a hand near Kyan, shielding her from view. However, her stance relaxed considerably when a half-sized Hema stumbled out from some brambles, cursing under his breath as he tugged his boot loose from the thorny vines.  
"Damn things are everywhere," he muttered, not having noticed Mago yet. However, the moment he did, he stiffened, straightening up as he pulled his leg free. He was wearing his hunting visor, and looked rather scuffed up, like he'd been in a tussle. "Mago?! What are you doing here?" _And why was Kyan's signature so close to hers._ "I swear to White, if you harvested a small blue gem around here, I'll-"  
Chuckling, the taller gem scoffed and tossed her hair back, lowering her hand to reveal the tiny warrior on her shoulder.  
"You'll what, pipsqueak?~"  
Eyes widening, Hema stood up straight, his breath catching in his throat.  
"Kyan, you're alright!"

Kyan smiled smugly, holding up her hand and waving over to the shorter service gem.  
"Hiiiiii Hema! I found another Hematite. Neat, huh? I didn't think she quite counted as dangerous, so I didn't come find you. Did I miss anything cool?" she said, pulling her scarf down a little to project her voice a bit louder.

Relaxing considerably, Hematite groaned, his arms going limp at his sides.  
"Kyan, don't scare me like that! I've been looking for you! Yeah, you missed stuff; there was a whole nest of corrupted Axinites." Dusting himself off, Hema put away his hunting visor. His face and arms were covered in scratches, various small tears in his suit. "I suppose it's for the best you weren't around... those things were vicious. But, I guess it's all taken care of now." Looking up at the much bigger service gem, who currently stood at more than twice his own height, Hema frowned and cleared his throat. "Now, Mago. If you'd be so kind as to return Kyanite."  
Glancing at the gem on her shoulder, the ebony-haired Hematite pursed her lips, humming softly. Her visor cleared, her eyes visible once more.  
"Mmmm I dunno, Pipsqueak. You think you can handle her?~" she teased, arching a brow at the smaller service gem.

Kyan hopped up to her feet, clenching her fists. _Oh good, she'd missed the Axinites. Looks like this turned out well in her favor for more than one reason._ Looking between Hema and Mago, the small blue gem crossed her arms and frowned. Frowning as well, Hema held his palm out, the look in his eyes making it very clear he wasn't up for messing around right now.  
_" Mago."  
"_Geeeeze alright, fine, here." Lifting a hand, the ebony-haired Hematite carefully picked Kyan up between two fingers, lifting her off of her shoulder. She gently placed her in Hema's palm, pausing for a moment to ruffle her hair.

Kyan turned slightly in Hema's hand, reaching up to press her hand against Mago's finger for just a moment. Stifling a small giggle, Kyan stepped back, plopping down in Hema's hand. She didn't take her eyes off the taller of the two Hematites.  
"It was pretty cool to meet you. Don't get in _too_ much trouble out there!" she called up, grinning coyly.

Hema was silent, watching the two with undisguised confusion. Mago chuckled and withdrew her hand, placing it back on her hip.  
"Same to you, Kyan. Better keep an eye on this one, Pipsqueak. Someone might just snatch her up if you're not careful.~"  
Stiffening, Hema held Kyanite a bit closer, frowning. He almost looked _offended. Was that a **threat?**_  
"Rrright. I'll be sure to do that." Glancing down at the gem, he felt something clench in his chest. _What had he missed? Kyan looked... happy to have been with Mago._

Kyan looked back at Hematite with a smug grin, but it fell, her eyes widening subtly at the look he was giving her. She looked away guiltily, quickly pulling her scarf up over her mouth. Hopefully Hema wouldn't be _too_ mad at her, or  Mago, for that matter. Not like she’d _really_ gotten herself into any trouble, after all.  Hema noticed her change in demeanor, his expression softening. He sighed softly.

"I'm just... glad you're alright. Thank you, Mago, for... looking after her? I guess?" He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, looking awkwardly to the side. The taller gem hummed softly, smirking down at the two.  
"Don't mention it, Pipsqueak." She started to turn away, waving back at the two as she started down the path. "Oh, and by the way, Hema. Ti's around, if you wanna go hang out with her."  
Immediately, Hema's expression hardened into something akin to a sneer, and he scoffed, rolling his eyes.  
"Thanks but no thanks."  
Mago stopped in her tracks, her hand still raised. A pensive pause drifted between the two.  
"...Pardon?"  
"I said no thanks." Looking over at the taller gem, Hematite frowned and straightened up, raising his hand near his shoulder for Kyan to climb on. "I'd really rather not see her any more than I have to." Kyan was quick to hop up onto Hematite's shoulder, sitting down as she had been before. She chewed at the top of her scarf gently, raising a brow as Mago made her way away from them. _So it sounded like Hema didn't really care for that gem too much, either._ Admittedly she was curious, but she didn't care too much to question it. It wasn't her problem anyway.  
There was a long pause. Mago slowly lowered her arm, her fingers brushing together quietly.  
"...I see. Huh." Turning to grin back at the two, the giant gem winked, quickly returning to walking down the path. "Good to know, Pipsqueak! Then, have fun doing whatever else you're doin' today.~ See you during the Harvest Moon."  
Scratching his head, Hema raised a brow curiously. _Huh. What was that all about?_ Once  Mago left the area, Kyan let the scarf drop from her mouth, and she looked up at Hema.  
"The Harvest Moon? Is that the weird event you've been mentioning?" she asked curiously, quickly trying to avoid the obvious fact that she'd just broken Hema's one major rule he set for the day.

Hema blinked in surprise at Kyan's question before he looked down at her, nodding once.  
"It is! It's a celestial event by the same name that strengthens a Hematite's abilities, which is why we're tested then."

_So this phenomenon heightened his abilities? Well, that was pretty neat, she supposed._  
"Hmm... Why are you trying so hard, anyway? Is there a risk to failing?" she asked, leaning on one arm casually. "You seem pretty intent on passing..."

Hema walked off toward the warp pad, folding his arms behind him.  
"Well, there are some risks, yes! If I don't pass the first test, I can lose my ranking, and I won't have a chance to gain it back until the next Harvest Moon. And then, if I don't pass the other one, I'll have my missions suspended, and have to undergo specialized training. But, for the other Hematites... well. Anyone that fails, besides me, is getting stationed off-planet."  
_And with how he was starting to get from only three months off of harvesting missions... **he didn't want to risk it.**_ "But I want to show White Diamond that I'm still in top form, and that I can perform my job to the best of my ability!" He gave a curt, determined nod, chin held high.

In a way, Kyan could respect that. She looked away quietly, thinking to herself.  
"Well... if catching gems is the name of the game, I think you'll do fine... if that means anything to ya." she remarked, holding her hand up to her scarf. "If you can catch _me,_ I'm sure  ya can catch anybody. Who knows, but I wouldn't worry so much! Who cares about ranks and everything? You're White Diamond's Hematite, and as long as you stay that way, I don't see the big deal. So you should relax a little,” she fibbed. She knew how big a deal 'ranks' were in today's society. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it could mean for a Hematite. She had no idea how that sort of thing could work for them, as they seemed to have weird rules and exceptions left and right. The more she found out about them, the more she realized she knew almost nothing about them.

Hematite stepped up onto the warp pad after shifting down a tad. He looked over at the small gem on his shoulder, brows raised. When he spoke, he sounded surprised, _impressed,_ even? It was hard to tell. He smiled fondly at the tiny warrior.  
"Thank you, Kyan... I appreciate the support." Expression softening, the service gem looked down, fidgeting with his fingers. After a moment, he carefully lifted his index finger up to her, ruffling her hair much like Mago had. "Here's hoping we get your business all squared away before too long here, so you don't have to keep dealing with me and my training, huh?"

Kyan gasped quietly, flinching slightly as Hematite messed with her hair. Flailing her arms slightly, she ran her hands over the top of her head and brushed her hair down just a little.  
"A’ight, a’ight... no need to get sappy," she said, poking out her lip with an unreadable expression. "The faster those guys are taken care of... the better. I just hope none of them know what we're up to... or where I am, for that matter," she muttered.

Hematite withdrew his hand, wondering if that gesture had been unwanted. He brushed the thought away and folded his arms behind him, forcing himself to stand straight.  
"Mm. Even if they did know, they aren't getting past me." He frowned seriously, holding his chin high. "You're safe so long as I'm around. I promise you that."

The quicker the Star Stealers were taken care of, the quicker Kyanite could stop worrying so much. But, she found comfort in his words... perhaps far more than he'd ever know. Brushing her hand through her hair slightly, she leaned against his neck, tucking her scarf up over her nose.  
She was quiet for a few long moments, but finally spoke, her voice soft.  
"Thanks, fathea-....Hema..."

Inhaling quietly, Hematite blinked in shock as Kyan leaned against his neck. Without turning his head, he glanced down toward her, a warm feeling in his chest. The feeling spread through his whole form again, and he smiled to himself, closing his eyes for a moment.  
"Don't mention it, Kyan."


	77. Lesson Zero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite helps train some of his kin for their upcoming test.

\-----  
- _\-- The previous day, after Meta and Hita returned to Homeworld from their mission concerning Tita..._  
\-----  
_Tssssshhhh!_  
_**Clunk**_  
  
The small, white vessel touched down in the docking station, settling down with various hisses and clicks as the machinery lining the landing-pad grabbed onto the ship's hull. Slowly, the engines powered down and the hangar grew quiet, aside from the usual bustle of service gems walking to and fro. Within a few minutes, the large side door opened up, and a familiar, pink-haired gem stepped out, her hands in her pocket. Behind her, a maroon-haired, much lankier gem followed.  
Meta looked up, sighing. _Seemed it was a rather cloudy day. Fitting, she supposed_. As soon as she was off the loading ramp, the service gem tapped her visor, standing straight.  
"Contact White Diamond."

A mere second after Meta spoke, Hita reached up to his own visor, adjusting it over the bridge of his nose.  
"Contact White Diamond."  
After a few seconds, a still-image of White appeared on both of the Hematites' visors with a brief, static-y sound. Seemed she was foregoing the video call this time.  
_"This is White Diamond. Hello, you two. What have you to report?"_ Hita's expression laid blank and tired-looking, and he slowly looked over at Meta. Meta returned his gaze, but she quickly turned back to White a moment later.  
"White Diamond, I'll give it to you straight. Tita was. Corrupted. She was lost deep in a Kindergarten, and was completely feral. She attacked us and tried to go for my gem, and Hita had to-..." Without looking away from the screen, she slowly inhaled through her nose, keeping herself steady. "Eliminate her."

 

A long, uncomfortable silence followed Meta's statement.  
_"I see..."_ Her voice sounded low, _pained_ even. A brief moment of clattering followed by what sounded like White swearing under her breath sounded on the other end of the call. _"I'm sorry that you were subjected to seeing that... much less shattering her. How do you fare, then?"_ White asked, the serious tone returning to her voice. Hita glanced to the side slightly, shifting his weight to his other leg.  
"… I think we'll be fine, in time,” he said calmly.

Meta was quiet. That wasn't unusual for her, of course... but. This time her silence held a heaviness to it that could be sensed, even over the communicator. She really didn't want to reply. But, she knew she had to give White some sort of answer, or risk her being suspicious. Inhaling slowly through her nose again, Meta tucked her hands in her pocket.  
"We fare just fine. We're both unharmed and ready to perform our tests when the time comes,” she said flatly.

White sighed heavily in relief.  
_"I'm glad to hear that. Thank you for being... efficient. Good to see you both back in decent shape. And Hita, seeing as you are back in one piece and you completed your mission in a reasonable amount of time... I'd say you did well for your first off-planet mission. I'll be sure to add that to your profile,"_ she mentioned with forced-sounding positivity. Hita's brows raised slightly, but other than that his expression didn't change much.  
"Thank you, White Diamond."

Looking to the side, Meta eyed the smaller service gem for a long moment.  
"White, we have the gemstone. Shall we bring it to you outside the White Tower? If not, where should we meet you?"

There was a short pause.  
_"The tower will work just fine, but you will not meet me directly in front of it. Wait in the central warp area. I shall arrive there shortly. Shrink to your civilian heights. Thank you for your cooperation,"_ she said, her tone monotonous. She sounded _off_ , distant, even for a gem as standoffish as White.

Sighing to herself, Meta nodded once, lifting a hand to her visor.  
"We'll be there."  
_Click._  
-

-  
Standing formally, Meta subtly shifted her weight from one foot to the other, standing at her civilian height in front of the central warp station. Her eyes were half-lidded, tiredly looking around for any sign of her leader. _W_ _ouldn't be long now, right? The sooner they got this done, the sooner she could go rest up. After all, the first 'caution lesson' that Hema was teaching was tomorrow, and she wanted to be bright and alert for that. As much as she could be, under the circumstances._

Hita stood next to Meta, standing at his own civilian height. She still dwarfed him, twice his height. In his hand he held a bubble which contained Tita's shards. He stared down at it with a heavy, yet still somewhat blank look. His expression was not one of grief, but more like someone who seemed mildly disappointed. Inhaling slowly, the maroon-haired gem looked up from the bubble as he caught on to the sounds of slowly-approaching footsteps. Stepping around a corner, White herself looked around, quickly spotted the two Hematites, and walked towards them, her head held high. Behind her, two heavily-armored, war-class gems marched.  
White Diamond stopped a few feet away from the Hematites, craning her head back to look up at Meta immediately. Raising a brow, she stared, silent for a long moment.  
"Good to see you here on time."

Though she eyed the two guards with an unreadable expression, Meta made no comment on them. She looked at White, nodding solemnly.  
"Of course, White Diamond." Saluting, she glanced at the bubble, her expression faltering to something akin to grief. With White's eyes on her, though, she brushed it off quickly.

Hita looked down at the shards, utterly silent. At his current height, he stood nearly eye level with the Diamond herself. Quietly, he frowned, then held out the bubbled Hematite to his leader. He kept his eyes on the ground, avoiding meeting her gaze. Frowning heavily, White sighed, her shoulders hung low. Slowly, she lifted her hand, taking the bubble and pulling it close. She looked over its contents with a somber, heavy gaze. She muttered something under her breath, too quietly for anyone to make out. Hita lifted his hand behind his head, scratching at his neck awkwardly.  
There was another long, terrible pause before White closed her eyes for a moment and teleported the bubble away with a quick tap of her finger.  
"Thank you both. I shall have to... mark her down appropriately in my archives," she stated, opening her eyes finally. She stared through the two gems, as if they weren't even there. "If that is all, then..."

White's general air was rather... worrying. But, Meta knew it wasn't her place to pry about how her leader was feeling, nor was she really up for having a discussion about Tita.  
"Yes, White. We'll get going. I hope your afternoon gets better..." She saluted again and looked at Hita, her expression somber. She didn't seem mad, spiteful, anxious... she just looked _tired._ White looked up to the two Hematites, her brows raised slightly.  
"You too. Both of you." Raising her hand, she turned, dismissing them. White left without another word, the guards following silently after her. Hita looked up at Meta, his posture slouched heavily.  
"We should get going then."

Nodding, Meta put her hands in her pocket, trailing off toward the central warp pad.  
\-----  
\--- _Present day..._  
\-----  
Yawning, Meta stretched and groaned quietly. Her arms flopped to her sides as she stared up at the clear, blue sky. _Today’s the day, isn't it?_  
The giant gem sighed through her nose, hoisting herself up from her usual spot. She'd slept for most of the previous day and that morning, trying to recover from her near week-long mission. But now it was time to see if Hema could salvage what little gentleness Meta felt she was capable of.

  
Strolling down the path to the Cove, Meta put her hands in her pocket, gazing around idly. With any luck, maybe she'd come across Hita on her way over, and they could both head there at the same time.

"UUuuuggghhh..."  
A voice echoed quietly through the Kindergarten as Meta rounded a corner. Splayed out over a rock half his size, just inside the entrance to his territory, Hita was busy groaning about something. _Or rather, nothing, by the sounds of it._ Draped ungracefully over the boulder, he didn't even seem to notice the giant gem approaching. Raising a brow, Meta walked over to the smaller service gem, stopping beside him. _Stars, why is he laying on that? That doesn't look comfortable._ She slowly raised a brow before reaching over with her foot, prodding him.  
"Hita. Lesson time. You still comin' with?"

At first, despite her action, Hita was unresponsive. But, after a few moments, the Hematite shifted and turned his head to face her, his expression blank and bored.  
"Eeeh... I guess. I've got nothing better to do. Plus, maybe I'll actually _learn_ something..." he said, smacking his lips and standing up, placing his hands on his back with a few small, muffled cricks. "Oof... Where did they say these things were gonna be held, again?" He asked, leaning back a little and stretching. Standing back a pace, the pink-haired service gem looked off in another direction, nodding her head toward an unseen location.  
"Over at the Cove. At least, that's what White Diamond said. Hema should be there already, supposedly." She shrugged a shoulder, snorting softly through her nose. "Hooopefully none of the troublemakers will be there."

Raising a brow slowly, Hita made a small grunting noise and turned to the direction that Meta had nodded towards, already starting to walk casually past the rock he'd been laying on.  
"Yeaaaaah. I wonder how he's gonna pull this off though..." he muttered. He had a lot of questions, but didn't know really how to ask them. Perhaps he could take notes silently, then he wouldn't have to worry about speaking up. Trailing after the gem, Meta nodded in agreement.  
"Same here. But I guess we'll see. I'm sure White put him in charge of this with the trust that he'd be able to pull it off." The giant gem kept her steps measured so as not to overtake Hita's pace, and she walked in silence for most of the trip over to the Cove. As they neared, a few minutes later, she looked up at the myriad of guards standing along the ledges of the Kindergarten walls.  
"Hm."  
Frowning slightly, the pink-haired service gem stepped into the Cove, looking around the huge clearing. To the right, she could see Hemmi, Mite, Ti, and Tae all sitting around at their half sizes, chatting about something or another. The somewhat unfamiliar Hematite had a poofy, high ponytail and messy bangs.  
Meta looked to the left and quickly spotted Hema, who was sitting at the very far end of the Cove, with a wide line of guards and some holo-screens surrounding the area he was in. Seemed almost a _third_ of the mile-long clearing had been sanctioned off for whatever Hematite was going to do. Blinking, Meta squinted at one of the darker sections of the Cove. She could have sworn she’d seen one of the smaller Hematites lounging about in there. From the looks of it, it was probably Mago. However, from the angle and the dark shadows cast in that area, it was impossible to tell for sure.  
Meta turned her attention back to Hema at the other end of the Cove. To his left he had a few scrapped Kindergarten drills, and far to his right there appeared to be a ring of Jaspers surrounding something. From here, the giant gem couldn't tell _what,_ exactly.  
"Well, looks like he's on time," she commented idly, heading toward the large, sanctioned-off clearing. Raising his brows, Hita walked up behind Meta, not paying the extra guards any mind. Hema watched the two approach idly, albeit nervously, tapping his hands against his ankles. Meta and Hita both easily stepped over the wall of guards and holo-screens, making their way over toward him.

_Stars, he hoped this went well..._  
Hema had a few hours off this afternoon for the lessons, and Red was watching Kyan back at his room. While his Pearl _had_ been on a recon mission the previous day, she'd finished it late that night and returned with a good report. Hema didn't have any jobs for her today, so he'd left Kyan in her capable hands. The two of them were supposed to stay in his room, but he trusted them to try and get along. They seemed to be making progress after the incident a few days ago, after all. Perhaps the two of them would do the training they'd mentioned. Either way, they were both out of his hair, so he could completely focus on the task at hand, which was, for the moment, teaching these gems how to bring back an intact target gem. He only hoped he'd be able to do it. Standing up, Hema offered the two a polite nod, folding his arms behind his back.  
"Afternoon, Meta, Hita. I hope you've had a good week."

Scratching the back of his head quietly, Hita looked over at Hematite, unblinking.  
"Eh," he grumbled, glancing away for a moment. Dropping his hand, the odd-toothed Hematite grabbed onto his arm and rubbed it awkwardly. Glancing at the gem beside her, Meta blinked, shrugging.  
"Like he said: 'Eh.'."  
Hema kept his polite smile, though the corner of his mouth twitched subtly. _Sparkling conversationalists, aren't they?_  
"Right! Well, sorry to hear that. Hopefully today will be a bit better. Now... what is it you two struggle with, exactly?" he asked, sitting back down. Meta soon followed suit, crossing her legs and arms as soon as she was settled. There was an awkward moment of silence.  
"White says we need to not poof our targets during this test. I'm... not sure I can manage that. I'm not exactly great at being 'careful'," she said quietly, glancing away. Hema hummed quietly, looking a tad concerned, though it was rather reserved.  
"I see. And you, Hita?"

Hita frowned, looking up for a moment at the high ledge of the Kindergarten where a few more guards stood at attention.  
"Hm... Well... I guess I'm kind of in a similar position as Meta. I don't get sent out on too many harvesting or relocation missions that don't require destabilizing my targets, so I don't have a lot of experience with handling smaller gems." He paused, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I didn't... pass the first test. So... I kinda want to _try_ a little harder, this time... if I can."

Tapping his chin, Hema frowned, humming a soft note.  
"Hmmm. Well, if you're both more or less in the same position, I guess I don't have to really specialize the lesson. Well, that's good! That means we can focus on one skill set." Raising his index finger, the smaller Hematite regained a professional air. "First, we'll do a control test, alright? I've got some smaller, out-of-commission drill injectors over here that White gave me to use for this test." Scooting over, the ivory-haired gem rummaged through the large drills, making sure not to cut himself on anything. "Let's see here..."  
Meta watched the gem quietly, arching a brow. Hema was taking his time, however, and the pink-haired Hematite soon found her gaze drifting back to the circle of guards. From here, she could finally see that the Jaspers were surrounding a group of about six or seven gems. Some of them had dual bracers on their wrists, while others were uncuffed. Some were big, some were small. If she wasn't mistaken, she recognized one or two of these gems. Hita found himself eyeing the drills that Hema was prodding through. _What is he doing with those?_ he thought to himself. Silently, his gaze drifted over to the group of gems the Jaspers guarded, regarding them with well-masked intrigue. His visor chirped, scanning the gems in the area. There was a rather wide variety here today.  
_He could have sworn he recognized some of these gems._ _Were they rebels?_

Hearing the chirp of Hita's visor, Meta followed suit, scanning the group of gems. There was a grumpy-looking Onyx, an Agate, a Ruby, a rather irritated-looking Ekanite, a Jasper, and a short-haired Amethyst. The pink-haired Hematite pursed her lips for a moment, arching a brow. _Hm._ She definitely recognized the Agate and the Amethyst. The others were unfamiliar to her, though. She wasn't sure if they'd been part of the first test or not.  
A few of the rebels were eyeing the giant gems suspiciously, muttering to one another. They weren't sure _exactly_ what they were doing here. All they'd been told is that if they didn't try to run or use their powers, their gemstones would be undamaged. This was apparently some sort of preparation for the Harvest Moon test. What kind of 'preparation' was uncertain, though.

Lifting his hand to his face, Hita tapped a tapered finger on his tooth for a few moments, eyeing the crowd. He hadn't said a word, but his visor dulled slightly, his attention turning back to Hema. He was starting to wonder if this was going to work out or not... If those gems were part of the test, he wasn't so sure this'd go as smoothly as he hoped. Many of them were eyeing himself and Meta anxiously, while others turned away to ignore them completely. The Agate in particular, however, looked more _suspicious_ than anything, unable to take their eyes off of Hema.

The ivory-haired gem hadn't noticed that he was being watched, blissfully unaware of the leery glances some of the rebels were giving him. Instead, he finally pulled out a few metal beams. They appeared to be disconnected injector legs. Lifting them up, Hema smiled and offered one hand to the two gems, two of the metal beams in his palm.  
"Alright, we'll start with these. This is gonna be a control to see how your strength management is." He held two of the ends between his thumb and index finger, looking at the slightly curved metal beam. Meta blinked in surprise as she reached over for one of the bars, holding it the same way Hema was.  
"How is this supposed to..."  
"Well, we're going to very slowly bend these bars. I'll tell you when to apply more pressure, but also when to stop. These things are built tough, but they are brittle when put under too much sudden strain. So you have to do this steadily, without suddenly applying too much pressure."

Hita looked at the bar quietly before finally reaching over to take one. Looking down at his fingers, he frowned, narrowing his eyes. It was a little odd to hold between his fingertips when they were claw-shaped, but he still managed to keep a good grasp on it. This was a bit of an odd exercise, but he figured he'd give Hema the benefit of the doubt. Furrowing his brows, Hema carefully squeezed the bar in his fingers, bending it just slightly.  
"Alright, bend yours about this much. It's up to you to know how much pressure to apply."  
Glancing between Hema's metal bar and her own, Meta frowned, drawing her lips tight. _Alright, here goes nothing._ As carefully as she could, the giant service gem applied pressure to the bar, though it was barely anything at all, and the metal didn't so much as budge. She glanced at Hema, who gave her an encouraging nod. Meta looked at the beam again, snorting softly through her nose.

Hita kept staring at his own bar, narrowing his eyes at it and holding it up closer to his face. _Alright, if Hema could do it, so could he...right? Meta hadn't crushed hers. Yet. But... Maybe if he just..._ Flexing his finger, Hita started to apply more and more pressure as gradually and carefully as he could. He could feel the metal in his hand starting to give way after a few moments, the carbonite bar creaking within his grasp. The more he went on, the more nervous he started to get. _Any second now, it might break..._ His lip twitched slightly, unable to take his eyes off the bar.

Looking over at the maroon-haired Hematite, Hema smiled, nodding in approval.  
"Alright, Hita! Yours is good for now, you can pause." He turned his attention back to Meta, who _still_ hadn't so much as bent hers. She was nervous about breaking it right off the bat, and didn't want to risk pressing too hard and overestimating the pressure. Grumbling to herself, Meta suddenly squeezed harder, but instantly regretted the choice when the metal _quickly_ gave way and snapped directly in half. A moment of silence followed, and Hema forced a smile.

“Here, Meta. Don't worry, I didn't do it perfect the first time, either,” he reassured. Reaching over, he grabbed another drill leg and handed it to her. Meta sighed and took it from him, putting the broken one aside. She focused again on bending the metal carefully, but found it hard to find any balance between too little and too much pressure. After a few minutes of fiddling, during which, both Hita and Hema waited patiently, Meta finally seemed to make some headway. Even so, she got ahead of herself and pinched too hard, bending it a little more than Hema's currently was within an _instant_. Her brows furrowing, the pink-haired gem swallowed and looked at the much smaller Hematite, glancing between him and her piece of metal.  
"Uhhh. Did it. Technically," she muttered, not making direct eye contact. Hita held his piece of scrap freely in his hand now, glancing over to Meta with a small frown. Hematite smiled, nodding.  
"Alright. Now we're going to bend them a _little_ further. Basically, we're going to get these nearly to their breaking point." To demonstrate, he fetched another identical piece of metal, holding it in his other hand. Meta watched curiously as the ivory-haired gem frowned and slowly bent the metal beam. His fingers trembled with effort after a few moments, bending the scrap piece much further than his first piece. The middle of the bar slowly turned a whitish, silvery color as it was strained, now bent at less than a 90 degree angle. Hema suddenly paused, glancing at the two. "This is the limit. See how strained the bar is in the middle? You have to be incredibly careful getting to this point... otherwise." The smaller gem tensed his fingers, not hard enough to even visibly catch.  
_Snap._  
The bar instantly broke in two along the silvery part, tiny flecks of metal falling to the floor. Meta blinked in surprise, looking at her own piece of drill.  
"So, we need to get it to the breaking point... without breaking it?"  
"Exactly. This is showing you how to control your strength at a base level, with a raw material. We'll cover handling gems later, after you've both gotten this down."

Hita looked back down at his piece, maneuvering it between his fingers once more. He spared Meta an odd glance. Carefully, Hita lifted the bar up to his face, applying more pressure to it than he had before. Meta was entirely focused on her piece of metal now, a deep frown on her face. She slowly started to apply pressure, much like Hita was doing, but she was far more hesitant about it. Eventually, the scrap piece started to bend, but as it approached its breaking point, it put up _far_ more resistance. However, the center still wasn't changing color. Glancing nervously at Hema, the giant gem swallowed once and turned her attention back to the beam. Frowning, she applied a bit more pressure, trying to get it to bend further.  
_**Snap.**_  
Wincing, Meta inhaled sharply through her teeth, sitting up a bit straighter. Staring at the broken beam in her fingers, she groaned quietly, brows furrowed.  
A few of the rebel gems standing off to the side gasped, shuffling nervously as they talked quietly among themselves.

The sound of Meta's snapping metal piece made Hita jump slightly, but instead of twitching and breaking his own piece, his hand shook slightly and he dropped the piece onto the ground entirely. Blinking, he looked down, nervously frowning at the bent carbonite bar that lay on the ground below.  
"Oops."

Hema looked at Meta in concern, glancing once at Hita.  
"That's fine, Hita, it isn't broken, so you seem to have a rather good hold on it. ...Meta." The pink-haired gem refused to make eye contact, casually flicking her metal pieces to the floor.  
"...Sorry."  
"Hey. It's alright. I didn't expect you to get it perfect on your second try, either." He smiled reassuringly. Meta looked over at the smaller gem, her expression softening considerably at his smile. She looked over at the scrap pile, grabbing another drill leg. Tapping his fingers on his knee, Hema tilted his head. "Meta, why don't you shift down to your half size? That may make it easier to control your strength. That'll also make the gem handling later a lot..." He wanted to say 'safer', but decided against it. "Easier."

Hita poked his tooth gently into his lower lip, reaching down to pick up the piece of scrap that he had dropped. He wasn't sure if he wanted to continue with it in its current condition, lest he risk miscalculating how much pressure he should apply. But he had to. Exhaling softly, he looked back down at it, determined to successfully bend the carbonite bar. _Focus._ The bar in Hita's possession was very near its breaking point, like Meta's had been, and the middle was _just_ barely showing signs of changing color. A little more careful pressure, and it'd reach the point it needed to be.  
In the meantime, Meta looked down at herself, frowning. Hesitating, she glanced around at the guards on the cliff walls, and the other Hematites across the Cove. Hema noticed the pause and tilted his head curiously.  
"If you don't want to shift down, you don't have to." Looking back at the much smaller gem, Meta shook her head, snorting through her nose. She looked at Hita and Hema. Hita was at his half-height, and Hema was at his full; yet, she still dwarfed both of them.  
"No, it's fine. You're right." Putting the new beam down, the pink-haired gem sighed quietly, closing her eyes. Her gemstone began to glimmer, and she shifted down to her half size, just a little bigger than Hita now. She still _seemed_ much bigger than him, with her stockier form. Picking up the beam again, Meta frowned seriously, getting back to bending the piece of metal much more slowly than last time.

Hita watched as Meta shifted down, his brows raised slightly. Looking back at the bar he was carefully bending in his fingers, he started to notice the change in color. And, he started to feel the tension rising within the metallic scrap _._ After a few more moments, he stopped, his eyes widening slightly. The bar, at its bending point, was white just like Hematite's was.  
_He’d... done it?_ Looking quickly between Hematite and the bar, he opened his mouth slightly, as if he were going to speak. But he didn't say anything. He seemed almost... _dumbfounded_ that he got it, let alone on his first try. Catching sight of Hita's scrap metal, Hema smiled brightly, nodding in approval.  
"There you go! That wasn't so bad, eh, Hita? Alright, you can put yours aside for now..." Watching Meta, the smaller service gem folded his hands in his lap, eyeing the beam carefully. There was a long, silent pause as the well-built Hematite worked on carefully bending the metal bar. It took her a few minutes, but she soon found herself on the cusp of the piece's breaking point. The resistance increased much like it had the last time, making Meta sweat nervously. She didn't want to mess this up again and waste everyone's time. The prisoner gems were getting restless.

Hita glanced over his shoulder for a moment, then looked back over to Meta. He dropped his piece carelessly onto the ground. He looked down to the piece of carbonite that Meta held onto, then looked back to her. He wanted to say something, but wasn't sure _what_ to say really. He hoped she'd get it on this try, at least. Maybe it was easier to handle now that she was a bit smaller?

Hema stayed silent, watching Meta intently. After another long pause, the service gem noticed a change in the larger Hematite's hand, or, rather, the way she was handling the beam. She seemed to be using her strength in increments, and was being far more experimental, being sure not to push too far too fast. Soon enough... the middle of the beam bore a bright, silvery-white color. Meta sat up, sighing in relief. The ivory-haired gem smiled brightly, clasping his hands together for a moment.  
"Excellent! Now that you've both done that... it's time for the important part."  
Meta blinked in surprise and sat up straighter, eyeing Hema almost suspiciously.  
"Wait, I thought this was the end of the exercise..."  
Smiling lopsidedly, the smaller service gem held up his own metal scrap, bending it to its near breaking point. He paused a moment.  
"Sorry, but... no. This is where the lesson really begins."

Hita blinked, groaning under his breath and turning around to pick up the beam he'd just dropped. Once he'd retrieved it, he looked down curiously at the L-shaped scrap.  
"Alright, so, what exactly... are we supposed to do now?" he asked, turning his head to look at the shortest service gem.

Twisting the piece in his hand, Hema smiled almost slyly _,_ though it quickly faded into a more professional expression.

"We just learned how to be careful... now. We're going to learn how to be _gentle."_ The ivory-haired gem held up his piece. "The beam is extremely fragile now. One sudden move, and it'll snap. The middle of it is structurally compromised, and ten times as likely to break under stress... which is why you must use a very gentle touch now to _bend it back into its original shape."_  
Eyes widening, Meta looked down at the piece in her fingers, a frown crossing her face. _He wanted her to do_ _ **what?**_ _Controlling her strength was one thing, but..._

Meta wasn't the only one to be a little disheartened by Hematite's new challenge. Staring down intently at the bar, Hita furrowed his brows. _Was he serious?..._ Holding the bar close to his face once more, the maroon-haired gem turned the piece of metal over in his fingers, trying to decipher the best way to bend it without breaking it. If he grabbed it in the wrong spot, it would snap. If he bent it too fast, it would snap. If he bent it too _hard..._ well, you know. Looking down at Hematite, Hita sighed quietly.  
"Yeah, I don't think I can do this."

Meta went silent, trying to look her own metal beam over. She didn't look at Hema. The ivory-haired gem looked up at Hita, tilting his head with a frown.  
"I think you can manage it, Hita. There're plenty of bars here to try it on. You don't _have_ to try, but. I promise you, you'll be glad you did if you can get the hang of this." Looking down at his scrap metal, Hema carefully took the two ends between each hands' thumb and index finger. Taking a long, deep breath, he slowly and meticulously bent the bar straight, sure to stop every few seconds when he felt the metal might give way. He never forced it, he never rushed, and the grip he used was incredibly light.

Hita watched Hema's movements carefully. He observed every position his fingers took and took note of how he bent the scrap. Looking down at his own, he furrowed his brows.  
"But what if I _do_ manage to do it... and then what if I can't do it again? What if I just _think_ I can do it, but I can't... Gems aren't carbonite bars, and I highly doubt they're as strong as them either. They have different tolerances, different weaknesses..." He expression fell slightly, his eyes half-lidded. He stared almost hopelessly at the beam. "What if I hurt someone?..."

_That_ finally broke Meta out of her intense focus, and she turned to look at the maroon-haired gem, blinking in surprise. Hema had a similar reaction, though his expression fell after a moment, and he sighed quietly through his nose.  
"That's what the gem handling is for, after this... Look, Hita. I don't know you very well, and you don't know me, but." Biting his lip, the ivory-haired gem tried to recall something that White had said to him long ago. Sure it wasn't word for word, but... "I know that if you were the type to hurt a gem, you wouldn't be this worried about it. I'm here to help you two make sure you _don't_ hurt any gems. Sure, they're not carbonite beams, but hey, those guys over there weren't real targets out in the field. But we still learned things during that first test." He remembered with a small pang of regret that _Hita hadn't_ _ **passed**_ _that test,_ and quickly added, "What I'm saying is, just trust me, alright? If you can't do this, you can't do it, but we'll keep trying, so long as _you're_ willing to give it a shot. I want you to succeed, and I know that deep down, you want to as well. You wouldn't be here if you didn't." Standing up, Hema dusted off his hands, folding his arms behind his back. "Now, you two work on this; use as many scrap pieces as you need. I'm going to go discuss some things with these gems over here," he said simply, motioning to the prisoners to the left.

Hita's face was unreadable, but he looked back down to the scrap, swallowing nervously. He sat in silence _._ Slowly lifting his other hand, he held the bar carefully with one, and adjusted it with the other.  
**SNAP.**  
Eyes widening, Hita froze in place, staring at the two pieces of metal in his hands. For a few long moments he stared, before he dropped the pieces on the ground again. His lips slowly curled into a frustrated, uncharacteristic scowl. Two sharp fangs protruded out from the top of his mouth next to his largest center tooth- a rather unsettling sight. He grumbled under his breath, getting up and walking over to the scrap pile to look for a new piece. Meta watched Hita with a grimace, focusing on her own piece. However, she, too, snapped hers, sighing. She followed suit, looking for a new piece.  
Hema frowned a tad nervously, making his way over to the guarded group of rebels and criminals. He was some distance from the two larger Hematites now, and knelt down, sitting on his knees near the group.  
"Nowww I'm sure some of you have probably figured out why you're here at this point." The Ruby gave the giant gem a fierce sneer, crossing her arms. She grumpily muttered something under her breath, though it was impossible to make anything out, aside from a few 'clod's here and there. Hema glanced at the small red gem casually, but his expression faltered when he spotted the tiny gem _next_ to her.  
_**Wait a second... he knew that gem.**_

Within the crowd, standing right next to the heavily-disgruntled Ruby, a small, brown, striped gem stood, eyes locked on the Hematite. She couldn't believe who she was standing nearly face to face with _once more._ She stared, speechless. She took a single, small step back, peering up wide-eyed at the massive service gem that knelt before them. Hematite took a moment to regain his professional, yet friendly demeanor, and he pulled his attention back to the general collected group.  
"Some of you will be helping me, should these gems complete my first exercise, with teaching them how to carefully handle their test targets."  
As Hema spoke, the Ekanite in the group frowned and took a step back, crossing her arms tightly. Despite noticing the action, the giant gem continued, not paying it any mind.  
"I assume some of you will be taking part in the Harvest Moon event, some of you... possibly not for the _first_ time, and I feel it's prudent for you to know that we have been given strict orders not to poof any targets. Those of you who are chosen to participate will not have to worry about any harm befalling you."  
At his words, the Amethyst standing among the gems raised a brow, a frown on her face. Although, the look in her eyes suggested she was a tad intrigued by this news. _They wouldn't be poofed like last time?_ _Huh... Well, that was some sort of comfort, she supposed._

The Agate blinked, looking down at the ground slightly. _She was the only one who hadn't been poofed during that first test... and it was all thanks to this gem._ Resting his hands on his knees, the giant gem leaned forward just a tad, offering the collected rebels a small smile.  
"So I know the answer is probably 'no', but are any of you willing to help me out with this exercise? If nooot, I'll have to just pick a few."  
The Amethyst stiffened, crossing her arms tightly over her chest, looking away. No way was she going to _volunteer_ to be handled by these _brutes._ None of the other rebels spoke up either, all of them either glaring at the Hematite or looking away awkwardly.

The Agate, however, looked more _curious_ than anything. Without a word, she looked beside her at her 'comrades'. No one seemed to be willing to do these huge gems any favors. _She couldn't really blame them, but..._ This gem had every chance to hurt her all those years ago, but he hadn't. If _he_ was the one teaching the others to be as careful as he was, then just **maybe** he was worth helping.

Inhaling through her nose, she stepped forward boldly, earning a small gasp from the crowd around her. She didn't take her eyes off of Hematite. At the sight of the tiny gem's bold move, Hematite felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.  
"... Agate?" Blinking in barely-disguised shock, the ivory-haired gem swallowed quietly, lifting his hand. He carefully lowered it down in front of the small, striped gem, palm facing up, and offered her a friendly smile. "Thank you for volunteering. It's... been a long time, hasn't it?"

Without turning her head, the Agate glanced to the side at the gems positioned around her. She looked back at Hema, finally, her expression slightly nervous.  
"It has," she said simply, peering down at the huge gem's hand... a sight that was both foreign and oddly familiar. Remembrance flooded back to her suddenly, visions and echoes of that night rushing through her memory. She took a deep breath, gathering up what courage and strength she could to step into his hand. Carefully, she stood straight again, looking up to Hematite. "I don't think I ever got to thank you for... not hurting me."

A soft half-exhale, half-chuckle escaped the gem as Agate stepped into his palm. He paused for a moment before carefully lifting her up, bringing her to eye level.  
"No need to thank me for _that._ I just did what I thought was right that night. I didn't see any point in hurting you."  
Down below, the Ruby that'd been standing to Agate opened her mouth slightly, staring up in confused awe. Her brows were furrowed, though there was a curious light in her eyes. The other rebels around her, however, still glared at the gem in distrust, none of them making moves so bold as Agate's. The Agate stifled a small, nervous smile, folding her arms behind her back.  
"If there's... anything I can do to help! Maybe you can show those other clods to not be so rough, heh..." the Agate said, turning her head slightly, but still looking up half suspiciously at Hema. "But... you promise we won't get hurt, right?"

Hema smiled warmly, nodding once before he carefully stood back on his feet, turning to Hita and Meta, who were still working on the first part of the exercise.  
"That's the idea, yes. I promise, if it looks like things will get out of hand, we'll stop immediately. But..." Looking over at the two larger gems, Hematite forced a smile. "Once they get the hang of this first test, I don't think you'll have to worry too much. They don't seem like the type to hurt anyone on purpose... That being said!" Glancing over his shoulder, Hema raised a brow. "I will still need two more of you later, so perhaps discuss among yourselves who that could be." Arching a brow, he walked off, back to Hita and Meta. Agate grabbed onto the giant gem's fingers, peering over at the other huge gems he made his way towards. During the first test all those years ago, they'd all gotten a look at them in the lineup. But the only one Agate had seen really close-up was Hema. _So what would these gems be like?_ Over towards the scrap pile, Hita looked to be nervously bending a piece of scrap, his tongue sticking slightly out of the side of his mouth, the edge pressed against his sharp center tooth. _Snap._  
Groaning heavily, Hita reeled his head back and dropped the broken beam down next to him where four other legs were laying, each snapped in half. He wondered if he should take a moment to relax and see if that would help him focus.

Meta was having even worse luck. In the short time Hema was talking to the prisoners, she'd added nine metal beams near her feet, all of them broken in half. She'd gotten _close_ with one of them, but once she lost her focus in realizing she'd almost done it, it'd broken. She was now on her tenth one, carefully bending it to its breaking point. At the very least, she'd gotten good at that part.  
Hema finally reached the two, but before he could sit down, he suddenly caught sight of someone across the sanctioned-off clearing. They were outside the line of holo-screens and guards, jumping up and down and waving their arms.  
"Hemaaaaa! Heeey! Hema, tell these guards to let me through!"  
Tilting his head, Hematite arched a brow.  
_Frecks?_

Hita grabbed another piece of scrap, staring at it solemnly. He didn't go right into bending it this time. Furrowing a brow, he held it up to eye level again, but this time, he held it out a little further than what he had been.  
_Maybe he should look at this from a different perspective._  
Carefully, he lifted his other hand to the beam, pinching the top part between two sharp fingers, slowly bending it. At least _this_ wasn't the hardest part. He refused to focus on anything else, despite hearing a small voice from behind one of the holo-screens. He paid it no mind. _He was determined to do this right..._

Meta glanced over at the distant voice, but didn't pay it too much mind. She turned her attention back to the beam in her hand, trying to make sure she didn't break it again. Hema, on the other hand, made his way over to the wall of guards.  
"Uhhh... Alright, she's with me, I'll just..." Furrowing his brow, the giant gem crouched down, reaching over to carefully pluck the tiny Peridot off the ground.  
"Whoa, okay." Frecks held on tight to her diamond pad, but otherwise didn't struggle to get free of Hema's grip. In fact, she seemed rather _excited_ to be picked up. Lifting her up to eye level, Hematite let her stand in his palm, blinking curiously.  
"Morning, Frecks. Is there something I can help you with?"

Agate peeked over Hematite's hand, looking into the other palm held some small ways away from her. _Who was that?_ Did this gem just go around picking anyone up? Or, rather, were gems just _that_ comfortable with him? She relaxed a little, raising her brows curiously. It looked like a Peridot, but what was she doing around here?

Frecks smiled brightly.

"No, but there's something I can help _you_ with!" she chimed in reply, saluting the giant gem as best she could with her diamond pad in hand. "White Diamond told me that you were giving some sort of lesson here today with the Hematites. Something about how to handle gems carefully? Well, I asked her if I could come help out, since I'm used to being around you guys more than most gems, and she said yes!" she announced proudly, holding her arms out at her sides. Hematite blinked in surprise, brows raising. He knew that Frecks had an odd fascination with the Hematites, and that she was a bit more comfortable with being picked up and such than most gems... But to freely volunteer for this? Didn't she know some of the rougher Hematites could easily show up?  
"O-oh, well. Alright then! If you're sure you'd like to help out... Then, Frecks! I'd like you to meet Agate. Agate, this is Freckledot, as we call her. She's the primary service gem that I and the other Hematites report to with our missions, logs, and archives."

Agate looked over at the Peridot curiously. _So she'd been around them a lot? She seemed pretty comfortable. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad._ Raising a hand in greeting, Agate spared a soft smile to the other small gem.  
"Pleasure to meet ya. You can call me Aggy. Same goes for you, big guy... uuuh, what do they call you, again?" she asked, peering up at the ivory-haired gem. She thought she'd heard his name here and there, but if he didn't want to be called that by just anyone, she wasn't going to risk annoying him if she could help it. Hema looked down at the striped gem and offered her a smile.  
"You can call me Hema, if you'd like," he replied brightly, glad to see that Agate had relaxed a bit. Frecks smiled up at the giant gem.  
"Yep, Hema, White Diamond's personal bodyguard! Pleased to meet you too, Ag-" Looking over at the smaller gem, Frecks gasped mid-word, covering her mouth the moment she fully turned to her. "Wait. WAIT. You're _the_ Agate, aren't you?!" she asked excitedly, clutching her diamond pad close. "Like, Hema's first target, _that_ Agate?!"

Agate blinked quickly, pressing her hands to her cheeks which flushed a dark orange.  
"I-I mean... yeah! That's me! Heh... Wh-why so excited?" Aggy asked, genuinely confused as to how this freckled Peridot even knew who she was. She wasn't there that first night, was she? She was _sure_ she wasn't. A wide, delighted grin spread across the Peridot's face, and she squealed quietly, hopping up and down in Hema's palm, spinning in place as she did so.  
"I've read over that first report so many times, aaah! Oh my stars, I never thought I'd meet you in person! And why so excited? Because! You're like a little piece of history! If Hema hadn't caught you during that test, he probably wouldn't be White's Hematite! Things would be so different!"  
Hematite blinked in surprise, a faint tint of purple crossing his own cheeks... along with a brief look of realization. _Huh... Frecks had a point, didn't she? Things really might have been different if that test hadn't gone the way it did. And it was... odd to think about._

The small brown gem clutched tighter at her cheeks, swiveling her foot slightly.  
"Aaaawwh well... eheh, geeze, I didn't know I was really _known_ by anyone else, or really had that big of an impact..." She paused, glancing away at nothing specific. "I mean, I was just the target after all.... Hema did all the hard work!"

Raising a brow, Hema looked at the small striped gem, pursing his lips.  
"... Actually, Frecks has a valid point. If you'd run or made things really difficult... That test might not have gone so smoothly. But. You chose to cooperate." The tiniest smile crossed his face. "I have to thank you for that, Aggy."  
Frecks watched the two, smiling brightly, still rocking on her heels a bit. _Stars, White's Hematite and his first target, this was almost surreal to witness!_

The Agate looked from the Peridot to Hematite, an uncertain expression plastered over her face. Holding her hands close together, she pressed her fingers into one another, looking away shyly.  
"I guess I didn't want to get hurt, more than I wanted to be free...."

Slowly, Hematite's smile faded, a more confused expression replacing it. _Free? What..._  
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" he asked quietly, taking a few paces away from the line of guards. Frecks blinked in surprise and looked like she was going to say something, but she closed her mouth and looked at Agate. Pursing her lips slightly, the Agate felt a _small_ bit of anxiety flare back up within her.  
"I mean... they said if we could avoid being caught... then we'd get our freedom back. Or something like that... everyone was really excited, but, I don't think they were really prepared for what they'd gotten into..." she said, looking away nervously. "Not even me."

An obvious look of confusion plastered itself on Hema's face, and he looked between Agate and Frecks, opening his mouth as if to say something, before he closed it again.  
"I don't... I mean. This is news to me."  
The Peridot blinked in surprise and folded her arms over the diamond pad, pressing it to her chest.  
"Really? Well, Hema... I guess the Diamonds didn't explain that bit to you. The targets are all convicted rebels or criminals that are sentenced to long periods of punishment or imprisonment for crimes that don't warrant shattering. Well... most of them." Frowning, she glanced off to the side, the hair on the back of her neck rising. "There were a couple gems in that first lineup that'd committed pretty... nasty stuff. Including the one that got shattered during the test." A shudder ran up the tiny service gem's back, and she shook her head solemnly. Hema felt a chill go up his own spine, and he frowned deeply at the memory of that huge gem and his destroyed target. To this day, he still didn't know what had transpired between those two. And honestly, he didn't think he ever would, or would _want_ to, for that matter. 'Big Guy', as everyone called him, was long gone, and Hema was _glad_ for it. It seemed the gems he'd kept company with, Hemmi and Mite among them, weren't the best crowd. _He'd wager that there was more to Big Guy than any of them would ever know._  
After a pause, Frecks continued, having shaken off the momentary shudder.  
"The prisoners were all asked if they'd like a chance at freedom, or a serious reduction in their sentences, and the gems that accepted were the ones used for the test. The deal was, if they could avoid being caught entirely during the hunting portion of the event, their freedom or reduction is granted. Buuut I guess nobody got that last time, huh?"

Agate frowned, looking over at the small Peridot. But she wasn't looking _at_ her per se, more or less _through_ her.  
"Yeah," she said quietly, almost too quiet to make out.  
From behind Hematite suddenly, there was a small, yet audible gasp.  
Hita sat wide-eyed, staring at his bar. It was straight, bent back into the position that it was once... with the telltale signs of having been previously bent around the middle of the carbonite scrap metal. As if in disbelief, he couldn't look away from it. The maroon-haired hematite stared breathlessly, stifling a small shiver that shook his core. **He did it. He actually did it.** Slowly, he lowered the piece, still staring at it in case it'd break. He didn't even _want_ to move, lest it somehow snap. He quickly looked up at Meta, then back to the piece. He didn't say a word.

Looking back, Hema blinked in surprise, his mouth falling ajar. _Wait, had Hita done it?_ He walked toward the two, Frecks and Agate in hand, and peered at the maroon-haired gem's hands.  
"Ah! See, Hita! I knew you could pull it off," he said cheerfully, a bright grin on his face.  
Meta, on the other hand, wasn't as smiley.  
_Snap._  
Inhaling slowly through her nose, the pink-haired gem dropped the piece of broken metal on the ground. A moment later, she hung her head, taking her visor off to rub at her forehead. Her bangs screened her eyes from view. Fifteen snapped bars laid at her feet.  
"..."

Hita sighed quietly once he realized that Meta still hadn't made any progress. His own victory was short lived. Placing his piece carefully down on the ground, he grabbed another two bars from the scrap pile and walked over to the pink haired gem, kneeling down next to her. At first, Meta almost pulled back from him in surprise, but she relaxed once she saw it was Hita kneeling in front of her. Hita reached out his hand and carefully grabbed Meta's, placing one of the two bars in her palm. He slowly closed her fingers over it.  
"Keep trying. If I can do it... so can you," he said simply, staring down at her hand. "Try to look at it from a different point of view. Be patient with it, even if it's infuriating. Imagine if you were that small..." He continued, holding up his own bar. _If he did it once, he could do it again, right?_

Brows raising, she watched him take her hand and place a small metal piece in her palm.  
_Keep trying._  
Looking Hita gem in the eyes, Meta frowned, opening her mouth for a moment to say something, before she closed it again.  
"... Alright. Okay." Looking down at her hand, she pulled it away, unfurling her fingers to look at the bar and pinch it between her fingers. But, this time, she watched Hita carefully, slipping her visor back onto her face. Hema watched the two quietly, sitting a little ways from them. Hita breathed in slowly, the scrap held carefully between two fingers.  
"Like this..." he said, staring down at the piece intently, motioning his other free hand to grab the end of the bar. Slowly, but surely, the bar started to bend. With a quiet creak, the beam was finally pushed to its limit, and Hita backed off. He looked at it, actually kind of _surprised_ he'd gotten it to work that time. Then, he pinched the other side of the bar, his lip twitching.  
"Just... be... patient..."  
_creeeeaaaak._  
Slowly, gradually, Hita bent the bar back, his focus sharp and precise. Meta watched closely, her eyes never leaving Hita's hands as he made careful work of bending the bar back into place. Her expression remained stoic, but intensely focused, as if trying to pick apart what the odd-toothed Hematite was doing. _It looked so simple... so why was she having such a hard time with it?_ It seemed like she either pressed too hard, or not hard enough, and couldn't find the middle ground. _But she had to try. She didn't want to fail this test and disappoint White Diamond, especially after their leader had suffered losing another Hematite._

Soon enough, Hita held another brittle, but intact, gem leg _. He'd actually done it better than the last time..._ Raising his brows, Hita sighed softly in relief. He wasn't sure if that was practice or just luck, but he was thankful nonetheless that he'd done it twice. He looked over at Meta, nodding encouragingly.

"Mmm."  
Quietly, Meta started bending the carbonite beam into a right angle. She'd done this over ten times now, this part was relatively easy. Toward the end of bending the bar to its breaking point, she switched to pinching each end of the bar between her fingers, making more minute adjustments that way. Now holding the scrap with both hands, she slowly, carefully increased the pressure, feeling the metal creak in her grasp. However, as soon as she got the bar to its maximum stress, she stopped, her hands shaking for a moment. Instead of trying to bend it straight again, she lowered it slightly, her expression falling.  
"...I. I'm just going to break it again."

Hita reached out his hand, placing it on Meta's shoulder. But he didn't look at her, he gazed at the bar in her fingers. Gently running his thumb over her freckled shoulder for a moment, he lifted his eyes to hers.  
"You can do it," he whispered, his brows raising slightly. "Walls aren't made to break things... they're made to protect them,” he said softly, a meaningful tone to his voice. Looking up at the maroon-haired Hematite, Meta blinked in surprise, brows furrowing. She quickly drew her attention back down to the metal piece, staring hard at it. A long, tense pause followed.  
She carefully pinched the tip of the metal bar between her fingers. Slowly, the beam started to bend back, soft creaking noises emanating from it every few seconds. Meta paused, continued and paused each time she felt it starting to give way. The two gems were silent.  
Hema remained quiet, glancing between the two Hematites with barely-disguised curiosity. Frecks was doing much the same, holding her diamond pad up in front of her mouth. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but the tension in the air warned her now was not the time to be asking questions.

Agate knew better than to speak up at a time like this, but she had _no clue_ what was going on with the other Hematites. What was all this about bars and breaking? Maybe this is what Hematite was talking about earlier. Hita watched Meta's bar carefully, poking his upper tooth into his lower lip slightly. He didn't say a word. _She was getting closer..._

Minutes passed. Meta was taking her sweet time with this, unlike most of her other attempts. Eventually, the bar was very nearly straightened out, though it felt like it was on the cusp of snapping any second. Her hands were trembling. The pink-haired gem took a slow, steadying breath, steadying her shaking fingers.  
_Just a little bit more... come on._  
She held her breath, gently pinching the bar once more as she made the last move to straighten out the beam, waiting for the telltale snap.  
...  
But it didn't come. Exhaling silently, Meta dropped the bar into her palm, staring at it.

Hita stared down at the metal leg, his grip on her shoulder tightening for a moment before letting go completely. _Thank the stars._ His lips parted slightly, standing up and adjusting his visor over his nose.  
"Well done, Meta..." Hita said, holding out his hand. He was hard to read at the moment, or at any time for that matter...but he felt strangely proud of her. Relieved, even.

Looking up at the maroon-haired Hematite, Meta felt the faintest smile cross her face for an instant before falling back to her usual stoic demeanor. She took Hita's hand and stood up, dusting herself off. The two made their way over to Hema, and she held out the metal beam.  
"Is this good enough?" she asked in a monotone voice, raising a brow. Hema smiled with a chuckle and nodded once.  
"It is. Good job, Meta." Looking down at the two gems in his hands, the ivory-haired Hematite stood up, smiling up at the two. "Alright, are you two both ready for the next step? I'll be shifting down a bit for this next part, but you two can feel free to stay as you are."  
Meta spared at glance at the two gems in Hema's hands. Frecks smiled up at her and waved, holding her diamond pad close.

Hita nodded quietly. Blinking, he ran his hand through his hair and peered down at Hema thoughtfully.  
"Alright, so what _is_ the next part?" He asked.

Smiling, Hematite cupped his hands around Frecks and Agate. Slowly, he shifted his own form to his half height. As soon as his form stopped glowing, Hema uncurled his fingers, holding Frecks and Agate loosely again.  
"Well. Now it's time for the important part. Let's begin with gem handling."

Hita's expression changed slightly, finally breaking his normally stoic character.  
"Already?" he said, frowning, looking more than a little reluctant. The only times he ever really handled gems were on harvesting missions... but not only did he hardly ever get those kinds of missions, he always performed relocation via the bubble method. He’d never really _held_ another smaller gem before. He held his hands up to his chest, clutching one over the other's fingers.

Agate, still sitting in Hematites hand, peered up at the service gem that held her. Sure, she'd volunteered for this, but now that she faced the prospect of being held by one of _these_ two, she wondered if she _should_ have offered herself up. Hema looked at Agate with a sympathetic smile, holding her a little closer. Frecks, however, seemed eager to get to the next exercise. Looking up at the two gems, Hema offered a reassuring nod.  
"Yes, already. We only have a few short weeks before the Harvest Moon test, and you'll both want to get as much practice time as possible." Smiling softly, he added, "It's not as hard as you think. As long as you're conscious of your actions, and you show as much care and finesse as you did with those beams, you'll do fine. We're going to handle holding, picking up, and catching a running target."  
Glancing to the side at Hita, Meta frowned and rubbed her chin.  
"Are you sure this is the best idea, Hema? It took us a while to get that first part right."  
"Well, you _did,_ didn't you? And gems are different, they can _tell_ you when you're being too rough."

Hita shrugged slightly, relaxing a little.  
"I guess he's right..." he muttered, eyeing the small, bouncy Peridot within Hematite's hand. But, his eyes drifted over to the striped brown gem. "So, what do we do?..."

Holding the Peridot out in front of him, Hematite stood straight and gave the two an encouraging nod.  
"Hita, hold out your hand. I want you to hold Frecks here for a moment. Frecks, is this alright with you?"  
The tiny green gem balled her fists up in front of her, her eyes shining up at the odd-toothed Hematite.  
"Yeeesss," she whispered excitedly.

Hita looked down at the small green gem, pushing away any sense of nervousness that bubbled up in his stomach. He moved his fingers for a moment, hesitant to hold out his hand. But, he did so, outstretching his fingers to let Hematite and the Peridot over. _Okay, keep calm, you'll be fine._

Looking down, Frecks blinked in awe at the new hand before her. She cooed curiously for a moment before grinning and stepping forward, hopping down into the giant palm. The faintest shiver shook the maroon-haired gem's core. Staring down awkwardly at the small gem in his palm, he found himself reluctant to move. Hita retracted his hand, motioning it up to his chest. Though, he moved just a bit too fast, the inertia just strong enough to knock Frecks off of her feet and onto his fingers. With a sharp gasp, Hita reflexively moved his other hand up to catch the Peridot if she fell.  
"S-sorry! I'm... not used to this." He said a little nervously. _Stars, he was already messing this up..._

Though the move _did_ shake Frecks' balance and make her fall back onto her rear, she shook it off quickly, sitting up. _Okay, so he wasn't as smooth with this as Hema or Mati, but she supposed that was the whole point of this lesson._ Waving a hand, she smiled encouragingly up at the huge gem.  
"No problem, no problem. You've never done this before, right? It just takes some practice!" _At least, that's how she figured it worked._ Crossing her legs, the Peridot decided to stay seated. It'd be harder for her to fall if she wasn't standing up.  
Hema watched the two, raising a brow.  
"Use slow movements, Hita," he instructed gently. "Inertia at her size is far more effective, and the bigger you are, the more force you'll have on a smaller gem. Now, I want you and Frecks to hang out for a while. Frecks, feel free to move around as little or much as you feel comfortable with. Hita, keep up with her, and make sure she stays in your hands... without grabbing onto her, if you can avoid it."

Nodding simply, the Hematite raised his brows, looking down at the Peridot. _Well, maybe this won't be that bad,_ he thought. She seemed to take this pretty well, all things considered. His curiosity was drowned out by his awkward nervousness. He realized he was staring at the Peridot, and quickly looked away. _Would that make her uncomfortable?... Did_ _ **he**_ _make her uncomfortable?_

Frecks grinned up at the bigger gem, almost _deviously._ So she could do whatever she wanted, huh? With a soft 'hup', the tiny gem turned around, now looking intently at Hita's fingers.  
"Whoaaaa. Coool!" Lifting a hand, she reached to touch one of the giant gem's claw-like fingers. "Your hands are even more claw-like than Hema's!"  
Hema turned his attention to Meta, offering her a small smile.  
"Meta, I'll be right back, I need to fetch another one of these rebels so we can both hold one." Looking down at Agate, he smiled reassuringly before holding her out toward the well-built gem. Meta instantly held up her hands in front of her, palms out defensively. She looked _nervous._ Hema raised a brow, but kept his hand extended. "It's alright, Meta. You'll do fine.”

Agate swallowed nervously, looking up at the huge gem before her. _Wait,_ _ **she**_ _was going to hold her?_ Hopefully Hematite knew what he was doing... and hopefully Meta knew what _she_ was doing.

Meta swallowed nervously, still keeping her hands away from the tiny gem. She looked at Hema for a moment before drawing her attention down to the brown, striped gem.  
"…Just. Let me know if I'm not being careful enough," she said quietly, hesitantly cupping her gloved hands below Hema's. Carefully, Hema lowered Agate into the pink-haired gem's palms, drawing his hands away. A shiver ran up Meta's back, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. She reflexively curled her fingers a bit, though not enough to touch Agate's tiny form.

Agate stumbled down onto the center of Meta's palms, looking over the huge gem's hands before she peered up at her. Nervously, she raised one of her hands, waving quietly.  
"Name's Aggy..." she said simply, unable to take her eyes off of the Hematite's visor. Meta seemed... nervous. That wasn't exactly comforting, considering she was completely at her mercy now. _._ Fidgeting with her fingers, she chuckled nervously. "And your name was... Meta... right?"

Blinking, the pink-haired Hematite nodded once, carefully drawing her hands closer. She looked up in mild distress as Hema walked off toward the circle of rebels, but she didn't protest. Instead, she looked down at Agate and cleared her throat once.  
"You're the gem that didn't get poofed during the first test, right?"

Agate chewed at her lip, still nervously messing with her fingers.  
"Yeeeep. That's uh, that's me," she said quickly. _And you were one of them that_ did _poof their target,_ she thought anxiously. _No, stay calm._

Hita, on the other hand, was looking down in sedated fascination at the tiny Peridot messing around with his fingers. Slowly curling one towards her, he tilted his head slightly. Almost instinctively, his visor chirped, immediately scanning the freckled Peridot in his hand. _So her name was Frecks?..._ Interesting. He found it odd he'd never bothered to get her nickname before.

Letting out a rather pleased gasp as Hita lowered his finger closer, Frecks grabbed onto it, looking it over. She cooed curiously before tapping the screen of her diamond pad for a moment. Her hand quickly returned to Hita's claw-like digit.  
"Do these make it harder to handle normal things? Do they make it easier to climb things?" she asked eagerly, eyes shining with curiosity.

The stats on Hita's screen read off the Peridot's usual stats and such, though the most noticeable detail was her emotional status, which was simply listed as 'Excited-Happy'. The odd-toothed Hematite began taking notes of his own. Lifting his hand slowly up to his face, he curiously looked over Frecks.  
"Well... not really. I'm used to them. And yes, actually, they do help for climbing. Quite well."

Frecks didn't even seem to notice that she was being looked over, and curiously started jotting down notes on her diamond pad.  
"That's nifty! How about for fighting? Do you use them for that, or do you prefer your gauntlets?"  
With a quiet chirp, Hita's visor dimmed slightly, the Hematite's eyes visible once more behind the glowing screen.  
"I prefer not to use my fingers for fighting if I can help it. But, they're pretty good at scratching, I've found." Raising a brow, Hita slowly lowered his hand a few inches, curling another finger over the tiny Peridot. Though, he didn't touch her.

Awkwardly, Meta looked around, eyeing Frecks and Hita for a moment. She was _almost_ tempted to ask if they could trade, but she kept her mouth shut and resisted the question. Turning back to the tiny gem in her hand, Meta cleared her throat quietly, trying to think of what to say. However, she drew a blank, and remained quiet, looking away.  
Frecks finally looked up, noticing Hita's other finger hovering over her. She smiled and went back to note taking, finally hopping up and walking a bit closer to the maroon-haired gem.  
"Oookay, I got what I need there." Turning her head upwards, she stared at the giant gem's face before focusing intently on his tooth. After a pause, she lifted her arm, pointing directly at it. "That's neat."

Hita's brows raised quickly. _Was she pointing at his tooth?_  
"Uh... thanks?" he said, blinking once. This was a strange little gem. She certainly was a more curious Peridot, far less snarky than he was used to.  
Aggy sat in Meta's palm, still too nervous to really do or say much. But she knew they weren't going to get anywhere by just being quiet. Awkwardly, the striped brown gem peered up at Meta, slowly smiling widely. It was only half forced.  
"Ssssoooo... do you uh... like to do anything in your spare time?"

Frecks smiled brightly, chuckling to herself.  
"You Hematites have the coolest teeth. You'll have to let me take a better look at them some time!" she chimed, holding her diamond pad close. She stepped closer to the side of his palm, gazing down at the ground. _Whoa. Thaaat was a big drop. But... nothing she couldn't handle if he_ _did drop_ _her. Sooo..._  
Brows raising, Meta lifted the tiny gem a tad closer, sighing softly through her nose. _Alright, calm down. She's just another gem, like you. Okay not_ _ **like**_ _you, but..._  
"Well, yeah. But usually I sleep..." After a pause, she glanced up, adding, "That, and I sometimes like watching the Peridots work. Or the gems around here in general. It's relaxing."

The Agate poked out her lower lip a little, narrowing her eyes at Meta. Though, she kept an almost impish-looking smile.  
"Gem watchin' huh? What kinda gems are even around this place, anyway?" she asked curiously, trying to make some sort of conversation. She wasn't sure how long Hematite would want them all to stick around these big gems, but if she could just get through the current test... maybe the rest would be less stressful.  
Hita, on the other hand, looked down a little, raising one hand up below his other hand in case Frecks slipped.  
"Eh... why would you... wanna get close to these?" he questioned, a little baffled to hear the Peridot's proposition. _Was she... aware of how risky that was?_

Meta blinked in surprise, but her expression didn't change much. She looked up to the side, pursing her lips.  
"Well, there's the Peridots, of course. Axinites, Danburites, Ambers, Holly Blue Agates now and then, Jaspers... I think I saw a few Alabasters once, but they were here for some special inspection. Snooty things."  
  
Glancing back at the giant gem, the Peridot bit her lip for a moment, though she was smiling. Looking back down, she eyed his free hand.  
"Because it'd be good for my records! Nobody else except the occasional cleaning Pearl gets close to you guys' teeth, and _they're_ certainly not taking notes!" Smirking, the tiny service gem clenched her fists and leapt down into Hita's other hand, trying to keep him on his toes.

Hita quickly motioned his other hand under Frecks as soon as she'd jumped down. _Gah, why was she doing that?!_  
"Careful..." the odd toothed Hematite muttered, frowning. "Why would you want to take notes on these? What's so special about them?" He asked. He knew _his_ tooth was strange, but he never thought they were really _research_ material.  
  
Agate stood up in Meta's hand, placing her hands on her hips.  
"Yeeeeah, most White District gems are kinda snooty... er, no offense! I mean, most are. Not you guys..." she chuckled nervously. The pink-haired gem shrugged, raising her brows for a moment.  
"No I agree with you there. All the White District gems I've seen are far too uppity for my tastes. Then again, I've only met a few here and there. What district are you from, Agate?"

Agate frowned, pressing her palms together. She looked away.  
"Well, I was from the White District too. Originally. But... then I made some pretty stupid decisions." She grimaced, holding her fingers tightly. "Aaaand I ended up getting caught. And here I am!"

Meta tilted her head just slightly, eyeing the tiny striped gem in her hands.  
"What kind of decisions, if you don't mind me asking? I mean... what even happened for you to end up where you are?" she asked quietly, frowning.

Agate suddenly looked nervous. She didn't want to say the wrong thing...what if she angered this huge gem? What if she accidentally got poofed? Hematites hunted down criminals, didn't they? Wouldn't that mean they naturally hated them, too?  
"I may have... taken something that wasn't mine... I-it was just an impulse!... I know it was wrong, and I shouldn't have." She looked _noticeably_ distressed now, unable to meet Meta's eyes. "Okay... more than one thing..." She sighed. "I was a common thief."

Pursing her lips, Meta held the tiny gem a little further from her face, trying to give her a bit more room.  
"Aaah, I gotcha. Well. At least you didn't hurt anyone, right?"

Strangely enough, the Agate found some sort of comfort in Meta's action. It was small, but surely enough to calm her nerves, just slightly.  
"N-no, noone was hurt... I... don't think I could really ever hurt someone. Plus I'm not a very good fighter, eheh..." she said solemnly, scratching the back of her neck. "B-but I don't steal anymore! And, that's not _just_ because I happen to be imprisoned. I don't think I'd ever want to be back in this position ever again," she continued. As far as she was concerned, her thieving days were over. But she was _still_ serving out her punishment, and the damage was done.

"See? Then you learned from your mistake, and you've made progress. As long as you take that lesson with you, it's a step in the right direction." Nodding once, the pink-haired gem looked around idly, wondering when Hema was going to come back over. However, instead of catching sight of the smaller Hematite, she noticed that she and Hita were being _watched._ Far across the way, the group consisting of Hemmi, Mite, Ti, and Tae were all facing toward their end of the Cove, though they were _much_ too far away to make out any of what they were gossiping about. Hemmi seemed to be giving her and Hita leery looks, but for what reason, it was uncertain. Though, Meta supposed that Hemmi never really seemed to _need_ a reason.  
But they weren't the only ones keeping an eye on the lesson. Much closer-by stood another Hematite that Meta didn't recognize. She had long, straight, slicked-back ivory hair, and incredibly prominent fangs that poked out from under her top lip. She had a rather angular visor similar to Hita's, though it was more squared off, and much broader. She was leaning up against a nearby wall, her arms crossed over her chest. She bore an almost disinterested, yet vaguely disapproving frown.  
Meta arched a brow, turning her attention back to Agate. _What was_ _ **her**_ _problem?_

Agate couldn't see what Meta was looking at, but she wasn't even looking up at her by this point to really figure out she was looking away at all. She had taken Meta's words into account, and they seemed to lift her spirits if even a little.  
"You're right... thanks,” she said, smiling hopefully up at the much larger gem.

Frecks looked up, giving Hita a sly smile.  
"Keep on your toes, Hita!" she chuckled, clearly having a little too much fun with this. She walked toward the edge of his palm again, lifting her foot over the edge as if she was going to continue to walk. "Well, have you really seen many gems with teeth like yours? ...I mean, aside from Agate over there. And even then, they're really different from hers! Hematites use their teeth for their job, there isn't another gem class like that! And besides... I think they're really neat," she said almost shyly, holding her diamond pad close.  
Hita kept moving his hands in a path-like pattern, carefully watching over the freckled Peridot She was going to make this complicated, wasn't she... No matter. As long as he kept a close eye on her, she should be fine. It couldn't be _that_ hard. Though he was still a little confused.  
"I guess... I don't think I've ever really heard anyone describe my tooth as 'neat', though." he said with a small pause. "You uh... sure you think that's a good idea? Researching that, I mean... Don't you think that's kind of dangerous?"  
Frecks pursed her lips, shrugging.  
"Well, the way I see it..." she said casually, continuing to step off of one of Hita's palms onto the other, like a continuous 'path'. "I'm pretty sure if you were one of the not-so-nice Hematites, you wouldn't be getting lessons from Hema. That, and if you were someone to worry about... You probably would have shown that by now," she stated in a rather matter-of-fact way. "Besides, even if you were, a _smart_ gem wouldn't hurt the primary archival Peridot that works directly with White Diamond. So, nah. I wouldn't call it 'dangerous'."

Hita tilted his head up slightly, rhythmically moving his hands now. It seemed as though they were in sync at last.  
"Hm..." he hummed, eyes half-lidded. “I guess. Just be careful, okay? I mean, I wouldn't hurt you or anything, but I can't speak for everyone,” he said softly. “Wouldn't want you getting into trouble for some research.”

Freck's brows raised, and her almost smug demeanor dropped instantly. She listened to Hita's every word.  
"...I see. Glad to hear it." She kept walking, thinking quietly to herself. "... So, what kind of missions do you like, Hita?"  
Hita thought for a moment, shrugging his shoulder very carefully so as not to jostle the gem.  
"Eh... I like recon missions. They're pretty uneventful for the most part. Kinda peaceful." he said. "They also don't usually take that long, so I can get them over with pretty fast. And, I guess you get to see some pretty places sometimes."  
Frecks glanced back at the giant gem, smiling faintly.  
"Oh? I bet you get to see a lot of cool places on recon missions. What's been your favorite so far?" she asked eagerly. Hita thought for a moment. Well, honestly, one of his favorite places had to be that planet he just returned from. But that wasn't a recon mission... nor was it a very pleasant place to be or think about. Sure it _looked_ pretty, but the natives there were far less pleasant.  
"Hm... well... this one time, I found a bunch of marble pillars in the Pink District. They were in relatively good condition, despite being so old. I arrived at night... and the moon was directly overhead, illuminating an ivy-covered path. It was kind of pretty," he said, remembering how serene it had been.

Frecks smiled warmly, trying to imagine such a sight.  
"That sounds really nice... I'd like to see that some day! Well, if the Pink District wasn't so dangerous, aha..." she chuckled, nervously rubbing the back of her neck.  
Meta glanced down at the gem, forcing the smallest little flash of a 'smile' at her before turning her attention back up to the Hematite across the way. She was still staring at herself and Hita. Meta was so distracted that she didn't notice the subtle tugging feeling on her back that suddenly moved to her shoulder. Before she could react, a tiny blur of white and maroon flicked onto her shoulder.  
"HEY META! WHAT'CHA GOT THERE!"  
Flinching with a start, Meta leaned 'away' from the loud voice that crowed near her ear, her hands cupping further around Agate. Agate stifled a small shriek of horror, quickly tucking her legs close and covering her head with her arms. Even though she'd been startled, Meta's grasp was shockingly careful, just _barely_ bearing down on the tiny, striped gem.  
_"TINY!_ Don't **do** that!" she growled, glaring at the Ruby-sized Hematite on her shoulder. Tiny snickered deviously, her stubby teeth bared. She was clinging tightly to Meta's suit, on all fours.

After a few moments, Agate uncovered herself, looking up with wide eyes at the small gem on Meta's shoulder. Tiny? Who was this? She looked like a Hematite, but she was so small...  
Hita turned his head sharply when he heard Agate shriek, suddenly clutching his own hand over the small green gem that he held in his hand. He motioned his fingers around her, just barely encasing her in his palms. Frecks' eyes widened as Hita's hands closed in around her, and while she did let out a surprised gasp, she forced herself to stay calm. The tiny green gem stumbled back against the giant gem's fingers, falling into them with a soft 'oof'. Staring ahead, she let herself slide down, her back pressed against the Hematite's claw-like digits. She slowly blinked, trying to process if everything was alright or not. She couldn't really tell at the moment; Agate's shriek and Hita's sudden movement had shaken her for the moment.  
"...What just happened. I blinked."

Quickly realizing what'd happened, he narrowed his eyes, turning back to look at his hands.

“Sorry.”

Meta winced at the tiny gem's panicked cry, pulling her attention quickly away from Tiny.  
"Stars, I'm sorry, are you hurt?" she asked quickly, holding Agate closer and checking her over. She looked concerned, though the expression quickly turned to something akin to annoyance when Tiny suddenly ran down her arm and hopped down beside Aggy, putting her hands on her hips.  
"Hm! She looks fine to me.~ You in a bit of trouble here, bud?" she snickered, narrowing her eyes mischievously.

Hita frowned, unsure if he should have done that or not. He held Frecks up a little closer to his face, uncurling his fingers to let her roam freely again. Though this time, he held up his other hand beside her, shielding her from Tiny's view.  
Agate flinched back upon Tiny's abrupt arrival, staring up at her in confused disbelief.  
"Who the heck are you?!" she asked, scooting back a little. She hadn't even responded to Meta's original question. Who was this, and why was she here? Was she a part of the tests too?

Frecks looked up at Hita in surprise, eyes widening further when she realized how close she was to his face.  
"Whoa..." she breathed quietly, barely audible. It was always something else to see these massive gems so up close and personal. "Don't worry about it," she replied, sounding a bit distracted.  
Meta grimaced at Tiny's brash action and drew one of her hands up and away from the two, closing it in closer to the Ruby-sized Hematite. Tiny, however, didn't even take notice, and continued grinning at the Agate.  
"I'm Tiny, ya clod. So, whatcha guys doin? Did Meta here already catch-"  
Carefully, the pink-haired gem pinched the back of the white-haired gem's suit between her index finger and thumb, lifting her off of her palm. "Oop, goin’ up, I guess. Heyyyyyyy Meta," she chuckled, crossing her arms and looking back at the giant gem who slowly held her closer to her face. "What's up? Besides me."  
Rolling her eyes, the pink-haired Hematite snorted softly.  
"We're in the middle of a lesson, Tiny. How did you even get in here?"  
"Jaspers don't have the best field of view this those dumb helmets on.~"

Agate stared up in confusion, tucking her knees in close to her chest with a grumpy scowl. _Why did she have to make this more difficult?_  
"If you're here, then you should probably participate at least. This is a restricted area!" Agate called up with a slightly annoyed expression.  
  
The odd-toothed Hematite not too far away from the others drew his hand out a little further, realizing just how close he was holding the small Peridot.  
"You um... you okay?" he asked, raising a brow. He hoped he hadn't spooked her _too_ badly. Frecks blinked up at Hita before offering a smile, lifting a hand to give him a thumbs-up.  
"I'm good! It just startled me is all. I'm fine, though." Looking over at the other three gems, the Peridot tilted her head, staring at Tiny dangling from Meta's fingers.  
Frowning, the pink-haired gem narrowed her eyes at the smaller service gem.  
"What Aggy said. If you're going to be over here, you need to actually participate."  
"Wellll... that might be a bit difficult." From behind the four gems, Hema's voice finally piped up. He was walking over with a cross frown on his face, his arms folded behind him. "I'm afraid today's lesson has to be cut short. The remaining rebels started getting rowdy, and the Jaspers are under order to take them back to their cells, should they get out of hand. So, today's bit is over... Apologies, Hita, Meta."

Hita looked from the Peridot in his hand to Meta, a soft frown still on his face.  
"Well... Alright. Nice to properly talk to you, Frecks," Hita said, lowering his hand slowly to the ground, extending his fingers to let the Peridot walk off. Frecks smiled up at Hita and gave him a little wave before hopping off of his palm.  
"Nice properly meeting you too, Hita! I'll see you at the next lesson, if you're there!" Clutching her diamond pad, she looked up, spotting someone coming towards the sanctioned-off clearing. It was Tam. The tiny green gem raised a brow, curious as to what she was doing here, but with how rowdy the group of rebels was getting, she wasn't sticking around to find out. She ran off, heading back toward the exit to the Cove.  
Meta watched the small green gem, quickly taking note that the Hematite that had been watching the group had since left, and was nowhere to be seen. She frowned suspiciously for a moment before her expression fell to its usual stoic state. Looking down at Agate, she crouched low to the ground, putting her hand on the ground.  
"Sorry for startling you there, Agate."  
Tiny, still dangling from Meta's other hand, looked down at the striped gem curiously, a little smirk on her lips.

Not too far away, just as things were starting to get a bit loud in the crowd of rebels, another gem showed up behind the holo-screens, across the sanctioned-off clearing. Tall, proper, and noticeably _stressed._ Her eyes wide, Tam walked quickly over to Hematite. _Oh thank stars, he was actually here._ With a fast pace, she made her way over, clearing her throat as she'd gotten closer.  
"Hello, Hematite. How are your lessons going?" She asked, trying to stifle her obvious perturbation.

Standing a bit straighter, Hema raised his brows in surprise at the ebony-haired gem quickly approaching him. As soon as she stopped, he tilted his head slightly, fingers fidgeting behind his back.  
"U-uh. They're going well, I suppose. Well. They _were,_ but we have to cut short for the day." He glanced back at the group of rebels currently being herded back together by the line of Jasper guards. "Those guys decided that none of them wanted to volunteer or have anything to do with this test, so things got a little out of hand. Regardless... I'll still be doing this next week." He nodded and turned his attention back to the lithe, tall gem. "Was there something you needed? You seem a bit... wound up."

The Agate stepped off of Meta's hand, turning to her with her own wave of sorts. But she was quick to run off back to the crowd without a word. She wasn't really _eager_ to go back, but she was already a little shaken by today's test. _It could've gone far worse, though!_ If anything, she hoped that she had helped make _any_ sort of progress. All in all, at least it hadn't gone awry. Well, other than Tiny's little break-in... and the increasingly stressed-out crowd. If Agate didn't get back to them soon, the guards might forcibly retrieve her. She didn't want to deal with _them_ any more than she had to.  
Tam forced a wide, awkward smile, but it soon fell into a panicked frown. Looking quickly at the two Hematites nearby, she hissed through her teeth.  
"Um, pardon, but... Is there somewhere we can talk privately for just a moment?" she asked, looking back to Hema with a worried glance. Glancing to the side with an arched brow, Hema frowned slightly.  
"Uh, Hita, Meta... Tiny. We're definitely done for today. Feel free to leave whenever," he said simply, motioning for Tam to follow him over to a more secluded area of the Cove. Once he was sure they were alone, the ivory-haired gem turned to his taller kin and folded his arms behind his back once more.  
"Now then... is everything alright?"

  
Meta turned to look at the smaller maroon-haired Hematite beside her, sighing softly through her nose.  
"...Well that certainly could have gone a lot worse."

Hita got up, brushing his arms with his hands.  
"That it could have... but it didn't," Hita said, raising a brow. Maybe Hema really **did** have a lot more potential than he realized. Turning, Hita lifted his hand up, motioning for Meta to follow if she wished. He, however, was already making his way to the exit. The faster he could get out of the Cove, the faster he could get back to his nap.

After sparing Hema and Tam a curious look, Meta shifted back up to her full height, startling a few guards, and followed after Hita, soon exiting the Cove. Right, back to resting. She needed it after all of this, honestly.  
And she might as well drop Tiny off at her section of the Kindergarten while she was at it. The small Hematite chuckled as Meta walked off, looking up at her.  
"Ey Meta you think you could drop me off wherever Periwinkle went?~"  
"Weee'll see, Tiny."

  
Tam ran her fingers through her hair for a moment, brushing her hand down to grab a hold of her visor. She removed it, holding it out in front of her. She stared down at it with concern.  
"I need your help, Hema. Big time. I've... got a pretty bad predicament here..." She looked away solemnly, placing her visor back over her eyes. Once she realized that no one was around, she looked back, her eyes wide. "I can't hunt.”  
Eyes widening, Hema stared up at the taller gem, fidgeting behind his back.  
"Wh..." Quietly, he tilted his head, frowning. At first, he said nothing, gazing between Tam's eyes, and one of the corners of her visor. "What do you mean you 'can't hunt'? Is your visor broken?"

Tam bit her lip for a moment, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.  
"N-no, you don't understand. I don't **have the instincts..."** she said bluntly, yet quietly. "I've... I don't know what's wrong with me. I thought it was normal, but... I know the other Hematites have the drive to hunt. At least most of them... but I don't! I don't know the first thing _about_ hunting! I'm _terrible_ at harvesting missions, I'm terrible at catching gems... I can track them down with my visor, sure, but that's about it... I don't know what to do, Hema, I'm worried and... I just, I need your help!" she exclaimed quickly, _all_ of her once-professional state disappearing in an instant.

Hematite looked taken aback. His own professional demeanor faded, and he unfolded his arms from behind his back, holding out his hands a little bit toward the taller gem.  
"Hey hey, it's alright, slow down. Okay... Has this always been a problem? Have you ever brought it up to White... or."

"No! I... Yes! Wait, no... Okay, It's always been a problem... b-but I can't tell White! She'd have me decommissioned in the blink of a Red Eye." She suddenly grasped onto her face, groaning in exasperation. Her eyes screwed shut, and the black-haired Hematite shook her head quickly. "How am I supposed to pass this test if I can't hunt... I didn't even pass the first test! What kind of harvester am I if I can't even catch a gem?" she murmured, her tone laced with disappointment and panic. After a short pause, Hema took a deep breath through his nose, boldly reaching up and resting a hand on Tam's shoulder.  
"Tam. Take a deep breath, it's alright. If you're asking if I can help you learn how to hunt, I think I can help you out, but you gotta calm down, for your own sake." He smiled reassuringly. Tam inhaled slowly, holding it in before exhaling a few moments later.  
"You're right... sorry. I'm just... nervous about this whole ordeal. I can't afford to be demoted, Hema... If there's anything you can do to help me, I... I've got the whole month off before the Harvest Moon. I'll be free any time, just... let me know, alright?" she managed to say, albeit still a bit quietly.

Taking his hand away from the taller gem's shoulder, Hema crossed his arms, looking lost in thought for a moment.  
_A Harvester, no, a_ _ **Hematite**_ _without any hunting drive... That was definitely a problem. An unusual problem._ As far as Hema knew, none of the others of his kin had this problem. He knew he didn't, Mago certainly didn't, and the test showed that the others at least had some varying degrees of hunting drive. How had Tam's problem gone unnoticed for so long? ... Perhaps it _hadn't,_ and it was part of the reason White decided that they all needed to be checked periodically? There was no way of knowing for sure.  
But what Hema _did_ know is that... nothing was unfixable. If he could help Mago overcome her size shifting problem years ago, he was sure that he could help Tam. Maybe he couldn't '''fix''' her, per se...  
But if there was one thing he knew, it was that there was always a way around a problem, if you looked hard enough.  
"Alright, Tam. I'll help you out in any way I can. However, I'll need until sometime next week. I have a job this afternoon that might lead over until tomorrow, so I might be gone a few days. But I'll think of what we can do, in that time, and contact you as soon as I'm available. Alright?" Smiling fondly, the ivory-haired gem held himself professionally, but with a determined light in his eyes. "I'm sure there's a hunter in you somewhere, we just have to figure out how it ticks. Until then... perhaps practice tracking, if you can. It'll keep you sharp for whatever 'lessons' I can throw at you later."

Tam breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It may have been false hope, but it was hope nonetheless. She'd seen what he had done with Mago... maybe he could help _her_ _,_ too. She was just glad to see that he was willing to help her out.  
"Thank you, Hema. I truly appreciate it... I'll try to see what I can do in the meantime. So sorry to bother you!" She said, giving him an awkward smile.

Waving a hand, the shorter Hematite shrugged and smiled.  
"You weren't bothering me. No harm done. Keep your chin high, Tam! I'll do _whatever_ it takes to help you gain the skills you need to pass this test." With that, he passed by the ebony haired gem and gently patted her on the shoulder, heading for the Cove exit. "I'll contact you soon."

Tam blinked, her lips parted slightly. She watched Hematite leave with a hopeful look. The crowd was still restless nearby, and it seemed that the guards had their hands full. Rolling her eyes, she made her way over, clearing her throat at the bolder prisoners. Maybe she'd help with them in the meantime. At least she was good at _intimidation..._ But that was different. For her own sake, she hoped Hema would be able to help her.  
She just wasn't sure how.


	78. Settled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue Diamond and Hematite go after a rebel faction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This chapter contains intense scenes of violence that may be upsetting to some readers. Discretion is advised.]  
> This chapter marks the end of Arc 5.

_At long last, her preparations were complete._

  
Having thoroughly searched each and every map that she had of the Pink District, Blue Diamond had singled out a few specific areas that Kyanite had specified were common places the Star Stealers met up. Laid out in front of her on her desk were three diamond pads, all projecting themselves into one tall screen in front of her. Fitting together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, the entire map of the Pink District was displayed on the screen with a few glowing, blue diamond insignia here and there. Most noticeable, though, was one prominent insignia that lay towards the eastern sector. Blue tapped her fingertips patiently, her brows knitted together. With a dark, malicious grin, she stared up at the map, chuckling quietly.  
"Oooohhh, you messed up biiig time..." she whispered to herself. At long last, she had been able to pinpoint _exactly_ where the primary base was, using Kyan's information that she had obtained, and the reports of a few different scouts that managed to confirm the sightings. Throughout the entirety of the Pink District, many small bases were strewn about... but _this_ was the primary headquarters. The Star Stealers’ main base of operations laid deep in the heart of the eastern sector. And _Blue could finally remove this thorn from her side, once and for all._  
But she wasn't going to do it alone. Oh no, for something _this_ big and _this_ serious, she was going to need help from a special operative. It was far too risky for Blue to go by herself, no matter how much she wanted to. If what Kyan had said was true, then it wasn't going to be an easy feat... and it was likely that she'd be heavily outnumbered if she _did_ go alone. But she couldn't take a large group with her, either. She'd be detected from a mile away if she tried to bring a group that could match the numbers Kyan had reported.  
Tapping her fingers down on her desk, Blue whispered something inaudibly under her breath, motioning her hand up to touch the hologram. She traced a few paths on the projected screen through the district, lighting them up with her finger. All her options ran through her head. Her first instinct was to bull-rush the place, and take them by sheer force. But then she'd vulnerable in their turf, something she didn't want to risk.  
The Diamond glowered at her diamond pad, moving the map out of view and swiping her fingers over a few special profiles that she had saved in a document labeled 'trusted'. Within this document, she skimmed over different head shots of gems of assorted kinds. Most of them looked to be warriors. High-class generals, top of the line managers, professional warriors... and then she stopped. The Diamond's eyes widened, as did her smile. She chuckled lowly.  
"AAAaaaaah... Why didn't I think of that before, of **course!"** Blue whispered to herself with a hint of sickly-sweet glee. "He's _perfect_ for this..." Staring up at the screen, Blue reached into her desk and pulled out a communicator, twisting it around slowly in her hand for a moment as she observed the profile that she had pulled up. Smirking, Blue turned on the crystalline device. It hummed to life, and the Diamond sat back in her chair, still staring up at the screen.  
  
"Contact Hema."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tap. Tap. Taptaptaptap. **Tap.**  
  
_Patience. Be patient. It's alright. Ignore it. Don't look at them. Don't think about it. You've been holding on for this long, this spike will pass too. Don't. Look at them._

  
_Tap. Tap. Tap._  
  
_Maybe I should leave, go for a walk..._

_No. There are gems out there, too._

_Damn it._

_Stars, okay. Just. Breathe. Focus._  
  
Looking down at the diamond pad on his studying table, Hematite furrowed his brows, swallowing quietly. His clawed fingers rapidly drummed on the table's marble surface in a measured pattern, one finger after another. His other palm rested against his forehead, his fingers digging into his bangs. The normally-poised service gem was back in the corner of his study that laid on the right side of his room. He was hunched over a diamond pad, distractedly reading over some archives about a new species of gem flora- some sort of invasive climbing plant, or something of the like. Red and Kyanite were practicing some sparring moves in the main part of his living quarters. Kyan was teaching Red some agility tricks while Red would give her a tip or two in return. The two of them were behaving and getting along rather well. They certainly were getting better with keeping each other entertained.

Each time they came into view of Hema's study corner, the ivory-haired gem would tense up, watching them intently. An aching phantom feeling was settled deep into his abdomen, and for the first time in almost three months, the feeling _wasn't going away._ If this kept up, he'd **have** to leave the room and find somewhere to calm down. Maybe he could have tea with White? No, no, he didn't want to feel this way around _White,_ either, of all people.  
_No. He just had to wait it out. It passed every other time... why would this one be any different?_  
_Maybe if he went to his private room in the wall... That was rather secluded! Ahh, but then Kyan would see where that was, and he didn't want anyone but White and Red knowing where his one sanctuary was. Damn it..._

Biting his lip, Hema forced his attention to stay on his reading material. _Okay... this plant is usually found by water and has unique properties. It has been observed that it can sink roots into even the strongest materials. It puts off an incredibly strong gem signature, and may be related to Emeralds._  
_**Huh, Emerald. I wonder how she's doing in the tower...**_  
_Wait, no. Focus. Come on..._  
He continued reading. _It may also be related to another gem class, Ekanites, and it may be a new type of gem plant that has multiple gemetic classes._  
  
_...This isn't helping._  
  
Rapidly tapping his fingers on the table once more, Hematite brought both his hands up to his head, running them through his hair.  
_This is bad. I need a harvesting mission, a hunting mission, something. Maybe then this'll finally leave me alone. Maybe when I give Tam some lessons... that will help?_  
Slowly rubbing his hands down his face, Hematite took off his eyepiece, setting it aside before he laced his fingers together, resting his lips against the side of his hands. He stared ahead, lost in thought. _That's right... he still had to figure out how to help Tam. But... How could he teach_ _ **instincts**_ _to a gem? That was something that came naturally to a Hematite; could it even conceivably be 'taught'?_ Probably not, but. He could still teach her how to _hunt._ Maybe if she watched him do it enough times, or if he ran her through the logistics of stalking a gem, something would click. But even then, there was something else to it. A Hematite _had_ to have the raw drive to track, capture, and sometimes harvest a gem to be the most efficient hunter they could be. It was a potent trait that made Hematites so good at what they did.  
_A little_ _ **too**_ _potent of a trait._  
Kyan came skidding around the corner, having tumbled clumsily out of the way of one of Red's fake attacks. The moment Hema laid eyes on her, a familiar prickling feeling rose near his gem. He was relieved when the small blue gem left his view a moment later, and he forced his attention away from the main part of the room.  
_No, don't look at them..._  
Hematite set his jaw, willing the prickling to go away. Slowly, it faded, though it took far longer than he wanted. The ivory-haired service gem took a long, deep breath through his nose, closing his eyes. A soft breeze blew through the small window to his left, ruffling his hair for a moment. The day was fairly pleasant at the moment, though the horizon did hold the threat of clouds. Seemed they might be in for a little thunderstorm later, if the wind kept up. Hema kept his eyes shut. Idly listening to Red and Kyan, he tried to think of any way he could help Tam- different hunting strategies, some demonstrations he could give, anything. But the nagging feeling that seemed to weigh down his very _core_ was making it very difficult to focus. A few minutes passed.  
Until.  
_Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!_  
Jumping with a soft gasp, Hematite unlaced his fingers, looking down at his eyepiece on the table. Furrowing his brows, he quickly picked it up, placing it back on his face. He sat up straight and cleared his throat, mentally ordering the communicator to answer the call.  
"This is Hematite reporting."

On the other end of the line was a voice that Hematite hadn't heard in quite some time: Blue Diamond.  
"HEeeeeeey buddy!" Blue's voice called in an odd, sing-song tone. She'd sounded _off_ somehow, even though she _sounded_ as peppy as she normally was. No, there was something more to it. "Hope I'm not interrupting you, kiddo. I've got a... eheh... very special _job_ for you...”

Hematite felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. One would guess it was because of Blue's odd tone, or hearing her voice for the first time in a while, but no... He was anxious.  
Anticipatory...  
_Grimly_ _ **hopeful.**_  
At first, it almost seemed like Hema hadn't heard his superior's words. He didn't respond.  
Instead, he slowly leaned forward over his table, his arms crossing and propping him up. His eyes were wide, brows furrowed. Gradually, a dark, almost uncharacteristic smile spread across his face. When he spoke, his voice was _off_ -sounding, dripping with a grim curiosity.  
  
"What _kind_ of job?"

Blue paused for a moment. Hema couldn't see it, but on the other end, Blue was propped up against the back of her chair, one leg crossed over the other with a smug grin twisted onto her lips. _She’d definitely caught that tone._ But she didn't point it out.  
"I've finally gotten everything I need to track down the Star Stealers. But I'm gonna need _your_ help with it... and I'm gonna need your help _taking them down,_ as well. You up for the job, Hema?" she asked, slowly twirling her finger around the smooth surface of the diamond pad she had propped up on the arm of her chair. Hematite narrowed his eyes with a curious sneer, slowly unfolding one of his arms to tap his finger along the desk.  
"Well, that depends... Is this a **harvesting** mission?"

Blue smiled darkly, looking down at the diamond pad, lifting up her fingers and pressing them together rhythmically.  
"... Yes," she said, with a small pause. "A particularly... _big_ one."

Slowly, Hema lifted a hand, running it through his bangs as he closed his eyes. A soft, almost _eerie_ chuckle escaped him, though he was quick to stifle it. He swallowed quietly, standing from his table and tapping the diamond pad in front of him, turning it off.  
"Then it would be my pleasure to offer my... _services,_ Blue,~" he said with an _almost_ professional tone. Blue clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, sitting up in her chair and leaning over to stare at the communicator.  
"I'm so _glad_ to hear you say that. Meet me at the Sky Bridge to my tower and we can start _immediately._ The sooner we take care of these blasted clods, the better..." she said with a spiteful sneer. "And, thank you for your... _cooperation_ _."_

"I agree completely, Blue. And there’s no need to thank me _."_ The service gem's eyes half lidded, a small grin on his face. "I've been waiting for this." Straightening himself up, he cleared his throat, forcing himself to try and regain _some_ semblance of composure. "I'll be right there, as soon as I square a few things away. Hematite, signing out."  
_Click!_  
Adjusting his suit, Hematite walked out of the study, looking at Red and Kyan quietly. He cleared his throat loudly enough for them to hear, folding his arms behind him.  
"Kyanite, Red. I need to speak with you both."

Kyan and Red both stopped in their tracks. By the looks of it, Kyan had been chasing Red around the room. Red saluted promptly, but Kyan simply crossed her arms.  
"Yes? What is it, sir?" Red said, holding her professional gait well. Kyan, however, looked out the window, staring at the clouds far-off in the distance. She didn't even address Hema. Without replying to Red, Hematite stared at the smaller blue gem, narrowing his eyes for a moment.  
_"Kyanite."_

Kyan's attention snapped over to the taller service gem, her brows raised.  
"Huh? Oh, right, sorry. What's up?" she asked, turning her head to face him slightly. Straightening himself up, the ivory-haired gem cleared his throat again, trying to push away the prickling in his throat.  
"Alright, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is, Red, you're going to have to take on my mission that I was supposed to go on tonight. There's some recon that needs to be done specifically when it's dark, in the White District. I'm sure you can handle it, but it may take you a day. I apologize."

Saluting once more, the Pearl nodded simply.  
"I can do that, no problem, sir," she said with a fierce, determined tone. Kyan lowered a single brow, looking suspiciously at the Hematite.  
"And what's the good news?"

Lifting one of his index fingers, Hematite frowned slightly.  
"I wasn't finished. Kyan. I'm going on a mission for who knows how long, and since Red here will be on her own job, I need to find someone to watch you." Looking up to the side, he pursed his lips, trying to go through his rather limited mental dossier of people he could trust to look after the rowdy blue gem. Kyan scoffed under her breath, putting her hands on her hips as she waited. Hematite let out a soft hum, frowning deeply. _Stars, he really didn't know many gems, did he? Who on Homeworld did he trust enough to...?_  
Brows raising, the ivory-haired service gem gave a soft 'hm' before turning back to the blue gem.  
"Kyan? How did you get along with Rubes and Puff? The Ruby and the Jasper at the bar."

Kyan thought for a second, confused, but then remembered who Hema was talking about.  
"Ohhhh! Them! They're pretty cool," she said, shrugging simply. Her eyes widened slightly, her stance changing to a more excited posture not a moment later as her eyes lit up in realization. "Wait, do I get to hang out with them?!"

Smiling _genuinely_ for the first time that afternoon, Hema stood a little taller, tilting his chin up.  
"Well, if you think you could _tolerate_ them for possibly a few days-” he began, sarcastically, “-then yes. I'll have to make sure neither of them are on a job, but if they're free, I think they'd be the best candidates to watch after you."

Kyan pumped her fists up in the air, chuckling giddily.  
"Yesss! Sweet!" she cheered. Red seemed a little confused at her outburst, but was glad to see her _happy,_ at least.  
"And you're not sure how long you will be gone?" Red asked, turning her attention back to the taller service gem. Shaking his head, Hema turned his attention back to his Pink Pearl.  
"No, there's no way to be certain. It's a rather... Mmm. Intensive mission. It could be a day, it could be a _few_ days, I can't tell. It's a very important job, though, and I'm going to take my time." Looking between the two, the service gem finally brought his hands in front of him, folding them together. "... Blue and I are finally going to take out the Star Stealers."

Kyan's excitement suddenly _dropped,_ and she stood frozen, staring at Hematite. She didn't say anything at first. Red perked up, a small smile showing up on her face.  
"Oh? A mission with Blue Diamond herself? That sounds wonderfully exciting, sir! You'll have to tell me about it upon your return... that is, if you'd like!" she said professionally, folding her arms behind her back. Kyan slowly grabbed onto her scarf, clutching at its fabric. She looked away silently. Hematite nodded at the Pearl professionally, clearing his throat once.  
"Thank you, Red. I'll be sure to tell you anything I'm at liberty to, once I return." Turning to Kyan, Hema clutched his hands a little tighter together. He suddenly felt the worst of his spike back off at the realization that... this was it. Once this mission was done, Kyan would be free to go.  
"... Kyan, I." Coughing once into his hand, the service gem forced himself to stand straight, an almost pained smile on his face. "I'm sure you'll be happy to get out of this room, huh? You won't have to deal with me nagging you anymore, once I get back. That'll be nice, right?"

Kyan frowned, an invasive, unpleasant feeling making her chest tighten up.  
"Yeah, that's um... that's great! Annnd you won't have to be annoyed by me anymore!" she said, forcing a weak, wide smile that crept up over her scarf. It fell slowly, and she ran her fingers through her messed hair. She fell stiffly silent again. She quickly gathered herself back up, clenching her fists in front of her. "A-and hey, hah... I won't have to worry about those dumb jerks ever again once you take care of them!"

Hema couldn't help but let his expression falter.  
"Right... Well. If we do manage to take them down, that is." He coughed into his hand again, trying to ignore the lump caught in his throat. "I'm going to go contact Puff and Rubes. One moment."  
Kyan didn't respond. She clutched her arms, turning away to look back out the window. Walking towards it, she peered out with an indescribably distant expression. Turning away from the two, Hema walked back to his study, a soft 'contact Rubes the Ruby' coming from around the corner. Red gazed over at Kyan in mild concern, but decided against prying about her sudden shift in attitude. Instead, she sat down at one of the small reading tables, grabbing a diamond pad to take notes on once Hema was ready to give her a rundown of her mission.

A few minutes passed.  
Hematite's conversation in the other section of the room was rather muffled by the large wall that divided the two halves of the living quarters. He was speaking quietly, his tone unreadable. Another chilled breeze blew through the room, gently stirring the long, gossamer curtains that hung in front of the huge window Kyan stood in front of. There was definitely a storm on the way, though it appeared to be slowly drifting toward the Pink District. The wind brushed aside locks of Kyan's messy blue hair, though she didn't seem to care.  
  
Eventually, Hematite hung up and came back around the corner, his arms folded behind his back.  
"Alright, Kyan, I'm going to take you over to the entrance of the Blue District. Rubes is going to meet us there to pick you up. _Please_ behave for her, and try to stay safe. Red, I'll be back whenever this mission is done. You stay safe as well," he said quietly, walking toward the door.

Kyan perked up, only catching half of what Hema had said. _Wait, did he get ahold of Rubes? s_ he thought to herself _._ Returning her attention to Hema, she whipped around and scurried towards him, a newfound pep in her step. She briskly shook off the thoughts that were weighing her down.

_It's fine. He'll be fine, and then I can get out of here. I won't have to deal with him, he won't have to deal with me. I can finally get back to doing whatever I want!_

So then why was something holding her back? Something unpleasant and _dreadfully familiar._

Hematite entered the code to his room and stepped out as soon as the door opened, making his way toward the elevator. He remained silent as the small blue gem trailed after him, not turning back to look at her. Soon enough, they stood in front of the lift down to the ground floor, and Hematite pressed the button, stepping inside moments later. He waited for Kyan to follow suit before he pressed the correct button once more to shut the door and begin their descent to the lower levels of the tower. Kyan kept strangely silent. Hema took quick notice of it, even through his foggy, distracted state of mind. Why was she so quiet? She normally had something to say every minute of the day, or some snarky remark to make about every situation. But now she seemed strangely calm, and honestly, not entirely 'all there.'  
What Hema didn't know was that Kyan was trying to figure out what was wrong, herself. Why did she feel so torn all of a sudden? He was right, after all. After he took care of the Star Stealers, she would never have to be stuck up in his room again, or dragged along with him during his boring outings, or listen to him bark orders and rules at her. _Heck, from what she could tell, he'd be_ _ **glad**_ _to get rid of her._  
And, with all honesty, she wanted that to be the case. Then she wouldn't have to feel like this.

… Hopefully.

_If he didn't care about her, she didn't have to care about him._

Hematite was also oddly silent. Normally, he'd try to make small talk or prattle on about his future mission, but he simply stared ahead at the door, his thumb and index finger brushing together behind his back.  
_Ding._  
After the elevator doors parted, Hematite stepped outside and made his way down the hall, soon stepping out of the White Tower. He made his way toward the center of the facility block, where the central warp pad was located. Despite being a bit of a distance from the Tower, it was far faster to go to the warp and use it to go directly to the entrance of the Blue District than to walk all the way over to the Blue Tower itself via the sky bridges.  
However, despite being on a bit of a time crunch... Hematite didn't shift up and pick Kyan up to make their walk any quicker. Even as they made their way away from the Tower, he stayed at his civilian size.

Kyan picked up her pace, casually following behind Hematite. She brushed her thoughts away for the time being, refocusing on the path ahead... and more specifically, the service gem in front of her, who she eyed hopefully. She smiled and picked up her pace enough to walk alongside Hema, even stepping a pace or two ahead now and then to try and catch his eye. By the look in her eyes, it seemed like she was waiting for something. But, after a few solid minutes of walking, with not a single glance from Hema, Kyan felt her smile fade, and she looked down at the ground in disappointment.

Hematite stared ahead, his eyes half-lidded, a small frown on his face. But, as the minutes passed, he looked less annoyed and more... melancholy. Eventually, he spoke up, unaware Kyan had been watching him.  
"... So. Rubes and Puff are going to watch after you in the Blue District," he said quietly, his voice heavy. "I hope you'll have more fun with them than you have with me, hah. I-I mean, they won't be dragging you to the archives or anything. So." Looking down, the service gem clenched at one of his sleeves behind his back. "There's that."

Kyan looked up slightly, quietly staring at the service gem as they walked. _Just ask him... Maybe he won't mind too much._  
"…" She looked back down, holding her hands close to her chest. She moved them upwards, grasping at her scarf tightly. "Can I um... ask a favor?" she said, mustering up what little positivity she could in her tone. "Can I ride on your shoulder? One more time before you go?"

Hematite stopped in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat.  
_Don't. You know what will happen if you shift up around her right now. Do you really want to risk that? Look at what was happening in your room._  
The service gem went silent for a moment, almost as if he hadn't heard Kyan's question.  
_**Don't.**_

_But... it's just a simple request. C'mon, it's the one thing she actually likes about you. Let her have this, and just keep yourself under control._  
"... Sure." Turning, Hema offered the shorter blue gem a soft smile and stepped away a little ways. Kyan's face lit up, a bright smile peeking from behind her scarf. She watched as Hema shifted up to his half-height and turned around, placing his hand to the floor for her.  
"One escort for Kyanite."

Holding her fists in front of her excitedly, she quickly ran up into his hand, beaming up at him. With muffled giggles, she turned, grabbing onto his index finger. The giant gem chuckled softly, lifting his hand off the ground as he stood, making his way toward the warp pad once more. Raising his hand up to his shoulder, he gazed fondly at the tiny blue gem, arching a brow.  
"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually _liked_ traveling like this."

Kyan wasted no time in hopping up onto Hematite's shoulder, quickly turning around to sit down. She gazed out at the seemingly-tiny facility below. The wind rushed past the small blue gem, stirring her hair. She breathed in slowly, taking in all that she could with a bittersweet smile on her face.  
_Stars... I'm gonna miss this._  
Her expression faltered just slightly, dropping into a solemn, subtle smile.  
"I kinda do, actually," she said softly. Crossing her legs, she clutched at the fabric of his suit. "It makes me feel... big."

Hematite's own expression twitched, and he felt something tighten in his chest.  
"... Yeah? How so? I mean, wouldn't this have the opposite effect?" he asked idly, folding his arms behind his back. Kyan's grin widened slightly, though she kept her eyes on the buildings below.  
"Well... I'm so high up. I'm so used to seeing the world from a lower point of view..." She paused, her words catching in her throat. "I've never... really had the chance to feel like I was... bigger. I-I mean, sure, I could just jump on some rooftops and look down but..." She sighed heavily, slouching over. "It's not the same."

The service gem kept his eyes forward, not wanting to risk his instincts flaring up by looking at the smaller gem. He sighed quietly and nodded.  
"I suppose that makes sense, then...You know if I'm... Ever in the area and we happen to cross paths, I'd be willing to give you a ride sometime." His gaze lowered, and he added quietly, "If you want, that is."

Kyan's brows twitched, slowly furrowing. Her smile faded.  
"No, that's okay..." she said. _Don't get attached to him... You can't. You know what it does to you. You can't._ Quietly, she tugged at her scarf, pulling it up over her nose. _You'll just get hurt._ "… I appreciate it, though."

"... Oh. Okay."  
_See. There it is._  
_Do you need any further proof? She doesn't want anything to do with you after this. You're just a guard to her, nothing else. Maybe if you'd controlled yourself back when you tracked her down, she wouldn't dislike you so much. You frighten her._

Gazing out at the facility below, Kyan clutched at the fabric of her scarf, her fingers digging harshly into it.  
_Stop feeling guilty. Stop feeling sad. You don't need him, and he sure as heck doesn't need a defective little brat like you. He won't miss you. You should be happy. You'll be free._  
Kyan went quiet, zoning out. Her expression was, for the most part, unreadable... but if one looked close enough, a stale, deep-seated pain lay in her eyes as a soft, familiar voice pulled her close, muttering in her ear.  
_It's better off this way. You don't care about anyone else; you haven't for centuries. You don't need to. And you_ _ **won't**_ _change that for this gem. The one who hunted you down and captured you. Turned you in to Blue Diamond. Bossed you around. Kept you cramped up in that room..._  
Kyan's expression twitched, and she looked down guiltily.  
_He, who made you feel safe. He, who saved you from a dangerous path. He, who made you feel bigger and stronger than you really are. He, who showed you new gems, new places, new adventures. He, who tried his best to make you as comfortable as you could be, and you know it._  
_…That doesn't change the fact that you have to leave._

  
The warp pad soon came into view. Slowly, Hematite shifted down to fifteen-or-so feet and stepped onto the blue, crystalline surface, warping away without a word. He instantly found himself in the Blue District, looking around to see if he could spot the Ruby he'd come to be so familiar with.  
"... Ruuubes?" Frowning, Hema crossed his arms, tapping his clawed fingers along his sleeve. "She's always late," he muttered quietly, narrowing his eyes at nothing in particular.

Kyan kept quiet for the duration of the ride over to the Blue District. Inhaling slowly through her nose, she peered up at the sky. She frowned worriedly, sparing a long look at Hema from behind her messy blue bangs.

_You know how dangerous the Star Stealers are. Say something to him. You might not ever see him again. And even if he makes it out of this, this'll be one of the last times you see him._

… _No, I can't. I'll just distract him. It's not like he cares, anyway._

Worry and hesitation tore Kyan in two different directions, forcing her to merely stare down at the ground, silent. The service gem tapped his foot impatiently, gripping at the cloth of his sleeve every once in a while. As the minutes passed, his irritation started to build. _He told Rubes how important it was that he get going! What was taking her so long?!_  
"Tch, I swear to White, I'm just gonna bring you to her living quarters if she doesn't hurry it-"  
"No need for that, tough guy."  
A familiar, vaguely raspy, monotone voice sounded from behind one of the pillars surrounding the warp pad station, and Rubes walked out from behind it, her arms crossed.  
"Sorry I'm late, I ran into an old headache on the way here."

Kyan perked up, drawn out of her conflicted trance upon hearing a somewhat familiar voice. Peering over Hematite's shoulder, she saw a small, red gem making her way towards them. In an instant, some of her excitement returned to her at the prospect of hanging out with the Ruby again.  
"Hey!" she called out, waving her hand. Rubes lifted a hand to wave up at the small, blue gem, arching a brow.  
"Heya, kiddo. You ready to head out?" she called up, standing a little ways from the warp pad. Hematite lifted his palm up to Kyan, letting her climb on before he lowered her back to the ground.

Hopping swiftly off Hematite's hand, Kyan hesitated for a moment. She turned after a moment, reaching out her hand to grab onto Hematite's finger. Hema felt his breath catch in his throat as Kyan grabbed onto his finger, and he stared at her for a moment, unblinking. Kyan hugged his finger close, her eyes shut.  
_She wanted to say 'be safe.' She wanted to say 'goodbye.' She wanted to say 'thank you.' She wanted to say a lot of things... things that she knew, for her own good, she couldn't._

Forcing a smile, she drew back, letting go of the gem's finger.  
"Kick their butts extra-hard for me!" she said with a devious smirk. Turning to the Ruby, Kyan trotted over, grinning under her scarf. "Let's go!"

Hema watched Kyan scamper off, and he lifted his hand up to his chest quietly, clenching it into a loose fist.  
"... Be safe," he said quietly. Standing up straight, he stared at the two for a long moment, catching Rubes' gaze. Her expression faltered for a moment as she noticed the barely-masked pain in his eyes. Quietly, she gave him a quick nod, silently affirming that she would watch over Kyan as best as she could. Hematite returned the nod, and within an instant and a flash of light, he was gone, back in the Towers’ central facility.  
Rubes turned to the blue gem and placed her hands on her hips, tapping her foot once.  
"So, kid. You ever been to the aquarium?"

Kyan raised a brow, looking away for a moment.  
"Well... a really long time ago, yeah. But I haven't been in recent... centuries," she said, pursing her lips a little awkwardly. "I hear they've gotten a bunch of new stuff since I last went..."

After a short pause, Rubes raised a brow and chuckled.  
"There's this huge Euclase thing that has glow-in-the-dark bones and a see-through body," she said simply, turning to walk off and motioning for Kyan to follow after her. Quickly picking up her pace, Kyan trailed after the Ruby, eyes wide.  
"Woah... cool..."  
She tried to imagine such a beast. It sounded like it was big. Was it big? It was probably big. _She hoped it was big. That'd be neat._

Following the red gem out of the warp facility, Kyan looked back, eyeing where Hema had stood not a minute ago. He'd only been gone for a few moments... and Kyan already felt the sharp, sinking feeling return to her gut. Trying to brush it aside, she rushed after Rubes, out into the Blue District.

-

-  
_Thud. Thud._ _ **Thud.**_  
Slowly, the ivory-haired gem stepped around the side of a rather large facility building that laid near the Blue Diamond Tower. His arms were folded behind his back, his face grimly serious. Hematite quickly spotted his blue superior on the sky bridge and made his way over, clearing his throat.  
"Hematite reporting, Blue Diamond."

Blue turned, a dark and serious frown on her face.  
"Good to see ya, kid; it’s been a while. I've been... busy." She said, a slight edge to her tone. She narrowed her eyes, finally smirking slyly. "You ready to put some rebels in their place?"

Hematite narrowed his own eyes, lifting his palm up to the edge of the bridge for the Diamond to climb onto.  
"You know I am, Blue. It's been too long since you and I went on a proper mission together," he said almost coyly, smiling down at the smaller gem. Without hesitation, the Diamond stepped over onto Hematite's hand, clutching his thumb.  
"Well, I hope you're in for a hell of a ride, because this isn't gonna be easy." She said, raising a single brow. "Couldn't do this by myself, but a huge group was out of the question. I needed a trusted partner on this, and I thought you'd be _excellent_ for the job. After all... This is what you were made for." With a quick flash, the Diamond swiped her hand across her gem, summoning a diamond pad. It quickly chirped to life and she wasted no time in flipping through some walls of text. “I have the basic plan of action as well as the coordinates of our areas of interest. We're gonna need to do this as efficiently as possible. This isn't something we can mess around with. This isn't meant to be fun, and it's not going to be pleasant. These gems are to be taken out on sight. I need your _full_ cooperation. Alright?"

Pulling his hand away from the building, Hematite made haste for the warp pad, holding Blue close to his chest. He gazed down at her, arching a brow.  
"Of course, Blue. Whatever you say."  
She had a point. If they wanted to get this done right, take these rebels down, and come out of things unscathed, they were going to have to be on the same wavelength the entire mission, in perfect mental sync with one another.  
He just hoped his piqued instincts would work _in_ his favor instead of against it.

Pulling up a diagram on the diamond pad, Blue projected a map in front of them with insignia dotting the screen in a small cluster.  
"Alright, so here's the primary headquarters. Mark the location in your gemtech somewhere. According to multiple sources, these are the gems that were seen around this area." Blue swiped her finger over the diamond pad, pulling up a list of different gem types. There looked to be about ten different kinds, all with some form of brief summary below them. Hema nodded and stared at the screen, his eyepiece quickly chirping to life. It took notes, jotting down any information it could from the diagrams and gem type profiles.  
"Mmm. Didn't Kyanite mention something about scouts and lookouts? Where might they be located? Are there city blocks near the main base?"

Blue nodded, swiping the profiles to the left. Replacing the warriors' pictures was now the single profile of a Chalcedony.  
"According to Kyanite, she only knew of one scout in particular. A Chalcedony. All of the scouts are different types of gems, but all you really need to know is one of them. Find that one, and then try to find the rest after getting them to talk, if you can. Remember to make sure that they don't call their boss or any of the other scouts. Stay low, stay hidden... don't get caught. Do _whatever it takes_ to get your intel. You got that?" Blue said, poking out her lip slightly. "Apparently, the main base is somewhere under an abandoned city. The scouts are said to scour the rooftops around the area, so we'll need to keep our eyes peeled and stay low. Since they're underground, they have a myriad of tunnel systems leading to different areas. According to Kyan, they'll be moving base in about two days in preparation for their supposed strike on my district. That's why it's imperative that we hit them now, while they're concentrated into one spot before moving. You still with me, kid?" Blue said, looking back up to the service gem. Taking notes, Hematite nodded slowly, setting his jaw.

"Yes. Continue?"

Blue nodded and swiped her hand to the side, moving to a detailed document.  
"The main group has somewhere around four-to-five hundred gems, total. There's lots of little side-groups, but they're groups of only ten to thirty-or-so gems. Take the main group and their leader out, and the rest should come tumbling down with them. With no guidance, the other groups should dissipate on their own. And the ones that don't, I'll send regular warrior squadrons after. It's gonna get rough, kid," she said, turning the diamond pad off with a soft blip and storing it back into her gem. "First, the scouts. Then we'll take down the rest. The entirety of the main group consists of high officials. They're pretty much all warrior class, aside from the scouts above-ground, and even some of _them_ are fighters. We don't know what kind, though. We'll need to be careful."

_"All_ of them are warrior classes? Tch..." Frowning, Hema shook his head, clearing the anxiety that flared up in his chest. "Sorry, right. Well. Let's focus on getting there in a timely manner, then. With how far away this place is, I may have to rest up before we begin our attack, even on the scouts," he informed simply, stepping onto the warp pad. Within an instant, the two of them were transported to the Pink District. Hematite clenched his hand a little closer, cupping his fingers around Blue's form. "Get to the base site. Rest. Take out the scouts, find the base entrance... and then work from there. Right?"

Blue peered up at the Hematite, giving him a determined nod.  
"You got it, Hema. Those clods won't know what hit ‘em," she chuckled before turning to look forward, a grim grin spreading on her lips.

 

Soon enough, Blue and Hema stood at the front of the Pink District. Hema put Blue on his shoulder. He set his jaw, looking out over the district with steely determination. Clouds were slowly rolling over the horizon. The entire Pink District would be covered in shadow if this kept up, even as wide as it was.

Narrowing his eyes, the giant gem paced forward, his steps slowly quickening until he was in an outright jog across the city block. With how far into the district these rebels were, it'd likely be the next morning before they got there... especially with Hema's limited energy. But no matter... They'd get there before their two days were up. Of that, he'd make sure.  
_You'd better get ready, Star Stealers._  
_**Your plans end here.**_

* * *

 

* * *

 

"Ey, Kyan. Get your face off the glass," Rubes muttered. "Or don't, no grit off my gem either way. But you'll see these things a lot better if you don't fog up the tank." The Ruby paced along the absolutely _massive_ glass tank which was teeming with aquatic gem creatures of all sorts. Puff still hadn't arrived yet, but Rubes didn't mind too much. She seemed rather at ease handling a rowdier gem like Kyan. With an odd noise, Kyan unpeeled her face from the surface of the large, transparent tank. Pursing her lips, the small blue gem turned to look at Rubes, still keeping her hands on the glass.  
"How do you think they get these things in here, anyway?..." she asked curiously. Pursing her lips, Rubes turned her head to look sidelong at the blue gem.  
"Dunno, I figure maybe Lazulis bring them in here in giant water bubbles or something. I've never bothered to ask." Shrugging, the Ruby looked around at the taller gems that walked to and fro, either studying or simply observing the hundreds upon hundreds of gem creatures. "Actually, now that I think about it, I _hope_ that's how they get them in here. That'd be entertaining," she said monotonously. Kyan stifled a quiet giggle, looking back up at the creatures that swam around within the tank. She didn't know what any of them were, nor did she really care to ask. They were just here to kill time and see something neat, after all. Rubes paced away some distance, idly looking about. She kept Kyan in her sights, though.

While the Kyanite was observing the fauna, she didn't notice a rather impatient, grumbling gem making their way down the aisle towards her. Their attention was completely locked onto a diamond pad. They muttered to themselves, their words unintelligible. From their short stature and thin frame, they appeared to be an Aquamarine. Not paying attention to where they were going, they rather harshly bumped right into Kyan's shoulder and kept walking as if nothing had happened.  
The blue gem made a small noise of discomfort as she was nearly knocked over, before turning sharply to face the passing gem.  
"’Ey! Watch where you're goin', ya sod!" she growled, puffing out her cheeks. Rubes perked up and turned around, spotting Kyan and the other blue gem just down the way. The Aquamarine stopped entirely, slowly turning their head to glare at the freckled blue gem.  
"Tch. Why don't _you_ watch where you're _standing_ then, ya defective pebble," she sneered, turning gradually before walking off with her nose stuck back in the diamond pad. Kyan flinched, grumbling something under her breath before falling completely silent once more. She turned to the crystal clear glass, slowly placing a hand up on its cool surface. She sighed quietly, her shoulders hanging low.

Slowly, Rubes' eyes narrowed, and she turned her head _just_ enough so she didn't look suspicious, but could still keep an eye on the approaching gem. As soon as she started passing by, the Ruby smirked and stepped to the side, casually sticking her foot right into the distracted gem's path. The gem was too distracted by her gemtech to even notice the impending trip she was about to take. With an ungraceful yelp, she flailed her arms around and landed right on her face. Kyan sharply turned from the tank as she heard the clatter the fallen Aquamarine's diamond pad. Upon seeing the gem fumbling around on the floor, she held her hands close to her mouth and stifled a fit of laughter.  
The disgruntled gem stood up quickly, brushing herself off with a cross growl. She glared at the Ruby, squinting at her superciliously. The Ruby didn't even bother looking away or acting like she hadn't tripped her on purpose. She crossed her arms and stared at her with a rather bored, but vaguely condescending frown.  
"Maybe you should take her advice and watch where you're walking," she said simply, raising a brow. Eyes widening, the Aquamarine sputtered cross gibberish before pointing a finger at the small red gem.  
"You're just a stupid Ruby, and you have the nerve to do that to me... How dare you! You're gonna regret that, you little-!” Without missing a beat, Rubes grabbed onto the gem's extended hand and quickly spun on her heel, using her lower center of gravity to toss the Aquamarine aside a good fifteen feet. With Rubes' precise aim, the Aquamarine landed right behind a group of gems that were looking at some tiny creatures in a smaller tank. They jumped in surprise, turning to look at the downed gem.  
The Ruby stood with her hands on her hips, still bearing the same bored expression. With a sharp growl, the gem stood up, shaking off her initial surprise. _That Ruby just-!_ Almost hesitantly, she rushed towards her diamond pad and picked it up, shooting Rubes a vicious sneer before stumbling off down the aisle without another word. A few gems looked between the Ruby and the embarrassed gem, but after a few seconds of murmurs and confusion, they all resumed their previous states as if nothing had happened at all.  
Kyan trotted over to Rubes, but kept her eyes on the quickly retreating gem as she left the area. Slowly, she looked over at the Ruby, her eyes wide. As soon as she was sure the gem was gone, Rubes snorted quietly through her nose and relaxed, her arms falling at her sides again.  
"So anyways." Turning to Kyan, she raised a brow, looking completely unfazed. "Lazulis and water bubbles."

Kyan stared in near disbelief at the red gem, holding her hands up to her chest and grabbing onto one of her fingers.  
"Uh... yeah..." she muttered, staring right through her. She knew Rubies were soldiers, but she didn't know how _strong_ they could be. She wanted to thank Rubes, but didn't quite know how to. "I haven't seen too many Lazulis myself. I know they're around here and there, but you don't see them a whole lot,” she muttered, deciding to change the subject. Rubes gave the Kyanite a curious look before motioning for her to follow.  
"I've met one before, but they're not exactly common in the capital. And even the ones who are around here only tend to live by the great lake. So it's no surprise you haven't run into many." From the looks of things, Rubes seemed to be heading back out of the aquarium, making her way past gems of all different sorts. Eventually, the two exited the huge building, and the Ruby leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. "Sorry about that clod back there. You alright?"

Kyan followed suit after the Ruby. With a distant look, Kyan stared in front of her, pulling her scarf up over her nose.  
"I'm fine."

Quietly drumming her fingers on her upper arm, the Ruby tilted her head slightly, but didn't say anything else. If Kyan said she was fine, she wouldn't pry.  
"Well, as long as you're not hurt..." she commented quietly, looking off down the street. She perked slightly in surprise upon seeing a familiar orange gem walking toward them. She cupped her hand over her mouth. "There you are, Puff! I was starting to worry you were held up at the checkpoint," she called. Standing straight, Rubes glanced at Kyan, motioning for her to follow. Snapping out of being zoned out, Kyan scurried after her, waving at the Jasper.  
"Hey!" she said quickly, running a circle around the Jasper before falling back into her normal path, pacing along the sidewalk. Puff looked down at the much smaller gem with a chuckle, raising her arms as Kyan scurried around her in a circle.  
"Hey to you too. Good to see you again- Kyan, right?" she asked in a friendly tone. Kyan stopped, peering up at Puff for a moment. She looked like she was going to say something, but she hesitated.  
"Oh, yeah! Kyan. Puff... right?" she said, holding her fists out in front of her. Rubes walked over to the Jasper and tapped her arm, looking up at her. Without even looking away from Kyanite, Puff crouched down and picked up the smaller red gem, hoisting her up onto her arm. She folded it near her chest. The Ruby smiled ever so faintly, though it was gone quickly. She adjusted herself to sit on Puff's shoulder, looking down at Kyan with her usual stoic expression. Grinning brightly down at the smaller gem, Puff nodded, putting her free hand on her hip.  
"You got it, kiddo. So... Did you two get kicked out already or something?" she asked, amused. Rubes let out a soft 'hmph' and gently nudged Puff's cheek.  
"Nah, not this time. Some jerk was being rude to Kyan, so we left. Besides, we'd already seen the best stuff."

Kyan perked up, grinning under her scarf.  
"Yeah, Rubes kicked her butt... and she ran like a wuss. It was rad!" she chimed. Furrowing her brows, she stared up at the Ruby with a sly smirk. "Do you always get to ride up there?" Rubes smirked back at the blue gem and leaned closer to Puff's head, propping her arm up on it.  
"Whenever I ask, yeah." The Jasper chuckled and playfully shook her head, trying to move Rubes' arm, but quickly found it to be a fruitless effort. Instead, she looked down at Kyan with a small smile, tilting her chin up slightly.  
"You want up here too, Kyanite?"

As if Puff had said some magic word, Kyan's face lit up with a bright smile and gleaming eyes. She bounded up closer to the Jasper and peered up at her expectantly.  
"Yeah! Definitely!" she said eagerly, grinning ear to ear. Without waiting for a response, Kyan immediately jumped onto Puff's free arm and clung to it, wrapping her arms around it. Puff let out a small noise of surprise, lifting up her arm as Kyan clung to it. After a moment, she laughed heartily, adjusting herself so Kyan could sit on her shoulder.  
"There we go, much better. So, Rubes, where we headed?" she asked curiously, looking over at the small red gem. Looking up to the side, the Ruby pursed her lips, casually swinging her legs.  
"Hmmm. I dunno. Kyan, any places in the Blue District you like to go?"

Kyan adjusted herself on Puff's shoulder for a moment, smiling half-heartedly. It was a nice gesture... It certainly wasn't like riding on a Hematite's shoulder, but at least she was higher up and, from what she could _tell_ anyway, fairly well-guarded. It did the trick, despite not feeling the same.  
"I don't really hang around the general public much..." she said a little quietly, staring up at the sky. "Sometimes I run around the rooftops." Puff and Rubes both went silent for a moment, giving each other a look. The Jasper chuckled almost awkwardly, turning back to Kyan.  
"Siiince we're supposed to be keeping you from getting hurt, how about we avoid the rooftops for now?" She grinned widely, brows furrowing. "How about the Coliseum instead?"  
Almost instantly, Rubes gently whapped the bigger gem on the back of the head, frowning slightly.  
"Puff, how is that any safer."  
Pursing her lips, the bigger gem chuckled awkwardly, shrugging.  
"Whaaat, I didn't say she had to _fight._ She can just watch. It's just an ideaaa."

Kyan blinked a few times, clenching her fists excitedly.  
"Yeah! That sounds awesome!" she said with vigor, drawing her knees up close to her chest. _Maybe she could see some neat sparring, now that she'd be guarded._ She didn't have to worry about anyone getting rowdy with her since she wasn't alone. Puff perked up, turning to look smugly at her partner.  
"Aha, seee. I have good ideas sometimes."  
Rubes smiled and rolled her eyes, mussing the Jasper's hair teasingly.  
"Alright, alright, then let's get going. It's quite a walk from here." Nodding, Puff adjusted the two smaller gems on her shoulders and walked off, heading down the street toward the Coliseum. Rubes was right; they were going to be walking for some time, judging from how far they were from the huge structure.

A few minutes later, the Jasper looked up at Kyan, raising a brow curiously.  
"So, how's it been, hanging out with Scrap? You've been with him for a few weeks now, right?”

Kyan's smile slowly faded.  
"It's been alright. He's gonna be finishing up his bodyguard job with me soon, once he gets back from his mission," she said simply, clutching her hands to her scarf. "Then I'll be free to go."

Rubes rested her arm on Puff's head, leaning over, looking sidelong at the blue gem. She didn't really know what to say. Instead of bothering her about Hematite, Rubes decided to ask about something a bit more practical.  
"Where will you go after you're done staying with him? I know you said you like living on the outskirts, away from other gems, but. Are you still determined to live that way after you're let loose? Do you at least have somewhere to crash if you need to?"

Kyan glanced over at the Ruby, and for a moment, she didn't say anything. She seemed to be thinking about something. Finally turning her head away, she felt her expression fall.  
"I don't really _have_ anywhere to go, no. I don't live anywhere in particular," she said, slightly lowering her brows. Before, she’d stayed around the Pink District in abandoned buildings and wherever the Star Stealers happened to send her. But, now that she was free? She had no idea where to go or what to do. Her opportunities _seemed_ endless, and yet nonexistent at the same time. Puff looked up at Rubes quietly, pursing her lips. Though the Ruby didn't directly look down at the Jasper's expression, she already seemed to know the look she was giving her. She stayed quiet for a moment.  
"... Well, I wish you luck on that, then. I can still give you a few relatively safer places in the Pink District if you go back there. But it's probably safer if you stick around the Blue District." Shrugging, the smaller red gem continued. "Remember that 'headache' I mentioned? They say the gem monsters in the Pink District are getting restless, and have been a bit bolder lately. Sooo if I were you, I'd at least let things calm down, unless you're really good at fighting."

Kyan heard the Ruby's suggestion, but made a small scoffing sound sometime during her explanation. She held her arms close to her chest, slouching her shoulders slightly.  
"I'd rather deal with the gem monsters than the gems in the Blue District..."

"Mmmm. Alright, if you say so, kiddo," she replied simply, turning to look forward again. They fell into calm quiet as Puff strolled through the district, making idle chat about different places they passed by. The two gems would tell little stories about each place and sometimes would drift into laughing and joking with each other without meaning to. The walk, despite being rather lengthy, passed by quickly, and the three gems found themselves on the path to the Coliseum. The city buildings began to thin out as they entered the huge fields surrounding the arena, and Puff took a long, deep breath.  
"Aah, I don't think there are any events today, so it should be pretty quiet in there. What do you say, Rubes, wanna get some sparring in?"  
Drumming her fingers on Puff's head, the Ruby raised a brow, smiling.  
"I don't see why not. Maybe Kyan can pick up a thing or two."

The small blue gem perked up a bit. If Rubes sparred with any of the skill she showed back at the aquarium, this would be interesting to watch.

Soon enough, after a few more minutes of walking, the three gems entered the huge Coliseum, and Puff set the two smaller gems down. She reached up and stretched with a long, satisfied sigh. Looking around, she crossed her arms, smirking to herself. _Yep, nice and quiet_. There didn't seem to be more than thirty or so gems in here, in total. And, they were rather spread out. Puff squinted, staring down at the end of the arena. And, if she wasn't mistaken, all four of Rubes' coworkers were among the thirty or so gems. Chuckling, Puff gently nudged the small red gem.  
"Hey Rubes, your squad is here," she teased, snubbing her nose. The dark-haired gem raised a brow, sniffing once.  
"So they are. Good, they're always good for a warmup fight."

Kyan looked over at the squadron of Rubies with wary curiosity. She stayed behind Puff, but made sure to keep up and not step on her heels. The three gems made their way over, taking a few minutes to cross the arena. Rubes ran ahead of the other two, calling out to the Rubies.  
"Yooo, guys." Two of the small red gems turned to their long-haired kin, grinning cheekily. One of them chuckled and stood with her hands clenched in front of her.  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Rubes! Come to toss a few punches around?"  
Puff stood back a little with Kyan, smiling expectantly at the group of fiery gems. She spared a glance back at the Kyanite, motioning for her to make her way over to the wall. Kyan looked between Puff and the group of red gems curiously, nodding her head with eager understanding. Before anyone could say anything, the small blue gem bolted over towards the stands, turning on her heel as she plopped down by the wall to watch. She settled beside one of the tunnels that led up to the stands. Puff stood aside as well, and soon followed after the smaller blue gem. Cracking her knuckles, Rubes nodded and managed a crack of a smirk for a moment.  
"You know it. Let's make this a quick warmup, shall we?"  
The first Ruby to speak up snickered and summoned a single gauntlet on her left hand, punching it into her right palm.  
"Oh, we'll make it quick alright; we've been practicing, haven't we, guys?"

As soon as Puff reached the wall and leaned up against it, Kyan scooted over a foot or so towards her.  
"Soooo how often do you guys fight here?" Kyan asked, not taking her eyes off of the Rubies.

Puff turned and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms with a hearty chuckle.  
"We come here all the time! It's one of our favorite pastimes. Whenever Rubes has a day off, we usually come here and spar all afternoon, and then retire to Morganite's place for a while before heading to her living quarters." The Jasper looked up as the Rubies all broke out into a rather confusing spar, though it seemed that they were more or less all taking turns at attacking Rubes in various ways. She deflected each of their attacks with multiple methods, not so much as breaking a sweat. Puff smiled almost _proudly,_ glancing sidelong at Kyan. "That's Rubes; work, train, relax. And then once in a while I guess she'll go on little ventures into the different districts, buuut she never really tells me much about those. She says not a whole lot happens, and she always wishes she spent the time sparring."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kyan kept her gaze locked onto the boisterous red gems, her eyes wide. Mentally, she was taking notes while trying to listen to the Jasper as best as she could.  
"I never cared too much for sparring myself..." she said monotonously, completely transfixed by Rubes' fight. “I can't fight very well."

Puff had seen almost this exact spar many times, and instead of watching like Kyan was, she turned her attention down to the blue gem.  
"Well, maybe we can give you a few pointers! I mean, just look at Rubes..." Turning her gaze back to the fight, the Jasper watched the small red gem effortlessly toss one of her companions over her shoulder, using their momentum against them. "She's a common foot soldier, but by training hard, she's become one of the most elite Rubies in the lower ranks. She wasn't always like that, though. She had to work for it."

The dark-haired gem flicked out a long chain-whip and latched onto one of her kin's ankles, tossing them aside. They slammed into the wall beside Puff and Kyan. Rubes stood straight, looking as bored and stoic as ever. Kyan looked at the Ruby in surprise, then turned back to Rubes with wide eyes. She was so levelheaded. So _strong,_ despite being so small. The blue gem felt a faint smile grace her lips, and she tilted her head in awe.

The spar escalated. Soon enough, the downed Ruby jumped back up and joined her comrades, letting out a fierce, boisterous cry. Slowly, the four gems started working together as a _unit,_ attacking Rubes in unpredictable, but measured, patterns. One would launch the other at the long-haired soldier while another would go in for her legs at the same moment. Somehow, she kept up with them, eerily aware of their every action, seemingly before they even performed it. At some point, she summoned her other chain-whip, using both weapons skillfully to keep the other small gems at bay as they slowly forced her back. Though, despite the fact that they were on the move, they generally kept to the same area, never moving very far from Puff and Kyan. The four red gems slowly grew more frustrated, their shouts and battle cries increasing in volume.  
Rubes never made a _sound._  
Her expression never so much as flinched, though her eyes were _constantly_ flicking around, taking in as much information as she could at once. One of the small red gems launched forward for a direct attack on her long-haired comrade, but by simply lifting her arm, she alerted Rubes quickly enough to whip out her chain and latch onto her arm. Rubes spun around, launching the stout gem back into another Ruby that had gone in for a sneak attack behind her. While those two were dazed, and Rubes was seemingly distracted, another Ruby came in from the side, trying to land a swift kick to her comrade's side with a loud shout. Rubes ducked down and kicked her own foot out, instantly tripping up the other red gem. As soon as they were on the ground, she grabbed onto their leg and, with little effort, swung them back toward the two still-dazed gems. Finally, the last Ruby stood straight, staring in frustrated awe at her three downed partners. Puffing her cheeks out, she gripped her head, groaning loudly.  
"Aaaugh, fine, you win!”  
Rubes slowly arched a brow, chuckling once to herself. Watching with mesmerized disbelief, Kyan suddenly felt excitement and energy flare up within her. The awe that'd been building up within her during the entire fight suddenly exploded, and she leapt up to her feet, balling her fists up and cheering.  
"That was awesome!" she called out, laughing. With a new gleam in her eyes, she bounced up and down in place in excitement. Straightening up a bit, the small red gem blinked in surprise, her stoic demeanor actually faltering. She turned to look back at the two gems, a dark red wash of color over her cheeks. It faded quickly, and she rubbed the back of her forearm for a moment before standing akimbo.  
"Yeah? That was just a warm up. Puff." Smirking, the smaller gem motioned with one finger for the Jasper to come closer. "If you wouldn't mind." Puff raised a brow back, glancing at Kyanite for a moment before she stood up, walking over to her partner. Kyan stopped bouncing finally, watching the Jasper as she walked over to Rubes. Plopping down on the ground, Kyan leaned in slightly, watching intently.

The two gems talked for a moment before parting. They waited for the Rubies on the side to disperse, watching them make their way back to their corner of the arena where they'd been prior. Despite their rather embarrassing beat-down, they didn't seem any worse for wear.  
Rubes smiled up at her partner for a moment before her expression fell to its stoic default.  
Another pause passed, but all of a sudden, the two launched at each other, starting a spar that, to anyone else, didn't seem all that out of the ordinary. The Rubies, for one, had seen this fight a dozen times.  
But there was still something special about it.  
The two of them never summoned their weapons, instead keeping to hand-to-hand combat, despite there being such a stark height difference between them. Rubes would land a few good hits, Puff would get in a few, and though their fight seemed rather slow-paced, it was certainly _interesting._ The spar seemed to move in 'phases'. Their attacks occasionally changed tone and pattern, almost as if they were going down a list of tactics to attack the other one with. They seemed to be running through the motions, but never lost their energy.  
And, most impressively, even though Puff didn't seem to be holding back, Rubes was _still_ holding her own.

Kyan watched the two as best as she could, moving her head around to follow the sparring gems as they whirled around and threw their hits. She wondered just how much of this she could absorb. Maybe she could try out some of these tactics sometime... that was, if she could even fathom what they were doing! The spar continued on, Puff and Rubes completely absorbed in their fight. Every once in a while they'd stop and take a breather, but then launch right back into it, never stopping for too long. The Jasper went to snatch up her much smaller partner, but yelped in surprise as Rubes grabbed her arm and hoisted her up and over, slamming her back-first into the ground. Kyan let out a small giggle, leaning over her legs and propping her head up in her hands. Maybe she was biased, but she was secretly hoping Rubes would get the better of Puff. She wanted to see how much she could take from a Jasper!  
Kyan was so absorbed in Rubes and Puff's fight that she didn't notice she was being watched from the stands. A tall, lean-muscled gem peered over the edge of the wall surrounding the Coliseum floor, narrowing her eyes down at the blue gem below. Brushing her red-tinted bangs from her face, she glared at the Kyanite, her eyes suddenly widening. Slowly, she ducked down behind the stands, vanishing from sight.

Puff quickly got the upper hand again a second or two later, and the two were locked in rather intense melee combat. Rubes' attacks were quick and precise, but didn't hold a whole lot of power behind them. The Jasper's hits, however, while much slower and less accurate, had much more punch behind them. It seemed at this point that it was just a matter of who would wear out first.

_One was power, one was accuracy. One was strength, one was speed._  
Kyan leaned over a little, mouthing something to herself. She was so busy trying to focus on the fight, she didn't even realize anyone was behind her. A lean gem, a Red Onyx, from the looks of it, stepped out from the nearby tunnel and sharply leaned over, her clawed hand shooting towards Kyan's neck.  
_SNATCH!_  
In the blink of an eye, the Onyx grabbed Kyan up by the scarf, earning a startled gasp from the tiny blue gem. Panic rushed through her, and she started to thrash about, grunting harshly and trying to make sense of what was going on.  
"Let go of me!" she snarled, followed by a small shriek as she dropped abruptly to the ground, her scarf still held in the tall, red warrior's hand. She grunted, holding up the scarf with narrowed, furious eyes. Slowly, she looked down at the small blue gem, baring her teeth.  
"You...You. Little. _Traitor."_ A sickly-sweet voice hissed past the gem's teeth, laced with venom. Clutching the scarf in her hand, the Onyx glowered down at Kyan with _pure hatred._ Kyan opened her eyes, shaking her head and turning quickly onto her back to stare up at the huge warrior that towered over her by a good four feet or so. Her eyes widened in undisguised horror upon realizing _who_ it was.  
**And she had the scarf. She had** _ **her**_ **scarf.**  
"NO! GIVE THAT BACK!" Jumping to her feet with a furious cry, Kyan reached behind her back and summoned her bat, screaming at the Onyx with _malicious,_ almost primitive rage. Puff and Rubes stopped their fight in an instant, looking over at the two gems in shock. Kyan swung hard at the Onyx's legs, which the massive warrior dodged with ease. She scowled down at her, eyes wide with spite.  
"Tch... You always _were_ a useless little pest."  
**THWACK!**  
Onyx swept her leg quickly into Kyan's midsection, slamming her into the wall headfirst. With a sharp whimper, Kyan dropped her bat upon landing harshly into the ground, shivering. She struggled to get up, the blow having knocked the wind right out of her. Onyx narrowed her eyes, hissing through her teeth.  
"Did you _really_ think we wouldn't find you...?" she hissed. “Did you really think you were safe out here?”

Puff let out a surprised gasp as the Onyx kicked the tiny blue gem into the wall, her brows furrowing as a look of pure _fury_ crossed her face. She stood up quickly, about to rush over, but Rubes suddenly grabbed her arm, her eyes never leaving the tall, red warrior. She was three times Rube's size, at _least,_ and stood a good few heads taller than Puff. Onyxes were _made_ for battle, and neither one of them would stand a chance against her on their own. And from the looks of it, they wouldn't be able to simply _convince_ her to leave. Rubes slowly looked up at her partner, her stoic demeanor never faltering.  
"Puff. We can't protect her _alone,"_ she said simply, narrowing her eyes up at the taller gem. Locking eyes with the tiny red gem, the Jasper slowly blinked before a tiny smile crept over her face. She turned to glare fiercely at the two gems across the way, taking Rubes' hand in her own, quickly picking her up in her arms.

Kyan staggered to her feet, summoning another bat and glaring _daggers_ up at the Onyx warrior.  
"Give me... that... scarf... NOW!" She snarled, clutching her bat, moving slowly towards the much taller gem. Onyx's expression didn't falter, but she looked over to the scarf, scoffing quietly.  
"This old cut of cloth? Why should I? You've always had a sick obsession with it. It's time you learned what happens when you bail on us, Kyanite." Clutching the scarf in hand, the Onyx lifted a single, clawed finger and placed it to the fabric, digging her nail in. Kyan's entire demeanor _dropped,_ her eyes going wide with horror.  
"S-STOP! DON'T!" she whimpered, dropping her bat to the ground with a soft thud. She lifted up her hands, lower lip trembling. But, her cry fell on deaf ears.  
Slowly, without taking her eyes off the small blue warrior, the Onyx tore her nail into the scarf, cutting a small but noticeable gash in its fibers. A twisted grin of satisfaction pulled at the corners of her mouth as she tugged more, cutting it further and further.  
_"Oops.~"_  
The world around Kyan stopped. Petrified, the azure gem stared up at her scarf with absolute _devastation._ She heard every tear of each thread. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she started to breathe heavier. Faster. _Harsher._ Suddenly, her brows furrowed, and her lips curled into a horrible snarl.  
**"RRRAAAAGGHHH!"** In a blind rage, Kyan lunged at the Onyx, swinging her fists with all of her might. "I'M GONNA BREAK YOU FOR THAT!!"

_Flash!_

  
In an instant, heavy, rapid footsteps closed in on the two gems, giving them almost no time to react. Before either of them could blink, a huge, dark shadow fell over them, a massive gem standing just behind the red warrior, twice her size. A long, dark ponytail trailed out behind her, and fiery, narrowed eyes glared daggers down at the Onyx.  
In one swift movement, the huge gem harshly snatched her up by her arm that currently held the scarf, lifting her to eye level. Baring her teeth, the gem squeezed her fist _tight_ around Onyx's arm.  
_"She said to give her the scarf."_

Kyan stared up in horrified, furious confusion, stepping back. _That was a big gem._ A soft, fearful noise escaped her throat before she looked at the fusion's chest, realizing just who it was. She stopped in her tracks. The Onyx hissed through her teeth, snarling as she was spun around to face the fusion. Her eyes widened in a flicker of fear, but it vanished as quickly as it came. Swiping her hand over the red, striped gem that laid on her shoulder, she summoned a battle ax, holding it close to Puff's gem. She clutched tighter to the scarf she held, staring up into Citrine’s eyes.  
"No. Stay out of this, you filthy fusion."  
Slowly, Citrine narrowed her eyes, not making any move to harm Onyx further _or_ to get her axe away from Puff's gem. No, instead, she slowly grinned, her 'brows' splitting to reveal another set of eyes, which glared darkly down at the gem.  
"Have it your way, then," she crooned grimly.  
In a flash, the huge gem grabbed onto the ax with her free hand, tore it away from the warrior gem, and grabbed her other arm, squeezing it tightly. The fusion gem chuckled darkly, sneering as she suddenly pinned the red gem's arms to the arena wall, making small cracks in it.  
"You're disobeying the orders of two guard gems." Slowly, Citrine's hand that held Onyx's empty-handed arm started to heat up, and fast. Bright scarlet flames steadily licked their way down her gloved arm, making their way dangerously close to Onyx's form. "Now we're gonna say this one. More. Time." Slowly, the huge gem leaned in, her face mere inches from Onyx's. **"Drop. The scarf."**

Onyx bared her teeth as she started to feel the heat, quite literally. Sweat dripping from her brow, she snarled as she looked at her arms, trying to force them away from Citrine's, to no avail. Without another word of complaint, the tall warrior scoffed and dropped Kyan's scarf to the ground, glaring up at Citrine. Kyan quickly scurried up under them to grab her scarf, brashly grabbing it despite being so close to the two. She made a quick dash away, turning on her heel when she'd gotten a few good feet away. Breathing heavily, held her scarf close to her; small, nearly inaudible whimpers escaping her. She found herself staring up at the Onyx, wide-eyed.

Slowly, Citrine turned to look at the tiny gem, who didn't even reach her _knees_ in height. Her gaze softened for a moment, but quickly returned to its previous ferocity. Snapping her attention back to Onyx, she narrowed her eyes, the flames _still_ moving down her arms.  
"Kyanite. Please turn away."

Onyx started grunting, squirming in Citrine's grasp.  
"W-What are you doing?!" She hissed maliciously, looking quickly between Citrine's arms and her face. "I let go of the stupid scarf! Put me down, you monstrosity!" She snarled.  
Kyan backed up a few steps, slowly. She seemed transfixed, unable to look away from the two. A flicker of horror darkened her gaze as she suddenly realized where this was headed. _No, she couldn't watch this._ Quickly turning away, Kyan threw her scarf over face, falling to her knees.

Onyx's struggles only made the fusion hold on tighter to her arms, the unbearably hot flames now having reached the red gem's arms.  
"Perhaps I should show you what happens when you oppose Citrine, hm?~" she sneered venomously down at the smaller gem. Without warning, the massive gem suddenly yanked Onyx's arms down to her sides, flames completely _enveloping_ her form in an instant. Glaring daggers at the vicious gem, Citrine bared her teeth, squeezing the red warrior around the middle _as hard as she could._ Onyx cried out in horrible pain, her scream echoing through the Coliseum and reverberating off of its high walls.

  
**POFF!**  
  
Before anyone could even turn around in the Coliseum to see where the scream came from, the very force of Citrine's hands _crushed_ Onyx's projection, resulting in a cloud of reddish smoke. Kyan felt her breath catch in her throat; she dared not look behind her. Without missing a beat, Citrine snatched up the small, red gemstone, holding it tightly in her fist. She glared down at her hand, her eyes narrowed to mere _slits._ There was a long, tense pause as the flames on her arms died out.

Her grip on the gem tightened, her glove sickeningly squeaking against the vulnerable gemstone from the sheer pressure. Citrine looked sidelong at Kyan, regarding her trembling, knelt form quietly. She could just make out the shaken warrior's soft, fearful whimpering. Slowly, the fusion felt her furious grimace melt, and her death-grip loosen. Frowning, she gazed down at the red gem in her hand.

  
_Vwip!_

  
Hesitantly, Citrine bubbled the gem and tapped it with two fingers, teleporting it away. _She'd take care of that and report it to Blue Diamond at a later date. For now..._  
Slowly, the fusion gem walked a few paces closer to the tiny blue warrior, crouching down. Reaching forward, she carefully went to pick up Kyan around her waist, a concerned frown on her face.  
"Hey, she didn't hurt you, did she?"

Kyan jumped slightly when Citrine touched her, but she eased up a little, staring wide-eyed at the huge fusion. She couldn't speak.  
_She didn't shatter her..._ _She sent her away. I won't see her again, right? I-I can't see her again, she'll kill me next time! Sh-she would have this time if I'd been alone-!_

Kyan looked down shakily at her scarf, the sudden realization of what had happened crashing down on her, sending her into a sobbing fit. Burying her face in her scarf, she muffled her cries in the thick, blue fabric. Thankfully, Onyx hadn't torn more than a few inches or so of her scarf, but the damage was still done. Her tiny, blue, trembling form shook as she nuzzled her face in the scarf, babbling unintelligible words.

Gently, the large fusion picked up the Kyanite and shifted her into her arms, biting her lip nervously. She looked around to see a few gems staring at the two, or rather three, of them. Giving them a warning glare, Citrine made her way into one of the Coliseum tunnels, quickly slouching against the stone wall with the sobbing gem in her arms.  
"Shhh, shh... hey... Kyanite, it's alright, I've got you, you won't see that gem again, I promise," she assured quietly, gently running one of her hands over the small gem's messy hair. "Deep breaths, it's okay."

Kyan never took her face out of her scarf. The cloth was now damp with her tears, and she shivered and held it closer, letting out a shrill whine. She tried to say something, but it was completely muffled by the cloth. A few more gems started eyeing the fusion within the tunnel, narrowing their eyes. They started to murmur quietly to one another, one of them being so bold as to take out a communicator.

Looking around desperately, the large gem bit her lip again, not sure what to do. If only Hema were here, maybe he could calm her down?

_If Hema had been here, she wouldn't have gotten attacked in the first place- Puff, he could have easily gotten distracted, too. C'mon._

Citrine gazed down at the distraught gem in silence, her hand still gently petting her hair, until she suddenly slowed, pulling it away. A brief pause stretched between them. Carefully, the fusion wrapped her arms completely around the Kyanite, holding her close, putting a hand on the back of her head.

Kyan's crying eventually calmed, drifting into a quieter series of sharp, involuntary inhales and little hiccups stuttered with soft whimpers. Slowly, she peeked out from her scarf, looking up at Citrine's face with tears still in her eyes. Sniffing quietly, she looked back down at her scarf, moving it around until she found the small tear in the cloth. Citrine looked down as well, spotting the small rip in the fibers.  
"... It's alright, Kyan. Rubes can help you fix that up, okay?" Reaching a hand over, the fusion gem gently wiped away the tears on the blue gem's cheeks. She smiled softly.

Kyan gasped quietly, looking back up at Citrine. For a moment, she held still, clutching the scarf close... before squirming in her arms and wrapping her arms around the fusion's midsection. Well, as best as she could, anyway. She couldn't even get her arms around her front. Burying her face into the fusion's chest, Kyan let out a small whimper.  
"M'sorry... you coulda gotten hurt, a-all because of me."

Gently, the larger gem brushed her hand down Kyan's hair and back, careful not to touch the gemstone that laid between her shoulderblades.  
"Don't be sorry; I should have reacted faster. Why don't we go back to Rubes' place? She can fix up that tear, and you can rest. You look like you need it," she offered gently. Kyan looked down at her scarf, sniffing again and wrapping it carefully around her neck. She didn't bother fixing it up to sit as neatly around her neck as it usually was.  
"Okay..." she muttered quietly, holding her hands up close to her face and pressing the warm cloth into her chin. The larger gem slowly lowered Kyan to the ground, gently brushing her hair away from her face for a moment.  
"Maybe next time we meet, it'll be at a fusion event- something nice that we can enjoy together, huh? I look forward to it, kiddo."

Kyan looked up at the fusion once more, forcing a weak smile.  
"Thank you..." she said softly, tugging her scarf down to reveal her mouth.

"No problem, Kyan." Citrine lightly nudged the smaller gem's cheek with her knuckle, smiling lopsidedly. "Stay tough."  
Closing her eyes, the fusion gem started to glow, soon splitting into two much smaller gems. Puff immediately shook her head, rubbing it with a soft groan. Rubes, however, made her way over to Kyan within moments, looking uncharacteristically _worried_ and panicked _._  
"Kyan, are you sure you're alright? Is your gemstone okay?! I swear to Blue, if that piece of work hurt you, I'll personally shatter them myself," she growled, looking angrily off to the side.

Kyan was momentarily taken aback by Rubes' sudden change of pace, but she couldn't say it was unwelcome. Citrine's words echoed in her mind.  
_Stay tough._  
Frowning, Kyan looked away from the duo without a word. She sighed quietly and held her scarf close to her face again, pushing it back up over her nose.  
"Let's get outta this place... I hate it here."

Rubes furrowed her brows, standing up straight with an awkward frown. She looked up at Puff as the Jasper walked over, a concerned grimace on her face. The Ruby sighed quietly through her nose, her demeanor returning to its usual neutral state.  
"Right. Puff, let's go back to my place," she said softly, hopping up onto the Jasper's shoulder. With a short hum of agreement, Puff adjusted herself and knelt down, offering an open arm for Kyan. Looking to the Jasper's arm with a solemn stare, Kyan slowly climbed up onto her shoulder. The tiny, rattled gem leaned against Puff's head slightly, burying the side of her face in her light, fluffy hair. She looked out ahead, not looking entirely 'there.' With a soft 'hup', Puff shifted to carefully hold Kyan's legs so she wouldn't slip off. She stood straight and made her way out of the arena tunnel, heading straight for the exit. _Right... the sooner they got out of here, the sooner Kyan could calm down. And the sooner Kyan calmed down... the sooner they could find out what was going on._  
That is, if she would tell them _anything_.  
\--  
Stepping in front of her door, Rubes pulled her shirt's neckline down, revealing her gemstone to a small device. It chirped in response and scanned her gem, quickly opening up. Looking up at the two gems behind her, the Ruby walked inside, readjusting her shirt. Puff smiled and set Kyan down next to the rather small door, gently ushering her inside.

Kyan looked at the door half-reluctantly. It was a bit smaller than most doors that were seen around the district, though still easy for _her_ to walk through. _I wonder if doors like this are common in the districts. Are they just on residential spires?_ she thought curiously.

The living quarters inside were certainly interesting. Instead of being set up like a usual multi-room home, Rubes' apartment was one large, round living space. Most everything was some shade of red, purple, or an earthy 'black'. The floors, aside from one odd circular section to the right, were covered in a dark carpeting. The odd-area-out was tiled with a dark, shiny, stone material. Along the walls in that place in particular laid a few large shelves with a myriad of pictures, knickknacks, and a few old diamond pads. Along the other walls were similar shelves, though they held far less on them. There was a large pile of cushions and blankets in the far-center of the room, in a small 'dip' in the floor. A round, bowl-like bed hovered in the middle of the cushions and such, filled to the brim with soft-looking blankets. On one of the far walls laid a broad, purple-tinted holo-screen that appeared to be turned off at the moment, if its dimmed color was anything to go by. There were a few small tables here and there, though one was far bigger than the others and seemed large enough for two bigger gems to sit at. Near the tiled area laid a small, neat-looking glass cupboard with various candies and bottles, which appeared to hold drinks similar to the ones at Morgan's bar. The lighting in the room was a gentle golden color, giving the living space a cozy, welcoming tone. It smelled of sugar, cinnamon, and even a low, burnt-wood smell.  
Rubes made her way over to the cupboard, opening one of the glass panes.  
"Hey Kyan. You ever tried one of these?" she asked as she held up a small, crinkly bag of candies.  
From behind Kyanite, Puff grunted with effort as she forced herself through the tiny doorway. After a moment of awkward shifting, she stumbled forward, the door sliding shut behind her.

Kyan was busy peering around the room when Rubes called over to her. Without a word, she looked from the Ruby's face to the bag she held in her hand. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes widening.  
"Oh, yeah! I know about those! But, I've never tried one myself...! Candy is kinda a fancy thing, and I don't have much access to those..." She paused, smiling slightly. "But, I've always wanted to try one..."

Arching a brow, the Ruby turned quietly to the blue gem.  
"Think fast," she said casually, tossing the sealed bag to Kyan. Kyan quickly reached out and grabbed the bag, clutching it in her hands. It crinkled invitingly, its contents glimmering faintly behind the thin plastic. She looked down at it in genuine surprise, then back up to Rubes, then back down.  
"… Oh, thanks! You want me to take one?" she asked, feeling her fingers around to try and find the best way to open the sealed bag. Closing the cabinet back up, the Ruby shook her head slightly.  
"Nah. Have the whole bag, it's no big deal," she replied simply, making her way toward the large cushion pile. She climbed up in the bed, settling comfortably.  
Puff stared down at Kyan in surprise, looked at Rubes, and then looked down at Kyan again. She seemed shocked. Kyan, too, looked back up at the Ruby, but returned her gaze to the bag of candy in her hand. A warm feeling spread through her core. _Hardly anyone had ever given her anything like this before..._ Kyan smiled genuinely and walked over to the center of the room where Rubes was, plopping down on one of the cushions. Quietly, she looked down, her smile dropping just slightly. It was still there, just, faded.  
"Thanks... both of you."

Following after the two smaller gems, the Jasper sat down with a soft huff, leaning back against the bed that Rubes was settled in.  
"Don't mention it, Kyan. This is the least we can do. We're just... sorry we didn't see that Onyx in time." Looking away, Puff forced a smile, though a pained remembrance flashed over her face. Rubes glanced at her partner for a moment, but turned her attention to Kyan. She laid on her front, folding her arms in front of her.  
"Who was that gem? Did you know them?"

Kyan opened the bag of candies, the sweet smell wafting up in the air as its contents were exposed. Kyan felt her skin crawl for a moment, the scent unfamiliar but exhilarating, somehow. Blinking, Kyan didn't look at the two, but stared down into the bag. She hesitated.  
She wasn't too sure just how much of this she should reveal... it was best if things were kept on a low profile... they'd already heard about the 'Star Stealers', but she was uncertain of _how much._ She decided to just leave it at a simple, “An old headache."

The dark-haired gem pursed her lips, popping them together once as she turned her head to Puff.  
"Hey. You remember the two Aquamarines that stayed with us a while before Hema brought us to White Diamond?"  
The Jasper furrowed a brow in confusion, looking up to the side.  
"Oh yeaaah. Didn't they bolt when that-... thing showed up?" she asked cautiously. Nodding, Rubes wrinkled her nose, glancing sidelong at the small blue gem.  
"Yep, ditched me back at the base. Well. Turns out they've both joined a new rebel group." Slowly, she narrowed her eyes. _"The Star Stealers."_

Kyan's attention snapped to the Ruby suddenly, but she kept quiet.  
_I hope they weren't friends with those Aquamarines..._  
Sticking her hand in the bag, she grabbed one of the candies, quietly looking over it. Grabbing onto her scarf with her free hand, Kyan unraveled the cloth carefully and sat it down beside her. Her gaze rested on the torn cloth. She sighed heavily, but forced herself to look back at the candy.  
Opening her mouth, she stuck the candy on her tongue, immediately surprised by how it tasted, but even more so by how it _felt_.  
"MMgh!" She puffed her cheeks out, grabbing onto the bag and looking down in it. _Sweet, yet strangely fizzy... these were really good!_ She'd have to remember this brand if she ever could get her hands on another bag sometime. Rubes chuckled at Kyan's reaction, nudging Puff's shoulder.  
"You had the same reaction when you tried those," she teased. Puff snorted quietly, brushing her hair aside and raising a brow.  
"Whaat you didn't tell me they were fizzy! I didn't know they would do that." Puff leaned back against the oddly-shaped bed, sighing softly. "When did you find that out, Rubes? About the Aqua twins? I thought you hadn't seen them in a few years."  
"I hadn't. I ran into one of them this morning. They were being all snide and saying I’d better consider joining them if I was smart."  
Puff scoffed and shot the Ruby an incredulous look.  
"And what did you tell her?"  
Rubes pursed her lips and shrugged casually, lifting a hand and twisting it around at the wrist.  
"I told her if she wanted to keep her hair she needed to get moving, and that if she was smart, she wouldn't go around bragging about what groups she was in. I also told her I had a job to get to and that she needed to buzz off."

Kyan's expression dropped, and she swallowed suddenly. Poking her tongue out of her mouth, she frowned.  
"I... I think it's a good thing you didn't join them..." she said with an unmistakable look of worry plastered all over her. "All I can say is that... they're bad news. And... they probably won't be a problem _for much longer..._ So..." She looked down again, gripping the bag tightly.

Rolling onto her back, the small red gem folded her arms behind her head.  
"Well, good riddance. They tried to take over our little group a few times and always tried to say we should look for more members and try to get revenge on some group they had a problem with. They wanted us all to learn how to fuse... Me, Puff, Axinite, and them... one huge fusion that could take out a bunch of gems." Frowning, she clicked her teeth once, a sneer on her lips. "That's not what fusion is for. It's disgusting. So, if they've gone and joined some other gang they feel more at home in, then fine. If this group isn't gonna be around much longer, good. They had it coming."  
Puff turned to look at the smaller gem and pursed her lips, reaching over and gently ruffling her hair. Rubes hummed in weak protest but didn't move to stop Puff's gesture.

Kyanite kept quiet, only half-listening. She zoned out again, casually munching on the candies, swishing them around in her mouth now and then. She wasn't looking at the other two, but she listened to them as best she could. Her eyes fell upon her damaged scarf, and she suddenly felt tears prick involuntarily at her eyes again. Quickly, she grabbed her scarf and held it out in front of Rubes with pleading eyes. Rubes blinked in surprise and rolled back over, staring at the small tear.  
"You want me to fix this up, kiddo?" she asked quietly, brushing her hair aside.  
Puff looked over as well, eyeing the scarf. "Don't you have that weird cloth synthesizer?"

Kyan swallowed nervously, looking up at Rubes hopefully.  
"Yes please... it's very important to me," she said simply, scooting a bit closer.

After a short pause, Rubes carefully took the scarf from Kyan's hands, hopping up from her bed.  
"I'll see what I can do. It's not a very big tear so I should be able to fix it up like new. There might be a small mark still, but. We'll see." Nodding once to herself, the small red gem walked over to the tiled area of her room, putting the scarf down on a smooth, black counter. Kyan kept a careful eye on the Ruby as she left with her scarf, her anxiety increasing with every step she took. She hoped she knew what she was doing. Rubes bent down and started rummaging through a cabinet, searching for something.  
In the meantime, Puff turned her attention down to the blue warrior, raising a brow.  
"Sooo. Whatcha think of the candies?"  
"Huh?... Oh, th-they're great!" she said, turning her attention back to the Jasper with a forced smile. Looking down into the bag, she took one out and held it towards Puff. "Ya want one?"

Waving a hand dismissively, Puff smiled and shook her head.  
"Nah, those are yours, keep ‘em. Besides, I'm not as crazy about sugar as Rubes; they're not my thing. Glad you like ‘em though!"  
_Clunk._  
The Ruby across the room hefted a small, but heavy-duty machine onto the counter, dusting it off.  
"This might take a while, Kyan. Fiber restoration is a slow process, so I think we should stick around here for tonight."

Kyan smiled softly and put the candy back in the bag, resealing it.  
"I don't mind... I think it's kinda nice here... it's really warm and quiet," she said, setting the bag next to her and hugging her knees close to her chest. She spared Puff a glance, but her expression was rather unreadable. She fell quiet.

Offering Kyan another small smile, Puff shifted to settle down more comfortably on the cushions, folding her arms behind her head. She crossed one leg over the other.  
"Hey, Rubes. How about some music?"  
"Hm? Ah, right." Walking over to a small drawer, the Ruby opened it up to find a small remote inside, on top of a small stack of papers. She lifted it up and pointed it toward the holo-screen, clicking a button. The surface of the gem-tech glowed to life, a soft lavender hue setting it aglow. Quiet, slow techno-type music started to play at a comfortable volume, drifting through the room. Puff sighed contently through her nose, closing her eyes.  
"I dunno how you feel about sleep, Kyan, but maybe you should rest for a while."  
Rubes looked over after putting the remote away and nodded.  
"Feel free to use my bed, if you'd like," she offered gently, moving back over to the fiber-restoration machine.

Kyan pressed her fingertips together awkwardly, looking around the room with an unsure expression. She wasn't exactly _uncomfortable_ here, no... that wasn't it. But something was definitely bothering her. Maybe Rubes was right... maybe she _did_ need some rest. Moving over to the Ruby's bed, she curled up and grabbed one of the pillows, flopping down on her side and hugging it close to her body.

The music continued on, occasionally changing tracks and drifting to other, equally relaxing styles. After a few minutes, a soft blanket suddenly draped over the small blue gem. Rubes walked away from the bed silently, brushing her hair out of her face as she made her way back to the counter. She dimmed the lights slightly. A moment later, the Ruby went back to her work. Kyan didn't move, but looked over as best as she could, opening one eye to peer over at the Ruby. She sighed quietly, grabbing onto the blanket and slowly tugging at it, pulling it up close to her chin. _Things would get better... She could feel it._ She didn't know how, or why, but for the first time in centuries... she had hope for the future. It was subtle, and not solid, but she definitely knew it was there. The small blue gem clutched the pillow and the blanket close, closing her eyes. Soon enough, she started to drift off to sleep, comforted by the warmth and company surrounding her.  
_She hoped tomorrow would be a better day._

* * *

 

* * *

Deep, deep in the Pink District, in the dead of the night, Hematite came to a stop just inside a large city block that spanned miles and miles ahead of him and Blue Diamond. Sweat was dripping from his brow, and he hunched over, holding Blue close to his chest. They weren't at the main base yet. They currently stood in what was marked as an 'abandoned potential base', according to Kyan.

Hema could feel his energy dwindling in his rush to make it to the Star Stealers. He'd overdone it during his last stretch of running, and knew that if he took even one more step, he risked reverting to his tiny size. And, that was the _last_ thing he and Blue Diamond wanted right now. He'd been rushing through the district all day, with intermittent breaks. The good news was, they were almost to their destination, within a few hours, in fact, if he ran at full speed. The bad news was, it didn't look like they'd make it there before morning.

Blue muttered something under her breath, standing up in the giant's hand. She looked up at him, the moonlight above outlining him in silver.  
"Alright, alright, take it easy, kid. We should stop for a little while. You've made a lot of progress, and to my knowledge, we're almost there. You're gonna want to be in top shape for the last stretch." She reached up, patting the tuckered-out Hematite on his chest. Every particle in her body was itching to keep going and to get there as soon as possible, but she knew that if Hema pushed himself too far, they ran the real risk of being found and getting hurt. Hematite nodded and slowly stood up straight, sighing deeply through his nose.  
"Right, okay." Puffing his cheeks out, the giant gem shook his head momentarily, looking around. "Let's find somewhere to settle down." Shifting down to his half height, Hema held his companion close, making his slow way down the city block.

The city looked hardly any different than most of the other urban blocks he and Blue had passed through on their way there. The buildings towered above Hematite's head, making even such a giant gem look small. Their stony skins were veined with vines and various forms of verdant life. Green hues stood stark against the grayed, sun-bleached walls. A soft, bubbling sound drifted from somewhere nearby. Water, perhaps.

With stones crunching underfoot, Hematite carried himself and his superior deeper into the city in silence. His eyes kept to both the dark alleys and the high rooftops, should anyone be watching them. The visor on his face performed a regular scan every so often, and much to the harvester's relief, it showed nothing aside from plant life, gem creatures, and a corrupted signal now and then. It helped ease his mind a bit that they appeared to be alone. All he needed was him and Blue being ambushed while they were resting.

Eventually, Hematite rounded the bend of a building and stopped in his tracks as he spotted a small, gem-made river flowing down the center of two streets. It laid in a small ditch that ran down the length of the city, mosses and dead plant life creeping up the once-neat stones. The giant gem felt something familiar flicker in the back of his mind, like the fleeting glow of a frightened Jadewing. Why did he feel like he'd been here before? He tried to push away the distracting thought, and turned down the path, heading up the street. However, as he carried on, and a dark, strange shape rose up far in the distance at the end of the street, Hema felt something unpleasant rise up in his throat. A vile taste akin to bile bit at the back of Hematite's mouth as he stopped, staring far down the path. An eerie, cold feeling crept up his spine as a dull phantom pain spread throughout his back, and the sounds of snapping vines and crumbling marble filled his mind.  
"... I know this place."

Furrowing her brows, Blue looked up at Hematite with a confused grimace.  
"Eh? You been here before? Some kind of recon mission?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. "You know of some good places to hide out?"

"I know where we might find one, yeah."  
Hematite went silent, moving forward slowly, but steadily. As he crested up the small, paved hill, he took a deep, steadying breath. He stopped in front of a large, round clearing, where a massive skyscraper laid in shambles, reduced to rubble and a few chunks of the main building that seemed more-or-less intact. Hema gazed around with a grimace, eyeing all the damage the building had done to the clearing. The facility towards the center of the area was reduced to rubble, and the creeping vines that'd once held up the sky scraper seemed to have taken root, starting to form small, woody brier-patches. Scratching his head, Hematite sighed softly.  
"Did I ever tell you how I got poofed the second time?" he asked quietly, looking out at the massive field of destruction with a haunted look in his eyes. Blue frowned, looking from Hematite to the building that lay in overturned rubble in the clearing. Her expression fell, a small frown on her face.  
"No... you didn't," she said quietly, looking up worriedly to the service gem. _Was this_ _ **his**_ _doing?_ Inhaling slowly through his teeth, Hematite rubbed his back with his free hand, letting the breath out in a low, displeased hum.  
"Taking a building to the back isn't as fun as it sounds,” he muttered. “Though, I'm not sure who that would sound fun to... I digress,” he muttered, shaking his head. Slowly, he made his way up into the rubble, stepping closer to the most intact piece of the tower he could see. It seemed the inner floors, though now turned on their sides, were still in one piece. Surely they could find a place to bunker down in there. His feet slipped now and then on the crumbled rock, and he feared with each step that he'd bring the rest of the rubble down, or he'd come across some hidden rebels. He silently hoped that whoever had dropped the building on him and White were long gone.

Blue thought hard for a moment, quickly hunkering down and leaping onto a piece of rubble. Facing the building, she made her way around it as best as she could in order to try and scope out an opening. After a few minutes, she found a rather sizable crack in one of the walls, but Hematite wouldn't be able to get in there at his current size.  
"Hey, over here!" The Diamond called, waving her hand at Hematite. Looking over, Hema raised his brows, looking at the opening curiously. _Ah, that could work._ Pressing his hand on the wall, he gave it a testing shove. It didn't so much as budge. He quickly shrank down to his civilian size, following after the Diamond. The inside of this part of the building was damaged, sure, but it wasn't obliterated, and it was dark enough that if anyone wandered by, they wouldn't be found. The smaller gem tapped the silvery stone on his neck, emitting a bright pink beam of light from it. He looked around, pursing his lips. Blue squinted around at the area.

"Hmmmm," the Diamond hummed out inquisitively, narrowing her eyes. She made her way into a darker section of what appeared to have been a lounge. Her own gem lit up, casting the wrecked room in a blue glow. Within the overturned lounge, a large piece of wall was toppled over, blocking Blue's way. She grabbed it with ease and set it to the side as gently as she could. The less noise she made here, the better. "Alright, keep your voice down just in case we're not alone... does your radar show anything?" Blue asked without looking back. Hematite, without replying, checked his visor again.  
"Tsss. There's still interference here, just like last time. But, as far as I can tell, no. This place is pretty abandoned, even though it's one of the old bases, according to your map." He made his way over to the Diamond, sitting down in a dark corner of the space Blue had found. "Maybe they ditched it after this monstrosity came tumbling down..."

Blue looked at Hematite, her shoulders hung low. She sighed heavily through her nose, running her fingers through her hair for a moment. She walked over towards him and sat down next to him, propping her back up against the wall.  
"Maybe..." she said, poking out her lip. "Regardless... They aren't here now. And if they're smart, after we're done with this group... none of them will ever _be_ back here," she growled, punching one of her fists in her opposite palm.

"I sure hope so."  
Lifting a hand, the service gem flicked away his visor, the light dimming from his gemstone as well. Hematite leaned back against the wall, sighing and closing his eyes, silent for a long minute or so. Eventually, without warning, he broke the silence.  
"White and I came here on a recon mission. I was to check for a reported 'infestation' of Emerald monsters, but there only turned out to be one small one," he began, his voice soft. "This tower was being held up by a bunch of vines and woody plants... I should have known better than to come into this clearing, but I had a job to do."

Blue looked up at Hematite, the light from her gem still illuminating the room slightly... and soon, it fell on Hematite. She looked sympathetically at him, and for the first time in what seemed like weeks, the anger she wore in her countenance softened. Hema opened up one eye as the blue light fell over his face, but soon closed it again, continuing his story.  
"She'd come with me because there were some gems that were threatening to shatter me. This was right after the incident with Yellow..." He sighed. "I digress. There _used_ to be a building in the center of this clearing, but it's long gone now, underneath all this rubble. While I was searching for the corrupted Emerald, some... rebels, I think- cut the vines and sent the building crashing down... On top of me _and_ White." Brows furrowing, Hema repressed a shudder. "I was sure it was gonna crush her... so I shifted up and grabbed her before the building hit the ground, but. Mmm. Even I can't take that kind of hit and still stand. I held on until I was sure she was okay, but." Slowly, he reached up, touching his gemstone. "I feel like I might have done some real damage to myself by doing that. I dunno. Maybe I was just shaken."

“Well... big or not, there's always something bigger that can still hurt you,” she muttered.

Grimacing, the service gem scoffed softly under his breath.

"I'll bet those rebels were part of the Star Stealers. I only wish we'd known that then. I would have taken them out first if we had."

Frowning in concern, Blue looked around without turning her head.

“That was a brave thing you did. Risky... but brave. I'm assuming the building fell around you, or something... if it kept coming down after you destabilized... it might have hurt your gem." She grimaced faintly at the thought. Hematite chuckled dryly, shaking his head.  
"It came down completely before I destabilized. I managed to shield White with my body and get the rubble off of us, but after I put her down, I blacked out. I'm guessing she fetched my gem after it fell or something. I'm not sure, she never told me the details. Buuut either way, in the end, she was fine... And she shattered a few of the rebels, even if some of them got away."

Blue scoffed, the corner of her mouth twitching into a sneer.

"Tch. Those rebels have been nothing but trouble for years... I wish I'd caught on quicker, maybe that wouldn't have happened."

“Ehh... it happens. We're taking care of it now. That's what matters.” Rubbing his forehead, the service gem finally opened his eyes, stifling a big yawn. He covered his mouth before moving his hand up to his forehead, running his fingers through his hair. "Stars. I really overdid it." After a pause, Hema looked over at Blue, an odd look in his eyes. "… Hey, Blue, I recover energy quickest when I'm fully shifted down." He offered her a tiny smile. "Think you can handle yourself if I'm out of commission for a little while?" he asked almost sarcastically.

Blinking, Blue offered Hematite a soft, small smile.  
"Sure thing, kiddo," she said, turning her head to shine the light back over to the service gem. "Do what you need to do. I can take on anyone if they try to mess with us in here," she said, crossing her arms with a smirk.

Hematite's own smile widened as he gazed fondly at the Diamond. He chuckled once, his gemstone starting to glimmer dimly in the dark. _Good to see you coming back around, Blue._ In a flash, the ivory-haired gem sat against the wall, at only a few inches tall now. Yawning, he stretched and leaned back, frowning faintly. _Well... it certainly wasn't his teacup bed or his couch... but it'd have to do, he supposed._

Frowning slightly, Blue narrowed her eyes, glancing around for a moment. She leaned over with a warm, fond smile, and held out her hand to the tiny gem. Hematite looked up in surprise at the huge gem, his eyes wide. His brows raised as a smile spread across his face, and he hopped up, quickly stepping up into Blue's hand. He held onto her thumb, looking up at her warmly.  
"Thanks, Blue."

Blue reached out her other hand to cup it around his back, should her momentum knock him over. Leaning back against the wall with a heavy, exasperated sigh, she held the tiny gem close to her chest and smirked.  
"Aaaalright Hema, it's my turn to be the guard. You get some rest, okay?"

Hematite settled down in the Diamond's hand more comfortably, curling up with his back against her fingers. Nodding in reply, the tiny gem closed his eyes, resting his forehead against Blue's thumb.  
"Alright, see ya in a few hours." He yawned quietly, sighing deeply through his nose afterward. "Wake me if anyone needs to be tossed across the city," he muttered. He could already feel the sharp tug of some well-needed sleep pulling his consciousness down into an invisible pit.

Blue stifled a quiet chuckle, placing her free hand behind her head and propping one foot over the other. She looked out at the room around her, keeping her eyes and ears peeled for anything suspicious. The minutes ticked on, and the two fell into soft, yet alert, silence.  
  
\--  
  
Hours dragged on. Four, five perhaps. They drifted by like the soft winds outside the broken-down building Blue and Hema sought solace in. The Diamond didn't know how much time had passed, but if the slowly-rising sun was anything to go by, they had to get moving soon. Soft pink, warm hues started to shine into the broken building in small rays of light, painting the old, dead walls with some semblance of life. And, while they were beautiful, they only served as a grim reminder that their clock was ticking. The Star Stealers would be on the move soon.

Looking down, Blue sighed and gently prodded Hema with her finger.  
"Psst. Hey. Sorry to wake ya, kid... we she could get goin' soon. How do you feel?" she asked, keeping her voice low. As soon as Blue nudged him, Hema snorted quietly, lifting his head drowsily, his eyes half-open.  
"No, White, the teacup's over... there," he mumbled. After a confused moment, the tiny gem shook his head, trying to clear any fog that laid over his mind. "Mm? Oh. Right..." Sitting up slightly, Hema stretched his arms out in front of him, his back arching as he did so. He let out a soft grunt and stretched out his legs, soon rolling over to sit in the Diamond's palm. Sleepily scratching his head, he smacked his lips and scooted over to the edge of Blue's hand, hopping down clumsily. He shook off the last of his drowsiness, huffing quietly. Standing up, the Diamond cracked her knuckles and stretched.  
"Let me know when you're ready."

Hematite glanced up at Blue, but upon seeing the milky dawn light filtering in through the cracks of the downed tower, he frowned and shifted up to his civilian height, rushing out the 'door'.  
"Ready when you are," he said seriously, his form glowing once he was outside. He shifted up to his half-height, quickly lowering his palm next to the opening to the building. Blue was quick to follow, immediately jumping up into Hematite's hand with a soft 'hup'. Grabbing onto his finger, she craned her head to look up at him.  
"Alright, you know where we're going from here, right? If the maps are correct, their base isn't too far from here. Try to move at a slightly slower pace, though. We don't want to get spotted prematurely. If you keep about half the pace you did yesterday, we should be there by nightfall. Watch that radar and make sure you don't run into any trouble along the way, alright?"

“Understood. I'll shift down once we're within a few miles of the city block. You'll need to carry me the rest of the way. Once we're inside, I'll split off to track down Chalcedony.”

Blue nodded with a 'hmph' and looked forward, hunkering down low in the huge gem's hand. Her eyes locked on the horizon ahead, brows furrowed. Thunder rolled over the horizon behind them, heralding their mission with an ominous requiem of lightning.

\--  
About thirty miles from their destination, Hema looked down at Blue Diamond, a serious frown on his face.  
"Alright, here's what I had in mind. Blue, if you can get us into the city without being spotted, and I can get the signal on the Chalcedony, I should be able to stay small and sneak up on them, depending on where they're stationed. If they're on a rooftop, well. I'm sure I can find a way up. If I can get ahold of that one scout, I should be able to... _persuade_ them to talk and give us some intel. If not, I'll just have to find the next one." Looking up, Hema narrowed his eyes. "I don't have to tell you to stay out of sight. You're more important than me on this mission. Even if I'm in danger, try not to jump into things. I can handle myself; you just stay low and stay safe. Contact me on my communicator if you run into trouble.”  
"Got it. Just try to keep as safe as you can, alright, Hema?" she said, her voice laced with an edge.

Nodding with a soft 'hm', the service gem picked up his pace. In a few minutes, they were within visual distance of a massive city block. Residential clusters laid here and there around the outskirts, screening him from view… for now. Hematite slowed beside a civilian spire, peering around it to the main body of the city ahead. He placed Blue on the ground.  
"You'll have to make it the rest of the way. Those buildings are taller than I thought; they could spot me at any point." With that, he shifted down, now only standing a few inches tall. He looked up at the Diamond, clenching his fists with a fierce, serious glint in his eyes.

Blue peered up at the buildings, narrowing her eyes, and wordlessly picked Hema up, lifting him up to her shoulder. Just as silent as his blue superior, the tiny gem clambered up, turning to look ahead. His brows furrowed, his gaze steely. Something was starting to rise up in his chest, making the area around his gemstone prickle. The service gem latched tightly onto Blue's shirt, only giving a soft 'hmph' to show that he was settled and holding on tight. His eyes never left the city block far on the horizon.

As soon as Blue could feel that Hematite was steady on her shoulder, she started to run. Outside the primary city were a bunch of smaller houses and alleyways, all abandoned and worn down with age. As Blue passed by, slipping through the back roads, she couldn't help but wonder why it seemed that no one had even _touched_ this area of the Pink District yet.

The tiny gem stayed silent as Blue ducked between buildings, into alleyways, and behind ruins, staying hidden. His expression slowly fell as the Diamond closed in on the city, the emotion draining from his face, leaving only a serious, cold stare in its wake. The world slowly went quiet around him, every sound becoming distant and muted. Gradually, the unpleasant prickling around his gemstone turned into a burning, tingling feeling, spreading throughout his entire form. It settled deep in his chest, then his abdomen. An unmistakable, dull _need_ to hunt, to track, to harvest, spread through every inch of his form.  
For months, he'd pushed it down, let it fester, build up, gnaw at his very core. But now... now, he slowly, but surely, let it rise back up. Of course, he didn't let everything come back at once, no. He'd save that for later. He was still around Blue, after all.

As soon as they were about five minutes from the main city, Blue started to slow down, her steps becoming more precise, steady, and quiet. Blue knew she wasn't as stealthy as White. She did her best to watch her feet, making sure not to knock anything over or step on any particularly noisy surfaces. Before long, they were within the city limits, and took to the darkest alleys they could. Blue made her way through narrow passages, over small walls, and along facility boundaries. She kept to the shadows, and she and Hema fell silent.

 

As Blue neared what seemed like the heart of the city, the sun still hung in the sky... but one wouldn't know it. The clouds had caught up. Like the hungry growl of a testy predator, thunder bit at the earth, making the tallest of buildings tremble. Lightning flickered across the sky, arcing up between the clouds as if avoiding the ground and the conflict promised by the two gems below. While the clouds hugged the city with a stale, intrusive darkness, the lightning graced it with vibrant light. It felt as though the very cosmos were setting the stage, and, for once, that it was on Hematite's side. _After all, what was more dangerous than a hunter under the cloak of shadow?_

Stopping in a dark alley, Blue looked around, peering cautiously into the next street. _All clear._ It was now or never. Blue turned and grabbed Hematite carefully, holding him close to her chest. She looked down at him.

“This is as far as I go, Hematite. The scouts could be around any corner at this point. It's up to you now.” Kneeling down, she held out her hands. Touching down on the ground, Hematite looked up at his superior, giving her a serious nod. For a moment, he hesitated. This was it. He had to put his plan into motion. At this moment, whether they succeeded or failed rested on his shoulders. If he messed this up, the Star Stealers would get away, and likely put their plans into motion. On top of that, he doubted that either of them would get out of this unscathed if things went awry.  
"... Stay low. Stay safe. If things look bad, bolt. I want to take these guys down as much as you, but don't put yourself at risk. Homeworld can't lose another leader. I'll be back with information from the Chalcedony, or whatever scout I can find. Stay here." He slowly started to back away, flicking his hunting visor over his eyes. Blue's expression finally broke, a faintly haunted look on her face... but she quickly shook it off, nodding in understanding.  
"Be careful.” Narrowing his eyes, Hematite finally tore his gaze away from the Diamond.  
"I will be."  
  
Quickly, the tiny gem darted into the shadows, making his way through the city block. Of course, at only a few inches tall, it was a _massive_ chore to get through at a good pace, but the agility tips that Kyan had given him made it a little easier to duck around obstacles and plan out his path through the rubble, foliage, and different structures that got in his way.  
Slowly, but surely, Hematite made his way deeper into the heart of the city, the buildings slowly getting closer and closer together. This didn't affect him _now,_ of course... but he knew this could be a problem, should he need to shift up at any point. Of course, like any of the Homeworld capital cities, there were still _massive_ roads that ran along different blocks of the buildings, giving him ample room _there_ to shift, but he knew for a fact that those main streets would be heavily monitored. For now he stuck to the side paths, the alleys, the dark, hidden corners of the urban maze. A myriad of signals popped up on the tiny harvester's eyepiece, frustrating him to no end that this city seemed to be teeming with gem monsters and plant life. It drowned his radar in confusing pools of color, and made his signal-list a confusing, jumbled mess.  
Eventually, he came upon a river that ran through the city, much like in the other abandoned base. Another circle of tall buildings lined a much more rectangular clearing that seemed to stretch on for a few miles. Hematite peered around the corner of a rusted, old metal crate, narrowing his eyes at the road ahead. Through the dense foliage and invasive plants, he couldn't make out any of the old, decrepit businesses that had once occupied the buildings along the path. The only thing he _could_ identify was a truly impressive amphitheater near him, across the street. From what Hema could see, it looked as though it could house a couple thousand gems inside it. Perhaps a few ten thousand. But, what was odd about it was there was a huge curved dome that _almost_ entirely closed it off from the outside world. And, by the looks of it, there seemed to be a second, even _larger_ facility attached to the back, though that one was entirely sealed from the outside. If Hematite remembered correctly, the Pink District had a few double theaters which would have a sealed-off entertainment section for formal events and performances, while the other half was a more open amphitheater for other, more musical events. The building on the back appeared to be at least twenty stories tall. It didn't hold a candle to some of the towers here and there, but it was impressive nonetheless.  
Hematite narrowed his eyes up at each of the taller buildings, his visor on the lookout for any movement. His body stayed still, tensed, _charged_ with energy. He was itching to move. He needed to get out there and find _something_ to track. But he felt as though he was being watched, despite there being little chance that anyone had spotted him. Thunder rolled on the horizon. Slowly, an almost devious smirk spread across the tiny gem's face as he glanced up at the sky.  
Still keeping low, and moving only when the thunder shook the city, the small gem continued flicking his eyes along the tall buildings. His radar showed that there were various signals around here, but he couldn't tell which was the Chalcedony. A _few_ of the splashes of color were a light hue, but that could be the Chalcedony _or a myriad of other things,_ including crystal shrimp. At this size, he didn't want to risk it being the latter. So, he waited. Waited in silence for something, _anything_ to catch his eye. He listened to the sounds of the river lapping at the stone wash nearby, and to the rolling thunder.  
  
Just as Hematite was considering moving locations, he spotted it. High atop one of the nearby, mid-sized buildings shone a lavender-tinted light. It shone down into the street, casting the ground below in a pale, revealing light. Hematite's hair stood on end, his eyes widening sharply. He ducked down behind his hiding place again. The light moved around slowly, then vanished over the rooftop again in a flicker of subtle movement. Hema stared up at the rooftop, spotting a faint figure pace at the top of the tall building. _There_.  
Slowly, stealthily, Hematite made his way across the wide street dividing the two lines of buildings. Every once in a while, he ducked behind a rock, or dove into a clump of foliage that grew up out of the pavement. His eyes never left the building where the light shined down from.  
Now on all fours, the tiny gem crept toward the structure, keeping his body low. He was practically invisible, no more than a speck on the city floor.  
Soon enough, Hematite reached the small tower, looking up. His chest was rising and falling shallowly now, the burning feeling in his chest making itself known all over again. Flicking his tongue over his teeth, the service gem quickly looked at his hands, lifting them to the craggy stone wall.  
_Alright. Let's see what these things can do._  
Hoisting himself up, the tiny gem began a slow, steady climb up the building, using his clawed fingers to dig into cracks, latch onto tiny footholds, and cling to the craggy surface.  
_Unfortunately, he only made it about twenty or so feet up the wall before his luck ran out, along with his handholds._ Eyes widening, the tiny gem looked around, his arms shaking. There was nothing to grab onto.  
A moment later, though he gripped desperately at the rock wall... he slipped. The tiny gem fell back to the alley below, landing rather noisily onto a dense shrub that grew out of a mossy crack in the building. Thankfully out of sight, the tiny gem gasped quietly before going silent. He kept still as he could, looking up toward the edge of the building.  
Within seconds, a bright light shone towards the bush that Hematite had landed in. From atop the roof, there stood a warrior-height, thinly-built gem. The gem was light lavender in color with light hair, styled short and slick. The gem narrowed her eyes, glaring down at the bush below. But, soon, she turned away, having decided that it was probably another gem monster messing around down below.  
Sitting up, Hematite made his way out of the foliage as silently as he could, quickly darting over to the wall. He plastered his back against it, looking up at the immeasurable climb above him.  
_Alright... look at this from another angle. Maybe one of the other walls..._  
Slowly, the tiny gem skirted the corner of the building, scanning along the surface for anything that could be of use. Nothing. In fact, this back wall was in even _better_ shape than the other. Scowling, Hematite made his steady way along the third side, which laid beside an alley that went near the enormous amphitheater.  
Looking up, Hema's eyes widened, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.  
_There, along the entire side of the wall, grew a dark green, clinging plant._ It covered half of the rocky surface, its slightly luminescent leaves shining dimly. No wonder he couldn't get a clearer read on Chalcedony's signal; these things were reputed to give off high levels of Emerald and Ekanite signals. But no matter... Blocking his visor or not, they were going to prove quite... _useful._ Grinning to himself, the ivory-haired gem reached up and dug his clawed fingers into the vine-like plants, finding that they made _excellent_ handholds.  
Steadily, Hematite climbed his way up the building. The closer he got to the top, the stronger the ache in the pit of his abdomen grew, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

Grumbling under her breath, the lavender gem scoured the rooftop, checking each and every alleyway as she circled around. She made her way towards the corner Hema was climbing up. Quickly plastering himself to the wall, about three quarters of the way up, Hematite held his breath. He made sure to hide underneath one of the broad green leaves, screened from view. His eyes widened, and he stared up at the edge of the building, waiting.

Just barely projecting over the edge was the same purple light from before. It moved around slowly, carefully scanning the ground below. Seconds felt like long, agonizing, terrifying minutes. But soon, the light flickered away, and the footsteps retreated gradually to the other end of the building.

Hematite silently breathed a sigh of relief, beginning his climb up a few moments after the scout retreated over the edge of the building again.  
Within another minute or so, Hematite reached the last foot of his climb. He paused, listening to make sure the gem wasn't nearby. Seemed she was checking the alley opposite of him, if her footsteps were anything to go by. Sneering, the service gem cautiously climbed up the last few inches and peered over the edge of the rooftop, trying to quickly scope out what was up here, besides the gem. Seemed she was alone.

“All clear,” she muttered to herself, sighing softly in relief. She clenched her hand, the light of her gem flickering out. “Jet should be heading back now. Better check her station,” she said softly under her breath, looking around. Turning around, she made her way towards Hematite. Eyes widening, he ducked down behind the rooftop edge, hiding under a large leaf. _She's moving buildings, isn't she?_ he thought quickly. _This might be my only chance-_

Within a few seconds, Chalcedony was steadied on the edge of the rooftop, clutching at the edge. She hunkered low, her eyes locked on the building across from her.Hema's eyes flicked between her and the next rooftop. His visor, in a moment of panic, projected a visual of where Chalcedony was likely to jump.  
As soon as her feet left the roof, a flash of bright, pink light blinded her. Quicker than she could process what was happening, she was snatched out of the air, suddenly locked in a damp, dark prison. A resounding 'CLACK' filled her head. With a sharp, muffled cry, Chalcedony quickly scrambled to get whatever footing she could...which wasn't much. Panicked, her eyes went wide as saucers, trying to figure out _what_ just happened. She was far too stunned to think straight for a good few seconds. Shakily, the purple gem lifted her hand and projected her light once more.  
**Mistake.**  
The gem let out a horrified scream and started to thrash about as much as she could, the ray of light from her hand shining in every direction.  
"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" she cried out in terrified, livid frustration.

_Alright, make this convincing._

A dark chuckle echoed around the lavender gem as the massive harvester stepped down off the building, hunkering low in the alley way. He was only at about his half size, still dwarfed by the buildings surrounding him. This, unfortunately, made the tall gem a bit of a mouthful. He looked around for somewhere to hide. The lavender gem shifted around in the huge gem's mouth, shoving against his tongue with her elbow. She kicked the roof of his mouth sharply, swearing profusely.  
"Whoever you are, YOU'D BETTER LET ME OUT! Or you're going to REGRET IT!" she snarled, her tone twisted with both rage and fear.

_Oh, you want to put up a fight, do you?_  
Hematite wrinkled his nose, flinching ever so slightly at the sharp kicks to the inside of his mouth. While the kicks didn't hurt much, he still had to stop her. If she had free reign much longer, she risked pulling out a weapon. Or worse, a _communicator_.  
Eyeing the massive amphitheater, Hematite grinned and crept forward, eyes narrowing. Without warning, he shifted the gem in his mouth with ease, suddenly forcing her gem-bearing arm between his back molars.  
He held it there, her gemstone now inaccessible, behind the wall of teeth holding her forearm. The pressure he used wasn't enough to cause damage, but it was certainly enough to make his point. The lavender gem's fury dropped. She froze, letting out a soft, inaudible squeak of horror _._ She fell still... she fell _silent._ Stuck in a turmoil of horror and rage, the gem paled, her lower lip trembling.  
_What was going on... Why was this happening? What did they want?_  
She pushed at Hematite's teeth with her free hand, trying desperately to pry her arm loose. Noticing that the Chalcedony was _still_ trying to struggle, Hematite frowned and clenched his teeth tighter, now bearing down enough to cause a significant amount of pain. A deep, low growl rumbled in his chest, shaking the tiny gem's entire form. Chalcedony let out a shrill shriek, stifling it quickly. She pressed her whole body to his teeth, trying to relieve some of the pressure by forcing his teeth up.

Keeping the pressure constant, Hematite slunk around the building, creeping into the lines and lines of seats that filled the theater. But he didn't stop there, oh no. He made his way into the far _larger_ building behind the amphitheater, squeezing his way through a large crack in the side. Inside was an absolutely _massive_ entertainment hall with a huge, once-beautiful stage at the end of the building. Rows upon rows of seats and balconies lined the inside of the tall building. Hematite supposed this was where Pink District gems once went to see plays or perform music. But now it was a hollow shell of its former glory. But, it was a perfect, secluded place to interrogate his captive.  
Nobody would be able to hear the scout from inside the building, no matter how loudly she shouted. _Good_. After sitting down on what used to be the large stage, Hematite leaned back and parted his teeth, quickly reaching into his mouth and deftly grabbing Chalcedony's hand. His massive fingertips smothered her gemstone instantly, cutting off any access to it. He casually pulled the gem away from his mouth, dangling her in front of him by her hand. The target on his visor narrowed, focusing directly on the tiny gem's face.  
"Gem located: Chalcedony. Status: Undamaged. Mission: Eliminate."

Chalcedony writhed and kicked at the air, shouting tiny protests when the massive gem plucked her from his mouth. But then she froze, staring up at the visor with undisguised fear.  
"Wh-WHAT?! NO! You CAN'T!" she whimpered, unable to take her eyes off of the glowing screen. Squirming about, she lifted her free hand to clutch Hematite's finger, grunting with panic as she tried to pull herself free from his grasp.

Now that Chalcedony was out and in front of him, Hema finally caught sight of the insignia on her chest, and he felt his blood _boil._ In the center of the gem's chest was a four-pointed star with little triangles between each point. In the middle of the star-shape was a single diamond insignia... which was cracked diagonally in half. The service gem went from collected to _livid_ in a heartbeat, his teeth gritting viciously.  
_How dare this gem wear such a blatantly disrespectful symbol. How DARE they depict such a horrid thing front and center for all to see... Oh, if he wasn't willing to give this gem a good scare before, he certainly was now._  
However, he needed to be calm. If he was going to do this right, he needed all his composure, all of his fortitude... Fitting that he should find himself on a _stage,_ of all places. Raising a brow, Hematite scoffed quietly, casually swinging the tiny gem from side to side, his grip on her hand _tight._  
"Oh, but I can. And I'm going to. And I am going to _enjoy_ it. Now then... stop squirming and this will be far easier," he crooned, slowly moving the lavender gem back toward his mouth.

Emitting a sharp whimper, Chalcedony scrambled to grab onto Hematite's finger, her arms shaking.  
"NO... NO, STOP!" she begged, staring down at him in terror. "W-what do you want from me?! Why are you doing this?!” she shouted, desperately wishing she'd made a panic call while she’d had the chance. Pausing, the giant gem kept the Chalcedony held _dangerously_ close to his mouth, expression unreadable. However, after a long moment, a dark, cruel grin spread across his lips, his teeth glinting in the low light that his visor provided.  
"I want information."

The Chalcedony fell still, staring reluctantly at Hematite's mouth.  
"Wh-... wh... I-I can't. I can't!" she struggled to choke out, swallowing nervously.

"Ooooh but I think you _can._ And, in fact. If you don't..." Smiling in a falsely 'friendly' manner, Hematite chuckled, putting a clawed finger to his chin. "I'll be sure to make your shattering as slow and painful as possible."  
A shudder ran up Hema's spine at his own words, his stomach twisting with a brief flash of nausea. He kept his expression steady. Chalcedony couldn't even hide the look of petrified fear on her face, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes which quickly flowed down her cheeks. If she told him anything, she'd be shattered. If she didn't... she'd be shattered.  
_So what could she do?_  
"W... What k-kind of information?"

Slowly, the service gem leaned back, propping himself up on his free arm. He dangled Chalcedony in front of him once more, but gave her a bit more distance.  
"I want the names of the other scouts. Gem type, gem location, and where they're stationed. Then, you're going to tell me where the entrance to the Star Stealers’ base is."

Chalcedony's expression dropped even further, the anxiety piercing into her like hot knives scraping into her gemstone.  
"I-I can't tell you that! Are you _cracked?!"_ she barked, clenching her fist with panic. Gasping swiftly, she covered her mouth. Pursing his lips, Hematite tilted his head to the side, his hunting visor's target flicking along the tiny gem's form.  
"No. But you're going to be if you don't start talking."  
Another knot of nausea rose in his gut, _very_ nearly making him break character. He inhaled slowly through his nose to steady himself. To make his point, he squeezed her hand tightly, enough to hurt quite a bit.

Chalcedony shrieked out again, clutching at his finger with a grimace of pain.  
"S-STOP! Please! I-I'll tell you the name of the scouts! I can't reveal anything else!"

_"That's not everything I asked for, is it, Chalcedony?"_ he hissed out with malice, gritting his teeth. "You're testing my patience. I'm about two seconds away from finding out how much pressure it takes to crack your kind. Let's see how willing you'll be to talk once you're damaged, hm?" he threatened, slowly parting his teeth. The nausea flared up, and his lip twitched.

"OKAY! OKAY! I'LL TELL YOU!" she gasped in panic, lifting her arm out in front of her defensively. _Like that would do anything..._ Trembling, the lavender gem took a shaky, deep breath and closed her eyes. "They're going to kill me for this anyway... O-oh stars, they'll have my pieces,” she muttered anxiously, biting onto her fingers. Her entire form trembled, her teeth digging into her knuckles.

Arching a brow, Hematite snorted softly through his nose, closing his mouth.  
_Record._  
"Alright. Start talking. Maybe if you cooperate... hm. I might just be in a good enough mood to let you live."

The pale gem looked up at Hematite, surprisingly steeling herself a bit better than she had been before. _She was still terrified...but maybe there was some hope that she could get out of this in one piece._  
"The entrance.... is in the center of town. But it's inside the largest building on the left when you enter from the main road. It can only be accessed from inside the building. The base is underground, where four-hundred-thirty-nine warriors are spread out right now. Within the main inner sanctum, there are five 'leaders'. But there's one primary leader. He's a Star Sunstone. He's very powerful... but he's... well. He's an arrogant, unskilled fighter. He hides behind his gems. The others are more dangerous than him, but gems don't listen as well to them. If you're here to take out the group... find him as soon as you can,” she sighed, trying to hold back tears. She looked away. "The other scouts are..." she paused, biting her lip slightly. "Amber, Epidote, Morganite, and Calcite."

Hematite's lip twitched at the mention of a Morganite and an Amber but he didn't react past a small flinch. _That can't be- No, don't be ridiculous._  
"Mmm. Now then. I just have one thing to say." Leaning forward, Hematite bared his teeth, sneering. "I've actually already spoken with one of your comrades. They gave me intel as well. So. Are you positive that everything you just told me is true?"

Chalcedony's stomach dropped as she swallowed thickly.  
"E-everything I say is true! I swear it!"

"Good."  
Backing off, Hematite held the small gem at arm's length, smacking his lips once. "Now then. What sort of powers does this Star Sunstone have? And, I still need locations of the scouts' gemstones."

Chalcedony took another deep breath, opening and closing her hand repeatedly.  
"Ah, let’s... let’s see, um... I-I'm afraid I really don't know what kind of powers Star has... w-we know he's fireproof. W-we scouts don't really get to see the leaders too often. If you want more information about Star, you should ask one of the higher-ranking warriors... they might know more," she muttered, steadying her focus. "As for the... gem locations..." She hesitated, thinking for a moment.  
"Calcite has a shoulder gem. Amber has a back gem, Epidote has a forehead gem, and I can't recall where the Morganite's gem is. He's a newer scout. Be careful around the Morganite and the Amber... they're both warrior classes, and highly skilled at what they do.”

"Oh, don't worry, I'm aware of Morganites and their abilities. What about the Amber? Any details on their powers that you can give me?" he asked curiously, his grip softening a tad. It certainly wasn't enough for Chalcedony to get loose, but the painful pressure he held on her gem lifted enough to not be a worry anymore. Chalcedony eased up slightly.  
"I think Ambers have some kind of small amount of fire... they can't really **use** fire, _per se;_ they can just get really hot... but her weapon is a flaming helmet, so keep that in mind..." She stated reluctantly. "E-everyone else is without element. Also, you should know, the Epidote is _very_ fast... And gets nervous easily. If you want to catch her, sneak up on her... otherwise, she'll bolt and use her communicator to signal that you're here."

Tapping his chin for a moment, Hema hummed quietly, taking notes. _Another gem like Emerald, huh?_  
"Alright. Odd question." Frowning, the service gem turned away, wondering how to word this. He knew this gem wasn't going to be 'around' much longer, so even if she caught his drift with this question, it wouldn't affect him much. But if he could get some sort of leg-up on these scouts, even _one_ of them. "How would each of these scouts react to seeing, hypothetically, a micro gem? You know what those are, right?"

The Chalcedony blinked, looking mildly offended.  
"Micro gems, like Sphalerites?" she asked, pursing her lips. “They'd try to apprehend them.”

_Hmmm. That might work on the Epidote, then._  
"Very well, thank you for your cooperation, Chalcedony. Now then... I'm afraid that I still have to apprehend you, but I'm going to give you a choice, here."

The Chalcedony's expression fell again, eyes widening.  
"W-wait, what?! You... I-I gave you everything you needed!” she barked, struggling to get loose again.

"Ah, ah, ahh. I said I would let you _live._ I never said anything else." He shook a finger at the small gem, pursing his lips. "Now. Either you can voluntarily retreat into your gem, where you will be bubbled and put away... or I can destabilize your projection manually and bubble you that way." He shrugged. "Your choice."

Chalcedony blinked, wiping away the tears in her eyes with her free hand. She looked down at nothing, her form slowly going limp. A heavy silence fell over her, and she couldn't find the words to reply.  
"What's going to happen to me...?”

Hema faltered, his facade breaking for a moment. Chalcedony's defeated, empty tone struck a deep, unpleasant chord with him. It was enough to snap him out of his instinct-driven, agitated state.

"... Well, that depends."  
Frowning, Hematite sighed softly through his nose, lifting a hand up to his face. But, instead of making some condescending expression, he slowly lifted the edge of his visor, his eyes dimly lit by its light. He gazed at the small gem almost _sympathetically,_ his brows furrowed. "…You speak as if you expect me to take your group down. As if you _want_ me to. A faithful gem wouldn't be so quick to give her enemy so many tips,” he stated. Chalcedony's face twisted into an unreadable, sullen expression. She almost looked guilty. She didn't reply. Taking her silence as a chance to continue, Hema added, “If you were to be free from the Star Stealers, what would you do? Would you find another rebel group? Would you return to the remaining Star Stealers? Or, would you try and make a respectable life for yourself out there?" Chalcedony's brows raised, and she looked up at the giant gem in surprise.  
“... I don't know what to do. What I _can_ do. I never wanted to be here, but I'm not... exactly free to return to the White District. Stars, you don't understand, I'm dead either way!” she whimpered angrily, gripping at her forehead. Her breathing was ragged, small tears in her eyes. “I don't know what I'd do. The only thing I can think of is just... running off and starting a new life. Life as a rebel has done _nothing_ for me. I wouldn't be here if I could help it!”

Pursing his lips, Hematite shrugged with a tiny hum. _There it was. Fake or not... that was good enough for him._  
"If that's the case... Then I'm going to ask you to stay still. And if you summon anything from your gemstone, I will not hesitate to shatter you, are we clear?" he said sternly, flicking his visor back down over his eyes. Chalcedony felt her form run cold. She _couldn't_ move, even if she wanted to.  
"W-what are you doing...?"

Without replying, the harvester moved his hand closer to his face, lifting the lavender gem over his mouth as his teeth parted. He lowered her in, keeping his grip on her hand.

Chalcedony gasped, followed by a horrifying shriek of terror.  
"WAIT! STOP! You can't, PLEASE! I said I wouldn't! I told you everything!" she cried, beginning to squirm again. Hematite stopped for a moment before rolling his eyes.  
"Your gemstone will be undamaged, should you do as I said. Now hold still."  
He started lowering her in again, tilting his head back further. _He couldn't give her any window of opportunity, should she turn on him at the last moment._ A second later, the giant gem finally let go of Chalcedony's hand, leaving her to fall straight to the back of his mouth. His gem began to glow, and within a moment, he swallowed, Chalcedony vanishing into his gem with a flash. Sitting up, the service gem stopped recording with his hunting visor and frowned deeply at nothing in particular. He seemed dazed. At least, he did, until the prickling that'd been plaguing his very core slowly, but surely, began to back off. Hema breathed a slow sigh of relief, closing his eyes. It wasn't entirely gone, but it was noticeably better. He opened his eyes, staring blankly at the wall ahead of him.  
_Stars... Four-hundred-thirty-nine warriors in total?_ _ **And**_ _he was going to be dealing with a Morganite and an Amber before they even reached those gems? That was two bad bits of news at once. Part of him had hoped Kyan's estimate of how many gems there were would be over-exaggerated, but it looked like they were out of luck on that front._  
Standing, the giant gem made his way out of the theater, instantly shifting down as soon as he got outside. _He needed to go fetch Blue. She could advance to this area of the city before he continued on..._

–

Quiet. It was far too quiet... too eerily quiet. It was incredible to know that despite the city being seemingly abandoned that it was, somewhere, teeming with life. Teeming with _dangerous enemies._ The Diamond kept hidden around the same general area Hema had left her at. Occasionally she would move around to avoid being spotted, ducking behind different buildings. But she never left her post. She grew more and more anxious as the minutes ticked on. A thousand different, horrible thoughts cropped up into her mind. Images of Hema's damaged gem, or a massive creature slinking through the city kept invasively flashing through her head. She tried to force the thoughts away, telling herself again and again that he was fine, that he knew what he was doing.

She only wished she could stop the horrible pictures from popping into her head in the first place.

 

_Tap tap tap tap tap_  
Tiny, almost silent footsteps sounded down a narrow alley to the left of the Diamond, an unseen gem approaching Blue's flank. A moment later, Hematite jumped out from behind a crate, making his way over as quickly as he could. Blue's head whipped around, her hand motioning over her gem, pulling out a glowing handle. But, as soon as she realized who was coming towards her, she quickly pushed the handle back into her gem.  
"Hematite! Any luck?" she said in a hushed, serious tone.

Wasting no time, Hematite nodded and motioned for the azure gem to follow after him. He headed straight back down the alley, making sure she had a clear path.  
"I found the Chalcedony. I have the names of the leader, the scouts, their gem locations, and where the base entrance is located."

Blinking with bafflement, Blue quickly trailed after the tiny gem.  
"Woah, what?! How did you get so much information already?! …Actually, ya know what, maybe it's better I don't ask that."

Glancing back, Hematite gave the Diamond a small smirk, arching a brow.  
"Yeah, it's best that you don't ask. Just the good old I.D. methods. I have reason to believe all the intel I was provided with is accurate, so hopefully the rest of this mission will go smoothly." Frowning, the service gem darted around a large pile of rubble. "But I need to warn you. Apparently Kyan's number was off. There are a total of four-hundred-forty or so warriors in the base right now, including the big bosses. There are five main leaders that we need to aim for first, after we take out the scouts and find the entrance to the base."

Blue raised her brows in irritated surprise, following suit after Hematite.  
"Wait, that's almost five hundred! I thought that was the whole group in _total_..." she muttered under her breath. She wasn't unprepared to fight large groups, but that many warriors could get hairy, and fast. Keeping ahead, Hematite steadily led Blue to where the Chalcedony had been stationed.  
"The leader is a Star Sunstone. I couldn't get much information on him except that he has fire resistance. Neither of us are a fire elemental so that doesn't really affect us. It's good to know, though... Apparently if I can get ahold of one of the warriors, we might be able to get more information." Stopping, Hematite looked back up at the Diamond, frowning seriously. "Another thing that occurred to me earlier. It's a little risky, but... I had an idea."

Blue looked around occasionally to make sure that no one was anywhere in sight. At least from what she could tell, the area was clear. For now, anyway.  
"What was the idea, then...?" She said, furrowing her brows slightly without looking at the tiny service gem.

"Well, if the Star Stealers are planning to move bases again, supposedly either today or tomorrow, they're probably all starting to gather, right? I'd wager they'll be a bit more concentrated in the base than if they weren't leaving anytime soon. That could be helpful to us, to have them less spread out." Looking around, Hema motioned for Blue to follow, making his way down a dark alley. Steadily, the sound of gently rushing water echoed in the distance. "As for my idea... Well. I think I should scope this place out before we go rushing in. At this size, I could infiltrate the base and see what I can find, who I can identify, and if I can locate the leaders."

Blue bit her lip nervously, thinking hard.  
"Hematite, wouldn't it be safer to pick them off?... Besides, what if they catch you? They'll know something is up... If they're all in a large group together, then they're gonna have serious strength in numbers." She hesitated slightly, glancing down at him. "I don't think I want you in there by yourself. You're the only backup I've got, and... well, it's too dangerous."

Almost taken aback, Hematite looked up at the Diamond, arching a brow.  
"Blue, how are we supposed to pick them off if they're all in a base together? If I stay this small, I can be in and out before anyone notices me. I should at least get in and see from a distance what kind of 'base' we're dealing with."

Blue ran her fingers through her hair for a moment, grimacing.  
"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if someone sees you? Hematite, if you get caught..." She stopped, frowning in concern. "Tch... Look, kid, maaaaybe it's better if we stick together on this one."

Crossing his arms, the service gem frowned, turning to stare up at the Diamond.  
"Blue, this is one of the things I was designed for. But, if you're that worried, we'll check out what the entrance to the base looks like. If it seems there wouldn't be enough places for me to hide while sneaking in, we'll stick together. But if it seems alright, I really think we should take a chance to see what we're up against." His expression hardened. "We're far less likely to be caught separately than together."

Blue inhaled deeply through her teeth, though it was quiet. _Maybe he was right._  
"Alright Hema, if you think that's the best option, I'd be willing to give that a shot,” he said with a coy, forced smirk. "If anything goes wrong, though... get out of there."

Nodding curtly, Hematite looked away, finally ducking around the corner to lead her over to the amphitheater.  
"I will, don't worry. If things look hairy, I'll make my way back to the entrance as soon as possible," he replied, stopping to gaze around another corner down the street. If his sense of direction was right, that was the way that lead deeper into the city.  
Despite morning being upon the two gems... it was dark. Dense clouds were rolling overhead, casting the district in shadow. A roll of thunder rumbled on the horizon, making the ground tremble subtly.  
"Blue, how are we gonna take out that many warriors?"

Blue kept close behind Hematite, but made sure to keep an eye on him. She didn't answer at first, a long pause following as if she were thinking of a way to even answer. She smiled with false hope, for his sake.  
"One at a time, kid."

Glancing back at the taller gem, Hema frowned with worry, but forced his expression to even out. _Right. They could do this. He and Yellow had taken out a bunch of warriors themselves, and they'd worked_ _ **terribly**_ _together that mission._  
"Right, one at a time." After another moment of checking if the coast was clear, Hema frowned and nodded once. "Alright. You should be safe here; I'm going to try and go find the other four scouts."

Blue craned her head up to look at some of the buildings, narrowing her eyes.  
"Alright Hema, good luck. Be swift, be careful," she said, clenching her fists. With that, the Diamond ducked behind a nearby building, quietly as she could. Nodding seriously, Hematite sighed, turning to look down the street.  
_First on the list... the Morganite._  
–  
The minutes ticked on as Hema trekked deeper and deeper into the district city, and the worst of the storm overhead loomed closer. Eventually, a faint splash of pink appeared on his radar about two miles away. Slowly, the tiny gem made his way closer to the signal, soon within five hundred-or-so feet. Hematite slowed his approach, hiding behind a crate in an alley to look down the street. All was quiet. The splash of pink on his visor moved around every so often, circling the top of one of the nearby buildings. Hema gazed up, trying to spot hide or hair of the warrior gem, but he had no such luck. This gem was being far stealthier than Chalcedony. Hema almost considered moving positions when a flicker of movement suddenly caught his attention. Eyes widening, the tiny gem ducked down into the shadows as a blur of pink rushed down towards the ground just outside his hiding place.

_Thump._  
Landing in the street, the lithe gem stood straight, stretching his arms behind his head. Walking directly down the sidewalk was a tall, dark-pink gem. Hema swallowed quietly, listening to the slowly-approaching footsteps. He hesitated. Cautiously, the shrunken gem placed his hand on the corner of the metallic crate, peering into the street at the scout. He felt his stomach drop, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he eyed the shadowy, confidently-sauntering form of the approaching warrior.

Through the darkness of the clouds swirling above, Hema could barely make out the gem's features, but it was enough to make his skin crawl with realization. The tall gem's face was framed by semi-curly, pink locks. Long gloves covered his arms up to his hands, with holes for his clawed fingers. The back of his suit tapered out into a casual tailcoat. Hematite stared in horror, his chest tightening up in sickening disbelief... until lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the rebel's form clearly.

Their hair was unkempt, a dark shade of pink, and their skin was a muted lavender color. Their suit was dark, purple and black, and oddly slick-looking, as if it were made of some material Hema had only seen on entertainment gems. But, most notable of all... In the center of his chest, there laid a squared, pink gemstone. Hematite shakily exhaled, clutching at the insignia on his chest. They looked unnervingly similar to the Morganite he was so familiar with; it was uncanny. But no matter- similar appearance or not, Hema knew he still had a job to do.

Fortunately for Hematite, the confident, yet mildly-perturbed gem didn't seem to be paying attention to the finer details of the road at the moment. He strolled with his arms swinging at his sides, gazing up at the sky, and the lightning that arced overhead. Hematite narrowed his eyes as the gem stepped closer and closer to his hiding spot. A sharp tingle ran up Hema's spine as the warrior gem strolled directly past him, exposing his back to the tiny hunter. Hematite narrowed his eyes at the telltale, broken diamond insignia on the warrior's back.  
With a blinding flash of light, Hematite shifted up to his civilian size and immediately reeled his hand back, his entire arm still aglow. Shapeshifting his hand to be _much_ larger than usual, the service gem shot his arm forward and clenched the warrior gem in his fist, pulling him back into the alley as he did so. In the same moment, he shifted up as much as he could, clenching the scout _tightly_ in his fist. As if reflexively, the startled Morganite snarled and suddenly erupted into flames, plunging the alley into sweltering heat. Hema cried out momentarily in pain, but managed to keep his grip, tightening it sharply.  
  
**POFF!**  
  
Within an instant, the svelte, dark gem exploded into a cloud of smoke. Inhaling sharply through his teeth, Hematite grimaced in pain and held his hand close, the Morganite's gemstone quickly falling to the floor with a 'clink'. Before the gem had a chance to reform, Hema reached his unsinged hand down and tapped the pink stone, bubbling it. He lifted it up to his neck, storing it quickly away in his pocket dimension. The wash of pink color slowly faded from the service gem's visor as he sat there, shaking off his mildly-burned hand.  
Shifting back down, Hematite made his way deeper into the city, keeping his eyes on his radar. He kept his eyes open for green, white, or orange splashes of color.

-

As he carried on through the city, he quickly realized just how close together the buildings were getting. The deeper he ventured into the heart of the urban maze, the more claustrophobic it became. He began to worry he wouldn't be able to shift up the proper amount if he went much further into the ancient town.

Hematite carried on through alleys and streets, always keeping to the shadows in case someone was watching him. He checked his visor every few minutes, and sniffed at the air to see if he could smell one of the scouts before his radar picked them up. It started to look like a fruitless venture, with all the gem creatures and plant life cloying the air with their confusing scents. But then, much to both Hema's pleasure and disdain, he caught a strong, sharp tang on the air. He stopped in his tracks, quickly shaking his head to try and clear it. That didn't smell like anything he'd come across yet. It almost smelled of mint, but with a more acidic bite to it. The tiny gem slowed his pace as he came to a three-way alley that split off in different directions. In front of him, and to his left, the alleys seemed to lead out to main streets. But, to his right, the buildings cast deep shadows on a sheltered section of the block. Hema could see faint outlines of dimly-glowing plants among the darkness. He stepped towards the dim alley, sniffing quietly. There was that smell again.

Frowning, the shrunken gem ducked down under the densely-growing wildlife that flooded every crack and crevice of the dark alley. It was filled with confusing scents and sensations; every plant Hema brushed by felt different, and made his skin crawl. The further he ventured into the winding path, the darker it became. It felt more like he'd ventured into a natural urban cave, rather than a series of shadowed paths.

For a long while, Hema questioned whether he should go back. His radar was flooded with a blurry mix of signals, unable to pinpoint anything in the mess. But the further he went on, the stronger the mint-like smell became. _Surely there was something here, right?_

Luckily for him... there was.

**CRASH!**  
  
_"Oh- sh-shit...!"_ A nervous, panicked voice sounded from around one of the corners. Eyes widening, Hematite ducked around a corner, hiding underneath a scrap of metal. Slowly, Hema looked around the corner, dimming his visor. A roll of thunder rumbled on the horizon. The sound of fumbling and metallic scraping followed, along with a string of whispered swears. Hema raised a brow, staring at the shadowy form ahead of him.

A short, stumpy, green gem was messing around with some rather heavy metal crates, nervously trying to pick them up. From the looks of it, they had knocked them over clumsily. Mumbling something timidly under her breath, the petite gem tried her best to pick one of the crates up to put it back. She gripped feebly at its sides, but couldn't even budge the empty box. She had short, frizzy green hair. On her head, she wore a pair of oversized goggles attached to a leather-looking helmet, which her hair stuck out from under. Just under her bangs, peeked a small, round gemstone. On her face and her arms, from what Hema could tell, were darker green, dappled patches. She was no bigger than a Ruby.

Tilting his head, Hematite frowned, narrowing his eyes. _This gem didn't look like they belonged with a bloodthirsty rebellion. Hell, they were smaller than_ _ **Kyan.**_  
The tiny service gem crept closer, ducking behind different metal crates or pieces of scrap. Slipping behind a small piece of rubble, the service gem hunkered down, only about ten feet from the Ruby-sized gem. The Epidote grunted and strained with effort, pushing her back against the crate to try and move it. Groaning with frustration, she slid down on the ground and thumped the back of her head against the crate, staring up at the sky. She fell quiet, her lower lip trembling subtly.

Slowly, Hema peered over the edge of the rubble at the green gem, trying to figure out his best course of action. Depending on _how_ fast they were, shifting up entirely could be dangerous. And the alley the two of them were in didn't leave him enough room to fully shift up and block off the exits with his hands. He could probably manage his half height, but even then...  
_Well, he didn't have time to make a complex plan. He needed to get a move-on and take this gem out so he could move on to the next one._  
Hematite ducked underneath the rubble, as out of sight as he could be, his form starting to glow.

Epidote sharply looked down, catching sight of the subtle glowing. She stood to her feet, her hands trembling.  
"W-who's there?!" she called out. Reluctantly, the Epidote swallowed nervously, and slowly crept towards the rubble. _I-it's just a gem monster. No big deal. J-just shoo it away and be done with it..._  
The glowing could just _barely_ be seen from under the rubble... before it suddenly brightened into a blinding flash. Rather noisily, metal and rubble scraped aside as a massive form took shape in its wake, filling the width of the entire alley. Not a moment later, Hematite shot his hand forward, grabbing the tiny gem and encasing her in his palm, her world suddenly going dark. He drew her close and cuffed his other hand over his fist, holding her _just_ tight enough to restrict her movement so she couldn't reach her gemstone.

The Epidote suddenly screamed out in panic, immediately trying to pry at Hematite's hand as it closed in on her.  
"LEMME GO, LEMME GO, LEMME GOOO!" Small, panicked cries arose from the giant gem's fingers, muffled by his hand. The tiny gem whimpered pitifully, suddenly starting to hyperventilate as she realized she couldn't force Hema's hand off of her. Only her feet were free, her upper half held tightly in his fist. Her tiny, stumpy legs flailed about, pitifully trying to kick the giant gem, to no avail.

Hema frowned and drew his hands up to his face, staring at Epidote's feebly flailing feet. His expression softened. Ever since 'taking care' of Chalcedony, Hematite noticed that the worst of his instincts spikes really had backed off, leaving him with a sense of near- _normalcy_ for once in weeks. His mind was clearer, his stomach wasn't in a constant knot, and he didn't feel the unnervingly strong _need_ to hunt gnawing at his core anymore.  
And with the ebbing of his hunter's drive... he felt his empathy slowly coming back. Despite this Epidote being part of a group that, for all intents and purposes, was trying to kill an entire district of innocent gems, he felt pity for her. She sounded so afraid, and wasn't even making an attempt to really hurt him or get angry. He knew he shouldn't feel the way he did, that he should destabilize or shatter this gem and move on...  
But he couldn't stop thinking of Kyan.  
He couldn't help himself from wondering _just how bad_ **all** of these gems might have been. Kyanite _wasn't_ a bad gem... she just got stuck with the wrong crowd and hadn’t been able to leave. And, now that his mind was clearer, Hematite found himself questioning if some of the other scouts were like her. After all, Chalcedony hadn't seemed too hurt about sharing information on her own faction.  
Pursing his lips, the service gem turned his fist over, wondering what to do. _He didn't want to poof this gem if they weren't a threat... He'd had to do it with the Morganite because he_ _ **knew**_ _how powerful their kind was, but this gem?_ _ **They couldn't even move a metal box.**_

The Epidote eventually stopped squirming. She pressed her head against the giant gem's palm, shaking involuntarily.  
"L-let me go! I swear I'm not gonna hurt you! J-just don't hurt me!" she pleaded, tears stinging at her eyes. Slowly, Hematite sighed, moving back to the cavern-like section of the dark alley. Now within the confines of the high walls, he opened his hand, but kept her arms pinned to her sides. Somehow, despite his fingers being almost as big as her entire body, Hematite managed not to hurt her, and ended up with the small green gem held firmly, but carefully, in his hand. Her top half was left sticking out of his fist, her arms restrained, of course, so she couldn't reach her gemstone.

"Remain quiet, or I will be forced to destabilize your form. Understood?"

The puny, green gem stared up in horror at the huge service gem that held her captive. Eyes wide, she bit her lip and emitted small, shaky whimpers. She was _frozen_ with terror. Blinking, Hema swallowed quietly, _trying_ to force his professional demeanor to come back. _This gem wasn't even trying to fight back._  
_Whirrrrrrr_  
_**Click.**_  
"Gem found: Epidote. Status: Undamaged. Mission: Harvest." He tilted his chin up slightly. "Epidote, you have been found guilty of conspiring against the will of the Diamond Authority alongside the Star Stealers. Your gem will be undamaged, should you cooperate."

The Epidote gasped in horror, managing to pop her arms out from where they were pinned, quickly yet clumsily reaching up to the goggles she wore on her head and twisted them around, pulling the helmet over her eyes. At first, the giant gem tensed, going to pin her arms again, but she wasn't making any move to go for her gem. With a soft sigh, Hema lifted the tiny gem up to eye level, looking her over.  
“Epidote, what would you do if you were freed from the Star Stealers?” he asked quietly.

She didn't even hesitate.

"I want outta here! I wanna go home... I hate these guys, I hate Star, and I hate it here in the Pink District." She whimpered shakily, not moving from her held position. She didn't move an _inch._ “I never wanted to come here, but they won't let me go! I'm so scared all the time, I hate it!”

_And with that, the rest of Hematite's professional demeanor_ _ **dropped.**_ Sighing quietly through his nose, the giant gem frowned sympathetically, looking away. After a pensive moment of silence, he turned his attention back to the tiny gem.  
"Alright then. I'm going to get you out of here. I don't know what district you belong to, but if all goes well, and you cooperate from here on out, I _promise_ you will never have to deal with the Star Stealers again. And you will be returned to your proper district, if I can manage it. Okay? I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to put you somewhere safe."

Epidote swallowed hard, tugging her helmet further over her face. She didn't reply. Hema frowned faintly, adjusting himself to sit up a bit straighter.

"Now. Please stay still, and don't try any funny business," he instructed simply, his grip loosening.  
_Vwip!_  
A pinkish, silvery bubble formed around the tiny green gem, completely encasing her. Hematite wasted no time in moving her up to his gem, the surface of the gray stone starting to shimmer. The Epidote quickly scurried back in the bubble, unsure what was going on. She made the mistake of uncovering her eyes for a second, widening them before letting out a terrified shriek. She quickly threw her arms over her head once more. Another moment later, Hematite transferred the small bubble into his gemstone, tapping the silvery gem afterward. The service gem quickly shrank back down again, making his way down the alley.  
_Three down, two to go..._  
–

It took another hour or so to track down the Amber and take care of her. She’d very nearly cornered Hema, but thankfully for him, she hadn't expected a micro gem to be able to size-shift. Though she'd managed to get her communicator out for a brief moment, Hema had destabilized her before she could call her superiors. He’d stored her poofed gem away and made his way around the city as quickly as he could. There was only one left, and they were proving very difficult to find.

That is, until the shrunken gem followed the river. With no other leads as to where the Calcite may be, he decided to follow the one thing he knew led through the center of the city.

It was near that very river that he finally found her.

It was so quiet here. It seemed that the only sound around for miles was the occasional rumble of thunder, or the soft lapping of the massive river that flowed through the city.  
Calcite liked it that way. Leaning up against one of the walls of the city buildings, she looked up at the sky with a bored frown. The last remaining scout. She didn't seem to be moving around at all. Tall, lanky, and feminine, she was almost all white in color except for her skin, which was a slightly darker cream color. Her suit was white as well and had black rings around it, along with a logo on her chest. Her hair was long, straight, and shimmering white. Her straight-cut bangs laid over her eyes, hiding them from view.  
A splash of white on his radar had led Hematite to the sentry's location. Leaning around a corner, the tiny gem narrowed his eyes down the street. He was surprised to see the scout propped up against a wall, not paying much attention to the world around her. He eyed her shoulder gem silently. Unfortunately, despite Calcite's inattentiveness, her location made it impossible to sneak up on her. The building laid alongside a bunch of other ones, and she was facing out toward the street. If he skirted the wall or shifted up, she'd see him for sure.  
Hematite frowned and drummed his fingers on the corner of the building he hid behind. Calcite was about fifty-or-so feet away from him. Too far for an ambush, but too close to try and leave his hiding place.  
_Maybe if he lured her_ _ **toward**_ _him..._  
Crouching down, Hematite looked around, spotting a rather dense patch of foliage. He made his way toward it and grabbed onto one of the leafy branches, giving it a quick shake. The leaves rustled together.

Slowly, the Calcite turned her head towards the sound.  
"Uuuuugghh... Those gem monsters are so annoying..." she grumbled under her breath. She sighed, moving away from the wall and turning to walk towards the sound. Frowning, the service gem ducked back under the small piece of rubble he'd found, waiting for the scout to draw closer. Her footsteps slowly grew louder as she neared, and Hema had to restrain himself from jumping out and ambushing her in the street.

With a tired yawn, the Calcite turned the corner, looking down the alleyway where a few shrubs laid out. She brushed her bangs from her eyes, revealing cold, golden irises.  
"Alriiiight, come on out, ya shrimps," she grumbled with minor annoyance.

Hematite didn't move at first, glaring up at the ivory gem towering nearby. Looking down, Hema narrowed his eyes and crouched to the floor, picking up a small pebble. Standing straight, he waited for Calcite to turn her head away. Aiming for a spot down the alley, the tiny gem chuckled the pebble as hard as he could, hitting a few shrubs, disturbing their leaves. Calcite pursed her lips, sighing softly as she looked towards the noise.

"Tch..." She crossed her arms and moved through the alley, making her way for the bush. "Alriiiight, shoo, shoo. Get out of here."

The tiniest of smirks spread across Hema's lips, a vague sense of pride in his chest. _Thanks for the tip, Kyan._ Slowly, he crept out behind the gem as she stepped into the alley, his form starting to glow. Within a few moments, he shifted up, about a third of his potential height. The corridor that the two found themselves in was far too narrow for his half size, so while it took a bit more energy to stay between sizes, he didn't have much of a choice. The giant gem wasted no time in reaching out toward Calcite, his brows furrowed.

Calcite, without missing a beat, leaped back _onto_ Hematite's arm and latched onto his sleeve. Within an instant, she jumped up his arm and onto his head, limberly moving up the huge gem with ease.  
"Heeeey, you're new," she said with an oddly monotonous voice. “You're not a crystal shrimp, huh.”

Hematite inhaled sharply through his teeth, tensing up the moment the lithe gem hopped up onto his arm. He cursed quietly under his breath as she jumped up onto his head. Quickly, he reached up for her again, trying to get a hold on her before she called anyone or escaped. Without so much as a flinch, the limber white gem hopped back off of Hematite's head and landed on the ground in front of him, holding out her arms as she touched down. Casually, she turned around and looked up at him, her bangs having fallen back in front of her eyes.  
"Hm... What're you doin' here, grabby hands?"

A sharp, frustrated growl rumbled in the service gem's chest as he shot his arm out after the Calcite, quickly grabbing her, pinning her arms to her sides so she couldn't reach her shoulder gem.  
"Apprehending you. Now stay still."

The Calcite seemed... oddly unfazed by being grabbed. She didn't move, she didn't struggle, and she didn't even so much as change expression.  
"Aaaaalright. What are youuu apprehending me for, exactly?"

Rolling his eyes, Hematite ignored the question completely and scanned the scout, logging her signature in his database.  
"Gem found: Calcite. Status: Undamaged. Mission: Collect." He cleared his throat. "Calcite, you have been found guilty of conspiring against the Diamond Authority alongside the Star Stealers. Your gemstone will remain undamaged, should you cooperate."

Calcite would have crossed her arms, but she was still pinned.  
"Hm. Kay," she said, unnervingly unbothered by her current predicament. "Soooo what _is_ gonna happen then? If I may ask, oh spooky one?"

Scoffing, Hema straightened up and loosened his grip on the scout, narrowing his eyes at her.  
_Vwip!_  
Holding the gem up, Hematite looked her over once more before moving her closer to his gemstone. The silvery stone shimmered dimly. Calcite raised a brow slightly and crossed her arms. She still seemed oddly unfazed.  
"… Well, this is unfortunate. If they ask where I went, tell em' I just went on break, 'aight?" she mumbled just loud enough for him to hear. Arching a brow, Hematite pursed his lips with a rather curious expression.  
"… Yeah, sure."  
With that, he stored the gem away in his pocket dimension, tapping the smooth stone a moment later.  
_That was it. The last scout was taken care of._  
_**Now...**_  
  
Sitting up straight, Hematite frowned and stepped out into the street, scanning for any further gem signatures. He saw a few faint gem creature signals a few miles away, but other than that... nothing. The service gem set his jaw, turning back down the path he'd come from. He shifted down to his civilian size and bolted off, making haste back to where he'd left Blue. He hoped she hadn't run into any trouble while he was separated from her.  
_–_

Skidding around a corner, Hematite quickly spotted the azure gem, lifting his visor from his eyes.  
"Blue! All the scouts are taken care of; we're free to move to the base."

With a heavy, audible exhale, Blue clenched her fists and pushed herself off the wall and turned towards Hematite. She was so relieved to see him, and to see that he was relatively unscathed, other than what looked to be a singed hand.  
"Good work, Hema!" she said, a wide grin spreading onto her face. "Where are we headed now then?"

Hematite motioned for her to follow after him, turning to run back down the street. Thunder rumbled overhead.  
"We're heading to the center of the city. The Chalcedony said the entrance to the base is inside a building there."

Blue looked up at the sky, eyeing the lightning that danced overhead. Her teeth grit together, and she looked down at the Hematite, nodding.  
“Lead the way.”

–  
The two gems made their ways swiftly to the heart of the city, never once slowing their pace. Hematite kept his visor scanning every thirty seconds, but thankfully never caught wind of any other possible scouts. The thunderstorm was scaring away any gem monsters as well, leaving him with an eerily clear radar.  
"Looks like the coast is clear."  
Hematite quickly made his way over a small bridge that lead into an open 'clearing' much like the last city, but thankfully there was no ominous skyscraper looming over this one. Looking to the left, the service gem made his way over to what looked to be the biggest building. Oddly enough, it appeared to be in rather good shape.  
"Alright, this is where the entrance to the base should be... Do you think it'll be guarded?"

Blue carefully paced over, looking up at the top of the building. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and frowned.  
"It's probably safe to assume, at least from the inside... You gonna scout it out then come back?" She asked, glancing over at him with a nod. Blinking, Hematite suddenly stopped, straightening up. Something glinted in his eyes, as if he realized something.  
"… Blue. What if I find the leaders."

Blue furrowed her brows, looking down sternly at the smaller gem.  
"Don't take the risk. Just come back and find me, okay?"

For a moment, the service gem almost looked like he'd refuse her order. After a moment, though, he frowned and nodded curtly with a soft 'hm'. In a flash, the service gem shrank down to a few inches tall and slipped into a small crack in the wall, making his way into the building.

With a weak smile that faded quickly, Blue sighed through her nose and looked at nothing in particular. As soon as Hema was out of view, she ducked into the nearby shadows, hiding out of sight.

The tiny gem moved through the dark, decrepit building with purpose, his eyes wide and focused. He spent a good few minutes making his way through various rooms that lined the front of the ancient structure, peering into nooks and crannies that could hide a base entrance. But, for what felt like ages, he found nothing. The service gem soon slipped into a large room, gazing around. It appeared to be a ballroom. Part of it was half-destroyed, leaving nothing but rubble and cracked, once-pretty tiles, but the other side was in near-pristine condition, other than the soft wearing of time. Frowning, Hematite snorted softly through his nose and climbed up, a bit painfully, to the side of a large column. Vines overgrew the sides of it, and many others, giving him something solid to hold onto. Despite his singed hand, he was able to make it high enough to overlook the ballroom. Visor chirping quietly, the service gem gazed about the huge room. The insignia on his gemtech flicked around, checking for any and all suspicious defects in the room. A shifted column, a hole in the wall, oddly arranged rubble-  
... _A slight, thin 'fault' in the tiles..._  
Eyes widening, the tiny gem leapt down from his perch and hastened to the odd looking tiles. He knelt down and frowned, reaching to run his hand along the inch-wide 'crack' in the floor. No, not a crack... it looked like the tiles were all shifted to the side, leaving a small opening in the ground itself. As he stood, Hema looked around him, noticing a very fine rectangular 'fault' that surrounded a group of tiles he was standing near. He peered down into it, hovering his fingers near it. The soft inward rush of air quickly alerted him that whatever this crevice was, there was a large space below it.  
Steeling himself, the tiny gem stepped down into space in the floor, just barely able to squeeze through. He supposed the earth elementals would shift this panel aside to let gems in and out of the base, so nobody else could get through. How was Blue going to make it through here? As Hema scooted down into the thin fault in the stone, he found himself pushing his hands against the wall so he wouldn't fall too quickly. If he wasn't mistaken, this slab protecting the base 'door' was about ten feet thick, and probably weighed quite a bit. No matter, either Blue could crush it, or he could move it out of the way if he shifted up.

A few moments later, Hematite felt his feet meet thin air, and his legs kicked about in momentary panic as he dropped from the 'ceiling'. With a soft 'oof', the tiny gem landed in what appeared to be a dark tunnel that, while being a steep slope near the entrance, seemed to level out about twenty or so feet down. Activating the 'night vision' on his visor, Hema gazed down into the dark path.  
_Good... no guards at the front, at least._  
Hematite grit his teeth and dimmed his visor, quickly making his way down the tunnel towards what he hoped would be the base.

The hall was abnormally silent. Not even gem creatures scurried about in the dark caverns. Hema passed by a small, branching hall now and then, but kept to the main tunnel. He wasn't sure if he was going the right way, and didn't bother keeping terribly quiet as he rushed down the path.  
That is, until one warrior came strolling around the corner quietly. Wordlessly, they made their way down the path, heading the same direction Hema was heading. Hema stiffened, stopping in his tracks as he stared up at the warrior gem walking away from him. A little bigger than a Danburite, thin, with a pearly, black gem located on her right shoulder, the monochromatic gem continued on her way, completely unaware of the micro gem watching her. This one appeared to be a bit on the small side. And, thankfully, Hematite wasn't in her line of sight. She seemed to be headed somewhere, but it was uncertain _where._

The Jet turned around corner to corner, weaving through what felt like half a mile of wide, dark, damp corridors. Hema kept on her trail, never once making a sound to alert her. After some time, she started to whistle idly to herself. It was a tune Hematite was unfamiliar with. The gem's whistling faltered now and then as she continued down the path, moving with surprising accuracy. Never once did she trip on a rock or bump into a sudden crystal that jutted from the side of the path. Even Hematite found more difficulty navigating than she seemed to. Her whistled tune wavered and faded out now and then, becoming noticeably less cheery the longer she carried on.

She carried on, her pace unwavering, until she suddenly reached a tall pair of stony double-doors. She looked up at it, and her whistling died away. Hematite stopped some distance behind her, watching carefully. Strangely, she didn't go inside. The Jet lifted a hand to her shoulder, her thumb brushing over her gemstone. For a long moment, she hesitated.

Hema glared hard at the Jet, his eyes narrowed. He could have sworn he heard her mutter something under her breath, but it was impossible to make out from so far away. _Why aren't you going in?_ he wondered to himself. Surely this was where she was headed, right? Jet swallowed softly, inhaling slowly through her nose as she reached forward, resting her palm on the cold, dark door. A visible shudder ran up her form, and a soft, inexplicable whimper rose up in her throat. Slowly, she hunched her shoulders, pushing the door open. The silent tunnel was suddenly filled with the murmurs of at least a hundred gems. Slipping inside, the Jet vanished from view, lost to a cluster of gems much taller than her.

The hair on the back of Hema's neck stood on end, and he plastered himself against the wall, eyes wide. Staring at the door, the tiny gem took the moment he had to see whatever he could. There appeared to be a large room behind the doorway, _filled_ with warrior gems. He couldn't say for certain how _many,_ but it was enough to be disconcerting. What was worse... he didn't see any way to get past them safely.  
And from what Hema had seen, this was the only tunnel that lead anywhere. The main base _had_ to be past that room...  
  
No, he couldn't risk it. If he had to wade through a sea of warrior gems to scope out the rest of this base, well. It wasn't worth the danger.  
  
_And not only that, but, if these warriors were all gathered in one place..._ _ **they'd be far easier to wipe out in one fell swoop.**_  
The tiniest of smirks crossed Hematite's face for a moment, and he waited for the door to close before he rushed back up the corridors, making his way back to Blue.  
Squeezing back up through the crack in the floor, Hematite grunted with effort and tumbled back into the ballroom, quickly righting himself. He rushed back out through the front rooms before darting out of the building. Looking around, he cupped his hands to his mouth.  
"Blue! Blue, we gotta move fast!" he called in a hushed shout.

Blue shot her attention back to the general entrance of the building, her anxiety spiking. She rushed around the corner, thankfully spotting the tiny service gem _intact..._ and back a _lot_ sooner than she'd expected.  
_Which was probably more concerning than if he'd taken a while._  
Rushing forward, she quickly stood over the service gem, staring at the door.  
"What's going on Hematite?! What did you see?" she knelt down, offering a hand to him. Hematite frowned and shook his head, refusing her offered hand.  
"No time for that, come on. The warriors are gathered in a room right now, and I couldn't get past them. If we strike now, we can take a lot of them out at once," he explained quickly, turning to rush into the building once more. As soon as he was inside, his form started to glow, and he shifted up to his civilian size. Blue gasped under her breath, following after the service gem.  
_Finally._  
With a wide, eerie grin, Blue's pace quickened, and soon she found herself keeping pace with the Hematite.  
"You sure about this, kid? How many of them are in there, do you know?"

Hema shook his head as the two of them made their way into the huge ballroom.  
"Yes, I'm sure. But no, I couldn't see much. There's at least a good chunk of them, maybe a hundred or two? That's what it sounded like, at least. It's a large amount of them."  
Skidding to a halt beside the small fault in the floor, Hematite rubbed his hands together, a grim frown on his face.  
"... Are you ready, Blue?" he asked quietly, his gemstone starting to glow.

Blue furrowed her brows and steeled herself. Quickly, she reached up to her gem and summoned her weapon, the handle glowing in her hand for a moment.  
"Let's knock ‘em dead, kid."

Smirking, Hematite cracked his knuckles, summoning his own weapons with a stunning shower of sparks.  
_"Let's."_  
With that, the service gem shifted up to his half height, crouching low to avoid hitting his head on the high ceiling. Reaching down, he dug his claws into the small fault in the floor and pulled _hard,_ slowly shifting the slab aside. The Diamond wasted little time in hopping down into the hole that the slab revealed. The moment the door to the base tunnel was opened, Hematite paused and glared down into the darkness, watching Blue leap down.  
_This was it._  
_**This was really it.**_  
_If he and Blue didn't succeed here, neither of them were going to make it out alive, Homeworld would lose another leader, and the Blue District would likely be burned to the ground. They were heading into the heart of a dangerous rebel alliance. Two gems. Two gems against almost five hundred._  
He froze up suddenly, a spike of anxiety flaring up in his chest. It prickled through his entire form like a thousand fiery needles. His chest burned unpleasantly, his breath catching in his throat.  
_He suddenly became aware of how low his energy felt, after his hours of scout-tracking, and his run earlier that morning. He wasn't on the verge of passing out or anything... but he certainly didn't have as much energy as he would have liked, going up against this many warriors._  
  
Thunder crashed overhead _ **.**_  
  
_… What if he failed her? What if he gave out when it really counted? Would he be able to protect her if she got herself into too much trouble down there?_  
  
_No. He couldn't afford to doubt himself right now. He couldn't afford to be nervous. There was no room for anxiety here, no room for hesitance. These gems weren't like the scouts. These were the warriors. These gems_ _ **chose**_ _to fight. They were all rallied behind this horrid gem that was planning to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians._  
Hematite felt the anxiety in his chest twist into something sharper... something more potent.  
_**Malice.**_  
It was a feeling he wasn't completely familiar with... but also was _no stranger to._ The last time he'd felt it this strongly... Well. It'd ended with him facing down a **Diamond.** Hematite sneered silently as a flash of lighting struck overhead, sending a blinding light through the crystal dome of the ballroom. Slowly, the ivory-haired gem felt something harden in his core. It was similar to the instincts that had been gnawing at him for so long...

But this was different. This wasn't a need to hunt... or to harvest. This wasn't a drive to chase gems down and put them in their place, or a desire to feel the satisfaction of catching a difficult target.  
No.  
This was far different. The cold feeling spreading through his chest was a much more primal, simple need.  
These gems were a threat.  
  
A threat... that needed to be **eliminated.**  
  
With a flash, the service gem shrank down to his civilian height and leapt down next to Blue Diamond, silently landing on all fours. He glanced up at her, flicked his visor back down over his eyes, and bolted off down the stony tunnel without a word, barely standing back up on his two feet to run. Blue furrowed her brows, the world around her going dead silent. Only one thought echoed in her mind.  
  
_Destroy._  
  
Twisting the handle of the mace in her hand, Blue Diamond's weapon started to glow and the end of the mace actually grew slightly, but this time... the spikes on the massive ball at the end grew into jagged, crystalline points. Razor sharp to the touch, her weapon was now poised to _obliterate_ anything it came in contact with. The service gem bolted down the different twists and turns of the tunnels until he reached the last, rather long corridor with the massive, stone doors at the end. His eyes widened, and the hair stood on end at the back of his neck. Suddenly shooting forward ahead of the Diamond, Hematite dropped into a dead-set run on all fours, his clawed hands scoring small scrapes into the rock as he charged at the door.  
_Flash!_  
  
_**C R A S H!**_  
  
In an instant, Hematite had shifted up just enough to slam himself clean through the door, knocking aside a few warrior gems in the process, disorienting them. His form continued to glow as he looked around, taking in all the information he could with what few seconds he had. Quickly, he shifted up as much as he could in the room he found himself in. Sure enough, the room was filled to the brim with almost two hundred-plus warriors of different shapes and sizes. Jets, Spinels, Onyxes, Ambers, Jaspers, common Topazes, Rubies, and even some gems Hema didn't recognize.

Hema's entrance startled the entire group, stunning them for a long moment. But within seconds of his appearance, the mass of warrior gems began to bristle, many of them drawing their weapons. Blue crashed into the room and slid under Hema's shifting form with an enraged roar, slamming her massive, crystalline mace down in front of her. It was so quick, it shattered a good ten gems in its wake.

The giant gem shifted to hover over her, completely blocking off the exit to the room as his form finished taking shape. Slamming his fists at Blue's sides, the massive gem crushed four more warriors' forms underneath his hands, destabilizing them without hesitation. He snapped his attention up at the collected group, his visor giving a _horrific_ whining sound at the sight of the mass of rebels.

There was suddenly an uproar of rage and disoriented movement as most warriors scattered to try and take an offensive or defensive stance. Blue looked up from the ground furiously, baring her teeth in terrifying rage.  
  
**"ATTACK!"**

Reeling his head back, Hematite bared his teeth in a _vicious_ snarl that quickly grew into an ear-splitting roar that shook the whole room. It rattled a few of the warriors, while a couple others gave fierce war cries in response, already charging toward the two intruders.  
Without a moment's hesitation, Hematite leapt into action, quite literally, and landed on the opposite side of the crowd, crushing a few gems under his hands and knees. Different colored smoke formed around the giant gem as he turned his head with a fierce hiss, thrusting his arm to the side and knocking away a group of warriors into the wall. The room was sharply sent into a sea of confusion and disarray, a deafening roar filling the cavernous space.  
A few of the warriors made a mad dash for the Diamond first _,_ but were quickly swiped away with another massive swing of Blue's mace. A few _knew_ what harvesters were, and immediately jumped in to try and attack the giant service gem. _He needed to be taken out first._ Neither Blue Diamond herself or Hematite were good to have around by themselves, but together... they were an even _more_ terrifying match-up.  
Without wasting another second, the giant gem slammed his fist down on another group of warriors, wincing lightly as his wrist was nicked by one of their weapons. The gems that he hit poofed or cracked upon impact, leaving Hematite to look sharply over his shoulder as more charged toward him. Snarling viciously, he suddenly shot his foot back toward the warriors, smashing a good few of them against the wall, making quick work of them. Sparks ran down Hematite's arms, suddenly shooting down into the ground around him, stunning a few gems. Some of them seemed unfazed, however, and violently swung at the harvester, some aiming for his gem, some just trying to do _some_ kind of damage. Hematite yowled in pain, but instead of backing off, _he let it fuel his rage further._ Letting out a feral screeching sound, the giant gem, his body still coursing with electricity, pounced to another section of the room, catching some of the other warriors off-guard. Cuts and tears started to riddle the gem's suit as the rebels took swipes and jabs at him, but he didn't falter. He didn't slow.  
_His attacks grew faster, more erratic, less predictable._ He slammed some gems to the ground, crushed some underfoot; he even went so far as to snap his head down toward a group of three gems, _biting straight through their forms with a loud 'CLACK!'_ As an Amber took a swing at his gem, he quickly sat up, crushing the gems in his mouth between his teeth.

The warriors' cries of war became muffled in a sea of primal rage. As quite a few made the mistake of going for the biggest gem in the room, their numbers started to dwindle.  
Which, while it may have been a good thing for the two attacking gems... it also made it easier for the remaining warriors to maneuver around. Silently, an Onyx made her way behind Hematite, a massive axe drawn. While the harvester was distracted, she lifted up her weapon to swing down right into his calf.  
  
**POFF!**  
**SNAP!!**  
With a sharp, hissing breath, Blue Diamond brought her mace down right over the Onyx's form, shattering her gem under its weight. The Diamond snarled and reeled her weapon back, whacking away what warriors got closer to Hematite. But she didn't stay around him for too long. She didn't want to risk hitting _him_ with her mace, or getting in the way of one of his strikes.  
  
Suddenly, from a raised ledge in the room, a tall and thickly-built gem stood with a rage-filled grimace on his features. On his wrist laid a blood-red stone: an Almandine. A few of the warriors noticed Almandine's entrance and called up to him.  
"SIR! WHAT DO WE DO?!" one of them cried out. The red gem looked to the ceiling where many sharp, crystalline rocks hung down. Narrowing his eyes, he quickly reached to his gem and pulled out a massive metallic glaive, throwing it at the crystal.  
**CHK!**  
**Rumbbllleee...**  
  
The weapon made _direct_ impact with one of the crystals, exploding upon impact. The force shook the area of the ceiling just enough to knock some of the sharp crystals loose, which soon came barreling down towards the center of the room where Hematite and Blue were stationed.

**CHK!**  
Looking up sharply, Hematite crushed a Spinel in his hand, a puff of red smoke forming around his fist. At the sight of the breaking crystals, Hema felt his breath catch in his throat, the world around him going quiet. His visor clicked aggressively, locking onto all the jagged stones that had come loose and now fell toward the ground. For a moment, time seemed to slow down, and Hematite found himself unable to focus on anything but where he was, where Blue was, and where the crystals were going to fall.  
In a split second, the harvester's visor projected the paths of the falling spikes in a visual format, quickly predicting where each one was headed.  
_One was going to land right on Blue._  
  
With blinding speed, the service gem snatched Blue up in his hand and rolled away, his eyes wide. Without thinking, he swept one of his legs to the side as he tumbled, suddenly pushing a _large_ group of the remaining warriors into the path of the jagged rocks. One of them managed to nick his leg, sticking into the thick part of his boot. Withdrawing his leg with a wince, Hema snapped the rock in two, leaving the smaller piece stuck in the material of his boot. The warriors that Hema had pushed under the spikes poofed or shattered instantly, the center of the room quickly filling with multicolored smoke.  
Quickly putting Blue down, Hematite snapped his attention back up to the Almandine, his teeth bared in a vicious snarl. The blood-red leader met Hematite's gaze with a malicious, psychotic, wide-eyed growl. Summoning two glaives at once, he spun them around in his hands and **yelled.** The remainder of the warriors in the room responded with yells of their own. Blue reached to her gem and grabbed a second mace, hunkering herself low. Her form suddenly started to glow with a bright blue aura, and the pressure in the room started to _heavily increase._  
Scrunching her nose, the Diamond took her mace and, reeling her arm back as though it were _weightless,_ she threw it at the ledge that Almandine stood upon. Spinning violently through the air, the mace smashed into the side of the rock, creating a massive crack which started to split the ledge. Almandine growled out, and, within an instant, jumped off the ledge and made a direct rush for the outer circle of warriors.

Hissing violently, Hematite rushed after the Almadine, poofing a few of the rebels in his wake. He grimaced as something stuck into his side, and he turned his head sharply to see a smaller warrior gem sticking her spear into his side, but he didn't pay her any mind at the moment. _No, he had something far more important to take care of._  
Hematite wasted **no** time in closing in on the blood-red gem, violently swatting aside a few gems that jumped out to defend their leader.

Almandine faced Hematite head-on, skirting off to the side and throwing his glaives at him. The bladed weapons spun rapidly towards the massive gem. One missed, but the other stuck deep into Hema's shoulder, earning a pained yowl. Almandine let out a fierce battle cry and summoned another glaive immediately after, followed by a few warriors crossing their weapons in front of him to guard him.  
Meanwhile, Blue cranked up the pressure more and more. With a horrific snarl, the Diamond spun her mace around in hand, reeled it back, and _slammed_ it down into the ground again, creating a massive tremor which created a crater in the ground where it'd hit. The ceiling cracked and shuddered threateningly, making Blue look up sharply.

Letting out another feral yowl, the giant gem shook his head, yanking the glaive out of his shoulder and snapping his attention to the blood-red leader.  
_Think fast._  
Without warning, Hematite chucked the weapon _back at_ the gem with a tremendous amount of force, sending it straight through two of the warriors' forms, poofing them.  
However, just as he was about to attack, Hematite felt the pressure in the air suddenly increase, bearing down on his form. He gasped quietly, clutching a hand over his chest. The warriors had a window. Not giving the harvester another chance to attack, the gems that'd stood at Almadine's defense shot forward with fierce cries, their weapons brandished. Hematite's head shot up.  
_Stars, no. NO._  
He sat up quickly, his eyes widened fiercely. The pressure in the air was making it hard to focus, hard to think straight... If it increased anymore, he wasn't sure if he'd hold out. The leader. **Get the leader.** If he could take out the Almadine, there was a chance the others would be unnerved enough that Blue could take them out.  
_Even if Hematite ended up destabilizing._  
Without warning, the massive gem let out a fierce cry, slamming his hands down and leaning forward toward the blood-red gem, his teeth parted and ready to strike.  
But instead of snapping down on Almadine himself, Hematite bit onto his _weapon,_ quickly snapping his head back up, sending the warrior gem high into the air.

With a sharp, angry yell, the Almandine was shot up high. He tossed around in the air to try and right himself... but had no idea what awaited them below. Eyes widening suddenly, the gem was helpless to stop himself from plunging down _right towards Hematite's face._

_**SNAP!**_  
Almadine found himself plunged into darkness in a split second, a resounding 'CLACK' closing him inside Hematite's mouth. Quickly, the giant gem shifted the blood-red gem to the side, directly under his teeth.  
**POFF!**  
With an eerily-satisfied, sharp-toothed grin, the giant gem turned to the remaining warriors and chuckled darkly, clouds of red smoke drifting from his mouth, up past his visor. They froze, staring at him.  
_**CRICK!**_  
Sneering with disgust, Hematite spat the red shards onto the ground in front of the gems that had charged at him while he was distracted.

With their leader now in _literal pieces,_ the remaining warriors clambered around aimlessly with screams of terror and ferocity. Blue noticed the change of demeanor quickly and took full advantage of it. Suit tattered with scratches and tears, Blue rushed into the fray, eyeing the group of fifty-or-so warriors that were left. They were close. She could feel it! The number of warriors had been at least halved, and without their leader, Blue knew this battle was theirs-  
Until there was a massive, bright flash of light.  
Somewhere in the room, three warriors had joined together and created a _massive_ fusion that stood just under Hematite's height. Roaring with bloodthirsty rage, the fusion made a mad dash _right_ for the service gem, barreling into his side with all of their might. Hematite cried out in surprised fury, quickly trying to toss the fusion off of him. He covered up his gem reflexively so they wouldn't land a solid hit on it, and used his other hand to claw ferociously at their face. His form coursed with electricity, striking the fusion from every direction as the giant gem struggled to get loose. The fusion screamed out in pain but quickly grabbed onto Hematite's wrist, yanking him over onto the ground as best as they could. A group of warriors charged the downed harvester, crying out in fury. Blue gasped, swinging her mace into one of the warriors and poofing them. Facing Hematite for a split second, the Diamond glowered fiercely and reeled her arm back, throwing her mace directly towards the fusion.  
**CRACK** **!**  
With a massive force, the mace hit its mark right in the side of the fusion’s face, knocking the sense right out of them. Staggering off to the side, they let go of Hematite immediately and stumbled for a moment, clutching at their face with agonized growling. Hematite shot Blue a quick, thankful glance, but wasted no time in scrambling to his feet, crouched on all fours once more. His hair stood on end as he finally got a good look at the fusion. It had a chest gem, a stomach gem, and a head gem. They had four arms and a rather well-built physique.  
_If he didn't take care of this gem_ _ **now,**_ _he was going to be in a_ _ **lot**_ _of trouble._  
Glancing around rapidly, Hematite leapt to the side, toward the center of the room...  
And yanked one of the huge crystal spikes out of the ground. The fusion was quick to snap back to attention, their eyes locked onto the massive harvester before them. Letting out an ear-splitting roar, the fusion bolted towards him, their arms reeled back for an _immense_ blow. Blue unfortunately couldn't help this time, as she was too busy fending off more of the warriors... who were **all** now completely focused on her. Summoning another mace, she knocked them away violently, but one jumped on her and grabbed for her gem. Their hands wrapped around her face as best as they could, suddenly reaching up and using their nails to claw at her gem.  
The Diamond _screamed_ out in a way that Hematite had never before heard, chomping down into the warrior's arm. The cry was cracked with mortal terror and agony, sending a shudder through the room. Yowling out in pain, the warrior quickly let go and scrambled to the ground. Kicking one of the others away, the Diamond turned around and glared venomous daggers into the warrior. They froze in place, petrified by her gaze.

At Blue's screech of agony, Hematite felt every fiber of his being flood with dread... and _**rage.**_  
Without any sort of warning, or regard for his own safety, Hema shot forward toward the fusion with a feral, almost _anguished_ cry, his new 'weapon' brandished out over his head. The fusion gem stumbled back in unnerved shock at Hematite's brash action, and it was just enough time for the harvester to leap at them and grab tightly onto their form before plunging the crystalline spike into their abdomen, pinning them to the wall.  
_That was them taken care of._  
Without even _looking,_ Hematite shot toward where he'd heard Blue's scream, quickly turning to focus on the Diamond and the multiple warriors that had closed in on her. Screeching in rage, Hematite launched forward, landing _unnervingly_ close to Blue, crushing the warrior who had clawed at her gem.  
"GET. AWAY." He turned sharply to two Onyx warriors who were charging at him, weapons brandished. "FROM. HER," he snarled out, the words coming out more as guttural growls than anything else. The giant gem was poised over his blue superior, his shoulders tensed, his head low.

The warriors skidded to a halt, eyes widening in horror. They quickly turned on their heels and both ran, though more warriors came from behind them, trying to leap _directly_ onto Hematite with their weapons drawn. The fusion, pinned to the wall by the crystal, grasped desperately with distressed grunting, but couldn't find a way to dislodge it. Eyes widening slightly, they started to feel a massive spike of pain rush through each of their gems _._ Looking up, they hissed in confusion before exploding into a destabilized cloud of smoke. Two of the warriors hit the ground with a loud thud, while one of them clinked to the ground, having retreated back into their gemstone.  
Blue looked up at Hematite, momentarily brought out of her blind rage only to find Hematite in a feral state of fury. Hunkering down, she pressed her palm to the ground and glared daggers into the fast-approaching warriors, clutching at her mace. His face shooting up at the sight of the other warriors leaping toward him, Hematite snarled viciously and snapped one of them out of the air, biting through their projection a moment later. Two of the warriors actually managed to land on him, but were quickly shaken off, one of them landing directly in front of Blue. The warrior seemed disoriented for a moment, but was quickly pinned to the ground with Blue's foot. Looking up slowly at the Diamond, their surprised shriek was quickly cut short by Blue's mace, brought down directly onto their head.  
  
**POFF!**  
  
In an instant, the gem was reduced to a cloud of smoke, their gemstone clinking to the floor. Blue leaned down and picked it up, breathing heavily One of the warriors that landed somewhere near Hematite shook their head and looked up, finding themselves making direct eye contact with Blue. The Diamond suddenly, yet slowly, grinned and held up the gem. She snapped it in her hands without breaking eye contact. The intact warrior let out a disheveled gasp and scurried back a few steps.

Hematite was distracted by a gem that leapt directly onto his face, jabbing their weapon into his cheek. He cried out in frustrated pain and yanked them off, holding them tightly in his grip.  
But unfortunately, in his feral rage, he'd failed to notice a smaller, lither warrior still clinging to his back. It was the spear-wielding gem that'd stuck her weapon into him not too long ago. Despite Hematite's leaping around and fighting, she'd managed to cling to his suit with small, clawed fingers, her brows furrowed with grim determination.  
_If she could just get an open window, she could take this monstrosity down and save her fellow Star Stealers!_  
And, much sooner than she thought it would... said window opened up. Hematite was momentarily distracted with a few other warrior gems, and Blue Diamond seemed preoccupied with one of the rebels as well. Quickly, the tiny rebel scrambled up toward Hematite's neck, drew another spear from her shoulder, and reeled her arm back, striking his gemstone as hard as she could.  
  
A horrific, metallic scrape echoed through the room. Hematite quickly dropped his head, gasping loudly in pain as his breath caught in his throat. Fiery spikes shot through his very core, his vision going _white_. Tears instantly pooled in his eyes, which stared, unseeing, at the floor.

Blue suddenly shot out from under the huge service gem, looking up in horror.  
Everything went _red._ Yelling out as loud as she could, the Diamond dropped her weapon completely and _leaped_ onto Hematite's arm, climbing up and grabbing the warrior suddenly by the throat. The warrior, who had been paying far too much attention to clinging on and trying to strike Hematite's gemstone, hadn't even seen her coming towards her.  
_A fatal mistake._ Violently, with one massive heave, the Diamond _threw_ the warrior onto the ground and jumped down after her, landing inches from her body. Heaving with rage, the Diamond leaned down and grabbed the disoriented, squirming warrior and lifted her off the ground once again by her neck. Kicking their legs, the warrior grunted in terrified frustration, shakily opening her eyes. She was met with Blue's infuriated glare. The Diamond grabbed onto the warrior's gem, located on her shoulder. Slowly, the Diamond squeezed her hand. The warrior screamed out in horrible pain for a few good seconds, until her gem cracked into pieces, her form vanishing in a cloud of dust.

Hematite let out a choked cough, shakily clutching at his gemstone, his head dropping to touch the floor. His breaths came in shallow, pained gasps, his entire form burning with icy fire. _He couldn't even move._  
A few of the warriors took advantage of this and attacked him mercilessly while trying to stay far away from Blue Diamond. The massive gem winced and inhaled sharply through his teeth, letting out a quiet whimper as he weakly tried to swat one of them away. His entire form was shaking, and it was painful to move.

Blue sharply looked back at Hema, her expression darkening with dread. _This was bad._ If he destabilized right now, there was no way she'd be able to finish this mission. He could corrupt, or get shattered, and she'd follow soon after. The cold, merciless ice that laid in her gaze melted with fear and panic. If she didn't take out the remaining fifteen-or-so gems that bore down on Hema, before he destabilized, they were as good as dead. Summoning a mace, Blue quickly rushed for Hematite with unsteady, heavy breaths. She knew he was on his last legs right now.  
"HEMATITE! To your left, c'mon, just a few more!" Blue cried out, quickly slamming her mace into one of the warriors and poofing them. Quickly, she brought it down upon the gem, snapping it to pieces. She knocked a few of the others off of him, making quick work of them as well. At first, it almost seemed like Hema hadn't heard her. He kept taking hits from the remaining dozen or so warriors... Until.

_Crackle_  
Without warning, Hematite suddenly reached his hand out and tumbled Blue away, sending her across the room.  
_**Z A P!**_  
Crying out in pain, the remaining warriors clinging to the giant gem's form were suddenly riddled with electricity, which violently coursed through him. An impressive shower of sparks fell to the floor as well, surrounding Hematite in an untouchable field of crackling energy. Within a few moments, the remaining warriors all destabilized, falling to the floor with quiet 'clinks'. Hematite shot his hands out after a moment, crushing each of the gems in turn. His face lifted at one point, a furious grimace on his features.  
His chest heaving, Hematite leaned his forehead back on the ground. He managed to crack the last gemstone with his knuckledusters, but his hand quickly retracted, his fingers covering his gem again.  
  
_The room went quiet._

Heaving, Blue dropped her mace to the floor, sweat pouring from her brow. She stared out at nothing in particular, clenching and unclenching her fists. Half. That was about half of what they were up against, and in the panic, Blue noticed that a few of the gems had escaped. They'd only taken out what seemed to be one of the leaders. _How were they going to pull this off?_  
Wearily, Blue looked over at Hematite, her jaw dropping open to say something, but she stopped, closing it again as she realized just how much pain Hema was in right now. They both looked like they'd been through hell and back. Slowly, the Diamond staggered over to Hematite and leaned up against his arm, coughing.  
"This is a lot... rougher... than I thought it was going to be," she grunted, falling down to one of her knees and clutching her abdomen. Now that _this_ fight was over, the numbness from the rush of the fight started to fade... and Blue started to feel the burn. Her entire form ached, along with her gem. It wasn't damaged from the aggressive scratching, luckily, but her head was still pounding from the harsh clawing it'd taken.

A long, tense silence fell between the two. Hematite slowly evened out his breathing as the seconds ticked by, and he managed to open his eyes. Slowly, he removed his fingers from his gem, running one of them over the silvery stone. It took him but a moment to feel a small, shallow scrape on its otherwise pristine surface. It was rust-red in color, like a strange wound gashed into an otherwise inorganic face.  
_He'd overdone it. If he continued, he knew he'd pass out. If he passed out... Blue would be in big trouble. They'd fail their mission._  
_He'd fail_ _ **her.**_  
Grimacing, the gem slowly sat up, reaching over and gently picking the Diamond up. He cupped her in his hand and held her up to eye level, lifting his visor from his eyes with his free hand.  
"Blue. With all due respect... We can't beat these guys." He narrowed his eyes, setting his jaw. "Not **alone."** Faintly, his gem began to glimmer.

Blue's eyes widened slightly. At first, she didn't understand what he was getting at... but then she saw his gemstone. Slowly, she looked up at him, their eyes meeting. A tense moment stretched on between the two, before Blue smirked darkly, realization glittering in her eyes. Inhaling slowly, the Diamond stepped forward, and her own gemstone started to glow with a faint, blue light. Narrowing her eyes, she gave Hematite a reassuring, understanding nod.  
The circumstances were necessary. They needed strength. They needed power. They needed union and synchronization. They needed each other.

  
**They needed Dioptase.**

* * *

 

 

* * *

 

-  
With a serious frown, Hema closed his eyes, lowering his head. Blue pressed her forehead to his, closing her own eyes.  
_**Let's finish this. Together.**_

 

A moment later, the two gems' forms were set aglow, soon merging together and forming a much larger gem in their wake. The shining, pink-and-blue light slowly morphed into a clear, teal hue as the fusion finished forming. Arms lifting to her sides, the massive gem stretched with a low growl, the light fading from her body. Swinging her arms down, she pounded one fist into her free palm, eyes snapping open.  
_Crack._  
_**Well.**_  
_Crack._  
_**This isn't the encore I was expecting.**_  
_**But it'll do nicely.**_  
  
Reaching up to her head, the fusion gem chuckled and tweaked her chin up a bit, her neck cracking rather loudly.  
"Okay, _Star Stealers,"_ she crooned darkly, a wide, unsettling grin spreading across her face. The single, circular eyepiece over her left eye slowly glazed over, glowing dimly.  
**"Time for round two."**

-

… _Hematite?_  
  
_Waking up on a glowing ring of what appeared to be solid water, the Diamond got to her feet and cracked her back. The pain weighing down her body was gone... at least, for now. They were here. Back again, in this mesmerizing place. Though a faint sense of peace washed over her for a moment at the sight of the spanning horizon of teal waters, it didn't last long. They still had a job to do._

_Groaning quietly a little ways behind Blue was Hematite. He shakily stood, rubbing his head with one hand. Walking over, he placed a hand on Blue's shoulder, standing at her side._  
_"Well. We did it again, huh?" Chuckling weakly, he looked around, breathing in a slow sigh of relief at seeing this beautiful place again. His energy levels had evened out... and he didn't feel the threat of collapse looming over him anymore._  
_Not only that, the pain he'd felt from his scratched gem was gone, too._

_"Heh, yeah... got a little in over our heads there," she said, forcing a grin. It slowly faded though, and she looked away. "Sorry, kid. I probably should have brought some more backup... Maybe we wouldn't have been caught up in this big of a mess." She sighed, clicking her tongue to the roof of her mouth. "I guess I underestimated these guys..." she said, finally taking a step back from the service gem. "But we've got this. One way or another... we're gonna get through this._ _**Both** _ _of us."_

_Looking up at his superior, Hematite frowned seriously and nodded._  
_"Hm. Right." Turning his head, Hema raised a brow in surprise at the sight of a large, circular visor hovering directly above the water a little distance from the two of them. "... Wait. That wasn't there before, was it?" he murmured curiously, stepping closer to the screen. An image started to flicker onto the vibrant teal surface, depicting Dioptase's view. Seemed she was sneaking through some crystalline tunnels, heading deeper into the base. Hema paused and tilted his head, eyeing the faint HUD that overlaid the image. "... Does... Dio know how to use a visor now?"_

_Pursing her lips, Blue walked forward and eyed the screen, a little confused. Blinking, the Diamond held a finger to her lip curiously._  
_"I wonder. I mean, you taught me how to use your visor. And you know how to use it, obviously... maaaybe that's it? She's channeling our collective knowledge in order to work it?" she suggested, grinning widely. Hematite mirrored Blue's skeptical expression for a moment, but at her suggestion, he smiled faintly as well, eyes narrowed._  
_"Huh. I suppose that's a possibility. Fusion's still a rather new concept for me. Either wayyyy..." He looked at the screen again, his smirk widening. "This will prove very useful."_

\---  
Stomping through the halls, the massive, teal fusion strutted with pride and power, her shoulders squared. With a small but eerie grin, Dioptase found herself on a set path towards what she took to be the 'inner sanctum'. The visor whirred and clicked, reading everything it could.  
"Come out to plaaaaay, Star Stealers. What happened to all that big talk from a few weeks ago, eeeh? Come on, back it up, why don't ya?” she muttered, gazing around the silent corridor.

Dioptase suddenly stopped in her tracks, her visor chirping. Approaching footsteps echoed noisily against the stony walls, and around the bend came a group of four furious-looking warriors. Cracking her knuckles rather loudly, the teal fusion snickered quietly. Her arms sparked with bright, blue electricity, lighting up the tunnel around her.  
"Come oooooon you _pebbles._ Did you really think I was going to ignore you?" Her gemstones started to glow. Lifting her hand to her neck, the fusion pulled out a huge mace-ball which coursed with electricity, dangling from a tangible electric 'cord'. "If you took down the Blue District, I wouldn't get a proper encore in the Coliseum!" she crowed with utter _malice_ underlying her voice. The approaching warriors closed in on the fusion, finally close enough to be faintly seen in the low light down the tunnel. Their weapons glinted faintly in the light of Dioptase's electricity. They lifted their weapons as they neared with fierce battle-cries that filled the tunnel.

The fusion's eyes widened slightly. A dark, unnervingly excited grin twisted her lips. Her visor locked onto the approaching gems, identifying them each in turn.  
_Two Jaspers... one Jet... one Blue Onyx... and ooooh, shaking things up a bit, are we? A Fluorite! Sounds like a_ _ **deliciously**_ _fun time._  
With a loud cackle, the fusion gripped tightly at the lightning chain and stood her ground, reeling her arm back before swiping it over in an arc, sending the spiked ball to slam into the path of the warriors. The Jet didn't stop in time and was caught directly under the heavy sphere, shattering instantly. Some of the warriors gasped in distressed shock, but quickly ran around, trying to keep their focus as steady as they could. One of the warriors, the larger of the two Jaspers, charged forward, brandishing a broad battle-ax. Light suddenly filled the tunnel as she began to glow, thrusting her ax forward in a spinning charge attack. She cut a deep score into the ground as she shot toward the fusion. For a split second, Dioptase's grin faltered, and she stepped back quickly, eyes widening. Looking sharply at her visor, the teal gem noticed the screen projecting a few possible paths that the Jasper would take in her attack, instantly highlighting the most likely one. Dio narrowed her eyes and glanced down at her feet as the Jasper closed in on her, bringing her ax down. Leaping nimbly out of the way, Dio cackled confidently, grinning ear to ear.  
"Now **that's** more like it!" Without wasting a second, she pulled out another mace ball from her gem, holding it in her hands. The Jasper looked up sharply from her currently-stuck ax, paling at the fusion that loomed above her, the massive, spiked weapon hoisted over her head.  
_**SM A SH!**_

The warriors cried out, two of them splitting to try and flank the bigger gem. The Fluorite ran directly at the fusion gem, her eyes cold. An eerie 'smoke' formed around her hands, swirling and sparkling in the dark of the cavern. Opening her hands sharply, the Fluorite grasped at the smoke as it suddenly solidified into two sharp, uneven spears made of ice. She snarled and shot forward, throwing one of the spikes at Dioptase's head. It missed as Dio chucked a mace ball at one of the warriors, poofing them. However, the second one hit its mark. It stabbed into Dioptase's arm, earning a fearsome roar from the fusion. She snarled and ripped the icy shard out of her arm, shattering it in her grasp as she glared daggers at the warrior that'd struck her.

The ice elemental backed up quickly, her eyes wide. Gritting her teeth, she summoned two more spikes, getting ready to chuck them at the huge fusion. Dio grinned darkly and whipped her arm out to the side, a thrashing chain of electricity snapping out from her fist. Thrusting her hand toward the smaller gem, she snatched one of the sharp spikes and yanked it away, hitting the other warrior that tried to flank her in the process.  
Cackling, the teal fusion stepped back quickly and balled up her fists, the lightning chain in hand.  
"Come oooon, surely you got more in ya than thaaaat!" she taunted. The warrior that had been hit with the ice shook off their disorientation and jumped back up to their feet, clutching their weapon tightly. With a swift movement, they ducked past Dio and turned sharply, throwing their weapon at her back.  
Unfortunately, the teal gem was a bit too distracted by the Fluorite, and took the direct hit to her back, letting out a sharp, pained grunt. She stumbled forward, very _nearly_ falling right onto the ice elemental and her remaining spike. However, she tumbled _past_ the smaller rebel, quickly turning and snapping her whip to the side, wrapping it around the remaining Jasper that had made a go for her. She yanked her forward, grinning as she and the Fluorite made rather clumsy contact, falling onto the floor with a sharp shout.  
Dio grinned and cackled as she pulled out another mace-ball. Without giving the two gems a chance to regain their footing, she slammed the weapon down, shattering them both instantly. Chest heaving, Dio sat up.

\--

_"We're not going to be able to fight all the rest of these guys in this state... If we're going to win this..." Slowly looking over at his blue superior, Hematite narrowed his eyes in thought. "... We're going to need an advantage. A_ _**big** _ _advantage."_

_Blinking, the Diamond looked over to Hematite with a raised brow. Okay, so she'd gotten the hint for fusing... but she didn't know what he was getting at this time._  
_"What are ya talkin' about kid?"_

_Smirking, the service gem crossed his arms, raising a brow._ _  
"I didn't test it out last time we fused, but if my feelings are right... Dio should have retained my sizeshifting ability," he said slyly, an odd glint in his eyes. Blue's eyes widened slightly, her grin soon following._ _  
"Wait, you mean... Dioptase can be_ _**huge?!"** _ _She said, nearly laughing in amazement. The Diamond seemed to get a new pep in her step, placing her hands on her hips with a devious smirk. "Heheh.... well then, kid, seeing as how you know how to do that... take the reigns!~"_ _  
Slowly, the air in the fusion plane shifted, and the ripples around Hema's feet widened, spreading out further and further. The service gem slowly smiled, his gemstone starting to glow dimly._

_\--_  
The fusion stood up tall and stretched her arms up, chuckling darkly. _Now that this room was taken care of... it was time to find out where all those others were._ Turning, the fusion made a mad dash for the end of the hall, which seemed to lead out into another complex cave system. The further Dio ran, the more she began to notice the ceiling getting higher, and the walls letting her have more running room.

\--  
_Hematite noticed the change as well and chuckled quietly, rubbing his chin._  
_"Looks like it's almost time," he said quietly, eyeing the small radar on Dio's eyepiece. A myriad of signals were jamming up the grid, washing it with all sorts of different colors. They were close. With any luck, the rest of the rebels would be there, including Star Sunstone._  
\--  
After a little running, Dio rounded a corner, eyes widening as she spotted what appeared to be a _massive_ cavern at the end of a huge, tall corridor. As the teal fusion ran ahead, she felt something within her gemstones stir; specifically, the one on her neck. Glancing down at it, she raised a brow, smirking. _Ohhh? What was this?_  
The tips of the gem's fingers began to tingle, and she looked at her hands, clenching and unclenching them a few times. The sensation crawled up her arms, spreading through the rest of her form. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as the feeling rushed up into her head, making her shiver for a moment. Slowly, but surely, her form started to glow...  
And the already-large fusion steadily shifted up in size.

\--  
_Slowly, Blue's brows raised. Some new, odd sensation was rushing through her. Taking a few steps back, the Diamond instinctively placed her hands on her sides, patting around her body and eventually stopping on her face. With her fingers pressed up against her cheeks, the Diamond looked up to the screen and watched the world seem to get_ _ **smaller.**_  
_"Ha… HAHha! Whoa, kid, what is this?!" Blue chuckled heartily, removing her hands from her face. Looking over at the Diamond, Hematite smiled brightly, some of his grim demeanor lifting._  
_"Isn't it incredible! This is sizeshifting! You knooow, the ability I use all the time!" The service gem turned back to the screen, furrowing his brows with a confident smile. "Let's see these rebels take down a harvester-sized fusion that's half-Diamond."_  
\--  
The now _massive_ fusion cackled heartily as she continued to shift up, soon reaching a little over Hematite's full size. She bolted toward the large cavern at the end of the tunnel, her eyes wide, teeth bared in a toothy grin. Her form finally stopped glowing, her now _thunderous_ footsteps echoing through the caves. Letting out a fierce battle cry, she drew out two mace balls, letting them crash to the floor as she drug them effortlessly behind her, leaving deep scores in the rock. Within moments, the main part of the Star Stealers’ base opened up before her, rebels scattered throughout the massive area. Gem-lichen hung from the high ceiling, glowing dimly, casting a milky-amber light through the whole space. On the far end of the chamber, the wall was chiseled rather roughly into different 'levels', some rather crude living spaces formed into the rock. Up on the top most level of the chiseled 'stairs' was a more detailed looking building. All of it looked like Spinel work. The immediate area around Dio seemed to be the biggest section of the room, a huge, flat clearing that took up half the space. Some other rough living spaces were formed into the walls or along the edges, though they all seemed to be abandoned. No, the Star Stealers were all out and about, _and some of them had spotted the new intruder._

In a moment's notice, one of the rebels summoned a crystal-shaped device, holding it close to their face _._ The rebel mouthed something, though it was uncertain what. Dio welcomed the gesture. If it was backup that they'd called for, _good._ That'd bring the Star Stealers to _her._ Dio glowered around the room at the warriors that were gathered, watching them bring out their weapons and charge at her.

\--  
_Smirking, Hematite looked over at the Diamond, arching a brow._  
_"Seems they're bringing the party to us, Blue.~_ _ **Shall we?"**_

_The Diamond grinned ear to ear and took Hematite's hand, gripping it confidently. Shooting him an assured nod, the Diamond glanced over at the screen, not letting go._ _  
__"Let's bring down the house, kid!"_  
\--  
Chuckling darkly, the fusion gripped the 'chains' of her weapons tighter, the heavy, metal flails at the end starting to glow with a bright-blue light.  
_SHINK!_  
A bright flash blocked Dio from sight as her weapons suddenly shapeshifted, jagged crystals forming around the mace balls. With a feral battle cry, the huge fusion leapt into the fray, landing on a few warrior gems that failed to get out of the way quick enough. She turned sharply and lifted her arm, slamming down one of the huge mace balls, leaving a deep crack in the floor, puffs of smoke exploding from the impact zone. The warriors cried out in fury, quickly advancing upon the teal fusion. Dio narrowed her eyes and, with her usual cocky grin, stood her ground. Glancing up at some of the ledges for a moment, Dio smirked, a curious glint in her eyes. She quickly leapt through the air and landed past a massive group with a resounding thud. Spinning around, she swiped the mace balls across one another, and the crystalline shards shot out towards the group, poofing quite a few of the warriors in the process. She skirted back, luring the mass of rebels towards the ledges she'd eyed earlier.

Dio glanced back behind her as she neared the wall, but kept her gaze skimming through the group of gems. More warriors were making their way down the different levels of the far wall, rushing into the battle with their weapons drawn. The cavern was soon filled with a cacophony of war cries and clanging weapons as the rebels did their best to attack the huge fusion, though more often than not, they were met with the business end of her mace or kicked away entirely. Slowly, Dioptase made her way to the right side of the room, almost seeming to _corner_ herself. The rebels took notice of this and collectively rushed toward her with an audible roar of confidence.

With a wide grin, as soon as a small chunk of the warriors were upon her, the massive fusion _pounced_ over the group and whirled around on her heel, swinging her mace violently into the side of one of the ledges. The warriors, momentarily taken aback, turned around to face the fusion quickly. Though some were too busy focusing on _her_ to notice the ledge, now split, crumbling down on top of them. Lips curling into an unsettlingly satisfied sneer, the crouching fusion gem lifted one hand and slowly motioned her fingers in a mocking 'wave' at the rebels against the wall.  
_P O F F!_  
In mere moments, the warriors were reduced to clouds of smoke, some of them cracking, some shattering instantly under the weight of the rock slide. Sitting up, the giant gem looked behind her, cracking her neck as she faced the next group of charging gems. Their numbers were dwindling steadily, and the more gems that fell at Dio's destructive hand, the more confident she became. But her grin faltered as two massive holes blew out from the side of the wall, where two well-built, red gems came barreling out. Spinels. Dio grimaced, narrowing her eyes. From within the walls, two gems walked out behind the Spinels, meeting up together and facing the fusion. They stopped, looking at each other with a silent nod of understanding. Dio was quick to scan them.  
One was tall, brown, and well-built, with two massive braids hanging down from the sides of her head. _A_ _Dravite._  
The other was an odd, mossy-green and orange gem, their skin splotched with the two different colors. Their hair was short, ragged, and tufted out from all different sides. _Unakite._  
They were both armored to an extent, though they _both_ had gemstones located on their shoulders. Unakite's was on the right, and Dravite's was on the left. They quickly summoned their weapons: two massive claymores.

The warriors that remained on the battlefield rushed to their sides, surrounding them on their flanks. They faced Dio fiercely, making sure to guard the two new gems. Dio frowned, eyeing the two. _Those must be two more of the leaders._

\--  
_Alright, they're moving as a unit now; this could either help them or make this a_ _ **whole**_ _lot more difficult._

_Looking to his superior, Hematite frowned deeply, the smallest bit of anxiety in his chest._  
_"What's our plan, Blue? There should be two more after these guys. Sunstone and the last one..."_  
_Grimacing, Blue narrowed her eyes at the screen for a moment._  
_"Looks like we've got two nasty leaders here... Unakites are electricity-resistant and really durable, so that might be a problem. Dravites are dark-energy based... don't let them hit you. They can do some nasty, painful damage. I think we should try to keep an eye on both, but split them apart if we can. Divide and conquer!"_

_Hematite returned Blue's frown and turned his attention to the monitor, eyes flicking around the HUD of the eyepiece._  
_"Right!"_

\--  
Scoffing and backing up quickly, the teal gem heaved her dual chain-maces toward the group of rebels, hoping to land a hit on at least a _few_ of them in the process. However, that move was just to get _rid_ of the weapons.  
_To make way for some new ones._  
No more than two seconds later, Dio jumped back to create some distance, jerking her arms to her sides as _multiple_ crackling chains of electricity extended from her hands. They thrashed and sparked violently, and the huge gem chuckled darkly. Eyes widening, she stepped forward, swiping five sparking whips at the approaching group.

Clouds of multi-colored smoke filled the battlefield as Dio struck the gems one after another. The two leaders skirted around her, moving in unnerving sync with one another. The fusion kept her eyes on both as best she could, quickly noting that they kept giving each other subtle signals on what to do. One skilled leader was one thing, two working in unison was another threat entirely.

Dio focused first on the Dravite, narrowing her eyes. If this gem could cause more painful damage than the Unakite, she needed to take her out quickly. Glancing back behind her, Dio swiped her whips at the other group, smacking the Spinels aside. They were unfazed by the electricity itself, but the hit still sent them tumbling away. If she could just keep Unakite's group on their toes until she took out the Dravite, this would go far better.

Crying out ferociously, the Dravite took their sword and, with a flick of her wrist, ignited it with an odd, black aura. She threw it at the fusion, towards Hematite's gem. However, it missed, nicking Dio’s shoulder. With a wicked snarl, Dio looked behind her at the warriors that were flanking her, some even making attempts to jump on her back. One latched on, quickly climbing up. Dio reached back and plucked them off, before crushing them in her hand in one terrifying movement.  
Dio took a few significant steps back and looked to the ceiling. _Alright, the ledges won't work twice._ Quickly lashing her whips towards the ceiling, she snapped a few of the rocks that hung down from the rocks above. They came crumbling down, filling the room with a sickening rumble. As the stalactites barreled down in huge chunks, Dio dodged to the side, kicking away a few warriors in the process, and shot out a whip at a large piece of rubble, grabbing onto it and creating a temporary flail. She let out a fierce cry, slamming it down onto a cluster of rebels, smashing them upon impact. Quickly, she looked around, checking on the status of the other leader to make sure he was still kept far from the Dravite.

Unakite was busy blocking the falling rocks. Orders of 'Get the fusion!' and 'Brace yourselves!' filled the air as he tried to order his group to Dio's flank. The rocks drove them off, though, splitting them from Dravite's group. Dio seized the opportunity. With one swift movement, the fusion quickly darted for the group of rebels near the Dravite leader, grinning ear to ear. Clenching her fists, Dio lit her arms with flowing electricity. Throwing her arms in the air for a second, Dioptase slammed her fists down into the ground near some of the warriors, smashing a few in her wake. The force of the massive ground-slam shot electricity out in a massive radius, electrocuting anyone who was close to it. The Dravite dodged the strike and turned on her heel, creating another dark sword, which she took quick aim with.

Eyes widening, her face now much closer to the ground than she would have liked, Dioptase _quickly_ locked onto the rebel leader before her, taking note especially of her sword. The eyepiece's path-projection feature blipped instantly onto the screen. _If she threw it again, if the fusion acted quick enough, maybe she could-_  
Snarling, the teal gem surprisingly didn't move or try to make distance, glaring daggers into the rebel leader. Dravite's face was graced with a horrid, twisted smile. _This idiot presented a perfect shot!_ Reeling her arm back, she swung her blade through the air, directly towards Dio's face.  
  
\--  
_Blue flinched slightly, gasping as she looked up at the screen. A small rush of panic washed over her, and the waves around her became restless._  
_"W-Woah, hey, what is she doing?! Isn't she gonna move?!" Blue cried, placing her hand over her gem._  
_Gently resting his hand on his superior's shoulder, Hematite smirked slyly, his eyes half lidded as he stared intently at the screen and the projected path of Dravite's sword._  
\--  
_SNAP!_  
  
Without so much as flinching, Dio had lifted her head just slightly and snatched the sword out of thin air, grasping it firmly between her teeth. Quickly tilting her chin back down, she narrowed her eyes at the tiny gem, her toothy grin filled with _malice._  
_**CRACK!**_  
Tiny pieces of the leader's sword fell to the ground, hitting it with small, pitiful clinks. Without wasting another second, the fusion sat up, reached to her forehead, and pulled out a large, electrically charged mace ball.  
"You've gotta think faster than that."

Eyes widening with horror and rage, the Dravite quickly summoned another sword and bolted away from Dio.  
"Oh no ya doooon't!~" Dio growled out in an unnerving, singsong tone, swinging her mace ball towards the wall where Dravite was headed. Slamming into it, the force created a crater in the wall and sent out a massive amount of dirt and dust billowing into the area that Dravite found herself stuck in. The cloud of dirt drifted thickly, shrouding many of the warriors in its wake.  
By this point, Unakite and his soldiers were finally getting over the brunt of the massive barrage of falling rocks. Their attention focused back on the fusion, and the oddly-colored leader pointed his sword in a swiping motion towards Dio.  
_In the meantime... Dio saw an opening._ The Dravite was distracted by the massive cloud of smoke and rattled by how close she'd come to being smashed by the massive sphere. And the warriors were stumbling around, trying to get out of the foggy dust.

Flicking her wrist out in one quick motion, the giant gem snatched up the Dravite, yanking her up into the air before she jumped back, completely isolating her and the rebel leader from the rest of the group. Slamming her down roughly onto the ground, Dioptase grinned and cracked her neck, glaring down at the tiny gem.  
"I would say you were a worthy opponent." Lifting her foot quickly above the rebel, Dio snorted contemptuously. "But I'd be lying."  
_**SLAM!**_  
_**CRICK**_

Unakite skidded to a halt where he stood, his eyes wide. _Everything went silent around him._ Tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, he quickly shook his head and stifled a horrific scream.  
_"DRAVITE!"_ he cried out, voice cracking in pained outrage. He snarled and glared up at the fusion with malice, fury burning in his chest. "RRRAAAGH, you'll pay for that, you MONSTER!" Reeling his arm back, he threw his sword at the massive fusion, quickly summoning another and throwing it as well. He repeated this process, flinging a barrage of blades towards her as the warriors advanced from the cloud of dirt. Dio was quick to spin around and jump out of the way, but was forced to keep moving, to avoid the livid leader's weapons. The advancing warriors cried out in rage at their lost leader, quickly closing the distance between themselves and the huge fusion. A few of them leapt up onto her legs, striking her with their weapons best they could. One of the Unakite's swords nicked the fusion's side, earning a heavy wince from her. Growling viciously, Dio snapped her attention down at the rebels, kicking a few of them off before slamming her leg into a nearby rock, poofing a few others that managed to cling on.  
Their numbers were dwindling. From what it seemed, there were less than thirty or so of them left, including Unakite and the last two leaders.

Dio's confidence was at its peak. _This couldn't be it, could it?!_ Almost five hundred gems, and she stood at the precipice of victory. The fusion seemed to almost _strut_ every time she moved around, never losing her ever cocky sneer. Which, to the remaining leader in the room, was only more infuriating. Wiping the tears from his eyes, the speckled gem clutched at their sword, their hand trembling. Dio spun around and faced him now, grabbing a new ball and chain from her gem. Holding the energy tightly, the fusion craned her head up slightly, looking down on Unakite with a sly grin. She puffed out her chest, sizing him up.  
The remaining warriors knew that this was it. Their morale plummeted, leaving most of them stumbling either towards or away from Dioptase uncertainly. As the dust around them cleared, the carnage of their shattered comrades laid before them, freezing some of them in place in an instant.

The giant fusion grinned and narrowed her eyes. A faint glint reflected off of her eyepiece as she looked down at the remaining rebels that charged at her. Oddly enough to the warriors, the fusion suddenly stopped retreating and strutting around. Now, she was just standing in place with an infuriatingly cocky grin on her face. The remaining rebels all lifted their weapons as they shot toward the fusion gem, making a go for her legs. But this time, instead of backing up as they approached, Dioptase leapt straight up into the air, quickly rearing up her arm that held the ball and chain. However, she didn't bring it down. No, this time, the fusion suddenly grabbed a hold of the huge, metallic end of her weapon, bright electricity coursing down her arms, into the spiked ball. The blunt weapon crackled and glowed vividly with an aura of pent-up energy. Grinning, Dioptase let out a loud, boisterous laugh and thrust the weapon _downwards,_ falling back from her high leap, landing _directly_ on top of the rebels that had gone for her legs. A crackling _shock wave_ of electricity spread out from the weapon, destabilizing two more of the gems that hadn't been crushed. Small and large rocks shot out from the impact zone, a flurry of broken stone now surrounding the mace ball. One of the rather large rocks, however, was knocked forward with far more energy than the rest, and shot _straight_ for Unakite.

The well-built gem felt his world go silent, his body running cold at the sight of the boulder barreling towards him. Unable to move out of the way, he merely closed his eyes, holding his sword in front of him like a shield.

Slamming into Unakite with deadly force, the boulder crashed into the cavern wall with a sickening crunch. Upon impact, the wall exploded with debris and dirt, clouds billowing out from the cracks the strike created. Dio smirked, cracking her knuckles and standing up tall. When she turned slightly, she eyed the wall where the boulder lay. Unakite was nowhere in sight, even as the dust cleared.

"Tch! Hah! Well that takes caaaare of that." She said, pounding her fist on her chest. The last three warriors- all of whom were Jaspers- yelled in a fit of panic, two of them dropping their weapons and making a mad dash for one of the holes in the wall, leaving only _one_ left to face the massive fusion. The last warrior looked frantically between the retreating warriors and Dioptase, her expression falling. "You clods are just gonna leave me here?!" she yelled out in frustration.

-

It took Dioptase but a minute or so to take out the remaining Jaspers. After giving them a harvester's sendoff, she stood up straight and cracked her neck, looking back toward the back of the huge inner sanctum. It was half destroyed, pieces of gems lying all over the place. Silently, she glanced at her eyepiece. She still had two leaders to take care of.

Thumping down the cavernous room, Dio squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. Slowly, her confident sneer faded slowly into a disgusted, angry scowl.  
A little ways down the corridor, there was another tall, barred door. It wasn't big enough for her at her current size, so she was forced to shift down a tad, just enough to fit through. Her scan showed two faint signals behind it. Snorting, the fusion rolled her neck, cracking it. With a heavy grunt, Dio steeled herself and held her hands out, placing them against the door.  
“A'ight big-shot. Let's end this.”

  
**SLAM!**  
  
Dioptase sent the metal doors flying open. One was knocked completely off its hinges, falling to the floor soon after. The target on Dio's visor scanned aggressively, honing in on and resting upon a large, fiery-orange gem that stood near a massive map projected onto the wall. Turning quickly, he snorted, drawing a massive, jagged, double-sided ax.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?!" he called out furiously. Another gem stood beside him, clenching their fists in confused anger. A White Topaz. Turning her head slightly, Dio glared at the taller of the two, a slow, wide grin twisting onto her face. Dio's eyepiece gave a sickening series of clicks as it honed in on Sunstone, now privy to his every move. The fusion gem cracked her knuckles and reached to the other door, yanking it out of the wall and off of its hinges as well.  
"Think fast!" she crowed out, thrusting the metallic slab directly at the two rebel leaders like a huge projectile weapon. As soon as the door was out of her hands, she brought her fist up to one of her gems, starting to pull out an electrified chain.

The two leaders quickly darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the massive door as it slammed through the projection, destabilizing it. Snarling, Star Sunstone stood up and clenched his weapon, spinning it. With a heavy swing, he slammed it into the ground hard enough to fracture it. The crack split unnaturally, as if being projected manually towards Dioptase. The end of the ax started to glow bright-red, earning a coy smirk from the orange gem. _The ground started to steam._  
Dio raised a brow slightly, stifling a chuckle.  
"What's this? You missed!" she remarked. But Star didn't seem to be fazed. Standing up straighter, he pulled his ax out of the ground and propped it up on his shoulder. Looking down, Dio noticed that the cracks spread around her feet, starting to glow a bright red. Eyes widening, the giant gem quickly moved to the side, letting go of the chain she'd been pulling out of her gem. She stumbled slightly, but managed to get away from the cracks in the floor. Glaring at the gem across the room, she glanced at White Topaz, narrowing her eyes. Snapping her hand back up to her gem once more, she pulled out an electrified chain, lashing it toward the smaller rebel leader to try and get a hold of them.

White Topaz jumped to the side, the chain just barely nicking their leg. At least, it was enough to zap them. Tumbling to the floor, the white gem stood up and summoned their own weapon: a large arm-blade. Baring their teeth, they stepped menacingly towards Dioptase.  
"Get out of here! You have _NO_ business here, and you WILL fall!" they threatened, narrowing their eyes. Star lifted his hand to the white gem and smirked.  
"Nooo, let them stay, by all means. _It's much more fun that way._ Let us show this... disgusting amalgamation what we're all about,” he said, his voice smooth and confident.

\--  
_At the Sunstone's snide remark, the atmosphere in the fusion plane suddenly_ _ **dropped.**_ _The waves at Hematite's feet suddenly changed from their gentle, rippling patterns, and spread out to a much wider radius. The water darkened, no longer glowing as brightly with vivid, teal light. Hematite's eyes widened with indignant fury._  
_**How dare. How DARE this gem insult him this way? Insult Blue this way?**_  
_**How dare he insult Dioptase.**_  
_Gritting his teeth, Hema hissed quietly, brows furrowing._  
_"Let's_ _ **destroy**_ _this poor excuse for a 'leader'."_  
\--  
Dioptase's expression fell into a disgusted, furious sneer, and she slowly held up the electrified chain in her hand.  
"Ohhhh believe me. You've shown me what you're all about. Allll of your warriors showed me what you're capable of." Rolling her head, she cracked her neck, a tiny, coy smirk on her face. When she spoke again, her voice was low, venomous, and cold. "And that's not much, considering they're all in pieces now."

Star's eyes widened furiously, glaring up at the fusion. White Topaz looked horrified... but Star Sunstone suddenly smirked and stood taller, shrugging.  
"Aaaaah they were useless tripe, anyway. None of them were loyal enough to be worthy of calling themselves Star Stealers. This just leaves room for more powerful gems to take their places,” he growled, grimly unfazed by the fusion's threat. "They're better off in pieces. They were all _weak."_ He gripped his ax, the end quickly bursting into red-hot flames. Swinging it around in a circle, he took a bold step forward. Dio's brow twitched, her head raising up in _disgust._  
\--  
_Blue clenched her hands tightly, staring_ _ **daggers**_ _into the screen. The water around her began to swirl and circle her feet._  
_"WHAT. What kind of... what kind of 'leader' doesn't care about their followers?! This... HORRIBLE gem! This VILE Excuse for a- whyyyy I'm gonna ENJOY this!"_ _she hissed, nose scrunched in an enraged snarl. The water started to bubble and churn under her._ _Hematite quickly found himself caught up in Blue's rage, which only served to fuel his own. The pressure in the air of the plane increased, bearing down on both of the gems. The waves on the horizon stirred, getting taller, choppier. Glimmering brightly, the stars in the sky flickered once or twice. Without warning,_ _ **lightning**_ _flicked across the sky, striking the water around the gems and lighting it with bright teal energy for split seconds at a time. The water below the two boiled and swirled, churning into violent waves._  
\--  
Dio's entire form started to spark. Electricity slowly surged up her arms, her fists clenching with a loud _crack._  
"This ends _now,_ Sunstone." Sneering, she grit her teeth, pulling two electrically-charged chain maces from her gems. Slowly, her form started to glow with a bright blue aura, the pressure in the room starting to increase. She swung the chained maces at her sides once, twice, each time increasing the force behind it, until both metallic balls were swinging in rapid circles, a mere blur at the fusion's sides. She took a step forward, the ground beneath her feet cracking slightly.

Sunstone let out a fierce snarl, beams of fire now blasting out from the end of the ax. Quickly, he spun it around and shot the flames towards the fusion. It seemed he wasn't too off-put by the pressure, at least for now. But it was steadily increasing. The White Topaz however, was starting to get rapidly worried. Charging for Dioptase, they looked up at the ceiling, suddenly skidding to a halt. Narrowing their eyes, they took aim. Above them was a massive cluster of stalactites, much like in the rooms that Dio had found herself in before. With a mighty swing, they flung their weapon into the ceiling, the weapon sticking into it with a sickening crunch.  
Glancing up, Dio furrowed her brows in disdain. _Again with this trick? What was with these guys and trying to take down the ceiling? I_ _t was_ _ **her**_ _job to bring the house down._ Dio slammed both of the mace balls into the ground ahead of her, creating a mighty tremor. This knocked the jagged rocks from the ceiling completely, debris and stone barraging the room below. _Maybe she could use this to her advantage again._

Glancing up, the fusion gem sneered and quickly retracted her flails, staring at a sharp stalactite that was aimed to fall in front of her. Spinning the huge weapons at her sides again, Dio grinned widely and suddenly thrust both the mace balls up and over her, colliding with the spiked rock and smashing it into pieces. They weren't enough to hurt _her,_ at such an enormous size, but they'd certainly do some damage to the others if they hit. She didn't stick around, though. The fusion gem quickly backed up and kept her eyes on any of the falling rubble, making sure not to miss any threats from above. Those were the most immediate problem, after all.

Sunstone glowered up at the ceiling, emitting a small noise of perturbation. He nimbly leaped to the side, dodging the falling debris. The White Topaz summoned another weapon and skirted around the side of Dioptase, quickly closing in behind her while she was distracted. One large, jagged rock fell down towards Sunstone, but he was quick to spot it.  
**CLANG!**  
  
Crumbling to the ground were two red-hot, smoking pieces of the rock cut clean in half by Sunstone's ax. Sunstone didn't even look f _azed._ Reaching towards his gem, he pulled out another ax, spinning it and matching Dio's stance. Despite the fact that she was much bigger than him, he held his confidence high, completely undeterred by the giant gem.  
Once all the rubble from the ceiling had crumbled down, Dio sneered with anger and readied another attack. But, before she could swing, she felt something _sharp_ stick in her calf. Letting out a loud, bellowing roar of pain, Dio swung around in time to notice the Topaz backing up quickly, having stuck their weapon in her leg.

The pain on Dioptase's face quickly twisted into a _furious_ grin, and she cackled loudly before turning to the small rebel leader.  
"You gotta try harder than that!" she crowed, bringing her foot up sharply, a dark shadow falling over the white gem. "But there are no second tries here."  
_**SMASH!**_  
Eyes narrowing, the fusion stared at the puff of smoke beneath her feet, quickly grinding her heel into the stony floor with a satisfying 'crunch'.  
She snapped her attention back to Sunstone, leaning down to yank the weapon out of her calf and snapping it between her fingers.

Sunstone's expression finally faltered just slightly... but it quickly fell back into its normal, undeterred place. Dio stood up straight, spreading her arms out for a moment before snapping them towards her gem, summoning two more lightning chains. Sneering, Dio shot forward towards Sunstone with a heavy growl. Sunstone readied his axes and spun them in front of him at an angle, jutting fire in a forward motion.  
Dio snapped the chain towards him, wrapping around one, which he quickly let go of before Dio whipped it away.  
"RRrruugh!!" He snarled, grasping the remaining ax and making a dash for Dio. The fusion's eyes widened furiously, clenching her fists tight. Slamming her hands into the ground, she _just_ missed Sunstone as he slid under her, throwing the ax up towards her head. But, it missed, slicing into Dio's arm. She winced heavily, letting go of one of the chains and grasping her arm.

Inhaling painfully through her teeth, the teal fusion snapped her attention _and her free arm_ toward the orange gem, wrapping the end of her second chain around his waist. With a powerful YANK, she pulled Sunstone up and off the ground, _straight toward her face._  
_And the last thing filling the rebel leader's view was a cruel grin, before-_  
  
_**C R A C K!**_  
Dioptase bit straight through the warrior gem's back, cutting directly through his gemstone. A cloud of orange smoke spread out around her mouth, and she panted quietly, eyes narrowed.  
\--  
_Slowly, the pressure in the fusion plane lifted, and Hematite stopped hunching his shoulders, his anger fading._  
_"… Is... is it over?"_

_Blue blinked, taking in a deep breath. She felt... lighter. Like the weight on her shoulders had been lifted entirely. Grinning slowly, Blue started chuckling, before throwing her fists up into the air with a loud cheer._  
_**"Yeaahaaaaahhh! We did it, kid!"**_ _Blue quickly wrapped her arm around Hematite's neck and pulled him close, balling up one of her fists and scratching into the service gems hair with a hearty chuckle._ _  
The service gem blinked in surprise, but quickly laughed, a weight lifting off of his own shoulders. He playfully pushed Blue away, adjusting his suit as he looked up at her, a warm smile on his face. Letting him go, the Diamond held her fists out beside her and laughed._  
_"We actually did it! The Star Stealers are finally-"_  
  
_**SPLSH!**_

  
_Without warning, Blue was suddenly yanked underwater with a sharp, cut-off cry, a glowing ring fading from where she stood._ _Eyes widening in shock, Hematite looked around, his smile fading. He waited for her to re-appear, but didn't see anything. The fusion plane fell quiet,_  
_"… Blue?"_  
_Suddenly, the water yanked Hematite under as well, the fusion plane going silent. Hematite reached up desperately as he was pulled down into the deep water. He grasped towards the surface, but felt himself quickly sinking._

_He blacked out._

  
  
_Blue gasped sharply as she was twisted about under the water, pulled down by some unseen force. Her stomach lurched as gravity took a strange, sickening lurch, and she felt as though she were suddenly being shot upwards. Her back suddenly met the open air as she was tossed up out into the air, landing_ _on a solid, watery surface. She coughed and held her throat, shaking her head. Managing to stumble to her feet, the_ _Diamond looked around frantically._  
_"Kid? Hema, where'd you go?! What happened?" Blue called out. Suddenly, the service gem emerged a few feet behind her. The Diamond rushed over towards Hematite to see if he was alright. Gripping his head, the service gem shook himself off, gasping softly._  
_"What on Homeworld was that all about?!" he exclaimed, patting himself down for a moment. He looked up at Blue, brows furrowed, clearly perplexed. "You didn't do that, did you?" he asked with the faintest trace of worry. However, he quickly zoned out, looking up and behind his superior at the 'sky', his mouth falling ajar. "Whoa."_

_The fusion plane around the two looked similar to how it had before, but this time, the sky was dark, and not only did pink and teal stars dot the sky... but a beautiful aurora joined them. The water at their feet was lighter in color, and the teal rings that glowed around them were missing. Blue scratched her head, frowning._  
_"I'll be honest, in all my years I've never seen anything like this before. I wonder what this place is... It's really pretty here!" she said, looking up to the sky. Hema lifted his head to say something, but was quickly distracted by a whirlpool that swirled at his and Blue's feet. They both stepped back, staring down at it in surprise. The swirling water suddenly cleared, forming a 'window' much like they'd seen the first time they fused. Through it, they could see what Dio was seeing._  
\--  
Dioptase stood up straight, taking in a deep breath. She closed her eyes slowly, inhaling through her nose.  
"Fwwwoooooo. Awwww yeeeaaahhh... Now _this_ is more like it." Opening her eyes, she stared half-lidded at the base around her. Turning, the fusion threw her arms up behind her head and walked with a confident strut out the door.  
\--  
**“L** **et's get outta this dump, shall we? Where we goin' next?”**  
_Blue's eyes shot wide open and she looked up at the sky, gazing around in confusion._  
_"Wha.... what the? Was that...?"_  
**“** **Dioptase, baby.~ It's a pleasure. I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to get my head clear! Gotta say, you two work great as a team.”**  
_Blue's jaw dropped, and she stifled a disbelieving laugh. Looking towards Hematite, she gestured up towards the sky. She wasn't certain where the voice was projecting itself from, exactly, but Dio's voice could be heard loud and clear. Looking around as well, Hematite blinked in unmasked surprise._  
_"Dio? Like... Dio herself? What's going on, we've never heard you like this before!" he said curiously, slowly walking around to look at the new fusion-scape._  
**“** **Who else would it be?~ C'mooooon, the more time we waste a-talkin', the longer it's gonna take to get out of here. What are we waiting for?”**

_Blinking, Hematite arched a brow, letting out a soft, disbelieving exhale. The service gem turned to Blue as Dio made her way out of the hall leading to the large main sanctum._  
\--  
Looking around with half-lidded eyes, the massive fusion gazed about the room, idly scanning for any unshattered gems. If she'd missed anything in the madness, it could be a problem later. However, to her delight, the eyepiece only seemed to be picking up pieces of gems, not finding any whole ones.  
"Niiice." The fusion strolled casually through the wreckage, picking up unformed, cracked gems along the way, and made her way back into the long hall that led to the first fighting site. To her _immense_ displeasure, the ceiling started to lower, and she was forced to lean down to keep walking. With a sneer, she realized that she'd have to shift back down in size in order to continue at all. Snorting through her nose, she closed her eyes for a moment, her neck gem glowing.  
\--  
_Hematite jumped slightly in surprise as his gem began to glimmer, activating on its own. He stared down in curious confusion, touching the silvery stone._  
_"Wha..."_  
\--  
Dio's form began to glow, and she slowly shifted down in size, soon at her 'default' height that she had been when she’d first fused. She picked up the pace until she reached the next room, scanning it for gems as well. To her displeasure, she did find a couple scattered here and there that were only cracked, and even a couple that were undamaged, but thankfully hadn't reformed. Leaning down, she quickly collected them in teal bubbles, storing them away in her gem.  
At last, Dio collected what she presumed to be the last of the bubbles. Tapping her gem twice, she slowly looked over to the entrance of the room. Making her way through the last hallway, Dio kept up her confident strut. Even if no one was there to admire her, she felt **damn good,** and it showed in her every movement.  
The opening to the hall was still exposed, and the fusion craned her neck up to look at the room far up ahead. With a smirk, she jumped up, latching onto the wall. Skillfully, the teal fusion climbed up, clawing at the dirt until she felt the stone that lay upon the floor of the foyer. She shoved it up, hoisting herself up and out of the base entrance.  
Turning back to the hole in the ground, Dioptase raised a brow, sneering with a devious grin. Lifting a hand, she pulled out a rather large mace and swung it around, bringing it down on the hole in the floor. The tile cracked violently, some of the debris and rubble falling into the tunnel. She reeled her arm back and swung again. And again. Soon enough, what used to be the clean-cut entrance was nothing but a mangled dip in the floor, filled with broken tile and rock. The fusion casually dissipated her weapon and put her hands on her hips, making her way out to the front rooms. She soon stepped out of the building entirely, looking up at the thundering skies.  
She paused.  
Slowly, she looked back at the rather tall, ancient building, narrowing her eyes.  
  
_Why stop with the entrance? Why not bring the whole_ _ **place**_ _down?_

\--  
_On the horizon, there looked like there was a massive structure just barely in view. Squinting, Blue turned to it, trying to make it out. It wasn't a cityscape... no. Whatever it was, it was huge. She started to walk towards it._  
_"Hey, Hema, do you see that?" Blue said, nodding towards the distant structure. Tilting his head, Hematite followed after Blue in turn, glancing back at the swirling 'window' in the water. The two gems made their way across the water, little teal ripples forming at their feet as they walked.  
"What do you think this is, Blue? I mean, it looks like the fusion plane, but." He tapped his chin, looking up and around. "Do you think a fusion plane can develop the longer you're fused?"  
Blue frowned, looking around intently._  
_"Not too sure... Maybe we did something? It's possible we were so in-sync with each other when we took out that awful tyrant that our fusion fully clicked,” she said with a wide grin. She looked around quietly as they kept walking, a myriad of questions swirling through her head. Why could they hear Dio's voice? Why had they been pulled underwater? What was this place? She could only hope her questions would be answered in time._

_Wondering to himself about the current state of the fusion plane, Hema gazed around quietly, admiring the beautiful aurora dancing across the sky. He trailed behind Blue, content to just follow her lead... until the gem on his neck started to glow again, catching his attention. Hema glanced down, frowning slightly. Alright, he DEFINITELY didn't do it that time. Narrowing his eyes a tad, he looked back up, still following after Blue.  
"That's a possibility, yeah. I mean, I've only ever fused with you and White, so." _

… _Well, and one OTHER gem. But he didn't want to think about_ _ **her**_ _right now._  
\--  
Dio's form started to glow and, slowly but surely, she got bigger. And bigger. _And bigger._ Dio soon stood at her highest potential of about 150 feet, towering next to the building. The fusion raised a brow and looked at both of her hands, grinning ear-to-ear.  
"OOOOhhhhh ohohoho!! Ohhh yes! Now **THAT'S** more like it!" she cackled, grabbing a massive ball and chain from her gemstone. Dio stood ready next to the building and, with a confident snort, reeled her arm back.  
  
**SMASH!**

One after another, Dio landed _heavy_ blows to the side of the building, ripping through its walls, bringing more of it down with each strike. The old structure came down easily, completely at the mercy of the giant gem's weapon. It began to crumble and shift, slowly lurching to the side each time Dioptase hit a major stress point.  
  
Soon enough... it started to topple down entirely.

The building came crashing down, a slew of rubble and debris flinging out past the fusion. Slowly she turned, dissipating her weapon. The fusion grinned darkly, her eyes half-lidded. The building, or what was left of it, crumbled to the ground with a ground-shuddering _'THOOM,'_ creating a _massive_ wave of thick dirt and dust that rushed past the fusion. The cloud quickly enveloped her and everything within a couple of hundred feet.  
  
_Thud._  
_Thud._  
_**Thud.**_  
  
Holding herself proudly, Dioptase emerged from the slowly-settling dust cloud, chuckling to herself.  
"MMmmmm I could get used to this..." she hummed, stretching her arms up as she walked. As the cloud slowly dispersed... all that remained of the Star Stealers’ base was a pile of rubble.  
Holding her head up high, Dio started down the street, her lips twisted into a sly smirk.  
_The Star Stealers were finally out of the picture... and everyone could rest easy_ _. But... why stop here?_  
\--  
**“** **Hey. Ya got any plans? Anything else you'd like me to... take care of for ya while I'm here?”**  
_Dio's voice rang out from above, imposing yet inviting with its odd, sly charm. Blue pursed her lips, looking at Hematite._  
_"Your call, kid."_  
_Looking up and around, Hematite tilted his head, pursing his lips._  
_"... Well actually, now that I think about it, I do have a few destruction jobs in a certain section of the Pink District. It's kinda far from here, though, and we really should be getting back to the Towers."_  
**“** **Hah, why the rush? You're here,** _ **I'm**_ **here, we can make this** _ **easy**_ **and take care of your jobs** _ **nowww~”**_  
_Hematite puffed one of his cheeks out for a moment, but he couldn't really argue. He DID like being efficient, and if he could save himself time now while he and Blue were still fused, why waste the opportunity? Besides..._  
_He wasn't quite ready to unfuse._  
\--  
Grinning, Dioptase made her slow, leisurely way out of the city block, the walk taking about half an hour or so with her long, confident strides. She casually pulled up a map on her eyepiece, glancing over the marked locations on it. _Ohohohoooo, if she took her sweet time... this could take a couple_ _ **days.~**_ _Hmmm, she liked the sound of_ _ **that.**_  
\--  
**“** **Aaaah, I see the locations. Dooon't you two worry your pretty little heads. Dioptase is gonna take care of this for ya.”**  
_Tilting his head up for a moment, the ivory-haired gem gave a soft, curious hum, brows raising._  
_"Well, alright... 'Dio', if you say so."_  
\--

The fusion was, of course, in no hurry. Glancing back at the city block, she narrowed her eyes with a grin. So many buildings to bring down, so little time. She had an entire district to herself, and nobody to tell her what to do.

How perfect. She'd done her work; she'd gone through a lot of trouble to take down such a nasty group of gems. _She deserved a little 'me' time, right? Right._

_And she was going to take it, one way or another._  
–

–  
_Blue kept up her pace, keeping a close eye on the plane ahead. She and Hema chatted along the way as they walked. The aura put off from the fusion plane was strangely calming... almost sedative. Now and then, the two found themselves walking numbly ahead, blacking out for minutes at a time between their clips of conversation. It was so subtle, though, that they didn't take notice. They merely. Walked. And talked. Their feet led them slowly towards the dark figure in the distance. For how long... they couldn't tell._

_From the looks of it... the form in the distance was actually starting to get closer. Eventually, Blue recognized the huge shape. It appeared to be a strange, oversized version of the Coliseum in her district. At this rate, they'd reach it within an hour or so. She and Hema hadn't spoken for what felt like a few minutes. Peering at the service gem next to her, the Diamond held out her hand and placed it on Hematite's shoulder, shaking it with a cackle._  
_“So, w_ _hen did you fuse with_ _**White?** _ _I never heard about that! What was it like?" she inquired eagerly._  
_Smiling, Hematite rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled._  
_"Well, you see.” Hematite carried on to explain the mission in detail, taking a good hour or so to tell her about the whole thing. Blue listened intently, a gleeful smile on her own face. She didn't even notice how long his story had taken._  
_"Aw man, I wish I could’a seen her! She sounds awesome! Heh... We really need to catch up and tell stories again sometime, kid. It's been a little while since we really talked. Hey, how ‘bout this. I'm off this week. Feel up for grabbing a few drinks at Morganite's Club?" she asked, grinning ear-to-ear._  
_Looking over, Hematite grinned excitedly._  
_"Y-yeah! Stars, I have so many stories to tell you about- about-... Watching Kyan." For a moment, Hema's expression fell._ _**That was right... Kyan. Now that the Star Stealers were taken care of...** _  
_No. He didn't want to think about that. Not right now. "S-so anyways, Howlite! Yeah, maybe you'll meet her one day, if White and I ever fuse again." Chuckling, Hema crossed his arms in front of him, picking at his sleeve, a forced smile on his face. The corner of his mouth twitched, a sorrowful look cracking his smiling facade._  
_Blue felt her smile fade. A heavy aura came off of Hema in waves, though he was clearly trying to stifle_ _it. Sighing quietly, the Diamond looked ahead._  
_"Yeah, I really hope so. Heh... Man, I have some fusion stories of my own. This one time, me and Yellow fused to take out this tower of rebels once... but they had a five-gem fusion! It was crazy!" she said, trying to keep the subject as positive as she could. She nudged her elbow into Hematite's arm, smirking again. "It was... kinda destructive. And_ _**crazy.** _ _Not gonna lie. Hehe..."_  
_Hema blinked in surprise, staring up at Blue with undisguised curiosity._  
_"What, really? Who was she, how big did you guys get?!" Eyes shining, Hema balled up his fists in front of him. Stifling a hearty chuckle, the Diamond began to recount the wild tale._  
_"-And her name was Vesuvianite! But, we call her Idocrase. She likes to be called Idocrase. She was huuuuuge! At least, I'm pretty certain, hah...." she paused, placing a finger to her lip. "Maybe a bit under your full height, though. But sheeee was big. And she totally WRECKED those rebels! Just like we did!"_  
_"Oooooh." Hematite cooed curiously, a smile spreading across his face. "I'd love to see her some day! Have you and White fused? What about all three of you?!" he asked excitedly, practically bouncing in place as the two of them continued to walk toward the Coliseum. Blue crossed her arms as she walked, raising her head up high._  
_"You betcha, kid. Me and White? We make_ _**Hiddenite.** _ _She's super slick and sneaky. She's actually taller than Idocrase! As for the triple fusion... Well..." She paused, closing her eyes for a second. "Let’s hope you never have to meet_ _**her** _ _. We only bring her out when things get_ _**bad.** _ _She's the biggest fusion anyone's got on record to_ _**date,"** _ _she said, smiling proudly._

_Hiddenite, Idocrase... some mysterious three-Diamond gem... so many fusions. He hoped he'd at least get to see one or two of them! Perhaps not the last one... he didn't want to see what kind of circumstances would bring all three Diamonds to fuse._  
_"That's incredible! If there are any archives on her, I'd love to read them!" he said cheerfully, turning back toward the huge arena in the distance. It seemed to slowly be getting closer. Blue threw her hand up behind her head, scratching at her puffy hair._  
_"Heheh, weeeelll I think there might be a file or two... or seven... on Idocrase. Buuut our triple-fusion doesn't have many files for her. We've only fused to make her two times in all of history. Both under... very bad circumstances. Chaos. Waaasn't pretty. I don't think anyone in their right mind had even a_ _ **chance**_ _to record that." She paused, pursing her lips nervously. "Aaaaas for Hiddenite... well, she has_ _ **none.**_ _Heh... White and I have fused multiple times on rare occasions. But, no gem has seen enough of Hiddenite to get her report in! We made sure of that,” she said slyly. Hematite nodded as Blue continued on, his eyes wide and shining with curiosity. However, his attention was soon grabbed by the Coliseum, which now seemed to be at a rather good distance. Chuckling, he suddenly made a dash for the huge building, little ripples spreading out below his feet as he ran. Blue chuckled and made a break for the service gem, following behind as best as she could. It took them a few minutes to make up what distance was left, soon finding themselves standing outside the arena. It was a near_ _ **perfect**_ _match to the one in Blue's District...at least from what they could see on the outside. Looking at Hematite, the Diamond nodded and stepped through the gate. Strolling through the long hallway, Blue took note that all the lights in_ _ **this**_ _coliseum were a bright, light teal color instead of the golden white she had back home._  
_Curiously, she stopped, placing her hands on the side of the wall, peering up into the Coliseum before her. Her eyes widened. The stands were filled with gems of_ _ **all**_ _sorts... or rather, the blurry silhouettes of gems. She looked behind her, gesturing for Hematite to come inside. Hematite looked up in awe, his mouth parting with a soundless 'wow'. He trailed after Blue and turned to gaze around, continuing to the center of the arena. What was this place? Was this something unique to Dio? Were there places like this in Howlite's fusion plane? Blue glanced over, a smile slowly spreading on her face. She looked up at her gem, lifting a hand to it. But, nothing happened, and she lowered her hand again with a mildly_ _disappointed smirk._  
_"Alllright. Darn, I kinda wish we could summon our weapons in here! I miss sparring with ya, Hema." she chuckled, crossing her arms. Before Hema could reply, the floor started to warp, spiraling into a glowing circle. They both took a step back and stared at it. It was another window._ _Blue half expected to hear Dio's voice, but the sky above was eerily silent. It wasn't until then that she realized they hadn't heard the fusion's voice for some time. Curiously, she peered over and took a look into the window that was created. "Hold that thought, leeet's see what our fusion friend is up to, shall we?"_

_Eyes widening a little in surprise, Hematite leaned over, folding his arms behind him. He peered curiously at the window in the floor, brows raised. It didn't take him longer than a moment to realize that the sun was setting. Hadn't it been night when they fused? He eyed the HUD on the fusion's eyepiece._

_Wait... Two of the markings on the map were crossed out already..._  
_**How long had they been walking to the Coliseum?**_  
  
_And for that matter..._  
_**How long had they been fused?**_  
–

_Hours prior, during Blue and Hematite's walk to the Coliseum..._

–  
Dioptase found herself relatively unbothered the entire way to her first destination. Any rogue gem creature _quickly_ hightailed it out of there when they caught sight of the massive approaching gem. They certainly weren't going to mess with _that._ And now, the first few buildings were in sight. Brandished with a white diamond insignia, there laid a tower with a few smaller 'walls' built around it. It looked to be an old sentry tower.

While Blue and Hematite were busy chatting, Dioptase made short work of the once-formidable fortress. It took her no time at all.  
"Awww now that one wasn't so much of a challenge.. hmmmm... Let's seeeee.” Dio looked at her map, pinpointing the next location. She made her slow, casual way towards it, taking a few hours to arrive. Disappointingly enough, the second job only took her about ten or so minutes.

Pouting, Dio made her way out of the small, rural block, leaning up against an old residential spire. She pursed her lips and gazed at the map, reading over the next mission's description. After skimming a few lines, Dio's eyes widened, her brows raising. This job was to take out an entire small town. It was scheduled to take Hema a few days, if not longer. But with her... she could make quick work of it in a few hours, tops.

Drawing an electrical chain from her neck gem, the giant fusion smirked and walked slowly toward her next destination, taking her sweet time. This one was going to take a while to get to, seeing as how it was across the entire district. Not that she minded. She twirled the electrified chain idly, gazing around at anything she passed by.

–

_Present..._

–

Humming to herself, the teal gem made her way into a smaller complex of buildings that laid near the Pink District wall that ran alongside the White District. She cracked her knuckles and looked around as she walked, locating the set of buildings she was supposed to take down. Two jobs down, and she hadn't even broken a sweat.  
Pulling out a chained mace, the giant gem stepped toward a large tower, gazing up and down its form. She spotted the white insignia on the side, though it was a bit obscured by some vines. _Yep, this was the_ _first one._ Cracking her neck, the fusion stepped back, reeling her weapon up before smashing it violently into the side of the tower. The sound echoed for _miles,_ easily reaching the Pink District wall... and the guards that stood watch there. A lithe, armored Jet rushed over to the edge of the wall, peering over upon hearing the alarming noise in the distance. It didn't take her long to notice something off out in the distance, in one of the nearby towns. Frowning, she took out a small eyepiece, extended it like a telescope, and held it up to her face. Through the binocular-like device, she scanned the horizon of old, abandoned buildings... until she finally spotted what was making all the racket. Her eyes widened with undisguised panic, and she scrambled to grab something from her gem. Fumbling with a communicator in hand, the Jet swallowed hard and activated the device. A small screen projected from it.  
  
"This is Jet, facet 7H9L, cut 7XT! Southeastern sector of the wall! Get me through to White Diamond, this is a matter of a possible rampant four-gem fusion!”

“ _I see. Attempting to patch through to White Diamond. Please hold.”_

The monochromatic warrior watched on through her binoculars, sweat rolling down her face as the giant gem took another swing at the tower, her crazed laughter echoing in the distance. The seconds dragged on endlessly, feeling like hours.

Then, quietly, her communicator clicked.

“ _This is White Diamond.”_

–

–  
Having taken down the first two buildings, Dioptase casually swung her mace-ball around and strutted her way over to the third one. It was a smaller, more squared-off facility. With how easily all the other ones had come down, this thing was going to be a _snap.~_  
The teal fusion swung her weapon around with a soft snicker and eyed the structure with a smirk. She reeled her arm back, but quickly stopped as her eyepiece chirped. She raised a brow, eyeing it for a moment. She didn't see anything particularly different on the small device, so she shrugged it off with a smile, thrusting her arm forward and ripping into the facility with her chain-mace. Through the thundering of her strikes to the building, she didn't catch wind someone approaching quickly from behind, until-

  


**"YOU THERE!"** A stern, commanding voice rose up loudly from behind Dioptase, sharp with fury. The fusion turned her head, raising a brow curiously. There, behind her, stood _two_ displeased-looking Diamonds. Yellow Diamond and White Diamond stood side by side, their weapons drawn. White had an acute snarl on her face, but she blinked, looking up at the massive teal gem as the cloud of dust from her attacks to the building settled. Before she could speak, Dio turned the rest of her body to them, now facing them head-on. Smirking widely, the fusion gem clutched at her weapon with one hand, but placed her free hand on her hip.  
"Fancy meetin' you two heeeeere!" she called out, staring down at the two tiny leaders. Her face remained obscured by the still-settling dust-clouds, screening Blue's gem out of view. Yellow and White both glared up at the fusion as she turned, eyes widening slightly. Yellow gasped quietly and took a step back, but White narrowed her eyes suspiciously. _Wait... no, it couldn't be-_  
"Uugh, are you _serious_... I thought you looked familiar from behind," White groaned, running her hand over her face with exasperation. Yellow's brows furrowed slightly, and she turned her head to look at White.  
"What? You know this fusion?"  
White inhaled slowly through her teeth and looked up, eyes narrowed in annoyance.  
"Yes... Take a closer look."

\--  
_Blinking in surprise, Hematite stared hard at the two Diamonds in Dioptase's view. After a moment, he smiled brightly, giving a tiny wave to the screen, despite them not being able to see him. As the dirt cleared fully from Dio's view, and, subsequently, her face, Yellow squinted up at her. It didn't take her more than a moment to recognize the two gemstones, and she took a step back, looking both surprised and mildly nervous._

_Blue's eyes widened, and she rushed forward, bumping Hematite out of the way. She pressed her hands down on the screen, gasping._ _  
"Oh stars, what are THEY doing here?! Oh geez, Hematite... weee might be in trouble."_  
\--  
Pursing her lips, the teal fusion casually leaned back against one of the buildings next to her, swinging her chained mace from side to side like a metronome.  
"You two **need** something?~ I'm kinda in the middle of a little job here," she hummed out, smirking down at the two. White glowered up at Dio and rolled her eyes.  
"We _need_ you two to unfuse right this instant. I don't know what you two are up to but you don't have permission to be fusing out in the middle of the Pink District! Nor do you have permission to be doing any of **Hematite's** jobs!" she growled. Yellow merely nodded, her teeth grit together as she tried to keep her composure. Dio pursed her lips and placed a finger up to her chin, thinking for a good long moment. It seemed at first like she wasn't going to answer. White became impatient and clapped her hands together twice.  
**"Unfuse. Now."**

Narrowing her eyes down at the Diamond, the teal fusion smirked, slowly grinning. Without warning, the massive fusion crouched down, looming over the two Diamonds.

"Permission? I'm pretty sure taking down the Star Stealers constitutes as 'permission', little _miss_ _priss.~"_ she sneered.  
\--  
_Hematite's eyes widened, and he covered his mouth with his hands._  
_"... She_ _ **didn't."**_  
**“** **Ohhh yes I did, kiddo.”**  
_Blinking, Hema looked around, frowning slightly._  
_"Okay, Bluuuueee is it time to unfuse?" he asked nervously._

_Blue turned quickly to Hematite, her eyes wide. She was smiling ominously, but nervously._  
_"UM... Ahaha, YES. Yes, we should." she nervously laughed, sweating bullets. The Diamond turned and took a deep breath, her gem glowing. Her form glimmered for a long moment, but something in the fusion plane thrummed and shifted, and the glow around her body fizzled out. Her gem went dormant. Blue's eyes shot open, a heavy, distressed frown creasing her face._  
_"... Oh stars."_  
**“** **Hahahahaa. Where do ya think you two are goin'? My fun's only just begun, and I'm stickin' around for a bit longer. So get comfy....”**  
_Looking around in nervous confusion, Hematite grit his teeth. He clenched his fists, calling out to the fusion as he rushed for the arena gate._  
_"Cut it out, Dioptase! We're unfusing, NOW!"_  
_**SLAM!** _  
**“Ah ah ahhh. This is far too fun, rookie. You two stay put.”**  
_Hema looked up at the huge, now-_ _**closed** _ _Coliseum gate, his breath catching in his throat. He tried to_ _reach his gem's energy, to try and destabilize it, but it was no use. It was blocked off._  
_**They couldn't unfuse.** _

\--  
Yellow took a few steps back with a half-stifled, nervous grunt as Dio loomed even closer, grinning deviously down at them. _Alright, that was too close_. Unsure what to do or say to the massive gem, Yellow nervously looked to her companion for answers. White had her eyes narrowed on the fusion, but, as she gazed up at her, her expression actually _softened._  
"So you're not going to unfuse, then?" she asked simply.  
Dio scoffed and smirked slyly, furrowing her brows.  
"Not a chance."  
Yellow stepped forward quickly, clutching at her sword and pointing it up at the fusion.  
"WHY, you two-!"  
Yellow's chest met White's arm abruptly, and she looked down in _bafflement._ White stopped her, her eyes still locked on the fusion. Slowly, Yellow lowered her sword. White's eyes were thoughtful, her body rigid. Slowly, she lowered her arm, humming a soft note.  
"…Alright then. My apologies for interrupting your work. You may continue, then," White said politely.  
"WHAT?!" Yellow cried out, but White quickly held up her hand. Yellow opened her mouth to say something else, but her fellow Diamond gave her a sharp look, silencing her. Turning, White gestured her hand for Yellow to turn around and follow her. Yellow looked over her shoulder and glared at the fusion, but merely grumbled under her breath as she walked away with White. The two gems unsummoned their weapons and walked down the street, turning a corner a little ways down the path.  
Dio snorted with a grin and stood up again. She watched with pride as the two leaders left, letting her get on with her work. _Hah! I c_ _an't believe that was so easy! Now, where was I?_ Dio hummed to herself and turned her attention to the building again, twirling her mace around. _Oookay, time to take this hunk of rock down.~ Just a few more hits should do it._

Humming to herself, Dioptase lifted up her chain-mace and swung at the building, taking another chunk out of it. The base started to crumble, and some of the facility collapsed in on itself. Grinning in satisfaction, Dio took a step back, childishly imitating the sounds of the building coming down as it crumpled in on itself. She frowned, though, as the back half of it stubbornly remained standing. Snorting, she lifted up her weapon, getting ready to heave it out onto the section that was still standing. But then, her visor chirped again, grabbing her attention.

“Eh-?”  
  
_**THWACK!!!**_  
  
Dioptase felt a sharp force smack into the center of her back, sending her violently tumbling into the half-destroyed building in front of her. Groaning, she struggled to turn over, but found herself on her back in the debris, the wind knocked out of her. Laying in a pile of rubble, Dio clutched her head and shook it, stunned. Lifting her head with a sneer, Dio glanced at her visor as the dust cleared, revealing an unfamiliar, giant form _._ Her eyes widened, a confused frown on her face.  
  


"Who the-?!"  
  
**"WE SAID TO UNFUSE,** _ **NOW."**_  
-  
_Blue paled, clutching at the screen. She let out a quiet, breathless gasp, her body rigid. Hema quickly_ _looked over Blue's shoulder, his eyes widening as he noticed the gem placements on the stranger. Slowly, he lifted one hand, extending his index finger as he smacked his lips once._  
_"Blue._ _ **Who is that."**_  
_Blue swallowed nervously, her eye twitching._  
_"Ahah... That's... uh... Chrysoberyl."_  
-  
Towering over downed fusion was a tall, light, and lithe figure. Cracking her own knuckles with both sets of arms, Chrysoberyl glared down at Dioptase with sharp, furious eyes. Four eyes, to be exact. Scrambling back up to her feet, Dio stepped back and sneered at the slightly taller fusion, narrowing her eyes.  
"That was a cheap shot, you two," she grumbled, rolling her shoulders as she brushed some debris off of her suit. The slightly taller fusion drew her hands towards her chest gem, pulling out a sword and a polearm. Spinning them together, the weapons morphed into one _huge_ pole with a broad, bladed spear tip on the end, its edge razor-sharp and curved. Taking it in one of her hands, she spun it around, and it quickly surged with electricity. She glared down at Dio, slamming the end of the pole into the ground with a resounding **clack** that echoed through the town.  
The new fusion bore four eyes, four arms, and a dangerous-looking set of big, sharp teeth. Her skin was an off-white, while her hair- which was curled forward with slightly upturned bangs- was a golden-blond color. Her pupils scanned over Dioptase, mere slits honing in on every feature of the fusion. Though Dioptase was almost the same size as her, she held a presence far bigger than her. She exuded a commanding confidence.  
Moving one of her hands to her shoulders, she flicked at the more raised part of her suit to straighten it out. It looked like a flared-out collar, which connected from her neck, to her shoulders, to right under Yellow Diamond's gem. Black sleeves covered her arms, much like White's, though they covered different fingers.  
"Hmph. Like _you_ wouldn't have done the same. Now, if you aren't going to unfuse, then get up and face me. I'll be more than happy to **make you** unfuse, dear," she crooned, running her hand up from her collar to her hair. There was an odd, sickly-sweet, yet mature tone to her voice that sent an inexplicable chill up even _Dio's_ spine. Dioptase scoffed quietly and backed up, drawing another weapon from her neck gem. She narrowed her eyes and swung the mace-ball at her side, twirling it with impressive speed. Slowly, her usual, cocky sneer returned to her face.  
"Alright, ya sparky priss, let's see what you've got. You want me to unfuse so badly? I'd like to see you try and _make_ me." With that, she leapt back over the building she'd been aiming to destroy, jumping back a few streets in order to create some distance between herself and the light-yellow fusion.

Chrysoberyl stifled a gentle laugh, gracefully bounding up onto the top of one of the buildings. She took aim, pointing her bladed weapon towards Dio. With a hearty, confident cackle, Dioptase swung her mace-ball around and thrust it violently towards Chrysoberyl. The iron mace-ball struck the tower, crumbling the walls like they were tissue paper. The lithe fusion limberly hopped off and landed on the ground safely below, _bolting_ towards Dioptase.  
"Oh come now, don't be so complicated. You and I both know this will be a lot easier if you cooperate with me," Chryso cooed out casually as she closed in. Holding up her fists, Dio curled her lips into a snarl and grabbed onto two lightning chains from her gem.  
"HAH! If you think I'm gonna cooperate with two of the most stuck-up gems on Homeworld, you've got another thing comin'! I'm my own gem here and I'm not gonna let you two take that away from me!"  
Chrysoberyl shrugged her shoulders and smirked.  
"Have it your way, then."  
Skillfully rolling behind the teal fusion, Chryso eluded a quick strike from Dio's chains. As soon as she found herself behind the shorter fusion, she lifted her leg up and delivered a sharp kick to her back yet again, thrusting her forward into a building.  
\--  
_"Uhhh, Blue, is there anything we can do?!" Hema asked worriedly, looking around at the fusion plane. "Isn't there so_ _me sort of, like... fusion fail_ _safe?! Or some way we can convince Dio to stop? What if she hurts White or Yellow?" The service gem bit his lip nervously, wringing his hands together._

_Sweat dripped from Blue Diamond's brow. Anxiously putting her hands up to her face, she bit down on two of her fingers, watching the screen with intent worry._  
_"Th-There's nothing we_ _ **can**_ _do! Dioptase is in complete control and, unless she destabilizes... we're stuck here. Ohhhh, we messed up big-time_ _,_ _kid..."_  
_Hematite felt his worried expression falter. Slowly, his brows furrowed, and he frowned, almost looking confused._  
_"Messed up? What did we do wrong? We fused to beat the Star Stealers_ _;_ _we_ _would have been shattered if we’d_ _kept on going like we were! We couldn't have known this would happen!"_ _  
Groaning, Blue ran her fingers through her hair and grabbed at the side of her head in frustrated worry._ _  
"Look, Hema, I know. We probably would have been dead if we didn't._ _ **That's not my point...**_ _We got carried away. We lost control! Th-this has never happened between me and anyone else, at least not like this-!" Her brows raised, and the Diamond found herself staring off into the screen_ _ **beyond**_ _everything. Her arms fell. "…_ _It's not our fault. You're right, we couldn't have known... I'm just... I shouldn't have let this happen."_  
\--  
_CRASH!_  
Groaning, Dio quickly sat up from the half-destroyed wall she found herself stuck in. She grit her teeth and stood up, aggressively brushing off debris as she pulled another chained mace out of one of her gems.  
"Listen up, you two, I've had a **very** long, rough couple of days, and after taking down an entire group of rebels, **I think I deserve a little time to MYSELF!"** Rushing forward a few paces, the teal fusion swung her weapon at Chrysoberyl's feet, her face twisted into a sneer.

"Hmph."  
Quickly jumping into the air, Chryso dodged yet another one of Dio's brash attacks. The more that Chrysoberyl flipped around and avoided her hits, the more frustrated Dioptase started to get.  
"Stand still, would ya?!"  
"Hm. No."

  
**THWACK!**  
Rolling under the teal fusion, Chryso swiped her leg out and knocked Dio in the side of her leg, off-setting her balance. As Dio stumbled slightly, Chryso moved out of the way, grabbed onto Dio's arm, and swung her around, flinging her in the other direction. Dio shook her head in disgruntled irritation, baring her teeth up at the lithe fusion. Standing up tall, Dio cracked her neck and yanked at the chain she had managed to hold onto.  
"Alright, _doll face._ Now you're _really_ startin' to piss me off."  
Narrowing her eyes, Dioptase clenched her fist around the thrashing whip, a resounding 'CRACK' echoing through the street. The crackling energy raced up her arm, wildly swirling around it. Chryso seemed relatively unfazed, and spun her spear around, smirking. She held up a hand and beckoned Dioptase to come forth, her teeth glinting slightly in the light of the fusion's lightning.  
"Bring it on."

\--  
_Biting his lip, the ivory-_ _haired gem looked away for a moment, almost_ _ **guiltily.**_ _He knew Blue was right, but. He still couldn't understand why she was so distressed. Okay, so Dio was a little out of control right now? So they were stuck there? It wasn't like Dio tried to hurt anyone, or did anything bad. She_ _had_ _just started doing his jobs for him._  
_Chrysoberyl was just here to help get them split apart... right?_  
\--  
Scoffing, Dioptase clenched her fists, knuckles cracking loudly, and rushed toward the lithe fusion gem. Her eyepiece gave a sharp click as a bright diamond insignia blipped onto its surface, locking onto Chrysoberyl.  
"Keep smiling like that and I'm gonna knock that smug look right off of your face!" she shouted in frustration, taking a wild, electrified swing at the slightly taller fusion. Chryso didn't even _look_ at Dio, but held out her weapon and gracefully dodged her, swinging under her arm. Dioptase's punch met the open air. She snarled and turned around, her shoulders raised as she heaved in frustration at the lithe gem. Chryso stood behind her, pointing the bladed tip of her weapon at the smaller fusion. Smirking, she held her lower set of arms behind her back.  
"Here, perhaps I should make this easier for you."  
Dio scoffed loudly, realizing Chrysoberyl was just toying with her... which only infuriated her _more_. The more furious she got, the more erratic her moves became. Dio leaned down and picked up a massive chunk of wall, yelling out in a fit of rage. She chucked it violently at the lithe fusion, who dove out of the way. Rolling across the ground, Chryso shot up and spun her blade around, slowly turning it _towards_ Dioptase. She slowly walked forward, closing her upper set of eyes. Dio's brows twitched, her nose scrunched in anger. She took a step back, clenching her fists.  
Chryso's blade started to light up rhythmically as she spun it like a fan, creating an odd pattern as it twirled. She opened her upper pair of eyes, which were now glowing a bright white. Dio found herself locked in place, unable to look away.

\--  
_Hematite's eyes widened as he stared at the screen. He felt his breath catch in his throat. His entire form seized up, and he found himself unable to look away from the fusion's eyes. Gasping, Blue looked away completely as soon as Chryso started walking towards them. Her eyes locked on Hema, widening in realization. She quickly scrambled to her feet, covering his eyes in panic._ _  
"HEY_ _!_ _Snap out of it! Don't ever look at that!" she spat nervously, clutching his shoulders. Shuddering, Hematite felt Chryso's grasp on his mind cut off. He shook his head and looked up at Blue in surprise, eyes widening._ _  
"Wh-why? What was that?!" he asked confusedly, still a bit dazed._  
\--  
Dioptase felt her lip twitch into a dazed, vague snarl, but she couldn't will herself to move. Her feet were frozen in place, along with the rest of her body. And to make matters worse, her eyepiece suddenly clicked and whirred violently, the insignia darting around in confusion. Dio glanced at the screen, eyes widening in alarm. The HUD on the gemtech glitched out, all the readings going haywire. Chryso kept her smirk as she closed in, stopping a few good feet away from the taller fusion. Through the rapidly-spinning polearm, she glanced between Blue Diamond and Hematite's gems. But, as her eyes rested upon the teal, round stone on Dio's neck, her eyes widened. Gasping sharply, she faltered, her polearm stopping suddenly. Dio blinked and shook her head, quickly taking the opportunity to deliver a _nasty_ punch to Chryso's abdomen, knocking her back into the rubble.  
Dioptase wasted _no_ time in jumping after the lithe fusion, yanking her up by her shirt and punching her right in her stomach, sending her back even further. She stood straight and clenched one hand in the other, cracking her knuckles.  
"Nice trick, priss, but you missed your shot!" she crowed, narrowing her eyes. Chryso coughed and stood up slowly, lifting her hand up to flick a piece of rubble off of her shoulder. Turning her head slowly to Dioptase with narrowed eyes, she rolled her shoulders and inhaled slowly through her teeth. The lithe fusion quickly summoned another polearm, lighting it up with electricity once more. Dio chuckled, getting in a more readied position. Chrysoberyl folded her lower arms behind her back again, standing up with a poised, proper stance.  
"It's time we ended this ridiculousness.”  
\--  
_Blue sighed, looking back to the screen with a hardened gaze._  
_"That's one of White's light_ _tricks. It's a form of hypnosis._ _Don't_ _ **ever**_ _get yourself caught staring at it, okay? It's one of the mind games she plays. If she starts spinning her polearm around, word of advice. Just...don't look at her or her eyes." The Diamond stated, wiping the sweat from her brow. Frowning, Hematite looked once more at the screen and rubbed his right eye._  
_"R-right... okay. Hah, well... I don't plan on doing anything to make her use it on me in the first place," he said with a soft, nervous chuckle._  
\--  
Snorting softly through her nose, Dio felt her grin widen, and she cocked her head back, daring Chryso to come closer.  
"Then let's end it." With that, she suddenly reached up to her gems, pulling out _multiple_ smaller chain-maces. She spun them around, her form soon alight from the crackling electrical whips. Eyes widening, the fusion cackled confidently, eyeing the lithe fusion before her. "It's time for a proper finale, Chrysoberyl~!"

Clacking her polearm to the ground with a loud, sharp noise that rang out through the town, Chryso darted forward. Dio was quick to follow her movement, and the two were locked into a battle of swinging and dodging. Rinse and repeat. Dio would take a massive swing, and Chryso would duck out of the way. Chryso would swipe her polearm at Dio's midsection, and Dio would force herself back. Yelling out in fury, Dio started to breathe heavily, her chest heaving. The fusion grabbed onto the side of one of the smaller nearby buildings and squeezed, ripping it from the ground with a shuddering cracking sound. Chryso's eyes widened as she poised herself to jump out of the way.  
Just as Dioptase went to toss the smaller building at the light fusion, Chryso shot forward and ducked under Dio's legs, sweeping behind her. Dio looked behind her as she tossed the building away, just in time to have Chryso shove her polearm _right_ through her back.  
"Sorry, you two, but this show is over."  
  
**POFF!**  
  
Exploding into a _massive_ cloud of smoke, the slightly shorter fusion finally destabilized, dropping two _very_ exhausted gems onto the ground, laying in the street on their backs.

"Uuuugggh. Dio whyyy."  
Groaning, laid flat out on the street, was a very sore, very disgruntled Hematite. He winced at the bright sunlight shining in his eyes, moving his forearm to shield his face. _They'd finally unfused... thank the stars._ Hema's entire body ached, and his gemstone held a heaviness to it that kept him plastered on his back. He didn't want to move, he didn't want to talk. In all honesty, he just wanted to lay there for a few hours, letting his form recover.  
However... As the smoke cleared, and Hema's view was no longer obscured, his mild discomfort was no longer his biggest worry. Eyes widening, he stared up at the _massive_ fusion standing over himself and Blue. Hematite felt the hair on the back of his neck slowly stand on end, a shiver going down his spine. Blue stared up wide-eyed, unmoving. Unblinking.  
There, towering above the two, was the giant Diamond fusion, craning her form lower to peer down at the two gems on the ground.  
"You two have a **lot** of explaining to do..." she said with a mildly scolding tone in her voice. Though, it still held its sickly-sweet charm. Blue was still sweating _,_ even now that they were free from Dio's grasp. She felt the soreness of her previous battles coming back to haunt her, and she groaned slightly.  
Chryso knelt down on one knee and looked the two over, slit pupils darting between Hematite and Blue. Blue couldn't bring herself to look at her.

Blinking, Hematite steeled all his courage he had in an effort not to cringe away from the looming fusion. He swallowed once before glancing up to the side, pursing his lips as he dropped his arm back to the ground.  
"... Well. Blue and I fought like. Five hundred elite warriors in some caves. That's a start."

Chryso narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, but it slowly turned into a grin.  
"Well, seeing as you two have had such a rough day... perhaps it’s time you got back to the Towers. But it's quite a ways away, and you two look like you could use a _lift."_ She said, clutching her knee with her hand. "We'll talk when we get back. In the meantime..."  
Blue remained perfectly still, staring up at the sky with a thousand-yard stare.  
"Don't run, it'll just make it worse," she whispered monotonously. Hematite lifted his head to stare at his superior laying a few feet from him.  
"Wait, 'run'? Why would I run?" The service gem's gaze flicked between Blue and the fusion hovering over them, and he blinked slowly. "... Blue what do you know that I don't know,” he said rapidly, his tone low and amusingly monotone. Slowly, Chryso reached down for the other Diamond, carefully picking Blue up from the ground first. Blue didn't so much as struggle. Now standing up tall, the fusion held the rattled Diamond in her hand, sighing quietly.  
Chryso peered down at Hematite, her expression unreadable.

Hema blinked silently a few times up at the huge fusion, glancing at the Diamond now in her hand. The gears started turning in his head as he processed what Chrysoberyl could possibly have meant by 'a lift'. There were a few good options... and a few. Not so good options. Slowly, the service gem pursed his lips, brows raised. With a single 'pop' of the lips, he inhaled deeply, slightly shifting where he laid.  
"Bye Blue see you back at the towers good luck," he said quickly, suddenly scrambling to his feet, stumbling sorely away a little distance.

"Oooh no you don't. You're in just as much trouble as she is,” the fusion's voice crooned from above as she leaned down, quickly pinching the back of Hematite's outfit between two of her fingers. Pulling him back slightly, Chrysoberyl carefully lifted Hematite off of the ground. Holding the service gem up next to Blue, Hematite could see that Blue's head was propped up in her hand in an almost exasperated way. She was tapping on Chryso's glove with her fingers on her other hand, staring over at Hematite as he was picked up.  
"Welcome back, Hema. Did you have a nice run?" she said sarcastically, narrowing her eyes slightly. Hematite looked down below his feet, then up at Chrysoberyl, before finally resting his eyes on his blue superior. His expression, though vaguely nervous, was rather unreadable. He raised his brows, shaking his head once.  
"No. Not really. It was short. Didn't get far," he said simply. The service gem dangled limply from the fusion's fingers, forcing himself not to make eye contact with her at the moment. Chrysoberyl huffed and glared down at Blue, giving her a meaningful look.

“Didn't think I'd have to do this again, Blue.”

Chryso's fist shifted suddenly, taking Blue with it. Lifting the Diamond over her face, Chryso opened her mouth and, without a second thought, dropped her in.  
"OH, this is just GREAT!" Blue's voice rang out for a moment, followed by the snap of Chryso's teeth, cutting off whatever else she was going to say.  
Swiping her tongue over her upper lip, Chryso held Hematite up just a little closer, looking down on him. But, her expression softened slightly.  
"I'm sorry that we met on such poor terms, dear. Hopefully someday I'll get to meet you properly. I apologize for the trouble."  
Blinking almost nervously as he was lifted up, Hematite swallowed quietly, crossing his arms in front of him with a wince. _Stars, it hurt to move..._ At Chrysoberyl's words, the service gem felt a bit of his anxiety lift, though he still looked hesitant. After all, half of this fusion _was_ Yellow. Despite his trepidation, however, he forced a smile. _Might as well put on a brave face, right?_  
"Y-yeah, hopefully!" His smile warmed a bit, looking less forced than it had before. "And... thanks, Chrysoberyl. For getting Dio under control."

Chrysoberyl smiled softly, stifling a small chuckle.  
"Of course... Just, _try_ not to get so carried away when you fuse from here on out. Alright?" Lifting the service gem to her lips, Chryso's mouth parted just enough to slip Hematite in safely over her sharp teeth. Her mouth was all black, just like White's. As eerie as it was, she was careful, gently pushing him in with a single finger and closing her mouth around him. Turning to glance over his shoulder for a moment, the service gem stifled a small shiver, quickly turning his face forward again. His hands clutched at Chryso's finger for a moment as he closed his eyes, a tiny frown on his face. For a few seconds, he didn't let go, nor did he open his eyes. Slowly, he took a deep breath through his nose and relaxd, managing to crack open his eyes.  
He was too tired to be scared. He was too worn out to let his anxiety and hesitation get the best of him. No, for now, he just wanted to get back home. If _this_ was the worst of the trip, then so be it. After a long moment, the ivory-haired gem let go of the fusion's finger, closing his eyes once more.

The fusion tilted her head up, making quick work of tucking Hema away. Turning to the city wall a few miles away, Chrysoberyl sighed and started off for the White District. In the meantime, Blue propped herself up against the dark, damp walls of what appeared to be Chrysoberyl's stomach, her arms crossed. Muttering something under her breath, the Diamond didn't seem to look very pleased.  
"’I don't wanna unfuuuse’ she said. Yeah, ya made her do this the hard way. Niiiiice goin', Dio..." she grumbled, eyes widening as Hematite suddenly dropped in beside her. "…Oh hey, kid."

Shaking his head, Hematite finally stopped repressing the shudder that had threatened to run through him earlier. He made a rather odd, amusing sound as he shuddered quietly, looking around. The service gem pursed his lips and looked toward Blue, sighing and scooting closer to her.  
"Thiiis sort of thing happen often with her, orrrr is this a first?" he asked simply, subtly leaning closer to his blue superior. Blue sighed through her nose, leaning back slightly. She stared up into the darkness, not seeming to mind Hematite leaning up against her.  
"Ah, just once. Buuut to be fair, it was under... different circumstances." Pausing, Blue turned her head and yawned. "Can't say I'm surprised at this turnout though. Look, kid, weird ride home aside, thanks for helping me with these guys. I couldn't have done it without ya. And now they're all taken care of, I can't tell you how much stress has been lifted off my shoulders. I'm just sorry I wasn't more careful."

Hema closed his eyes, sighing quietly. Their battles with the Star Stealers were starting to weigh on him as the pain and the exhaustion fully settled back into his form. He ached all over, and didn't feel like moving around too much.  
"It's alright, we both got a bit carried away there. But, it's over now, and hopefully the rest of the rebellion will crumble now that their leaders are gone. And you won't-" yawning, the service gem leaned fully on the Diamond, his voice trailing off, "-have to... deal with them... anymore..." Gradually, Hematite dozed off, his head rested against Blue's side.

It was done. They were headed home... and they could finally put this behind them. If nothing else... he felt he deserved a little nap.

-

-  
As she had thought, it took her about an hour to get back to the Diamond Towers. The fusion had to carefully tread through the White District, earning many confused looks from concerned gems. She made sure to reassure them that everything was fine, and then she was merely heading back home after taking care of something elsewhere. The guards at the head of the White District recognized her immediately, letting her inside the tower facility.

Stepping through the massive archway, the fusion stood near the bridge connecting White's Tower to Yellow's. She sighed, her midsection beginning to glow. She reached in, carefully taking out her two 'captives.' Hematite stirred from his rest, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. He looked around as he found himself in the warm clutches of a giant hand, and for a brief moment, a spike of anxiety shot through his core.

But, as he drowsily placed a hand on one of the giant gem's gloved fingers, he inhaled deeply, recognizing the gem's strange scent. It was odd... Chrysoberyl had her own smell, but she also held traces of White and Yellow's essences. She smelled of books and tea... but also of oils used to fix up gem tech, and the faint, metallic smell of a natural electrical elemental.

He relaxed in her warm grasp, closing his eyes. Even for such a massive gem, her hold was so careful. Gently, Chrysoberyl placed them both on the bridge, setting them down. Blue snorted and shook her head, rubbing her face.  
"Huh, what? What'd I miss?” She looked around, quickly recognizing where they were. Yawning, she sighed in relief and nudged Hema, who was still waking up. At the touch of the cold, marble bridge, Hematite shuddered heavily, fully waking up. He looked at himself and wiped his arms off with a mild grimace. After a moment, the service gem looked up at Chrysoberyl, a curious expression on his face.

Chryso stood up straight and, with a warm smile, closed her eyes and bowed her head. Blue peered over at the large gem and took a single step back. Gently, Chrysoberyl placed her hand on the bridge next to the two, and her form started to glow.  
In an instant, White Diamond and Yellow Diamond were left standing in front of Blue Diamond and Hematite. They were facing each other, eyes closed, heads bowed towards one another. Slowly, they looked up, face to face. Crossing her arms, Yellow turned away and looked at the other two battered gems with a raised brow.  
But White reacted... far differently.  
Turning sharply, as if reality had come back to her, she _stormed_ towards Hematite, holding her hands out. She looked _furious._ Hematite tensed up, a deathly chill running up his back as White marched toward him, clearly livid. He held his hands up in front of himself, backing up a quick step.

**"Who hurt you?!"** she snarled, grabbing his face carefully. She knelt down and lifted his head slightly, staring hard at his gemstone, which bore a small, red scratch. Eyes widening, Hema froze up as White grabbed his face carefully, tilting his head up. He glanced down in confusion, lips parting silently. Her eyes widening in pained fury, White sighed heavily and turned away, running her fingers through her hair.  
"I swear, if I find the gem that left a mark on you I'll-"  
"I took care of them already,” Blue's voice called over casually. She stood with her hands on her hips. White's head turned sharply to look at her, her expression completely unreadable.  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes."  
"…Good. They're lucky **I** didn't get to them before you or Hematite...."

"Wh-what?" he stammered, furrowing his brows. The service gem lowered his head again, looking between White and Blue. "... I got hit by a spear, I think, but... I didn't get cracked, did I?" he said nervously, pressing his fingers to his gem. He ran them over the smooth, silvery surface until he inhaled sharply through his teeth, his clawed fingertip having caught something. His eyes widened, expression falling. “...Oh.”

White's shoulders hung slightly, and she looked down sympathetically at him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, looking the rest of him over. He looked pretty beat up.  
"Thankfully, it's just a surface scratch. Nothing major... Just, be careful, alright?" Furrowing her brows, White looked up at Blue and frowned heavily. "And _you_..."  
Blue flinched slightly, crossing her arms.  
"Yeah, I know. I know. I should have told you we were going off like that, I should have asked before taking Hematite with me, shouldn't have fused. I get it. You don't have to tell me," she grumbled, refusing to look at White. White growled slightly, turning to the other Diamond.  
"Don't think you won't be hearing about this later... You're not off the hook just yet." Raising a brow, the tallest Diamond looked down to Hematite without turning her head. "You either, really. But, don't worry, it wasn't _too_ serious... You'll just have to deal with some extra community service for the next two weeks."  
Yellow walked up behind White casually, pursing her lips.  
"Sooo I heard you two took out the entirety of that um... Rebel group that's been giving you strife, Blue? How did that go?" Yellow asked, glancing between Hematite and Blue Diamond.

Sighing, the ivory-haired gem looked up at White, his expression falling. _He was going to be punished for getting his mission done? Tch..._ Huffing, he looked up at Yellow, then Blue. _Oh well... he supposed Dioptase_ _ **did**_ _cause a bit of a problem. And it was only two weeks, what harm could that do?_  
"Right. But, perhaps we can schedule it so it doesn't interfere with the lessons each week," he said rhetorically. He trusted White to give him a fair schedule. He turned his attention to Yellow Diamond again, forcing a weak smile. "It uh... It went alright until we had to fight almost, what, two-hundred of them in one room, Blue? Ahah..."

Yellow Diamond blinked, looking _a_ little taken aback by Hematite's statement  
"Two-hundred? That's quite the feat for only two of you... Buuut I guess..." She paused, shrugging her shoulders with an awkward look on her face. "I'm just... glad to see you both are back and in... relatively one piece," she said, glancing for a moment at Hematite's gemstone. The service gem pursed his lips.  
"Oh, that was just the first room. There were at least two-hundred-fifty more or so, not including the leaders. The scouts said there were four hundred and some in there, buuut it definitely felt like more," he said with a shrug of his shoulders, grimacing awkwardly. "But, hey, we took care of all the leaders, including Star Sunstone! So they shouldn't be a problem anymore." Folding his hands in front of him, the service gem smiled, but it quickly faded. "... Though I'll be keeping my eye out for any more members of their group," he muttered, eyes narrowing. Nodding her head slightly, White took a step towards Blue.  
"Well, seeing as you two are back now. I think you both should get yourselves fixed up as soon as you can," she said, peering over at the small service gem. "And _you_ should get some rest." Blinking, Blue looked to Hematite and cleared her throat.  
"Oh, right. That reminds me. As you're aware... since the Star Stealers are now no longer a threat, your duty to watch over the Kyanite is hereby completed. You may send her off this evening. Bring her to the head of the Blue District and let her know that she can find somewhere to work around there, so she can begin her rehabilitation process. Thank you, again, for keeping her guarded," Blue Diamond said, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm sure the lil’ rascal will be happy to be free again in her district, with no worries about those creeps getting a hold of her."

Hematite felt his entire demeanor fall slightly, and he looked away.  
"Yes ma'am. I'll be sure to get right on that after I rest," he replied quietly, barely hiding his momentary look of disappointment. He quickly straightened up, forcing a professional stance once more. "If that is all, I need to go make a call and rest up."

Blue's expression faltered slightly, but she was quick to hide it. _He didn't usually address her like that. Well, most gems would have, but_ _ **him?**_ _Maybe she was just overthinking it._ Forcing a smile, the Diamond gave Hematite a pat on the shoulder and started off for her tower.  
"I'll see ya around, Hema! Give me a call if you ever wanna go get drinks at Morgan's," she said as she walked off.  
Yellow and White exchanged glances, but offered Hematite a sympathetic glance. Even _Yellow_ could tell something was bothering him, but neither of them were going to pry. She cleared her throat.  
"I've got some work to do back at my office, so I'm afraid I must be going. You rest up, Hematite. And, perhaps look into having your gem polished. You might be able to cover up that scar just a little." Yellow Diamond said, following suit after Blue without another word.  
White stayed behind for a moment, but didn't say anything. Chrysoberyl had dropped them all off next to White's office door, and she found herself glancing between it and the service gem. She was still a little perplexed by the day's events.  
"Good luck, Hematite, with whatever it is that's on your mind,” she said reassuringly, turning to head back to her doors.

Hema watched all three of the Diamonds leave in turn, giving them each a small, appropriate 'goodbye'. Soon, he was left alone on the Sky Bridge, looking out toward the Blue District far in the distance. He was still unsure just how long he'd been gone... Idly, he wondered how Kyan had done with Puff and Rubes, and if Red had returned from her recon mission yet.  
Slowly, Hematite made his way into the White Tower, making his slow way down to his room. In all honesty, he should have gone to pick Kyanite up immediately, but...  
He needed some time.  
After all he'd been through these however-many-days he'd been gone, he needed some rest, some time to think, and a little while to prepare to send the warrior gem on her way.  
The service gem waited at the elevator. Looking ahead at nothing in particular, Hematite sighed through his nose.  
_Contact Rubes._  
-  
"And that's how I ended up riding around a corrupted Talc for three days." The Ruby leaned back, crossing her arms behind her head. She was resting in one of the chairs of her living quarters, up against one of the walls. Puff gave a hearty chuckle and swiped a finger over the screen of the diamond pad in her hand.  
"You have some of the craziest monster stories, Rubes. Give some of us a chance, c'mon." The Jasper raised a brow, smirking at her tiny partner across the room. Rubes opened up one eye, cocking a brow in return.  
"Sorry Puff, but I don't think there's a gem alive that can top my stories, or will be, for that matter. When you're part of a squadron assigned to taking monsters out, you see some pretty crazy stuff."

Kyanite was flopped over the bed, hanging upside down, her messy hair hanging down and just barely touching the floor below. Her scarf was back around her neck, and, where the Onyx had torn it, there laid a small, _slightly_ off-color 'scar' on the fabric. The tear had been filled in, but the fibers were a slightly different shade of blue. It wasn't too noticeable, but it was still there. Kyan fidgeted with the cloth quietly as she listened to Rube's story. Occasionally, she'd reach over and grab one of the candies that Rubes had given her, munching on it. She'd been quiet for the majority of the day, listening intently to the stories that they told her, occasionally sharing one or two of her own. Even if whatever it was she said didn't reveal much. Punched a rock here, got chased by a pack of gem monsters there, and so on and so forth. But she never really talked much about anything else. Just the experiences she had while she was out wandering in the Pink District.  
"What's it like to be... a part of a squadron?"

Rubes looked over at Kyan and gave her a tiny, curious frown.  
"Eeeh. It's alright. They get in your way sometimes and everyone's always trying to be the new boss. That, and the squad I was a part of back in the day didn't exactly have the best intentions." The red gem shrugged. "That's about it, honestly. I prefer to work in much smaller groups. One or two gems, max-"  
_Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!_  
Blinking in surprise, Rubes looked toward the large holo-screen in her room. Seemed her communicator was being contacted.  
"Answer call."  
_Click!_  
A small HUD appeared on the screen, though there was no visual to go with it. There was a short pause... Rubes frowned slightly.  
"Hello?"  
  
_"_ _Hey, Rubes. It's Hematite."_

Gasping sharply, Kyan shifted on the bed and hit her head on the floor with a loud _thunk!_ Quickly scrambling to her feet, the small blue gem ran up to the communicator and looked up. Despite not being able to see the gem on the other side, she was _relieved_ to hear his voice. But, she didn't want to interrupt Rubes' call, so she looked back at the small red gem, her expression unreadable. Rubes turned her attention to Kyan, her own expression relieved, but a tad unreadable.  
"Heya, tough guy. You alright? How did your job go? It's been a few days..."  
_"It uh. It went great! The group we went after, and its leaders, are all taken care of. Can I ask you to bring Kyan to the Blue District primary warp in four hours? I need to rest."_

Kyan felt a rush of exhilarated relief wash over her. **They were gone. It was over. She was free from their control at last.** But, the small blue gem's expression fell, and she looked a little solemnly down at the floor. Slowly, she grabbed her scarf and tucked it over her nose without a word.  
She was free... So why didn't she feel as happy as she thought she'd be?

Nodding, the red gem continued to gaze at the warrior across the room.  
"I'll be sure to do that. I'll see ya then, alright?" Puff looked up about this time and smiled coyly.  
"And I'll be sure she isn't late,~" she added.  
_"Thanks, you two. Kyan, you there?"_

Kyan gasped under her breath, taking a step closer to the communicator.  
"Hematite!" she called up, grasping at her scarf.

_"Heyyy, there you are... I trust you had a nice time with Rubes and Puff?"_ His tone was unreadable, though it was clear from his voice that he was forcing a smile. There was a soft ding in the background. No one could see it, but Kyan was smiling softly under her scarf.  
"Yeah, it was pretty fun! Rubes gave me some candy and we told stories and I jumped on her bed and fell off four times but it was pretty fun anyway, so...." she paused, scratching her head through her hair and looking away. "So... you took care of the Star Stealers."

Hematite chuckled softly, almost sounding _relieved._  
_"Yeah! Yeah... we sure did. It wasn't easy, but all the gems in that base were taken care of, and the five leaders are gone. Soon enough, they should dissipate on their own and you won't have to worry about them anymore. That being said, be careful, still. Just because they aren't a group anymore doesn't mean people won't recognize you. But, hey! Candy and stories, that sounds like fun!"_

Kyan stifled her own awkward chuckle, but it was too faint to hear.  
"Yeah... so, does this mean I'm free to go, then? Now that they're all gone and everything."  
She didn't look at the screen. Humming an unsure sound, Hematite sighed softly.  
_"Not quite yet, just a few more hours, okay? I want you to stay with Puff and Rubes while I'm resting up, and then I'll come give you the details at the head of the district and... you'll officially be free of my guardianship. I'll be releasing you to the Blue District. Blue says there are some places you can find work in, around where we're going."_

Kyan crossed her arms, not responding for a moment. But she forced herself to say something. Anything at all. She couldn't just leave him hanging on _that._  
"Alright... Thanks, Hematite."

_"..._ _Of course."_ The service gem cleared his throat a bit unevenly, his breath catching as he tried to speak again. He quickly shook it off and continued. _"Right. Four hours. I'll see you then. Try not to get into too much trouble."_  
... _Click._

Slowly reaching up to the insignia on her scarf, Kyan looked down and grasped at the blue diamond insignia. She fell quiet. But, she looked over to Rubes after a moment.  
"… So I, uh. Guess that this is gonna be my last few hours here! Eheh..." Awkwardly, the small blue gem turned and tugged at her scarf, straightening it around her neck. "Thanks for, um. Well, everything, you guys."

Puff smiled weakly, glancing at the holo-screen. _Something was up with Hema. And, knowing him... she could probably make a few guesses as to what, if his comment back at Morganite's bar was anything to go by._  
_'She doesn't seem to like me very much.'_  
Rubes crossed one leg over the other, bobbing her foot in place.  
"Don't mention it, Kyan. But... listen." Glancing off to the side, the small red gem pursed her lips. There was a short, awkward pause. "... If you ever need a place to stay, well. You don't seem like the kind of gem that would give me _too_ much trouble. If you keep this place clean and you don't mess with my pictures, you're welcome to crash here any time."

Blinking, Kyan's eyes widened slightly.  
"Wait... R-really?!" she said, clenching her fists and holding them up in front of her excitedly. There was a spark of excitement in the blue gem suddenly, as if in complete disbelief. "I... yeah, sure! I'd love to!" she said, running up to Rubes suddenly and wrapping her arms around her. She shut her eyes tight, but couldn't hide the faint tears that appeared at their corners. "Thank you."

Rubes stiffened in surprise, but quickly relaxed, her expression falling to its usual stoic state. After a moment, she returned the hug gently, resting her cheek on Kyan's head.  
"You're welcome, Kyanite," she said softly. It was subtle, but for a moment, the red gem felt even _warmer_ than usual, though it faded quickly. Puff gazed at the two with a fond smile, thumbing her nose.  
"Heyyy, and if you're ever in the Yellow District, come stop by my place! It's by that biiig crystal spire near the west wall. I'm sure you know the one. My room's a biiit messier than this nice place, but you know. It's better than some shack in the Pink District.~"

Kyan held onto Rubes for a good long moment, but slowly looked up at Puff from across the room. The tears in her eyes dripped down her cheeks, the small gem unable to hide them anymore. Letting go of Rubes, she ran over to Puff and jumped up in her arms, hugging her as well.  
"Thanks, Puff... I'll be sure to check that out too, if I'm around there!"

The Jasper laughed in surprise, soon returning the smaller blue gem's hug. Playfully, she ruffled Kyan's hair, giving a half-hearted growl.  
"Yeahh! I'd like to see ya again, maybe we can show you a proper spar, without being interrupted! Aaand who knows, maybe you could join us one time!"

Kyan looked up at the Jasper with a gleam in her eyes. She rubbed the tears from her eyes and sniffed.  
"That'd be awesome," she said quietly.

Looking down at the small blue warrior, Puff smiled brightly. She chuckled, suddenly leaning forward and bumping noses with her.  
"You're not a half-bad gem, Kyan," she said softly, quickly retracting her face. The Jasper ruffled her hair again, letting go of her with her other arm. Stifling a small giggle, Kyan hopped out of Puff's arms. Looking over to the bed, she trotted over and grabbed the bag of candies, which only had about two or three left in them. Pursing her lips, she took the three candies out and tucked them into her scarf. Turning to the other two, Kyan hopped up on the bed and swung her legs slightly. _Well... if she only had a few hours left here. She might as well enjoy them._  
"So... Puff? You got any more stories?"

Looking back at the gem on the bed, Puff narrowed her eyes and smiled.  
"Wanna hear about the time that Rubes and I found an infestation of Mica in my living quarters?"  
Snapping her attention up, the Ruby inhaled sharply.  
"Puff, no, not that story."  
The Jasper slowly turned to the smaller gem across the room, smirking coyly.  
"Ohhhh yes this story. Settle in, Kyan. This is gonna take a while~"

Kyan sighed quietly and rolled over on the bed, placing her hand under her chin and looking over to the Jasper with a small, faint smile. _Micas_ _,_ _huh? Now that had to be good._

"Alright, so it all started when Rubes found out something was stealing her candies."  
"Uuuuuugh." Slumping in her chair, the red gem puffed her bangs out of her face. _This was going to be a long four hours._

-

-  
_A long four hours that passed far too quickly..._  
"You be careful out there, alright Kyan? Wherever you go," the red gem said with a hint of concern, looking over at the blue gem walking beside her. Puff trailed behind them, her arms crossed. Night laid over the district, stars twinkling in the sky.  
The three were making their way down the last street that lead to the warp pad 'room', though it was still a good distance away. Puff was walking a little distance behind the two, quiet. Kyan stared off ahead, at nothing in particular.  
"I'll be fine, but thanks," she said simply. She was clenching and unclenching her fists, her brows furrowed slightly. The small blue gem looked like she was thinking hard about something.

Frowning, Rubes let out a soft 'hm', turning forward again. The large flight of stairs leading up to the warp pad stretched ahead.  
  
_Gleam!_  
With a bright flash, the pad activated, leaving a tall gem standing atop the stairs: Hematite. He stood at fifteen or so feet, his eyes closed, arms folded behind his back professionally. He looked good as new... Not that the two gems standing at the bottom of the stairs had seen the utter shambles he'd been in not hours ago. Slowly, hesitantly, the service gem opened his eyes, gazing down at the two. His expression twitched. He looked _unhappy._

Kyan peered up at the service gem, her scarf covering her mouth and nose. Slowly, she turned around to look at Puff and Rubes, raising her hand slightly to wave goodbye. Pacing towards Hematite, the blue gem stood in front of him, crossing her arms. She couldn't meet his gaze.  
"Hey."

Both Puff and Rubes hesitated for a moment, but soon turned and let the two be, walking off down the street. Hema gazed down at the smaller gem, his entire being baring a forced, professional air.  
"Evening, Kyan. Before we... finalize our business together, I'd like to say something."

Kyan clutched her arms tightly, still not looking up at him. _Why so proper all of a sudden_ _?_ _Ah well, he always seemed to be a stickler for his work. Perhaps it was just the way he did things._ _After all, she was just another job for him. A gem to look after and let free, probably never to be seen again. She'd be out of his hair soon enough._  
"Yeah?"

Inhaling slowly through his nose, the service gem paused, his fingers brushing together behind his back.

Slowly, he knelt down, holding out his palm for her. Kyan looked down at Hematite's hand, her eyes widening slowly. She looked up at him, almost reluctant, but hopped up into it. She didn't seem as excited as she had been before... even if it _was_ still pretty neat. Carefully, he lifted her up, though not quite to eye level. She stood about level with his chest. His expression softened.  
"I wanted to thank you for the things you taught me, back when we were training near the Towers. Some of it really came in handy during our mission." He smiled faintly. Kyan looked up at Hematite, her brows raised slightly. Her gaze fell from his, drifting idly to his neck.  
"Y-yeah, no problem. I'm glad it-... turned out." Kyan's eyes widened slowly, and she felt her words catch in her throat. _What is that? That...wasn't there before._ Slowly, without a word, Kyan grabbed onto Hematite's shirt and climbed up, stopping at his neck. At first, Hematite stiffened up as Kyan climbed up to his gem, his eyes widening as he attempted to look down at her. As soon as she got closer, she gasped silently.  
_His gemstone.... It's...?_  
The small blue gem slowly, shakily lifted her hand out, tears welling up in her eyes. She placed her hand over his stone, running her fingers gently across it. Curling her fingers into a fist, she retracted her trembling hand, unable to look away from the gem. He froze in place when he felt her hand touch the silvery stone on his neck. Still clinging to his shirt, she fought back stinging tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks.  
_"You're hurt..."_ she breathed. Slowly, he lifted his hand up under her so she wouldn't slip.  
"I-It's nothing. It's just a scratch, a battle scar. Some rebel got a good hit on me when I was protecting Blue... hah."

Kyan felt a chill go up her spine, but she suppressed whatever it was building up within her chest.  
"I see..."  
Looking down slightly, Kyan slipped off and landed back in Hematite's hand, shaking her head rapidly. Looking back up to him, she chewed her lip for a moment. "We should probably... get going. You're probably busy, or somethin'," she said simply.  
_Say something. Say anything... Thank him. Tell him how you feel._  
_…_ _But why bother? He doesn't care about you. You shouldn't care about him. You know where it gets you. Just move on. Things will be better if you're not around him. He's not worth stressing out over._

Hema's expression fell, and he swallowed quietly.

"… Right."  
Looking off to the side, Hematite frowned sadly. _Just because she noticed something doesn't mean she cares._ The service gem gazed down at the Kyanite, his expression unreadable. Well... at least one other good thing came out of this mission. He was relieved to finally, _fully_ realize that the odd spikes that had been pestering him for weeks now had completely stopped. He finally felt normal again, and didn't have to avoid looking at gems that were smaller than him... Kyan included.

  
For a moment, he was silent, as if thinking hard about something.  
  
_Flash!_  
In an instant, the warp pad activated, and the two gems stood at the head of the Pink District. Hematite was staring out at the horizon, at nothing in particular. Kyan blinked, a soft, confused noise escaping her.

“Wait, I thought you were bringing me somewhere in the Blue District?” she asked, baffled. “What are we doing here?”

Hema didn't reply. Slowly, his hands curled around the smaller gem, and he lowered his head slightly. Without a word, he hugged her close, both his hands folded over her.

“... You wouldn't be happy there. Blue doesn't need to know where I brought you. Just. Be careful out here. Okay?”

Eyes widening, Kyan felt something warm well up in her core. Something prickled at her chest... She was... confused.  
_If he didn't care... then, why this?_ _She didn't understand._ Still fighting back tears, the small gem inhaled deeply and steeled herself, grabbing onto the front of Hema's suit. She hugged him best she could.

  
**Stay strong.**

  
Looking up to him, her eyes finally met his. While most of her face was covered, her expression looked slightly unreadable. _But there was something there, something she was hiding. And not the best, either._  
"So this is it, then?"

Gazing down at the gem in his hands, Hematite inhaled deeply through his nose, swallowing the lump in his throat.  
"From this moment on, I am no longer your assigned bodyguard. You're free to go, Kyan," his voice wavered, and he suddenly held her tight, his arms wrapping around her completely. "That being said..." he said softly, eyes shutting tight. ”Please be safe. _Please."_  
_I know you're tough, but those rebels are no joke._  
"I..."  
_I'm gonna miss you._

Clutching at Hematite's shirt, Kyan buried her face into the service gem's chest.  
"I will... I promise."  
_Don't get hurt again... I hope I'll see you again, someday._

Biting his lip, the ivory-haired gem inhaled again, keeping himself steady.  
"Thank you."  
Slowly, Hematite knelt down, hesitantly easing his grip on Kyan's form. He lowered her to the ground, gently placing her in front of him. Looking to the ground, Kyan felt a heaviness weighing down her legs. She didn't want to move. _She didn't_ _ **want**_ _to go._ But she knew it was for the best. Carefully, she turned to Hematite, looking up as though she were going to say something.  
_But she couldn't find the words. Not the ones she needed._  
  
"… Bye, ya big doof," she said, shrugging a shoulder with a forced, halfhearted smile. Without another word, she turned on her heel and bolted out to the district beyond her. She wasn't sure where she'd go now that she was free, honestly. On one hand, it felt good to be free. But on the other...-  
_No._  
_It didn't matter. It was over now._ The warrior ran as fast as her legs would take her in a straight line to nowhere. _She didn't_ _ **care**_ _where she ended up, as long as she didn't run into any trouble._ She had her own adventures to go off on. She wouldn't have to worry about those gems. _And no one would have to worry about her anymore, either._

Hematite stayed knelt on one knee for a long moment, watching the blue gem run off into the district. Slowly, though, as her form disappeared over the horizon, he slumped onto _both_ knees, his hands laying limply in his lap.  
_So that's it, then._  
He didn't have to watch her anymore. No longer would she mess with his trinkets and shelves and rearrange things just enough to bug him. With her gone, he wouldn't have to listen to her complaining about how bored she was. He wouldn't have to listen to her and Red squabble or train loudly in his room. Or have her touch things in the archives when she wasn't supposed to.  
But...  
Everything else was gone as well.  
Her oddly charming, infectious energy. The way she looked at him in pure delight whenever she rode in his hand or on his shoulder. All the admittedly-amusing nicknames she gave gems she met. Her harmlessly curious nature. The way she was always willing to listen to him talk about his different missions. Her stories...  
Looking up at the stars, Hematite wiped his eyes, taking off his eyepiece.  
  
_Why did he feel this way?_  
  
_The Star Stealers were taken care of. Dioptase had been reigned in before she’d done any real harm. Three of his big jobs were done ahead of schedule. He'd gotten to see a new fusion. The one bit of damage he'd gotten wasn't too bad at all, considering he could have easily been shattered during the mission. Blue had the weight of those rebels off her shoulders... The Blue District was safe._  
  
_And Kyan was free._  
  
_**Everyone... was happy. Kyan was happy.**_  


_So why couldn't he feel happy for her_ _,_ _too?_


	79. Nerve Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red learns something new about gem shards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arc 5 summary: [Spoilers... duh!]  
> After a rather fiery fusion event at the Coliseum, Hema is sent on a mission to capture Kyanite, a scout gem with a lead on the mysterious group that's been threatening Blue Diamond. She's a bratty handful, but proves useful when she reveals a sinister plot by the Star Stealers to burn down the Blue District. Hema has to bodyguard Kyan as he and Blue collect intel. At the same time, White announces that there will be another Harvest Moon event, and that all the Hematites should prepare for it.  
> Many of the Hematites start forming new relationships, lose some friends, and try to train for the upcoming test.  
> Hema eventually is sent on a mission with Blue herself to take out the Star Stealers. Hema winds up taking a few regretful scouts with him- alive -and he and Blue fuse to take down the rest of the rebellion. After their fusion goes awol and gets taken out by White and Yellow's fusion, Hema, instead of forcing Kyan back into the Blue District, lets her go off on her own again. They part ways, each thinking the other is better off without them.

It was a rather cold day in the capital. The weather had been pleasantly warm for the past few days, but a brisk wind brought a cold-front from the south. It'd been four-or-so weeks since Hematite and Blue Diamond had returned from their successful mission taking down the Star Stealer leaders. Instead of going back immediately to his missions, White had given Hema a small break before assigning him to his promised two weeks of community service as punishment for letting Dioptase get out of control. It was the usual fare: cleaning up around the districts, helping gems move things around if they needed it, patrolling the borders of the districts, and other things of that nature.

But for the past few days, Hema found it a bit harder to work for two very bothersome reasons. One, Red still wasn't back from the recon mission she'd stepped in for almost a week ago. Two, a rather distracting problem had begun to plague him. He'd heard of something similar once from one of the other Hematites, but he’d thought maybe it was something only that gem ran into themselves. It was the gem named Tae who had mentioned it, if he wasn't mistaken. She had been talking rather loudly about it to some of the other Hematites the last time he’d visited the Kindergarten for a short community service job two days ago. But, after some research, he found some rather concerning documents on the issue.

He'd never had this problem before... but if it was what he _thought_ it was... Well. Red was going to have her first 'real' job as a Hematite's Pearl.

  


A chill breeze blew through the open window of Hematite’s living quarters, stirring the curtains. The sun was just starting to set, and evening was falling over the capital. Yawning, Hema lazily flipped through a diamond pad on the table in front of him. The diamond pad was an older model, with a small, strange insignia on the corner. It was the same mark on the private sections at White’s Archives. 

Hematite idly rubbed at his jaw, his brows furrowed tightly together. He grumbled quietly under his breath, licking at his back teeth. He flicked to the next page, eyes scanning over some sparse reports on the Hematites of the past. His eyes narrowed at a blurry holo-picture of one of the last batch of his kind. 

His attention was suddenly caught, however, by someone putting in a code on the other side of his door. The door hissed open with a mechanical beep from the security device. Stepping through the doorway was a familiar face. She saluted formally, holding her head high with a small frown.

"Pink Pearl reporting in, Hematite!" As soon as the door shut behind her, she dropped her professional demeanor and rushed over, standing in front of Hematite. "I'm glad to see you are alright, sir! How did your mission go?" she asked promptly, folding her arms behind her back.

The ivory-haired gem perked up and sat up straighter, pushing the diamond pad aside.

"Red! Stars, I'm glad to see you're alright, too."

"So sorry for taking so long. I got a little caught up in something, but it's been taken care of!"

Hema turned in his seat to face the Pearl and quickly looked her over for any scuffs. She seemed fine, but perhaps she'd already adjusted her projection to be spic and span. The gem on her neck was pristine as usual, and she seemed to be in good shape. Smiling, he stood up, folding one of his arms behind him as well.

"No need for apologies! I'm just happy you're back." Hema reached a hand over, gently ruffling the top of the Pearl's hair. "My mission went fine. It was a little rough, but we were successful."

  


Red held herself steady as Hematite ruffled her hair, but she felt her cheeks warm subtly at the unexpected gesture. Clearing her throat, she turned her head away for a moment.

"I'm glad to hear that, sir!” Her eyes turned to him once more, drifting down from his face. “Good to know that the Blue District will be safe once m-" she stopped abruptly, gasping as she looked at Hematite's gemstone. Hema flinched and retracted his hand, tilting his chin up in surprise. "Stars, Hema! What happened?!" she exclaimed, her expression falling. She held up her hands as if she were going to grab his shoulders, but quickly stopped herself and clutched her hands together. Hema glanced down towards his neck.

"O-oh, this? Yes, I'm alright!" He smiled awkwardly and cleared his throat, glancing away for a moment. "It's just a scar from the fight, nothing too major. It doesn't seem to have affected my gemstone too badly, aside from some soreness now and then. But I think my projection might just be recovering from the stress of that mission."

Red pursed her lips slightly and crossed her arms.

"Maybe a good polishing will clear that up. It might not make it disappear completely, but, well, it's something," she said, stifling a small sigh. Hema nodded.

“Yellow mentioned something similar. I'll be getting it polished in a few days, though I'm not sure how much it'll help.”

Red shrugged a tad.

"Is there anything I may assist you with now that I am back? I've finished all the work you gave me, and I'm ready to get back on duty once you see fit,” she stated, standing tall once more. Hematite nodded and folded both arms behind his back, tilting his chin up a tad. The service gem paused, pursing his lips.

"Actually, I do have something I need you to do here. Since returning from my mission, I've been having some... discomfort. Annnnd, well." Frowning slightly, the taller gem turned away, covering his mouth with one hand. "... Do you recall White teaching you about 'nerve checks?'" he asked awkwardly, not able to look the Pearl in the eyes. Red blinked and stared up at Hematite, her expression and posture stiffening subtly.

"… Anything _else_ I can help you with?" she asked dryly. There was a long pause before Hema finally tapped his upper lip, inhaling slowly through his nose. He glanced back at the Pink Pearl, expression unchanging.

"No."

Red shrugged a shoulder, tightly crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes. I do. Why?" she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly at Hema. Pulling his hand away from his face, Hematite stood straight again, though most of his professional demeanor had fallen at this point. He looked askance, trying to avoid eye contact with Red.

"Welll, I'm going to need you to perform one today. I'm afraid it's a bit more necessary than it has been up until now. The Pearl that usually did them for me was transferred to another station. She wasn’t really careful, though, so I’m not honestly too broken up about it,” he scoffed. He cleared his throat, looking away. “And, well, since it’s technically part of your… job, I guess?” He trailed off, his hand slowly rubbing at the back of his neck. 

“And, besides the discomfort, why, exactly, does this have to be done?”

“Well, according to some old records, the gem shards fuse to projections and can actually start to interfere with them. It becomes more of a problem as time goes on, and can even lead to crystalline projection growth where the shards are lodged. They never got much more information past that, but iiit doesn’t sound like it can lead to anything good.”

Red peered up at Hematite, popping her lips once. She raised her clasped hands up under her chin, slowly looking away.

"… Alright. What exactly is the process? Do we do it here?" she asked, forcing herself to straighten up a bit. Sighing once, Hema started for the door, motioning for Red to follow after him.

"We'll be going to an unused hangar in the Yellow District. That's where these are usually done. At first, they were done in a hangar in the White district, but it's in use half the time, and it's honestly a bit... small." Awkwardly, Hematite chuckled opened the front door. "I'll uh, explain it more when we get there."

Red watched Hematite walk away, reluctant to follow him. With a soft, steadying sigh, she trailed after him.

"As you wish."

–

–

Soon enough, the two gems warped to the Yellow District, on the outskirts of a large shipyard. There laid an unused hangar in the distance, a few minutes away by foot. Hematite stepped away from the large crystalline pad and made his way down a small flight of stairs. As soon as he reached the ground, he turned and smiled awkwardly.

"You up for being carried the rest of the way?"

Red held herself professionally, a small frown still plastered on her face. Raising a brow slightly, she looked to Hematite's hands.

"I don't mind, if it gets us there quicker."

Smiling softly, the service gem tilted his head down slightly, his gem starting to glow. Within a few moments, he shifted up to his half size and leaned over, offering his palm to the tiny Pearl. Taking a deep, silent breath, Red grabbed onto Hematite's finger and stepped up into his hand. Casually, she sat down, crossing one leg over the other. Standing up straight, the ivory-haired gem turned back toward the hangar, setting off for it at a steady pace.

"So... Long story short, you'll be checking for-" Hematite felt his breath catch in his throat. He closed his eyes and tilted his chin up, an uncomfortable frown on his face. "... Shards. Between my teeth. They can mess with my projection and I think there might be... a _few_. Causing discomfort and interference." He opened his eyes, keeping them locked forward. Red felt a chill go up her spine. She looked away, hunching her shoulders a little tighter.

"Right. I'll see what I can find," she said, crossing her arms.

Sighing quietly, Hema went silent, keeping his steps steady. Within a few minutes, he finally reached the huge ship hangar, stopping outside. This particular facility used to hold one of the hand-ships that were common in the Yellow District, but this one was outdated and no longer in service. It was monumental; over 500 feet tall, 300 wide, and about 1700 in length. The inside of the building had a huge 'track' where the ships would rest. Raised walkways crisscrossed the inside of the building, paired with the broad paths that ran along the sides of the lowered track 'ditch' in the middle.

Ducking inside, the giant gem walked over to a convenient, clear spot, and carefully lowered Red to the side path that ran along the length of the building. As soon as the Pearl was back on solid ground, Hematite sat down, crossing his legs. His face was now level with the smaller gem. After a short pause, he turned to her, biting his lip anxiously.

  


Tapping her foot on the pathway, Red turned to face the huge service gem and inhaled slowly. She'd seen him face-to-face like this before, but she found herself unable to look him directly in the eyes this time. She instead focused on part of his cheek, biting her lip. Standing up straight, the Pearl stepped closer.

"Okay, sir... Open up."

Giving a soft, reluctant groan, Hema turned fully and lowered his face to the edge of the path. After a moment, he gripped the side of the ledge. Four deep scores laid in the stone ledge where his fingers rested, along with multiple smaller, more shallow scuffs. He averted his eyes from the tiny gem and sighed, slowly opening his mouth. Red steadied herself, looking nervously into the larger gem's mouth. She regarded his sharp teeth with an intent gaze, a flicker of uncertainty flashing in her wide eyes. Taking a step forward, she leaned in slightly, peering around.

"Um... I'm going to have to... step in to take a closer look at the ones in the back..." she said with a hint of reluctance in her voice. Hema gave her a quiet hum in reply and stayed still for her, trying not to twitch. He hoped she knew what she was doing.

  


Without a word, Red propped herself up in the Hematite's mouth, pressing her knee down on his tongue. With a lopsided frown, she climbed inside fully, her knees folded under her. She grimaced at the strange, soft surface below her as she completely hoisted herself into the giant gem's mouth. With sharp teeth the size of her forearm bordering her on almost all sides, and a steep 'drop' just a few paces ahead of her, Red found it harder to quell the rising, unpleasant tightness in her chest. She swallowed quietly, turning around to check Hematite's front teeth. She looked them over with a careful eye, looking for any glitching or discoloration. _Ya know, Red, most Pink Pearls are trained for fighting and guarding, and even training other Pearls. Not... dental service._ Pursing her lips, the Pearl shook her head, trying to silence the snide voice in her head.

Not finding anything out of the ordinary in his front teeth, she turned around, maneuvering herself to the center of his tongue. It was odd that, now that she couldn't see his face, this 'place' felt strangely detached from the gem she was so familiar with. She couldn't grasp that she was checking Hema's teeth. It felt more like the dangerous rows of gem-crushing molars belonged to anyone _but_ Hema. It was an odd, unnerving sensation. Especially when his back molars didn't look like a normal gem's... some of them were two-pronged, and resembled a beast's teeth, more than a humanoid gem's.

"Alright, just keep still. And don't talk yet," she called out, pressing her hand against his tongue and moving back another few inches. She almost wished he could talk, just to reassure her nervous mind that she was indeed helping Hematite out, and wasn't in danger from some nebulous, detached mouth.

The service gem scrunched up his nose, making an almost _inaudible_ noise of protest at the tiny gem. It was hard to hear, though, and sounded more like a sound of confirmation. The gem's weight on the center of his tongue felt odd, and he couldn't help but wonder why this sort of thing was so different from harvesting. This was the second time now he'd had a gem 'willingly' in his mouth to any degree, and both times had been equally as... distressing? Unnerving? Why was this so much more nerve-wracking to him? He'd had plenty of gems in his mouth before while on the job. Hundreds, even, over the years. So why was _this_ so different? Why did this make him want to curl up into a ball and deal with the pain in his jaw until it became unbearable?

Right next to Red's hand, near the first few of Hematite's molars, was a small, lightly 'flickering' spot in the gem's projection. Every few seconds, it'd glitch out, making that spot between his teeth look off _._ The strange, glitching formation caught Red's attention, and she grimaced. _Oh dear._ Keeping her balance steady, she crawled over to the side of Hematite's mouth, reluctantly looking up at his upper set of teeth. Placing a palm on his tooth, she looked down between his teeth and gasped quietly. There, wedged between them, was a small, sharp piece of a gemstone. Small spines stuck out from the shard, digging into the smooth surface of his molars. Anywhere it made contact with him, his teeth glitched subtly. She swallowed uncomfortably, a queasy feeling bubbling in her gut. 

"You've definitely got, uh. Something in here. Hold still while I get it out, please."

Hematite grimaced. Taking a slow, deep breath, he braced himself, closing his eyes. The Pearl leaned closer. The blood-red shard was wedged at a rather awkward angle, digging into both sides of the adjacent teeth it was between. The area closest to the crystalline piece was glitching out the worst, at an almost-constant rate. Red felt a heavy chill go up her spine. Reaching forward, she held her upper body back awkwardly, keeping it out of range of Hema's teeth, should he flinch and bite down. Admittedly, just _touching_ the shard was enough to send a painful twinge through the giant gem's jaw, and he inhaled quietly, squinting open one of his eyes. But then, she pulled on it. Hematite inhaled sharply through his nose, his jaw tensing. He felt Red retract her hand back quickly, a startled, high-pitched noise escaping her. Hema’s brows furrowed sharply, a distressed look on his face as he glanced down.  
“‘Orry,” he managed, guiltily looking away. The Pearl grimaced at the surface beneath her moving subtly, but she kept her composure. Red sighed and adjusted herself, not responding. Hematite looked around, his eyes thoughtful and full of worry.

_Stars, no, this one was worse than the last time he had this done. And, he'd flinched badly back then..._

Hema gave a soft noise of hesitation before moving his free hand closer to his mouth. He wedged his knuckle between his teeth, settling his jaw more securely. And, more comfortably. 

Red flinched slightly as Hema’s teeth closed in on her. But, she relaxed as they stopped, and she spotted his knuckle between his teeth. She raised a brow, but blinked in surprise as a soft noise of realization. She went back to focusing on the shard, taking a moment to get a better grip on it. Hema flinched as Red tugged and tried to dislodge the shard, but his finger he bit down on kept his jaws steady. After a few seconds of careful pulling, and a small twist, the piece finally came loose. The two affected teeth glitched harshly for a moment before quickly reverting to normal. Blinking, the Pearl looked over to the shard and sighed with relief. The spines on it were gone, leaving her to stare at it in confusion. She glanced between his teeth, looking for any small pieces she’d left behind or broken off… but nothing was there. With a soft ‘hm,’ she sat up and bubbled the gem shard, sending it away with a light tap.

"Okay, that one is out, but I need to keep checking to see if there are any more. Sorry if this is painful..."

Hema gave a soft 'hm' in response and stayed still, trying to relax again. Turning her head, Red frowned heavily and rolled her eyes with an almost silent groan. _Of_ _ **course**_ _it would be back_ _ **there.**_ At the far back of the harvester's mouth, was a rather large glitching spot, twice as severe as the previous one. Carefully, she started to crawl for the back of Hematite's mouth, but stayed relatively close to the side. She couldn't keep herself from peering over to the back of Hematite's tongue, shuddering uncomfortably. Grumbling something, Red crawled over to the glitching projection, peering between his teeth like she'd done before. Instead of there being a small, sharp piece like before, this shard looked far more troublesome. It was a rather sizable piece of Amber, and was covered in jagged edges. On top of that, bits of it almost seemed fused with Hema's projection, making it glitch and flicker erratically. Red's eyes widened, a deep frown on her lips. _Stars, how was she supposed to get_ _ **this**_ _one out?!_ Grimacing slightly, she looked over to the entrance of Hematite's mouth and sighed.

"Um... Good news, this looks like the last one. Bad news is it might take a bit more... effort. To get out. So just keep steady, okay?" she called, looking back to the large orange shard. She paused, pursing her lips with a rather unamused grimace. "And for star's sake, try not to swallow,” she grumbled. Hematite felt a dark wash of purple tint his cheeks at Red's rather blunt comment. He glanced down, resisting the reflexive urge to clear his throat in discomfort.

Red glared down at the shard, noticing that these two teeth had much more room between them than the others she'd worked on- a good thing, she supposed. What wasn’t good, though, were the multiple spikes jutting out from the Amber piece. Red grimaced in confusion, peering closely at the shard. _Strange, Amber gems didn’t break into jagged, star-like shapes. Where did all these spines come from?_ Shifting herself over, she reached down, easily slipping her whole hand down to grab onto the large shard. The moment the Pearl touched the large shard, a hot wave of deep-seated pain spread through Hema's jaw. Hema grimaced, closing his eyes tightly. Unlike the other shard, this one didn't budge upon being grabbed. It was jammed in tight. And, to make matters worse, it started glitching more severely at the Red’s contact, sending a wave of pain through Hematite's head.

  


Grunting, Red let go carefully and observed the gem shard for a moment. She felt Hema relax subtly, and put a finger to her chin. _Alright, so a quick twist isn't going to dislodge this one._ Humming uncertainly, Red leaned forward, seating herself on the side of Hema's tongue. Reaching down, she wrapped both hands around the chunk of Amber, and gradually began to pull. She started off slowly, but after a few moments, she increased the strength with which she pulled. Soon enough, the effort elicited a pained whimper from the giant gem, and his jaws tensed, biting down on his finger. Occasionally, Red glanced up at Hematite's teeth, but looked immediately back down at the shard. Placing her feet to Hematite's gums, she started to use her weight to her advantage, her back pushing against the side of Hematite's tongue. She was practically straining to pull the shard out.

The sharp, searing pain worsened as the Pink Pearl pulled on the large piece of gem, almost to the point where Hema had to tell her to stop. But a moment before it became unbearable, it popped loose with a sickening 'FZCKT' sound, unfusing from his projection, and sending Red backwards from the sheer force she'd been pulling with.

"WOAH-!"

Red found herself suddenly on her back, clutching the shard close to her chest. She blinked up at the roof of Hema's mouth, sweating bullets. Her head wasn't resting on anything, and her entire sense of balance suddenly felt like it was on a hair-pin.

"Okay... Don't move," she said slowly, lifting her hand to carefully bubble the shard away. She made the slightly reluctant move to turn her head, looking to her side. _She immediately regretted it._ Just below her head laid the 'drop' at the back of Hema's mouth. But, without warning, gravity shifted forward, and Red found herself slipping away from the dark drop. With an ungraceful drop, she landed on Hema's palm. A sharp shiver ran up her form as the cold outside air met her; she didn't realize just how much warmer it'd been in Hema's mouth. She looked at her arms and grimaced, wiping them off.

"Egh..." She grumbled to herself, shaking her hands to her sides. "Hoo… okay, I think that was all of them. How does your mouth feel?" she asked, daring to look up awkwardly at the giant gem.

  


Hema promptly sat up, looking away. He ran his tongue over his back teeth, trying to check them over for any of the soreness they previously held. It was still there, but it was fading fast. The mild headache and jaw pain that'd been plaguing him the past few days had backed off, much to his relief. After a moment, Hema looked down at the tiny gem in his hand and smiled awkwardly.

"It feels much better." Lifting his free hand, Hematite gently wiped the Pearl off with his half-gloved palm, trying to help her get the worst of the dampness off of her form. "Thanks, Red. Sorry about that," he said with an embarrassed chuckle. Without too much protest, the Pearl sat still, letting Hema dry her off.

"Hm, it's just a part of my job. Don't mention it," she said simply, pursing her lips. She gazed up at Hema with an odd, sarcastic look. "Really, _don't_ mention it."

For a moment, Hema's expression fell _,_ and he glanced away awkwardly.

"Right, of course. I'll try to make sure you don't have to do that again, or... at least, very often." Sighing softly, the giant gem lifted the Pearl up a bit, continuing to dry her off. "A-anyways. I have a patrol to go on tonight. Would you care to join me? It's around the Blue District."

Red glanced away for a moment, tapping her lip.

"That sounds nice,” she said, looking up to him with a small, forced smile.

Glancing back to the Pearl in his hands, Hema managed a small smile in response to hers. 

"Right! Well, might as well head out now, huh? You and I haven’t gotten any time to have a mission all to ourselves." he asked with some of his usual brightness to his tone. Standing straight, the service gem made his careful way out of the hangar, heading back toward the warp pad. "By the way! What happened on your mission? I didn't expect it to take so long..."

"Hm? Oh, yes, about the mission! Well, I went to go take care of the recon and all, but I got a little caught up with a few gem monsters along the way. Nothing too major though." Frowning, Red glanced away. "There's an awful lot of them outside of the capital. Far more than what was in the original report" She sat back in his hand, crossing one leg over the other. Hema's eyes widened, and he looked down at the Pearl, brows furrowed in concern.

"Oh, dear. Were they mothers?" he asked, biting his lip for a moment. Pursing her lips, Red brought a hand up to her chin and thought quietly.

"Mm, yes... they were near the old ruins you were to check over. Something about doing a check-up on it. But... that's not the only thing I found. I'm pretty sure I wasn't alone, there." She paused, looking back up at Hematite. "There was a gem with white hair....but, they didn't stick around long enough for me to decipher who they were or what they were doing there."

  


Frowning slightly in confusion, Hema looked away, deep in thought. A gem with white hair? He could have sworn White mentioned something similar after they'd returned from that mission months ago... Was it the same gem? _Were they the one behind the trouble around there?_

... No, surely not. Perhaps they were trying to scout things out, and kept getting interrupted. There was no telling, and Hema didn't like to jump to conclusions.

"Right, well. Maybe I'll go check that place out myself and see if I can track them down. I'm curious why they're near there; that's actually the second time they've been spotted, if it's the same gem White saw while we were there. I'm glad you mentioned that, Red." Looking down at the Pearl, he smiled thankfully. However, he quickly turned his attention back up to the nearby warp pad and lowered his hand near it.

Nodding formally, the Pearl hopped off the Hematite's hand onto the warp pad, turning to face him.

"Right! Well, if you find anything and you are able to share it, do let me know what you find." she said, folding her arms behind her back.

"Hm, will do," he said with a nod, putting his hand down near the warp pad. Within a moment, he shrank down to fifteen-or-so feet tall and stepped onto the large blue surface. In an instant, the two warped away, finding themselves at the front of the Blue District. Twilight had fallen over the city, and, one by one, bright, twinkling stars glimmered into view, dotting the darkening sky. Hematite looked up with a warm smile and sighed contentedly through his nose.

"I love this time of night around here," he said quietly, stepping down from the warp pad.

  


The Pink Pearl followed after Hematite, gazing up to the sky.

"Same, actually. It's quite lovely... the Blue District has such beautiful evenings,” she said softly, turning her attention up to Hematite. Hema was gazing up at the stars with a bright, awestruck smile. He almost looked like he was searching for something, but stopped when he noticed Red looking at him. Raising his brows, the service gem looked over his shoulder, shooting the Pearl a winsome smile.

"It really does. It's my favorite place to hang out at night, ever since Blue showed it to me back in the day.”

Red walked over beside Hematite, peering up at him. She didn't say anything, but looked back to the sky. Dusk was bathing the city and its inhabitants with cooling hues of purple and blue. Despite the crisp, chill wind that blew her hair back behind her shoulders, Red couldn't help but feel warm _._

The larger gem looked down at the Pearl for a good moment before looking up at the sky again. Smiling, he took a step back, kneeling down to carefully scoop the pink gem up in his palms. At this size, he had to use both hands to hold her properly.

"Alright, let's head out, shall we?~"

Shifting in his hands slightly, the Pink Pearl placed her palms on his hands and looked up at him with a determined nod.

"As you wish, sir!"

  


Grinning brightly, Hematite turned his attention back up to the street. He furrowed his brows, still smiling. Slowly, his gemstone began to glimmer, and he slowly shifted up, still holding the Pearl carefully in his hands. He stopped around his half size, his form returning to its normal colors. He looked down at the gem and shifted his hands close to his shoulder.

"One shoulder for a 'miss Red'~" he said charmingly.

  


Red smiled, hopping up to Hematite's shoulder and grabbing onto his sleeve. She carefully righted her balance and looked to her side. There, Hematite's gemstone glimmered in the glow of twilight. She felt a small bit of concern rise in her chest upon seeing the scratch up-close; but she quickly brushed it off and sat down, taking in the wonderful view of the district around her.

  


As soon as the small gem was settled, Hematite folded his arms behind him, straightened up professionally, and started off down the side of the district wall, where there weren't too many buildings. He was set to patrol a rather large sector of the city through the entire night and morning; taking care of any crime he witnessed, cleaning up any messes he saw, and harvesting any danger-class gem monsters.

They were in for a long night.

–

–

The first few hours went by without incident. There were no fights, no crimes in progress, minimal messes. Red hung about on Hematite's shoulder, mostly keeping an eye out behind him to watch his back. The night was so quiet, they both were starting to wonder if anything would need their attention.

It wasn't until Hema stepped foot into a monumental power facility that provided energy to a large section of the Blue District, and part of the Yellow District, that he suddenly ran into a rather irritating sight. To anyone without clearance, like himself, all power facilities were strictly off-limits. Nobody was to enter them without permission, as the machinery was delicate, and a power outage could cause massive distress through the districts. And yet, there, in the shadows down below, Hema spotted a dart of movement as a humanoid shape hid behind a nearby facility building. The service gem stiffened slightly, double-taking where he'd seen the flicker of movement.

"... Red. I need you to do something. There's someone here, and this is a restricted zone." He frowned down at her, holding his hand up. "I'm gonna need you to help me track them down."

  


Red suddenly stood up, furrowing her brows. Looking down at Hematite's hand, she jumped on and turned to him.

"What do you need?"

Crouching down, Hematite lowered himself into the shadows, looking around with narrowed eyes.

…

…

…

Frowning, Hematite crouched down low, onto all fours. He slowly crept forward, keeping to the deeper shadows of the facility as his visor dimmed.

  


Red kept as quiet as she could, drawing a sai from her gemstone. Holding the weapon close to her chest, she crept down the alleyway and kept her eyes open. Whoever it was, they were either gone, or very quiet. She stopped abruptly at a corner, taking a deep breath. She heard something shift just around the bend. Clutching her sai close, she turned the corner sharply. In a flash, a small, lean shadowed figure darted around the corner, away from the Pink Pearl. Their footsteps echoed down a high-walled alley, toward the middle of the facility. Gasping silently, Red followed suit after the figure, her brows furrowed. She did her best to keep on their heels, following after the sound of their footsteps.

  


The figure continued to dart through the large buildings and odd metallic structures, starting to get ahead of the Pearl as they went on. Whoever they were, they were fast _._

Somewhere else in the facility, something large and metal creaked lowly, echoing through the empty space around the buildings. It sounded nearby, ahead of Red and the gem she was pursuing.

  


Red looked up ahead, frowning. _What was that?_ No, she had to focus. Crouching a little lower, Red picked up her speed and zoomed under and over obstacles, making sure not to get stopped by anything in her way.

  


Hearing the still-approaching footsteps, the retreating gem picked up the pace, making their away from their pursuer as quickly as they could. They darted to and fro, trying to make heads or tails of where they were, and where the exit to the facility was.

Rounding a corner, they ran down a long alley, but upon looking up, gasped in surprise, skidding to a halt. _Dead end._ A dark, high wall blocked off their path out of the alley, which was completely blanketed in shadow. The mysterious gem turned around sharply at the sound of Red's approaching footsteps, and they backed up slowly toward the wall, hissing quietly through their teeth.

  


Red scrambled around the corner and paced a few more rapid steps towards the unknown gem, slowing down as she got close. Holding out her sai, she pointed it towards them, her eyes locked on their form.

"There's nowhere to run."

Slowly, the shadowy figure backed up, their back to the wall. They narrowed their eyes upon seeing their pursuer's gemstone, and her general build.

"Buzz off, you stupid Pearl. Why don't you go run off to your master, huh?" they said with a venomous sneer in their tone. The Pink Pearl glowered at the snide gem, taking a few steps closer. She glanced up, eyes widening as she stopped in her tracks.

Raising a brow, she looked up, then back down, a small grin appearing on her face.

"I don't _need_ to."

"What."

  


_**Whirrrrrrrr** _

_**Click** _

  


Stiffening up, the shadowy gem let out a quiet 'eep', sharply turning around as a bright white light illuminated their figure. 

_That was not a wall._

Slowly, the massive gem that'd been blocking off the alleyway sat up, his visor glowing brightly. After a moment, he scoffed, almost looking _offended_ as he spotted the gem on the intruder's right palm. It was a small, dusty brown gem with a poofy ponytail.

"Really, Axinite? _Again?"_

  


Red glanced up from Hematite's visor down to the small, brown gem and pursed her lips. Curiously, she placed one of her hands on her hips.Grimacing, Axi backed up toward the Pearl, but then turned around again and glared at her before turning in a way that he could look sidelong at both of them.Hissing between his teeth, the tiny gem clenched and unclenched his fists.

"L-look, look look! Before you go harvestin' me, hear me out!"

"Axiniiiite." Hematite's tone made it clear he wasn't in the mood for any of the small gem's nonsense, and he slowly reached a hand over, clawed fingers extended. Axinite tensed up, quickly backing away.

"No I'm serious you giant clod, don't touch me! I was chasing a gem monster out of here, I was doing Blue Diamond a _favor!_ She can't have some beast running through here and causing damage!"

Red kept looking between the Axinite and Hematite, frowning seriously.

"If that's the case then where is it?" she asked, holding her chin up a little higher.

Axi squinted back at the Pink Pearl, sneering at her.

"Uhh excuse you, I wasn't _talking_ to you, stupi-"

"I would watch your _**mouth**_ before you end up in one, Axinite. You're about _two seconds_ away from a trip to my pocket dimension," Hema said icily, baring his teeth. A shudder ran down the smaller gem's back, and he sharply turned to stare at the looming harvester. "Answer the question. Where is this so-called monster."

"... Uh. Well. I uh. Lost track of it. When YOU clods showed up! It lives in here, and now it's probably back in its hole!" he said loudly, pointing an accusatory finger up at the giant gem. Red rolled her eyes.

“Alright, then how did you know it was in here in the first place if it lives in here.”

“... Uhhh.”

Red scoffed and kept her weapon held up, pointing it at Axinite.

"You are in a restricted area. Gem monsters come and go as they please, and can be found and taken care of by officials. _You_ are not an official,” she said, undeterred by Axinite's temper. Frowning, the Axinite glared back at the Pearl, clenching his fists. He looked offended.

"Alright you little-AH!" Squeaking in surprise, the tiny gem flailed around, suddenly dangling from Hematite's fingers. He threw blind punches, growling in frustration. "I came in here because it was a bigger monster! It was heading for the city and I didn't want it getting out there and causing trouble!”

Hematite scoffed at the thrashing gem and arched a brow.

"Forgive me for not being inclined to believe you, Axinite. But my radar doesn't show a gem monster anywhere near here. It's just you, me, and Red."

Scoffing, the dusty gem curled up his lip, sneering. _Red? What kind of gem was that? She was just a Pink Pearl._

"Yeah, well. I ain't lyin'. There's a gem monster in here. It's a Mellite."

"Uhuh. Come on, Red. Let's get this trouble maker back in his _correct_ district." Snorting softly, the giant gem reached his free hand over, opening his palm for the Pearl. "Thank you for helping me round him up.~"

Red held up her chin and stepped up into Hematite's hand with a 'hmph'. She glanced to the thrashing, scrappy gem and then back to Hema, raising a brow.

"Not a problem, sir."

Lifting the pink gem up, he let her onto his shoulder before turning back to Axi, scoffing.

"Come on, you little dirt ball. If I have to catch you in a restricted area again, it won't end well for you. Understood? I don't want to have to teach you another harvester lesson."

Growling through his teeth, the dusty gem continued throwing punches, kicking his feet in frustration. Hematite rolled his eyes, poofed his visor away, and walked out of the facility, heading back to the front of the Blue District. Seemed they were in for a long, annoying walk back to the White District.


	80. To the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morganite visits the Hematite Kindergarten.

"Hmhmhmmmmm~ Hmmm hm hmmm." __   
Moving down the street, a tall figure sauntered through the lively main square of the Blue District city that he called home. It was teeming with life, as usual, filled with the chatting of thousands of gems. Humming a soft, melodious tune, the lithe, pink gem tossed something in his hands. Ah, finally, an evening off. He'd been waiting for this one. The last few weeks or so, he'd taken all of his mornings and days off of work to catch up with some old friends. But now, it was his final day off for the week, the last evening he could do as he pleased before he went back to the usual grind.   
Morganite shuffled his communicator around in his hands, staring up at the late afternoon sky. It was particularly clear today; a few distant, early-evening stars glittered distantly in the sky. The warm hues of approaching sunset cast the city block in a pleasant glow as evening steadily approached. His brows furrowed slightly as he checked the time on his communicator.

“Hm, right… sun’s setting sooner this time of year,” he muttered. With a soft huff, he twisted the device and brought up a small screen. "Contact Hematite."   


At first, no answer came from the other end. The communicator rang for a few moments, then a few more, until, about thirty seconds later, it finally flickered to life. A rather perturbed Hema appeared on the holographic screen.   
"This is Hematite- hey, watch it! This is Hematite speaking. Morganite, is that you?" he asked promptly, cursing under his breath as something small and furry flew over his head, making him duck.   


Raising a brow, Morgan couldn't help but grin.   
"Having a little trouble there, friend?" he said with no lack of his usual charm. Hema opened his mouth to answer, but a fierce battle cry cut him off, a voice unfamiliar to Morgan ringing out in the distance over the cacophony of screeching gem creatures.   
_ "Watch the tailcoat, you bushy-tailed pests!" _   
Wincing, Hematite ducked again as another blur of light tan something or other shot by his head.   
"Yes, actually. A lot of little troubles. Mica. I hate these things." As if on cue, one of the small, rodent-like creatures suddenly smacked right into the service gem's face, eliciting a sharp, angry yelp from him. He yanked the chattering creature off of his face, grimacing as it reached and clawed at him angrily. "Did you need something?"   


Morgan shook his head, forcing himself not to chuckle.    
"If I wasn't in a hurry, I'd come help you. I needed to ask you a question, Hematite. You know Mago? Would you happen to know where she lives?" he asked, occasionally looking past the screen to make sure he didn't run into anyone.   


Hematite chucked the angry gem critter over his shoulder, scoffing. He muttered under his breath,  _ "Yeah, Mago. Maybe she can come here and eat these guys." _ Shaking his head, he turned to the communicator and tried to step away from the madness, frowning. "Uh, right. Okay. She lives in the Hematite Kindergarten. Facet 11, outside the capital city. I don't know where she lives  _ in _ there, though; the Kindergarten itself is miles across...” He paused. “Why do you need to know?"   


Morgan frowned, gazing into the distance.  _ Outside the city? Not much time, then _ . Looking back to the screen, Morgan grinned widely and bowed his head.    
"Thank you, Hematite. Just curious as to where she might be,” he said simply.   


"Whyyy do you need to know where she is? You're not planning on going there, are you? It's not exactly-"   
_ "SiiiiIIRRRR-" _   
Turning his head sharply, Hematite yelped at the sight of Red being swept off her feet,  _ quite literally, _ by a swarm of rather agitated Mica. She whacked a few of them with her sai, but was unable to deter them as they swarmed her, carrying her off. Inhaling sharply through his teeth, the ivory-haired gem glanced back at his eyepiece-screen.   
"Look, just. Be careful, alright? Use the primary Blue District warp to get to the Sky Port, then the Kindergarten, if they let you through, that is. Again, that's facet 11. It'll take you right to the heart of the Kindergarten. I have to go."   
_ Click! _   


Smirking, Morgan clutched the communicator in his hand, tossing it up in the air skillfully and swiping his hand under it as it fell. With a bright flash, the communicator was stored back in his gem. Gradually, he picked up speed and headed for the primary warp pad at the foot of the Blue Diamond tower.   
–

–   
With a bright flash, the warp pad activated and dropped the lithe, pink gem off onto its smooth, crystalline surface. Standing poised, Morganite opened his eyes and peered around quietly.  _ So this is the Hematites’ Kindergarten? _ Looking up to the sky, he stepped off the warp pad and started to hum quietly to himself. His gaze drifted up to the sky, eyeing it curiously. Stationed nearby were a few Peridots, hard at work either filing reports or checking up on injector drills. As Morgan walked by, one of the Peridots stopped him and held up her fingers.    
"Woah woah, hey, what are you doing here?" she asked, narrowing her eyes up at the unwelcome warrior. Morgan offered her a wide grin and stood as professionally as he could.   
"I'm here to visit a friend," he said, staring down at the agitated gem. Pursing her lips, the Peridot stared incredulously at Morganite. She didn't look convinced, but conceded with a muttered, "If you're lookin' for one of the Peridots, good luck. There're a bunch of them."   
"Oh, I'm not looking for a Peridot. My apologies, I should have been more specific. My friend is a Hematite."   
Looking up from her screen with a bewildered expression, the Peridot scrunched her nose in a suspicious sneer.   
"Eh? No, really, who are you here for?"   
Morgan blinked, his expression unchanging. The Peridot looked away, then back at him awkwardly.   
"… I mean, if you have a death wish or something, go on ahead. Just be sure you're out before nighttime. The Hematites get weird during those hours. We aren't to be held accountable for any-"   
"Thank you!"    
Without wasting any more time, Morgan quickly hightailed it past the Peridot and made his way towards one of the Kindergarten paths. The Peridot gasped and whirled around, but was too late to stop him.    
"GYAH! Be careful, you clod!"    
  
Without a clear direction of where he should go in the massive maze of dead ends and looping paths, Morgan found himself wandering through one of the 'territories' of one of the Kindergarten's more... rambunctious Hematites. From over the edge of a tall cliffside, a light-pink-haired service gem, currently at her half size, narrowed her eyes at the odd newcomer. Grinning, she drummed her fingers on the edge of the rock face she clutched onto.   
She sat up a bit further, a devious smirk on her face. Slowly, she scooted back from her perch, rocking from side to side before suddenly leaping down directly behind the pink-haired warrior and planting her hands down in front of herself. She leaned down, her massive face cutting off Morganite's path.

"Heya!"   


Darting back a few steps, Morgan was quick to cover up his gem with his hand, smiling uncomfortably at the huge gem crouched over him.   
"OH, woah, hi," he said, clearing his throat. He was quick to recover, and stood up straight, regaining as much of his friendly, calm demeanor as he could. "Excuse me, I don't have much time to chat," he said, raising a brow curiously. 

Grinning with a snicker, Tiny narrowed her eyes, suddenly propping herself up on her arms and flopping onto her back, cutting off the Morganite's path. She still stared at him, despite now being flat on her back.   
"Awww, why not?”   


Morgan sighed through his nose, but kept smiling.   
"I'm here to visit a friend. Am I intruding?" he asked, crossing his arms. "I don't know where I'm headed, exactly. Perhaps you could help me?"   


The giant gem suddenly rolled over, propping her face up in her hands. She smirked and stuck her tongue out for a moment, humming a soft note.   
"Mmmm, I miiight be able to. Heheheh.~" Swaying her feet back behind her, the short-haired gem gazed curiously at the warrior. Her visor chirped to life. "Who ya visiting?"   


Morgan glanced up at the Hematite's visor.   
"Oh, you might know her as Mago? Tall, long black hair?" he said casually. "Would you happen to know where I might find her? Ah, assuming that description doesn’t match more than one Hematite."   


Tiny blinked a few times before tapping her feet together behind her.   
"... No really, who are ya here to visit."   


Morgan didn't change his expression.   
"Mago."   


"... Aaaaalright if you say so. But don’t blame me if you get harvested." Shrugging, the service gem pursed her lips, adjusting her visor. "Weeeell she's up in the northwest section, usually. She hangs out near my other territory. It's a preeetty long walk from here," she said in an almost teasing, sing-songy tone.   


Pursing his lips, Morgan narrowed his eyes up at the gem, but slowly smiled again.    
"Perhaps you could take me there?"   


Tiny looked up to the left, tapping her chin for a long moment. Slowly, she smirked, turning her attention back down to the tiny, pink gem.   
"Mmmm. Maaayyybe."   


The two stared at each other for a long moment. Morgan’s smile eventually twitched, and he shrugged, starting to walk off.   
"Alllright, I'll be on my way, then," he said, strolling past the Hematite. "Nice talking with you!"   


Watching the warrior gem, Tiny narrowed her eyes, still smiling. She stayed still as he made his way around her, but then as he started down the next corridor, she propped her cheek up in her hand with a cheeky grin.   
"Wrong wayyyy. That's a dead end over there."   


Morgan stopped, rolling his eyes. Turning around, he started off in the opposite direction, passing by Tiny's face again.   
"Thank you," he said, holding up his left hand to wave goodbye to the larger gem.

  
  


Brows raising, Tiny gasped quietly, her visor quickly locking onto Morgan's gemstone. Slowly, the service gem stood up, trailing after the warrior as he headed back in the direction he'd come from. She kept about thirty or so feet away behind him. As Morganite walked ahead, he looked to his side. He could hear her footsteps, but didn't turn to acknowledge her. Instead, he picked up the song he’d been humming before. Eventually, Tiny lowered herself to pace after the gem on all fours. She peered at him curiously, occasionally tilting her head from side to side. The two walked in silence for a few minutes, but as soon as the warrior started humming, Tiny perked up.   
"Oooh, so you do that too!"   


Morgan raised a brow, looking sidelong at the walls as he walked.   
"’Too’? Do other Hematites like to sing?" he asked curiously, continuing to hum as he walked. Tiny smiled brightly and nodded, pacing forward a tad closer.   
"Uh-huh! Ti sings all the tiiime. Her voice is really pretty. And then I've heard Meta humming to herself sometimes, but it's really quiet." She looked up to the side, pursing her lips. "I don’t think she knows I can hear her."   


Morgan stopped humming, nearly seizing up at the mention of the first name.  _ Ti. _ His smile faded. With a slow inhale through his nose, he ran a hand up through his bangs and forced his shoulders to relax. He kept up his pace, forcing a smile to his face.   
"Ah. I see.” He paused, glancing back. “Do you like music?" he asked. At Morgan's question, Tiny inhaled slowly, the sound coming out as a drawn-out gasp of surprise.   
"Whaaaa- yessss!" she replied excitedly, crouching down lower to the ground. She peered expectantly at the warrior gem, eyes wide.   


Morgan stifled a small chuckle, slowly looking back to the path ahead. He closed his eyes, a pleasant tune rising from his throat.   
"Hmmmm hm hmmmm, hmmmm hm hmmmmhm hmmm…~"   
Morgan went on with his song for a good few minutes, occasionally opening his eyes to make a small turn here and there. Tiny smiled and listened quietly to the warrior's song, pacing behind him at a steady speed so she wouldn't overtake him. But, going at such a slow pace seemed to be taking its toll. The longer Tiny followed behind Morgan, the more she started to shuffle about, pacing in place before continuing to follow the warrior. At such a massive size, there was little room for her to fidget. With a tiny frown, the giant gem pouted and looked around.

A bright flash of light lit up the Kindergarten walls, casting a long shadow at Morgan’s feet. Morgan blinked, having noticed the brief change of lighting, and stopped for a moment. He turned his head to look behind him. Instead of towering above him, Morgan's pursuer now approached him, rather quickly, at a much more... manageable size. Now barely bigger than a Ruby, Tiny scurried over to the warrior gem, skidding to a halt about ten feet to his side.   
"Well don't stop now!" she jeered, quickly moving to scurry up a large rock, perching on top. She circled around at its top, hopping around on the flat surface.   


Morgan's eyes widened slightly at the Hematite’s sudden change in size… and energy. Smiling ear to ear, he looked back ahead, continuing his song.    
"Hmmm hm hmmmm~” Raising a brow, Morgan paused in his humming. “Saaaay, do you know this one?" he asked, glancing up at Tiny. The service gem, who now seemed to be in a constant state of movement, shook her head, rocking side to side on top of a small ledge.   
"Nuh-uh! What song is it?" she asked curiously, hopping down off the ledge as Morgan continued down the corridor. She scurried around him on all fours, occasionally stopping to peer curiously at him before she'd return to scampering in broad circles around him. Morgan smirked, glancing down at the tiny gem and watching her scurry about.    
"It's an old song, 'To the Stars.' Plays on the Melody Broadcasters sometimes," he stated, folding his arms behind his back as he walked. "It's not particularly a favorite of mine; it's just got a nice tune that gets stuck in my head sometimes."   


"Oooh. We don't have those around here, so..." Suddenly darting up behind the warrior, Tiny hopped up, curiously latching onto his tailcoat. "I haven't heard many real songs," she said distractedly, running her thumb over the soft fabric of the strange gem's suit as she stared at it intently. Morgan stopped abruptly, narrowing his eyes. Slowly, he turned his head and looked over his shoulder, grinning eerily at the small gem.   
"I would let go of that."   


Tiny gazed up at the tall warrior gem, blinking once. Slowly, she let go of the cloth, quickly scampering away to hop onto a large rock. She peered over it at him, brows furrowed nervously.

“Sorry.”

  
  


Watching the smaller gem skitter away, he pursed his lips. Curiously, looking back to his gem, Morganite waved his hand over it. With a small, quick flash, he now held something in his hand.    
"Here, perhaps you'd like this," he said, tossing something at the other gem. From the looks of it, it was a soft, wound-up cloth. Blinking in surprise, the small service gem perked up, brows raising. She tilted her head to the side before sliding down the front of the boulder. Standing on her legs normally this time, she hurried over and stopped a few feet away, staring at the cloth on the ground. She crouched down, gazing at it. It was dark red in color with darker brown ‘speckles,’ infused with a strangely sweet, yet sharp, smell. Her nose scrunched up in surprise at the strong scent, and she snorted quietly, shaking her head.   
"... What is it?"    


Grinning, Morgan gestured towards it and continuing to walk forward.   
"It's a cloth that I wipe the counters with back at my bar. I have lots of them- it's not much, but maybe you'd like one. I'm rather partial to scented ones, myself. Makes the place smell lovely,” he said charmingly. Tiny glanced up at the warrior, then back down at the red fabric. She quickly snatched it up and paced after the taller gem, distractedly running her thumbs over the cloth. There was a long pause before there was another, fainter flash of light behind Morgan. Tiny changed her form just slightly, removing her maroon gloves so she could feel the soft fabric a bit better. A soft, curious 'oooh' escaped her, a bright gleam in her eyes.

  
  


Chuckling quietly, Morgan continued on his path with the occasional glance back at the smaller gem. His forced smile softened, and his shoulders relaxed. The longer he walked alongside the Hematite, the less he found himself glancing over his shoulder. Tiny was completely entranced with the velvety, strong-scented cloth, and kept fidgeting with it between her fingers, sniffing it now and then. The strong smell made her retract each time, huffing in surprise. She made no moves to shift up again, or to ask Morgan any more questions.

The minutes ticked by, cool shadows starting to spill over the tall cliffsides of the Kindergarten. A good half-hour passed before something in the distance finally caught Morgan’s attention. A portion of the wall ahead seemed different than the rest, but it was hard to tell in the harsh shadows of the quickly-setting sun.

  
  


Tiny kept up with the gem, eventually storing the cloth away in her gemstone. At the sight of the spot of color in the distance, she perked up, a devious grin on her face.   
"Heheheheh, heeey, Morganite. C’mooon, Mago is this way," she snickered, running off down the path. Down the huge, winding corridor, still a good distance from the warrior, there was an off-looking patch of 'wall' that was significantly lower than the rest. It seemed smoother and was a different color than its surroundings.   
But as Tiny approached... the 'wall' shifted, letting out a long sigh. 

It was Meta, sleeping with her back to the path. Unseen by the two approaching gems, she opened her eyes, narrowing them at nothing in particular.   


Morgan blinked, hesitating slightly upon seeing the 'wall' move. He looked behind him, then back up ahead. Picking up his pace, he made quick tracks and eventually found himself a hundred feet or so from the massive obstacle.

  
  


Cackling to herself, the tiny Hematite scurried up to the massive gem, hopping up to bounce off of her back a few times.   
"Heeey Metametameta! Youuu've got companyyyy~!" She looked deviously back at Morgan, a round-toothed grin on her face. Sighing, Meta shifted again and sat up slightly, looking over her shoulder at the pink-haired warrior.

  
  


Morgan stopped entirely, craning his head up to look at the massive gem before him. Instinctively clutching his hand again, Morgan smiled brightly up at the huge figure.    
"Hey! Sorry to bother you, but I need to get past you... You see, I'm here to visit a friend," he said calmly. The giant gem arched a brow slowly at the tiny warrior, not responding at first. She looked down at Tiny, who was scurrying around in circles, darting to and fro between a few boulders. She seemed rather pleased with herself, and was snickering quietly under her breath.   
"... Hate to break it to you, but this is a dead end over here."   
Tiny peeked over the side of an injector drill she'd hopped up on, smiling mischievously down at Morgan.   
"Oh yeaaaah. Oops~"   


Morgan's grin fell into an annoyed frown.    
"I... see. Well, do you happen to know where I might find Mago? Tall, long black hair?" he said, crossing his arms again and shooting Tiny a narrow-eyed glare. Tiny snickered and ducked a bit further behind the drill, narrowing her eyes at Morgan. Thinking for a moment, Meta looked up to the side. After a pause, she hummed quietly.   
"Mmm, Mago. Yeeaaah just." She jabbed a thumb back the way Morgan had come from. "Go back like you’re heading towards the warp pad, but before you come across the drill yard, take a right. You should eventually see some uh." Sniffing once, the service gem shrugged. "You should see some burn marks on the rocks." Meta yawned and shifted to lay back down, sighing softly. "Good luck with that."

Morgan uncrossed his arms, forcing a smile back to his face.   


"Aaah, thank you. Good luck with your, ah, nap!" he said, turning to make his way quickly back down the corridor.   


"Byeeee Meta!" Tiny called over, hopping up against the gem's back one final time before launching off after Morgan.   
"Mmm."   
The Ruby-sized Hematite trailed after Morganite, a rather smug look on her face. Morgan kept silent as they made their way towards the center of the Kindergarten again.  _ Keep your patience Morgan. You've dealt with far worse. _ Occasionally he'd glance back at the smaller gem, eyeing her suspiciously. Once in awhile, he'd pick up speed when there was an extended, straight stretch of the Kindergarten.   
"You know, you've wasted about an hour and a half of my time." He said out of the blue, pursing his lips. "Are you just bored?"   


The smaller service gem followed him silently, only breaking the quiet with a giggle once in a while as she scampered up a rock or a piece of equipment. As the two made their way around the injector drill  yard, she perked up at Morgan's question.   
"Yep! Not a lot of gems come around here."   


Morgan frowned, but kept looking on ahead. He could see a massive clearing of inactive drills far ahead, and a path off to the right.   
"Hm..."    
He headed to the right, picking up his song that he'd left off on earlier. As the two made their way down the path, Tiny continued.   
"Yeeaaah, and you're the first gem who hasn't run away!" she said with a rather nonchalant tone. "I don't get to talk to a lot of people. And none of them hum pretty songs like you!" The tiny gem climbed up a small ledge, peering down at the warrior as he walked along the path.   


"Ah, I'm not one to run. I may not start fights but I can most certainly finish them." He said, smiling faintly. He turned his head, glancing up at the smaller gem. "I take it you don't see too many gems off the job, then."   


Huffing, Tiny rolled over onto her side, letting out an exasperated groan.   
"Nooo. All the gems around here are working all the time. And they give you really dirty looks if you try to talk to ‘eeem, or they tell you to buzz oooff, or they threaten you with a gem destabilizerrr." She rolled back onto her front, a small smile on her face. Morgan frowned again, keeping quiet for a thoughtful moment.   
"I guess you get tired of talking with the other Hematites?" he prodded, glancing back over his shoulder. Tiny paused, going quiet. Though her smile didn't fade, the life drained out of Tiny's eyes for a moment.   
"They don’t like me very much."   


The pink haired warrior looked back up ahead, his brows raised. He didn’t respond for a moment.

"So what  _ do _ you do here? When you aren't working?"    


After a moment, the service gem hopped down, trailing after the warrior again on all fours.    
"I just kinda run around. Poke stuff. Take stuff that seems like trash. Sleep a lot." The tiny service gem caught up with the warrior, running a circle around him. "It's really boring sometimes, but you get used to it!"   
"I see,” he said simply. Eventually, the two found themselves walking down a particularly long corridor. By this point, the sky was starting to darken. Dusk was quickly approaching, and Morgan knew he was running out of daylight. "So, are you following me because you've not got anything else to do?" He said, raising his brows at the smaller gem. "I don't particularly mind. As long as you don't try to pick me up or anything."   


Tiny looked up at the sky as well, a smile slowly crossing her face. Purple hues were washing over the sky as the first few stars of night flickered into view.   
"Hm? Oh! Yep! We're all preparing for the Harvest Moon, but Hema doesn't teach again until tomorrow, so I-"   
"What do you think you're doing around here,  _ Tiny?" _   
A cold, condescending voice called down the long corridor, sounding rather agitated. Tiny felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and her eyes widened, smile vanishing in an instant. She looked back, paling at the sight of a rather familiar... and  _ huge _ Hematite approaching.   


Morgan's eyes widened slightly as he stopped in his tracks. Frowning, he looked to Tiny, then the approaching Hematite behind them. Something in Tiny's frightened gaze made him stay quiet and keep a sharp eye on the giant gem. Tiny stuttered, slowly moving to hide behind Morgan.

  
  


"I-I. Uh. H-Hemmi I didn't-"    
"What is it going to take to get you to stay out of my territory," she snarled, lip curling in disgust. 

“B-but there’s no marks around-”

“You know my scent. Don’t play dumb.”

The Ruby-sized Hematite whimpered quietly before suddenly darting off, leaving Morgan behind. In a flash, she shifted up to her half-height and leapt up the side of one of the shorter walls, scrambling over the top.   
And just like that, she was gone.   
Hemmi snorted quietly before glaring down at the pink-haired warrior. Morgan's brow twitched as Tiny made her quick escape. He drug his gaze back up to the agitated Hematite, forcing a smile back to his lips.   
"Hey,~" he said with his usual charm, grinning slowly. "I don't mean to trespass. I'm on the way to visit a friend," he said, folding his arms behind his back with a warm smile. Slowly walking closer, the pink-haired gem narrowed her eyes.   
"... You're a Morganite, correct? Who are you visiting at such an hour? You  _ are _ aware that it's rather dangerous to be here at night, aren't you?"

Keeping himself steady, Morgan peered up at the taller gem.    
"I'm aware. Her name is Mago. I've come to check up on her."    


"... Why?" she asked with dark curiosity. "What business does an ex-Pink Diamond elite warrior have with a White Diamond harvester?"   


Morgan shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes.    
"We have a small bit of history. That, and I'm off work today."   


"... Right. Well. Do try not to get eaten." Slowly raising a brow, Hemmi tilted her chin up. Her eyes glinted, her expression unreadable. "You Morganites are terribly rare."   


Morgan raised a brow, curiously narrowing his eyes at the taller gem.    
"As are you Hematites... I'll keep that in mind, though."   


A sneer of offended disgust crossed Hemmi's face. She squinted down at the puny warrior, baring her teeth.   
"Get out of my sight or your kind is going to become even rarer.”   


Morgan stifled a silent chuckle, raising up his hand to wave at the Hematite.    
"Have a  _ wonderful _ evening,” he said, starting on his way down the path.   


The pink-haired Hematite watched Morgan leave, narrowing her eyes to mere slits at him. She slowly turned back the other way, heading down the path.

  
The corridor ahead of Morgan twisted and turned, but eventually lead to a branching path. One led to the right, northbound, one led to the left, and another the other continued straight. But, what was peculiar, was that all around the 'entrance' to the middle path was a dark singe mark. The mark was rather wide, at least a few feet in width, and stretched along the walls and floor.

  
  


Morgan stopped for a moment, turning his head to look down at the singe marks. Raising a brow, he looked up at the entrance, smiling ear to ear.  _ So this must be it. _ The lithe pink warrior made his way through the entrance, taking note of the time. Stars were glittering into view, one by one, and the sky was plunged from purple to blue.   


This particular area of the Kindergarten was comprised of rather narrow corridors that twisted and turned in all different directions. As the warrior gem continued down the path, a distant pair of voices echoed down the high walls.   
"I gotta get back to work, they're gonna close up the station soon!"   
"Ah ah ahhh, you went and broke one of my favorite drills; now you gotta stick around, buddy~" an all-too-familiar voice cooed from down the winding path.

  
  


Morgan definitely recognized one of those voices. Picking up the pace, Morgan hastily made his way down the narrow path. Making his way down a few more twists and turns, the lithe pink gem stopped as soon as he heard the voices, this time much louder than before. Slowly, he peered around the edge of one of the walls.   


Mago was in an oval-shaped clearing about 1000 or so feet across. For a gem her size, it was rather snug. The ebony-haired Hematite was currently laying on her back, one of her feet up over her. Her arms were crossed behind her head. A small, light-colored service gem- a Danburite with very short, scruffy hair- was precariously perched on Mago's lifted foot. She nervously peered down at the Hematite, clutching tightly to the toe of her boot.   
"L-look, I'll find you another one, just put me down, alright?! I'll get in trouble with my manager if I get back late!"   
Mago pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes up at the tiny gem above her. She tilted her foot slightly, earning a sharp yelp from the white-haired gem.   
"Mmm you should have thought about that before you went and pushed my stuff around-..." The Hematite stiffened, glancing at her visor screen. "... What the." Turning her head, the service gem looked around, quickly spotting the pink-haired warrior standing in the entrance to her little clearing. Her eyes widened subtly.    


Morgan peeked his head out, glancing between Mago and the Danburite. Casually, the pink haired warrior waved his hand, signaling that he was there. He stepped out from the path with a confident, casual stride and smiled.   
"Heeey! Hope I'm not interrupting something," he said, raising a brow up at the Danburite.   


Without even looking away from Morgan, Mago flicked her foot up, sending the Danburite flying up a bit. She reached her hand up and snatched them out of the air, setting them back down on the ground. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she gently patted the white-haired gem on the back.   
"Alright now, shoo. Get back to your manager," she said quietly, expression unreadable. The Danburite shuddered subtly before scurrying off, passing the Morganite with a glance that could only mean 'good luck'. Within a few moments, her steps faded into the distance, and Morgan and Mago were left alone.   


Morgan turned his attention back to the ebony-haired Hematite, stepping towards her a few paces.   
"Hey, Mago, sorry to interrupt your little chat, but. I came to check up on you. Hope you don't mind!" he said with a bright smile. Folding his arms over his chest, he beamed warmly at the larger gem. The service gem quickly sat up, eyeing Morgan with a surprised, almost skeptical stare.   
"... I don't mind, but. Youuuu really shouldn't be here so close to nighttime," she said quietly, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. She crossed her legs and idly gripped at her ankles. "... That being said, I'm glad to see ya, M'."   


Morgan stepped forward, chuckling heartily.    
"Glad to see you too. And don't you worry about me, I'll be juuuust fine. I didn't come unprepared or anything like that… and I didn't have  _ too _ much trouble along the way, thankfully." He said, stopping in front of her. He sat down, casually propping himself up with his arms and leaning back. "How have you been?"   


Mago pursed her lips, looking up at the darkening sky for a moment.   
"Ohhh, you know. Training for the Harvest Moon. Doing some jobs. Ran into a weird blue gem that Hema was guarding. The usual."   


Morgan chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. But, his expression softened, looking up at her sympathetically.   
"Come on, Mago. How have you  _ really _ been?” he asked.   


The service gem tilted her head slightly, furrowing a brow. She frowned, her bangs falling back in front of her ear.   
"What do you mean? Not much has been going on since that fusion event, soooo." Pursing her lips, she shrugged casually. "I've been fine. It's just a bit, you know. Same-old same-old."   


Morgan looked over her for a moment, relatively unmoving. Though when he spoke, his voice was a little more quiet than it usually was.   
"Not much really happens around here, does it?"

  
  


Morgan's change in tone didn’t go unnoticed, and Mago looked away uncomfortably.   
"Nahhh. Plenty of stuff happens." She shrugged again, though it was a bit more tense this time, and when she continued, she had a rather odd, forced nonchalant tone to her voice. "A lot of it just isn't good stuff, ya know what I mean?" She gave a rather forced chuckle and puffed her bangs away from her face. "Yeaaah. You gotta make your own fun around here. That's why I like pestering the gems that wander around my turf.~" She looked off to the side, her expression its usual aloof, cocky default. Morgan crossed his arms over his chest, leaning forward slightly with a soft look of concern.    
"I'm glad to hear you are doing alright, then. I had a day off and thought I'd stop by. I know the Hematites aren't really allowed to wander around much unless they're on the job..." He stopped with a grin, raising a brow up at the larger gem. "Not that that's stopped you before."   


Mago raised a brow and gazed down at the warrior gem without turning her head. She pursed her lips for a moment before she smirked, shifting to lay on her front. She settled in front of the pink-haired gem, lacing her fingers together and propping her chin on them.    
"Nope. Who's gonna stop a Hematite from wandering around where they want?~ Hehehh. But, yeaaah. our manager’s told us not to leave the Kindergarten if we can avoid it. And if we do, hah. We're supposed to stay far outside the capital." Shrugging, the larger gem forced a smile. "It's no wonder gemkind thinks we're a myth."

  
  


Smirking, Morgan peered up at Mago, his eyes half-lidded.   
"I'm sure if gems were more open-minded, you would be fine to wander around as you please. I've seen some pretty crazy things, I'm sure a Hematite or two wouldn't be so bad." 

Mago's gaze followed Morgan's. She stared up at the sky for a long moment, expression unreadable.    
"... Yeah. Well. Open-minded or not, I guess it's just not smart to have our kind running around." She paused, motioning one of her hands in a dismissive manner. "You know, being big and all. And there's the whole... harvester thing."

He raised his brows slightly, looking up at the sky. Mago's change in tone worried him.

"I can't remember the last time I was in a Kindergarten, honestly. It's been such a long time,” he said, trying to change the subject. “Especially not one this big.”   


She glanced down at the warrior gem for a moment. 

"Hah. Yeaaah, well, it's a lot smaller when you're our size."   


Inhaling slowly, Morgan tapped his fingers on his arms.   
"I can only imagine.” He paused and cleared his throat, pulling his gaze away from the sky. “Anyways... As to why I'm here, I figured you get tired of seeing these walls or the same gems over and over. Thought you'd like to catch up," he said, closing his eyes for a long moment. "You know... if you ever want to talk. You can call my communicator.”

  
  


Mago finally turned her head back down to the smaller gem, her expression unreadable.    
"..." Glancing away, she fidgeted with some of her hair, pursing her lips. Her visor chirped quietly. "What's your communicator signal?"   


Stifling a small chuckle, Morgan straightened his back a little.   
"1.25.985. Facet 2, Line 484 M," he recited simply. "I'll be able to talk whenever I'm not working, or if I'm on a break."   
The service gem recited the numbers back to her visor, and a small HUD popped up on the screen, visible from Morgan's point of view. An empty box popped up next to the signal number.   
"... Morgan, would you mind if I got a picture for my communicator?" she asked casually, crossing her arms on the ground in front of her. She lowered her face a bit closer, looking expectantly at the pink-haired warrior.   


For the most part, Morgan seemed undeterred at Mago's sudden approach. Grinning warmly, Morgan held up his hand and 'waved' at the visor.    
"Go right ahead!"

  
  


_ Click! _   
Smirking, Mago chuckled and backed up a tad, the picture quickly appearing on her visor, though it was mirrored from the other side.    
"Gotcha! Awww, look how cute," she said teasingly, putting a finger to her chin. She eyed the picture for a moment before flicking the HUD away with a finger. "Thanks M'.~ So, what have  _ you _ been up to?" she asked, resting her chin on her folded arms.

  
  


Chuckling slightly, Morgan crossed one leg over the other and leaned back.    
"Hmm, well... not much else from the usual. Running the bar, making drinks, dancing, singing... sometimes I go out for spars in the Coliseum. … Hey, ya know, it might be fun to spar with you sometime, if you'd ever want." he said, grinning ear-to-ear almost mischievously. Raising a brow, the service gem smirked deviously in return.   
"Ohhh? A spar, huh? Hah..." As she continued, Mago's tone lowered slightly. "You sure you wanna do that, Morgan? You've seen how spars against me can end."   


Flicking a finger up, he twirled his hair around and grinned.   
"Fair enough. But that's only if you  _ win," _ he chuckled. "I digress... It would at the very least, perhaps make things a bit more interesting for you. I'd be happy to help make your time here a bit more fun...if that means anything to you," he said, his expression falling. Mago’s expression fell, a faintly confused look on her face. Morganite continued. "You're a good gem, Mago. In your own way. I know you mean well... and I know that, whatever all this is, it can't be sitting too well with you. And if there's anything I can do..." He paused, glancing away. "I'd  _ like _ to help in some way or another."   


Mago blinked slowly, looking away. Her gaze flicked around, not leaving the rocky ground to her side as she tried to process everything Morgan had said. Slowly, a look of distressed realization spread over her face, and she  _ winced, _ lifting one hand to cover her eyes. Her lips drew tightly into an unreadable frown as she inhaled slowly through her nose. A tense pause stretched thin between the two before Mago finally responded.   
"... You know?"   


Morgan glanced up at her with an uncertain expression.   
"Yes."   


There was another eerily long pause. The temperature in the clearing slowly dropped, a distressed, dense chill coming off of the service gem in waves. It almost seemed to fill the air with an electrical charge, but thankfully, it only lasted for a moment. The odd chill faded as quickly as it came, along with Mago letting out a long, resigned sigh. Slowly, she took off her visor, setting it aside. She looked  _ pained, _ though she tried to cover it up. It didn't work. Not looking at the pink warrior, she lowered her head back on her arms, covering the lower half of her face.   
"... I'm sorry. I'm sorry Ti's fusion made you go through that."   


Morgan shook his head, his fingers clutching into the ground beside him. He remembered the pain that he'd felt. It came back like like a cold shadow, scraping and gnawing at the inside of his very core. He tried to push it away.   
"It was nothing in comparison to what you all have to go through. It's alright."   


Mago drummed her fingers along her forearm, still not able to look at the gem in front of her.    
"Still. Nobody should have to feel that," she said quietly. Slowly, the service gem looked up at the sky, eyes widening as she realized night had fully fallen. But she'd failed to notice before now that there was no moon out tonight. Swallowing nervously, Mago shook her head, a worried grimace crossing her face for a moment. "A-anyways... I uh. I appreciate it. It does mean something. I just." She shrugged, propping her chin up on her arms. "... I dunno. Sorry, I'm not really good with this kind of thing."   


Morgan shrugged his shoulder and flicked his hair back behind it.    
"It’s alright. If you ever want to talk...you know how to get in touch. I'm sorry there's not much more I can do..." Morgan stood, brushing himself off. "That being said… I know it’s been brief, but I've been advised not to stay out here too long. So, I guess I should be headed back soon before I get myself in trouble,” he chuckled, smiling hopefully up at the service gem.   


Eyes widening subtly, Mago glanced up at the sky again, her breath catching in her throat. The last, faint-blue light of twilight was quickly fading, plunging the Kindergarten into deep shadow. She finally turned her attention back down to the warrior, her anxious frown shifting into a forced, nervous smile.   
"Yeah. You’d, uh. Better... get going." She gripped at her sleeve, an uncharacteristic glint of fear in her eyes. She reached over to her visor, quickly putting it back on. It glowed to life, casting a dim white light on Morgan. He frowned in worry.   
"... Are you alright? I mean. I'm sorry, I must have brought back some bad memories. Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything," he said awkwardly, scratching his neck. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked, peering up at the visor. Mago's lips drew tight as she forced another smile.   
"Mhm. IIiiii'm- I." She scoffed, giving an awkward chuckle as she sat up. "I'm good! Toootally fine. I'll be great!" Turning away, the giant gem walked rather hurriedly over to a section of the wall that had a small, secluded space carved out. "Be safe getting back, Morgan! It's uh... S'pretty dark! Don't trip or anything!" Giving an awkward laugh, the ebony-haired gem sat back against the dip in the wall, slowly sliding into a seated position, her knees close to her chest.

  
  


Morgan's expression fell completely. Something locked him into place, despite his sensible side telling him to get going. Looking back between Mago and the exit to her territory, Morgan sighed heavily.   
"You know, I don't work again until tomorrow evening, and... well, it's probably not too safe to go wandering around here at night." The pink gem took a few steady paces towards Mago, a hand on his hip. He smiled faintly. "If you wouldn't mind..." Lifting his free hand, Morgan flicked up a tiny flame that swirled and darted around his fingers. "I could stay here for the night."   


Gazing down at the warrior gem, Mago felt something tighten in her chest. A warm feeling flared up in her core before it quickly faded, leaving behind a vague, fuzzy feeling. She lifted her chin after a moment before she scoffed, smirking.

Tilting her head to the side, she eyed the tiny gem with a coy smile.   
"Well I meaaan, if you're too afraid to go out there right now, then, pshhh. Sure. I don't mind. Thereee's plenty of room here, after all!" she said with a nervous laugh, fidgeting with the fabric on her knees. After a long pause, she lifted a hand, fingers curling for a moment. Slowly, she turned away, lowering her palm to the ground beside her.   


Smiling, Morgan walked over beside the massive gem and sat down, propping his back up against the wall.  _ Well, I’ve spent the night in worse conditions than this. This isn’t the worst place I’ve ever rested _ ... Peering up to the sky, Morgan gazed at the swath of stars that blanketed the navy and purple atmosphere high above _. _ Slowly, his gaze shifted to the other gem, and he made the wisp of fire in his hand glow a little brighter.   
"Heh. Thank you, Mago."   


Turning her head, the service gem smirked slightly, lifting her hand over to to the pink-haired warrior. For a moment, it looked like she'd pick him up by the back of his suit again, but no. She paused and leaned over, reaching her other hand near him as well. Carefully, she scooped him up in her palms, lifting him up off the ground. Admittedly, Morgan was more surprised by  _ how _ Mago was picking him up, rather than the fact that she was at all. Holding onto her fingers, Morgan peeked over the side of her palm, staring down at the ground.    
"Ah, everything alright?"   


Mago blinked in surprise, lifting the warrior up to her shoulder.   
"Oh, uh. Yeah... I just thought maybe you'd be more comfortable here than... on the ground," she said quietly. She eyed the fire in Morgan’s hand, quickly tucking her hair away from it. "Besides... the view's better from up here."

  
  


Morganite smiled again, eyeing Mago's shoulder curiously. Carefully, he hopped up onto it, turning slightly to sit down. Something about the sudden realization that he was sitting on a gem’s shoulder sent his mind aflutter in a strange way. He smiled lopsidedly, running his hand over the fabric of Mago’s suit. Craning his head up, he gazed at the stars, a cool breeze stirring his hair.   
"You're right... it is."   


Mago followed his eyes, smiling softly. She idly brushed her fingers through her hair, staying quiet. Another gentle breeze blew through the Kindergarten, stirring up small clouds of dust. All was still, aside from the flicker of fire over Morgan’s palm. And despite the chill in the air... the area around the Hematite felt warm and inviting.   
Minutes passed, half an hour quickly going by without so much as a sound aside from the wind whistling through the rock walls of the area around the two gems.   
But soon enough... drifting on the breeze came a low, well-carrying sound. Mago perked up, looking toward where the sound was coming from. It was hard to make out at first, but after a few moments, it changed in pitch. 

Someone was humming, far in the distance. The service gem smiled lopsidedly, expression softening.    
"Ah... This one again."

  
  



	81. Par for the Course

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite puts his 'students' to the test.

Yawning, Hematite stretched his arms up over his head, careful not to disturb the gem on his shoulder. He was currently at his full height, strolling from the Hematite Kindergarten’s main warp pad with Red on his left shoulder.  He quickly righted it so she wouldn't fall off.

"Well... here it is, Red. This is where I came from," he said simply, folding his arms behind his back. A few Peridots were shuffling around here and there, doing their usual work near the warp pad station. Hema watched them curiously, a tiny smile on his face. Red peered over the side of his shoulder, a curious frown on her lips.

"And you will be assisting your fellow Hematites here today? Or, somewhere else in the Kindergarten?" she asked, sitting up and folding her hands together. Turning his attention to the tiny gem, Hematite nodded and headed off for the Cove, his steps measured and even.

"Yep, we have our lessons in the big clearing to the north. There're only two more of these before the Harvest Moon, thankfully. I'm running out of ways to train these guys." Offering the pink gem an awkward smile, he rubbed the back of his head. "It's kinda hard to know how to teach something that comes naturally to you, you know?" he said. Red looked up at Hematite with a small smile.

"I guess, hmhm..." she chuckled politely, entwining her fingers neatly together. "I'm sure you'll do a splendid job, though, sir!" she continued, closing her eyes and holding her head up proudly. Hematite smiled brightly, a warmth spreading in his chest.

"Hm! Well, thank you for agreeing to come along. I might need a little help giving demonstrations. Don't worry, though." He turned to her and shot her a winsome wink. "I won't be handing you over to anyone else."

Red raised her shoulder up to her cheek as Hema winked at her, looking away with a modest smile.

"Well, good to know I’ll be in good hands,” she said coyly. She smiled up at Hematite, patting his shoulder. “I'll assist you in any way I can, sir!" Hema turned forward again, poised and professional.

"I must warn you, though; keep an eye out for two gems named 'Hemmi' and 'Mite'. One has dull pink hair, and a rectangular gem on her neck, and the other hangs around her a lot and has off-white hair a bit similar to White’s. Belly gem. They're both... pretty shady, to put it gently. I don't think they'll show up to the lesson, but just in case they do, you should know who they are,” he said quietly. Red nodded, turning forward with a small frown. 

“... Shady, how?”

“Well, for one, Hemmi used to hang around the biggest of our group, and he was… off. And then she went on to hang around all the Hematites that don’t exactly sit well with me. She and Mite put me off in general, but I’m not entirely sure why.” He paused, thoughtfully looking up to the side. “And, well. The fact that they both threatened Mago and I when we were small a while back doesn’t exactly help.”

Red scoffed and raised a brow.

“Did you tell White Diamond about that last part?”

“Oh, you bet I did. Kinda wish they’d gotten a more severe punishment, but they both claimed later on that they were just fooling around. White can’t exactly send someone off-planet for alleged ‘teasing,’ I’m afraid. Only severe rule-breaking and failing the Harvest Moon test can do that.”

“Hmph.” Red silently gripped and let go of Hema’s suit as she narrowed her eyes. “Either way, noted.”

Hema sighed through his nose.

"Anyways. So, uh... Red. I gotta ask: you've never been in a bubble before, have you?"

Raising her brows, Red looked up at Hema with a small, curious frown.

"Can't say I have, sir. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you might be put in one today. I have an interesting lesson in mind," he said simply, shrugging his free shoulder. "That is, if the rebels actually behave during the lesson. They got a bit rowdy last time." Hematite looked over to his right as he passed by a familiar spot. He sharply realized he'd almost missed who was lying there. Meta was sleeping where she usually did, her back to the path. Hema reigned in his composure and cleared his throat politely.   
“Morning, Meta. You planning on coming to the lesson?" 

Red looked down, flinching as she realized with a start that the section of 'wall' Hema was speaking to wasn't a wall at all. It was a massive, well-built Hematite, bigger than any gem she'd ever seen, save for gem mothers. This Hematite looked like she could put any gem mother into a choke-hold, easily.

Meta lifted a hand quietly, motioning for him to keep moving. She didn't even turn to look at the two.

"Later."

Blinking, Hema glanced down at his Pearl, pursing his lips.

"Aaalright, well, um. We'll be starting soon. I'll see you then if you decide to come." With that, he continued down the path. Red turned back to the road ahead, nudging Hema's neck with her arm.

"’Meta’, huh? More like 'Mega,' heheh… eheh...” The Pearl smiled awkwardly, glancing away. “Ah, I'm sincerely sorry for that joke. She's just. She's big," Red said awkwardly, a crooked smile on her face. Hema gave a soft, half-stifled snicker, but tried to keep himself composed.

“Yeah, she's the biggest of us. And don't be sorry, you're not the first one to make that joke; even she’s made it before,” he replied under his breath. Red chuckled in spite of herself.

The two carried on a ways down the path to the Cove before they came across another Hematite. Red perked up as the other gem came shuffling around the corner up ahead. 

"Hey, who's that, sir?" 

The lanky Hematite Hema knew as ‘Hita’ meandered down the path towards him and Red, his shoulders slouched. He muttered something under his breath, glancing up as he forced his gaze up from the ground. Hema met eyes with the half-sized gem- who, currently, stood a little shorter than himself.

"Morning, Hita. Good to see you up and about." He offered him an awkward smile. 

Raising his hand up, Hita stopped, staring at them both with his usual blank, bored-looking expression. "Hey.” Glancing to Hematite's shoulder, he raised a single brow. "... Didn't know you had a Pearl,” he muttered softly. 

Red straightened up, blinking in surprise. Hita sniffed and adjusted the visor on the bridge of his nose. “She's neat.”

Red felt her cheeks warm, but hid it quickly by looking away. Hematite looked to the pink gem on his shoulder and smiled fondly, nodding as he turned back to Hita.

"That she is. Her name is Red, and she's going to be helping me with the lesson today. Will you be attending this one?"

Hita raised his hand up behind his head and scratched at his hair, smacking his lips.

"Yeeeeah. I just gotta go talk to the wall for a few minutes. I'll meet you there soon," he said, already shuffling past Hema. "You carry on." The lanky service gem walked off, staring off into space. Red furrowed her brows in confusion, slowly looking up at Hema once Hita had passed them both. Hema turned his attention back to the Pearl, raising a brow.

"Uh. Alright? I'll see you there..." Pursing his lips, he continued forward, brows furrowed. As soon as they were out of earshot, he muttered, "... I hope that wasn’t… literal.”

Red tilted her head, looking back at the other Hematite curiously.

"Hm. I'll say. Are they all that... peculiar?" she said, looking back up at the larger service gem with a small frown.

Looking down at Red, Hematite opened his mouth as if to say something, but then narrowed his eyes, closing it again. His eyes flickered about aimlessly in thought before he stopped, smacking his lips.

"Most of them, yes.”

"Hm... neat," Red replied, raising a brow with a small smirk.  Hema looked forward again, picking up the pace slightly. Before he replied, he muttered quietly under his breath,  _ "Actually, Tam's pretty normal." _ He shook his head with a small smile. "We're going to go ahead and head to the Cove! That's the clearing I mentioned. I had the guards set up something special today,~" he said slyly.

The two continued on down the path until they came to a long, final stretch... which had a few rather agitated Hematites at the end of it. Hema stiffened in surprise, stopping a ways up the sloped Kindergarten path. From where he stood, a large holo-screen was visible, blocking off the entrance to the Cove. There was some scrap and rubble spread throughout the area beyond, though it was hard to see through the narrow entrance. Peridots marched to and fro in the Cove, seemingly checking things over.

Collected at the end of the corridor were a few of his kin. Hemmi, a long-haired gem with sharp, protruding fangs that he didn't recognize by name, Ti, Mati, and Tiny. Ti immediately stiffened as she spotted Hema up the path, and looked away, fidgeting with her hair. She turned away from him, taking a few paces away from the rest of the group. Tiny was pacing along a section of the wall, restless as always. She was keeping a good distance from Mati and Hemmi. 

Hemmi sneered the moment she saw Hema coming down the corridor. She crossed her arms, her icy glare locked onto him.

Hema frowned and sighed quietly through his nose, clearing his throat. He made his way closer, glad to see that at least Mite wasn't anywhere nearby. Quietly, he muttered,  _ "Stay close." _ Lifting his chin, he forced a polite smile, to greet the collected gems. "Morning, everyone! I uh... don't suppose you're all here for a lesson?" Red shifted closer to Hematite's neck, frowning.

Mati whipped around, clutching her fists tightly.

"Nnnnope!" she said, smiling ear-to-ear. "I just like watchin' the Peridots work!" she chimed, turning around quickly to look through the screen again. She watched the gems on the other side with utmost intensity, moving around now and then to get a better look at them. Hema nodded once, glancing down at Tiny. She grinned deviously up at him, hopping back up on her feet.

"I wanna see what all the fuss is about! I didn't get to-! Is. IS THAT A PEARL?" she exclaimed curiously, eyes widening as she balled up her fists in front of her.

Hemmi arched a brow and narrowed her eyes, gazing incredulously at the service gem, and the gem on his shoulder. She stayed silent. The Hematite with the long fangs glanced over at Hema with a skeptical, slightly leery frown, but otherwise remained quiet and quickly turned her attention away again.

Hematite cleared his throat and took a step back, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Y-yes. She is.” Clearing his throat, Hematite attempted to change the subject before anyone else made a fuss. He looked over at the slick-haired service gem that he didn't recognize, offering her a polite nod. "I don't believe we've met properly. My name is-"

"Hema. White Diamond's bodyguard and personal harvester. Highest ranking Hematite, and the smallest. Spark elemental. Knuckledusters," she recited cooly, arching a brow as she slowly turned her attention to him. She lifted a hand, pushing her visor up the bridge of her nose with a single finger.   
Red couldn’t keep her jaw from dropping subtly. She huddled closer to Hematite’s neck, avoiding eye contact with the sharp-fanged Hematite. Eyes widening, Hema stifled a shiver that ran up his spine. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

"U-uhm. I… How-?"

"Archives." Turning away, the long-fanged Hematite gazed through the holo-screen. "They call me HT. Off-planet recon Hematite. Mid-range size. Non-harvester. Plasma elemental. Gauntlets," she recited once more in the same cool, monotonous tone. Hema seemed stunned, and found himself at a loss for words. _ The archives, huh? Well… our basic info is open knowledge to all of us, but.  _ Even still, something in her tone, in the cold, calculating way she looked at him, made him uncomfortable in a way he couldn't explain.

"Right. Nice to... meet you, HT. Are you here for the-"

"The caution and handling lessons? No. I'm here to observe. Your methods intrigue me. I will not be participating, as I have a previous engagement," she said flatly, tilting her chin up as she continued to peer through the holo-screen to the clearing on the other side. The gem standing to the side cleared her throat.

"Yes, a previous engagement which is being disturbed by your insipid little 'lesson' over here, Hematite," Hemmi hissed, folding her arms behind her back. Hema didn't so much as flinch. He continued looking at HT, and at first, it almost seemed as though he hadn't heard her. The temperature dropped around him, sending a chill up Red's form. Red shuddered, placing a hand on Hema's cheek. Calling up to a guard, Hema smiled politely.

======= revisions are unedited from this point=======

"Could you please lower the screen for my Pearl and I?" At his request, an armored Onyx nodded and walked over to a large device, politely speaking to one of the Peridots. Hema looked back at the gems in front of him. "Mati, if you would please step aside. I need to go check on things here."

Mati turned to Hema and nodded, quickly moving out of the way. She spared an eager glance or two at the open entrance and the Peridots beyond. A gleam shone in her eyes; she stepped quietly in place, drumming her fingers on the rock corner in front of her. Hematite walked by her, smiling politely. He did the same with HT. 

"Right, well. Observe away, everyone. Apologies for... Interrupting anything." The temperature around his form dropped as he closed in on Hemmi, passing by her. He slowed his pace as he passed her, steadily turning his attention to her. His expression shifted from a smile to a dark warning glare, eyes glinting ominously. His neck and shoulders were visibly tense, his teeth subtly peeking from his sneering lip. Hemmi’s eyes widened. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Time stood still as the two locked eyes, amorphous threats and a wave of ominous foreboding flowing from Hematite’s being. Hemmi felt the corner of her mouth twitch. She couldn't look away from his eyes; away from that sharp, dangerous… almost off-kilter light they held. For a moment, Hemmi swore that Hema wore not a head of neatly-groomed hair, but a mop of curly, messed locks. The image passed as soon as it came.

Hema narrowed his eyes, slowly dragging his gaze away from Hemmi as he continued forward, stepping into the cove. The holo-screen fizzled back into place behind him, leaving Hemmi to stare after him with a thoughtful, distracted frown.

–

_ Sssccccchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! _

Dragging his claw-like fingers along the wall, Hita walked idly down the path leading away from his territory. Scores of claw-marks dotted the purplish-gray surfaces bordering the path. They grew more sparse as Hita carried on, and his familiar scent no longer hung in the air after ten or so minutes of trudging along. Instead, it was replaced with the breath of a scent he was slowly learning to recognize in the myriad of smells that laid around the Kindergarten. Meta’s territory was nearby.

As he traipsed his way into Meta's neck of the Kindergarten, Hita gazed at the unmarred walls. His brows furrowed, fingers twitching. Hesitantly, he lifted a hand up to the cliffside, lazily running his knuckles along the stone. He eyed his fingers, turning them over and lightly dusting them on the wall. It was so pristine, clear of any marks aside from an emergence hole now and then.  _ Maybe just… _ Hita raised a brow and lightly dug his sharp fingertips into the stone, leaving a light scratch on it. Then, with a sharp frown, he pulled his hand away and shook his head. He forced his attention on the path ahead, swerving away from the wall so it wasn’t in reach.

Eventually, Hita found himself strolling down a familiar, wide path, close to the heart of Meta’s territory. Large notches of stone were missing from the nearby cliffsides, made unnaturally by a strong, blunt force. He spotted the telltale path entrance where Meta often took her naps. There she lie, her back to the path.

"Meeeeetaaaa,” Hita grumbled, walking up to her. He stopped behind the recumbent gem, gazing down at her. He was barely able to peek over her side, at his current size. Meta opened one of her eyes, but slowly closed it again as Hita rested a hand on her side.

"Mmmmh," she grumbled, not making a move to get up. Smacking his lips tiredly, Hita stepped closer to Meta's side and placed his hands up against her back.

"Meeeeetaaaaaa... It's time for those lessons. Are you coming or not?" he grumbled, pushing himself against her back with all his weight. She didn’t budge.

"Uuuuuuuugh." Huffing her bangs out of her face, the pink-haired service opened her eyes with a grumpy frown on her face. She shifted, lifting an arm. "Yeaaah. Yeaaaaahhh, alright. Just give me a sec." She lowered her hand again, rubbing at her face with a wide yawn. "Tiny was being rowdy yesterday and kept me up."

Backing up slightly, Hita scratched his head.

"Sorry to hear that. Once these lessons are over, I'm thinking of taking a rather long nap myself; I was up most of last night.”

"Mmhm. Tiny keep you up, too?" Sitting up, the giant gem sighed, rubbing her head. 

“Nah. She doesn't usually bother me.”

"Lucky. She brought some pink gem here yesterday. Not sure why. He was looking for Mago or something.” Forcing herself up to her feet, she stretched, cracking her back quietly.  Raising his brows, Hita turned to face the path back to the Cove, his shoulders hanging low.

"Weird. Never heard of someone coming in here looking for her,” he said, tilting his head. With a soft huff, he shook his head and motioned for Meta to follow. "Coooome on. They’re probably waiting on us."

Meta nodded, rolling her shoulders and neck in turn with a soft grunt.

"Right, let's see what Hema has in store for us this time." She started off past the odd-toothed Hematite, her face falling to its usual stoic expression. "Hopefully it's easier than the last lesson."

Hita blinked, following after Meta. They moved at a leisurely pace. Turning out of Meta's territory, the two headed down the pathway over to the Cove. Hita glanced over to the wall and tapped his fingers along its rocky surface as he passed by, creating small, light-colored abrasions as he moved along. Meta watched him idly, raising a brow.

"You do that a lot?" she asked simply. Hita didn't stop, but looked over at Meta without turning his head.

"Yeah. Kinda." He said quietly, looking back ahead. "Depends on where I am. It feels nice, helps me think."

"Aah." Turning her attention forward, she sighed quietly. The two of them rounded a few corners, soon walking down the last corridor where the other Hematites were gathered. Hemmi looked up at the well-built Hematite with a slightly suspicious frown. Ti kept her distance, staying in her little corner. Tiny, on the other hand, curiously peered up at the two and glanced rapidly between them with a sly smile. HT glanced over, but didn't say anything. Before anyone had a chance to exchange words, a tiny, energetic Peridot ran over to the holo-screen from the Cove side, throwing her arms up. Her freckled cheeks were turned up by a bright grin.

"Aaaalright, those who are here for the lesson, come on over!" she announced loudly, smiling brightly. She almost immediately spotted Mati, her eyes widening. Gasping noisily, Mati rushed up to the holo screen and excitedly waved her hand at the tiny gem.

"Freeeecks! Heeeey Frecks!" Mati called out gleefully. She glanced momentarily at the clusters of other Peridots grouped around the holo-screen. Stopping alongside her, Hita spared Mati a side glance, but didn't say anything. Frecks waved in return with a bright smile, practically standing on her tip-toes. Her eyes caught sight of Hemmi standing behind Mati, making her smile drop almost immediately _. _ Clearing her throat, she lowered her hand and looked away.

"R-right! Okay, lower the holo-screen, please!" she called up, watching as two other Peridots tapped a code into a large device.

_ FZZT! _

The freckled service gem stood aside, motioning for the proper Hematites to make their way in. Meta raised a brow at Hita, but didn't say anything, heading inside without a word. Her steps sent subtle tremors into the ground as she passed by the service gems filing out of the Cove. The Peridots gave the Hematites a wide berth, filing out at either side of them. Frecks shivered subtly as the giant gem walked by.  Tiny quickly followed after Meta, but stopped beside the Peridot.

"Heya Periwinkle! Are you gonna be helping out again?" she asked excitedly, crouching down low to stare at the tiny gem. Frecks took a step back, but kept her smile, nodding.

"Mm! Yep, Hema asked me if I'd like to assist with things today!"

Meta idly listened to the two chat, looking around the huge clearing with intent curiosity. All around it lie piles of rubble, rounded -off scrap metal, and other obstacles, creating a maze-like environment that stood tall, even for giant gems like them. Hema was at the far end of the clearing, far out of earshot. Seemed he was talking with some gems on a small ledge. From the looks of it, it was the group of convicts from the last lesson, sans one of the members.

Hita glanced around the clearing with an unreadable expression. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, frowning in curious confusion at the maze of rubble and scrap. Wandering off to the side where the Cove had the least amount of rubble, Hita made his way over to Hema at the other end of the clearing. Hema looked back as Hita approached, but continued speaking with the group of prisoners.

Meta, on the other hand, stayed near the entrance to the clearing. She looked down at Frecks at Tiny, raising a brow curiously. Her expression didn’t change, though. Tiny darted off into the obstacle course after another moment, climbing effortlessly up a few rocks that had been piled up together. Looking down, she patted curiously at the pile. It didn’t budge, even under the weight of a giant gem.

Frecks looked back at the rest of the group, smiling nervously.

"A-anyone else?" she asked hesitantly.

Mati pursed her lips and frowned for a moment. Suddenly, she eagerly stepped forward, waving at the tiny Peridot. Frecks smiled brightly, clapping her hands together a few times as the last Hematite made her way in. She waved back excitedly before giving the other Peridots the order to put the screen back up. Sparing one more glance to the pink-haired Hematite now behind the screen, the Peridot scurried off, motioning for Mati, Meta, and Tiny to follow after her.

"Over here! Hema will explain what we're doing today!" 

The tallest Hematite put her hands in her pockets, casually following after the energetic green gem. Tiny shot Mati a devious smile before scampering off of her junk pile, trailing after Frecks as well. Mati narrowed her eyes at Tiny, glancing over at Frecks. Without a word, she quickly barrelled past the smaller Hematite, bumping into her rather ungracefully. 

"Heeey! Hey hey hey Spots! Wait up!" she snickered, focused on the smaller green service gem up ahead.

Giving an offended yelp, tiny snapped her attention up at Mati as she bumped into her. Growling, she scurried after her, shoving herself in front of the taller gem.

"Heyyy, Periwinkle! C'mon, you can be my lesson partner!" she said with a mischievous grin. Without giving the two a chance to respond, she quickly scooped the tiny gem up, scampering ahead with her. "Kehehehe~" Frecks squeaked quietly, latching onto the Hematite's fingers.

"Pah! Tinyyy!"

Mati perked up with a surprised scowl, quickly running up behind Tiny.

"Heeey! Give 'er here!" she called, narrowing her eyes with a pouty expression. "I totally saw her first!" Mati hopped over beside Tiny and picked the smaller Hematite up, running over the obstacles with the two gems in hand. Tiny yelped in surprise, holding Frecks close, rather possessively.

"Nyeeeh, pumme down you clod! I met her first!" She glared back at the taller Hematite, snapping her teeth at her arm. Frecks called out something or other in protest, but was drowned out by both Tiny and Mati's complaining.

“Guuuys! I'm not a toy to fight over, put me down!”

Meta stiffened up at the sight in front of her, quickly taking her hands out of her pockets. She scowled, suddenly standing a bit straighter.

"Mati. Tiny. Stop right where you are and  _ put the Peridot down," _ she said in a deep, stern voice. Tiny froze, eyes wide. Mati turned around, her expression dropping. Slowly, she lowered Tiny down to the ground and stepped to the side, staring up at Meta with a guilty frown. Tiny cleared her throat, grinning nervously up at the stoic Hematite. Without breaking eye contact, she bent over, carefully depositing Frecks onto the ground. Frecks groaned dizzily, but quickly shook it off, clutching her diamond pad close. She gave Meta a quick glance before scurrying over to Hema.

Tiny watched her go, pouting. Without looking up at Mati, she crossly muttered,  _ "Clod." _

Meta rolled her eyes and put her hands back in her pocket, following after the tiny green gem. Mati waited for Meta to walk past them, and quickly shot Tiny a glare.

"Dirt bomb." She sneered, quickly turning to follow after Meta.

Hita, at the head of the group, was nearly out of the last cluster of obstacles when he clumsily stepped over the last piece, catching his foot on it. He stumbled and flailed his arms about before landing flat on his face, ungracefully knocking over part of the pile. Groaning into the ground, he slowly looked up, smacking his lips. He made no attempt to get up. Hema looked over at the downed gem in surprise, stopping mid-sentence. There was a short pause before he turned and continued, sparing Hita a sympathetic glance. Meta stepped over the last obstacle, casually leaning down and picking the odd-toothed gem up off the ground by the back of his shirt. She gave him a quick pat on the head before returning her hands to her pocket. Frecks ran by the two and shot Hita a quick, encouraging smile before she stopped beside Hema, waiting patiently.

"Right, then it looks like I'll need four of you. Agate. Would you like to assist again?" he asked politely, turning his attention to her.

 

Agate stepped forward from the crowd, at least as much as the guards would allow her.

"I think last time went, uh, relatively well. Sure thing!" she called up, smiling half-reluctantly. Hita stood in place, slowly peering between all the gems that stood in front of him. Mati came clambering over the pile and ran straight into Hita, knocking him over again. She tumbled onto the ground next to him, huffing in surprise. Hema ignored the disruption. He held out his palm with a smile and nodded encouragingly at Agate.

"Thank you, Aggy. Today's lesson should be a little less hands-on," he said simply, eyeing the others. "I will still need three more of you. Are there any other volunteers?" Nobody responded. Hema waited a long moment before his expression slowly fell. "... Aaaalright.”

Laying face first on the ground, Hita grumbled again, but didn't move. Snorting and giggling, Mati quickly got to her feet and ran up behind Hema, practically bouncing in place. Hita groaned for a moment, slowly standing up again. Meta glanced down at him, leaning over to look him in the eyes.

"You okay?"

Hita blinked, looking up at the much larger Hematite. He rubbed his face, grumbling.

"I'm fine."

Hema huffed and looked down at the group of reluctant prisoners.

“Mati, pick out who you want to work with today.”

Mati smiled, then pursed her lips. Slowly, her eyes drifted from the prisoners to the tiny green service gem standing beside Hema, and she perked up.

"What aboooout heeeeer?"

Hematite blinked in surprise and looked down at Frecks.

"Hm? Oh. Sorry, she's taken. Hita! Could you come gather up Frecks, please?" he called over, leaning to look past Mati. "We're going to try and keep to the same partners today."

Meta stood straight, the tiniest flicker of worry in her eyes for a moment. She glanced at Agate. Tiny rocked her weight from side to side, peering curiously up at the group of rebels. Hita made his way over to Frecks, though they barely exchanged greetings before he picked her up.

Hema oversaw Mati and Tiny as they picked out gems to work with. Mati picked an uppity-looking Alabaster, and Tiny chose an Amethyst, whom, surprisingly, seemed oddly curious about the whole ordeal. After they were settled, he walked over to Meta, holding Agate out. Meta stepped forward, holding one of her palms out. She glanced at Hema's shoulder, brows raising subtly as she spotted Red. Agate stepped over into Meta's hand, nervously looking up at her.

"H-Hey! Meta, right?" she said, grinning awkwardly.

Meta took a step back and raised a brow at the small striped gem.

"Right. Agate, if I'm not mistaken?"

Agate nodded and smiled faintly.

"Agate, Aggy... Bucky, sometimes. Aha… hah. I’d prefer if you didn’t use the last one, though," she said, narrowing her eyes back at the crowd. “S'not my favorite nickname, honestly.”

The corner of Meta's mouth turned up in a faint 'smile,' but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"I'll stick to Aggy." Taking a moment to look around, she noticed that there was a section to the right with a few scrapped injector drills sitting to the side. It looked similar to the set-up Hema had the last lesson he taught. Meta frowned, hoping they wouldn't be repeating the previous exercises.

After making sure everyone had their gems, Hema motioned for his fellow Hematites to follow him.

"Alright! Everyone make their way over here, and we'll get this started," he instructed politely, walking over to the area with the drills. Meta raised a brow, trailing after the smaller service gem. Tiny followed as well, eyeing the idle injector drills curiously. Mati eyed the drills curiously from afar. Hita kept looking from the tiny gem in his hand over to the drills, raising his brows slightly. He hadn't said a word since he picked Frecks up.

"Uh... hey,” he muttered. The Peridot had busied herself curiously poking around the giant gem's hand, taking notes where she saw fit. She jumped slightly when Hita finally spoke up, looking up at him.

"Oh, uh. Hey! How've you been since last week?" she asked, smiling up at him.

Hema sat down near the drills, motioning for everyone to sit as well. There were a few piles of drill-legs in a line. Tiny stared curiously at one of the piles, plopping down in her spot. Meta looked down as well, groaning under her breath. She sat on the ground carefully, making sure not to jostle Agate too badly.

Hema carefully set down the Alabaster and Amethyst to his side.

"Please stay here for now. We don't need your participation for this part of the test," he said simply, turning his attention back to the four gems in front of him. He waited for everyone to get seated. Hita glanced down with a heavy sigh, his shoulders dropping at the sight of the drills. Sitting down carefully, he held Frecks close to his chest and stared off into space.

"Eh... bored. Tired. The usual," he said, blinking idly.

Frecks peered up at the service gem, tilting her head with a small, concerned frown.

"Oh... I'm sorry. Well, at least you have something to do today!" she said hopefully, smiling up at him. Hema cleared his throat as soon as everyone was seated and settled. Red stayed quiet, professionally poised on Hema's shoulder as she watched everyone with well-masked curiosity. Hema spoke up.

"Alright! Meta, Hita, please put your partners aside. We're going to refresh on the first lesson before we get started with a new one." Picking up a drill leg, he turned his attention to Tiny and Mati. "You two weren't here for the last one, so you'll need to do this before we move on to the second phase of today's lesson."

Meta looked down at the fragile metal legs, sighing quietly. She set Agate to the side; Hita did the same with Frecks. Hita looked to the pile of scrap.

"… Do we  _ have _ to do this again?" he groaned, shooting Hema a tired, unenthused stare. Hema smiled and sat up a bit straighter.

"Yes, Hita. It's just a refresher, you should be fine. Now then. If you aren't already, everyone shift down to their half-heights. Tiny, you should shift up. I asked White what size we'll all be required to stay at during our tests, and she says that no-one is to go above or below half. It's a test of our ability to manage our energy, and a way to avoid as many possible accidents." He waved a hand nonchalantly. "She'll explain it again before the event itself. But for now, it's good to get these lessons done at the proper size."

Each of the Hematites did as they were told, shifting to their half-sizes. Hita crossed his arms and looked down at the scrap, grumbling under his breath. Mati, however, peered over at Frecks who was sitting next to Hita. She grinned down at her. Frecks noticed the gray-haired gem peering at her and perked up. She puffed her cheeks out and motioned for Mati to pay attention, brows furrowed. Mati frowned with disappointment, awkwardly turning her attention to Hema.

"Now then," he started, looking over his piece of scrap metal. "Hita, Meta, you can go ahead. You know the process. Let me know when you get it done, alright?" he instructed simply. Hita raised up his index finger like he was going to say something, but huffed quietly and picked up a piece. He didn't start right away. Hema turned to Tiny and Mati, raising a brow. He started explaining the first lesson to the two uninitiated gems, demonstrating the process twice for them with different scrap pieces. It took a few minutes, but he finished his demonstration, and instructed them to try it themselves. Tiny looked down at the drill legs and picked one up, observing it curiously.

"Hmmm."

 

Mati curiously grabbed one and pressed its ends between her fingers, squeezing it slightly. The metal bent, and within seconds, it snapped. Mati gasped, and started to giggle. Frecks flinched at the sound of the snapping metal, eyes widening slightly as she stared up at the gray-haired Hematite. She quietly scooted a bit closer to Hita, holding her diamond pad closer to her chest. Glancing over, Hita frowned and lowered his piece, looking over at the snapped shrapnel in Mati's fingers.

"No, Mati, you're not doing it right," he said, sighing. Mati stuck her tongue out at Hita and crossed her arms.

"Oh pipe down chompy, I can do this. I'm just uh, getting a feel for it is all!" Mati crowed, grinning deviously down at the pile of scrap. Hita narrowed his eyes, making a strange noise of minor annoyance. Lifting his hand, he tapped his tooth, squinting at the scrap in his hand. Frecks sighed as  she turned her attention to Hema. At the moment, he was glaring at Mati with narrowed eyes, a stern frown on his face.

"Mati. These are stand-ins for  _ gems _ . Treat them with respect and care _. _ Do not do that again," he said quietly, giving her a withering stare. Mati's expression fell slowly. She looked back down at the pile.

"Can I have another piece?" she asked quietly. Hita was busy fiddling with the metal. He kept grasping it and turning it over, as if he'd forgotten how he did it last time. Hema nodded at Mati, motioning for the pile.

"You can try it as many times as you like, but please be careful from now on and take this seriously. Remember that some important stuff rests on this test."

Perking up, Tiny held up a small, straight drill leg with a tell-tale, white stripe down the middle. She piped up with a bright, “I did it!" Hematite sat up, blinking in utter shock at her. He glanced down at the pile in front of her. There wasn't a single broken metal piece.

"... How did you..."

Hita and Mati both looked over at Tiny's piece, their brows raised. Hita turned his attention back down to his drill leg, but Mati continued to stare, her nose indignantly scrunching. Holding up the drill leg obnoxiously close to her face, she stuck her tongue out and tried bending it carefully. Hema scratched the back of his head.

“Have you... done this before?”

Tiny smiled and shrugged, looking down at the piece and actually  _ twisting _ it into a curled shape with precision. Hema stared in unmasked, impressed silence. Tiny picked up another piece and started to twist it as well, linking it with the first piece.

"I play with stuff like this all the time! I like to make shapes out of the scraps and wires I find," she said proudly.

 

_ Snap _

 

Groaning, Meta put her broken bar down, huffing as she picked up another. Hita flinched slightly, sighing heavily. He shot the struggling gem a subtle glance. He held his own piece close to his face, carefully bending it back to its original shape. Raising his brows, he looked past it and over to Hema, presenting it to him quietly. Looking at Hita's piece, Hema smiled and nodded in approval.

"Nice job! See, that wasn't so bad," he said in a friendly manner, looking over at Mati and Meta. The pink-haired service gem was focusing intently on her second piece, a serious frown on her face. Her lip curled, flashing her teeth for a moment. Hema turned back to Tiny and Hita.

"As soon as Meta and Mati are done, we'll move on to the next part! Hita, Tiny... I hope you came prepared to do some pursue-and-capture practice."

Tiny perked up, tossing her current scrap piece casually over her shoulder.

"Whaaa, we get to chase stuff?!"

Frecks blinked in surprise, an unreadable look on her face. Hita's blank, bored expression  _ dropped. _ Eyes widening, he looked down at his piece with an almost haunted look, then quickly back up to Hema.

 

The Amethyst and Alabaster blinked in surprise. The Amethyst stared up at Hema in apprehensive distaste, and the Alabaster sneered, crossing her arms as she took a step away from the group. Agate merely rolled her eyes, looking away.

"Are yoooou sure they're ready for that?" she called up.

"Um, is there uh, any reason... why we have to do that, specifically?" he asked, setting the drill leg down next to him. Hema looked down at Agate with a raised brow before turning to Hita.

"Well, I think you guys are ready. This is the next step... and we'll all be tracking and chasing gems, so I don't see what the problem is." Not a moment after the words left his mouth, Hema stopped and thought back to Hita's trepidation about the last lesson. He paused for a moment before he turned his attention down to Red, who was quietly standing on his shoulder. "Hmm, well. Perhaps I should elaborate..." he started, lifting up a palm to the tiny, pink gem. Red tilted her chin up and stepped out into Hema's hand, folding her arms behind her back professionally. Hita's expression softened back into its neutral state. But, good as his mask was, he couldn't get rid of the rising feeling of dread that was nipping at him at the mere sight of the tiny gem in Hema's palm. Hema held out his hand in front of him, presenting the Pearl.

"This is Red, my Pink Pearl. She'll be helping us out today by being my demonstration. You see... your target gems will not be completely-"  _ Vwip!  _ "- defenseless," he finished, smiling proudly. The small pink gem was now surrounded by a silvery-pink bubble. Tiny stared in awe, muttering a soft 'ooooh' under her breath. Red stifled a small gasp, looking up at the bubble that surrounded her with intrigue. Hita blinked, sighing with mild relief.  _ How much defense could a  _ bubble _ really provide? _

Bringing the bubble closer, Hema smiled reassuringly at the Pearl inside, looking back up at the four gems in front of him. Seemed Meta was close to finishing her bar exercise, as she was staring down at it intently, slowly bending it back to a straight bar. Mati was doing the same, intently focused on her task. She glanced up every now and then, though, to show she was paying attention. Hema addressed the other two, in the meantime.

"Your target gems will be set loose in this obstacle course inside of bubbles. Their goal is to avoid you best they can. Your goal is to catch them without popping the bubble around them. This can be accomplished a few ways, but the best method is to not use the tips of your fingers." To demonstrate, Hema moved Red's bubble to the side, letting it float in midair as he moved his hands over and made a new, empty bubble. "You see, if you use the pads of your hands," he said simply, running a finger over his palm, "then you distribute your strength more evenly." He reached for the bubble and cupped it with his palms, keeping his fingertips away from the surface of it. "Buuut, if you squeeze too hard or you use your claws, if you have them-" he let go and gripped the bubble lightly with his fingertips, flinching slightly as it popped. Red landed safely in his cupped hands as he continued, "- then it's a lot more pressure per square inch. Pinching or snatching a target is far more likely to poof them than if you scoop them up in your hands. This  _ can, _ unfortunately, make it easier for them to escape, but once you've got them that close, you should be fine for the most part. If you pop your target's bubble, it's your job to start over and form a new one around them and give them a thirty second head start. Any questions?" He re-bubbled Red and held her close. Hita raised his hand up slightly, but quickly drew it back down and looked away. Looking down at his hand, he motioned his fingers for a moment, sighing. His attention snapped over at Mati however, the gray haired Hematite shooting up from her spot and running in place.

"OOOH! OH! Lookie! I got it!" she said excitedly, holding out her bar in front of her, bent back into its original shape with a white stress mark near the center. Frecks perked up in surprise, gasping quietly. She grinned brightly and clapped her hands in approval, beaming up at her. Mati pressed her hands to her cheeks and cooed out a cute noise, staring down at the tiny Peridot.

"Want me to do it agaaaaain? Kehehehe!" Frecks looked up at Mati with a curious,  _ almost _ sly smile.

"C'mon you big clod, sit back down! Meta's gotta concentrate," she said teasingly, holding up her diamond pad in front of her mouth. She stifled a small chuckle. Tiny looked between the two, puffing her cheeks out. Hema gave the rowdy gem an approving nod as well, slowly turning his attention back to Meta. The largest Hematite was silently focused on her task, and looked like she was close to getting the bar back into shape. Hema's smile faded as he realized that Meta's hands were shaking.

 

Hita poked his tooth softly into his lower lip, raising his brows in concern. Eyeing the largest of the group, he looked down at her piece, then back up to her. He looked like he wanted to say something, or try and help somehow, but wasn't sure what to do. Meta was tense; a frustrated, stressed frown creased her features.

 

Hema glanced at Red, idly tapping his fingers along the bottom of the bubble she stood in. He watched Meta silently. Meta grit her teeth behind closed lips, narrowing her eyes slightly. For a moment, the metal creaked, as if it would snap. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the inevitable snap.

It never came. Sighing in deep relief, Meta finally held up her piece and rubbed her forehead.

"Got it."

 

Hita took a deep breath, glancing up at Meta with a small nod. He turned his attention back to Hema, waiting for their next instructions. Hema sighed quietly, relieved that the first part was over.

"So! We're going to get these guys all bubbled..." he started, gently lowering Red to the ground. "Here, go ahead and try to get used to running around in that," he instructed quietly. Sitting up a bit straighter, he looked over at the Amethyst and Alabaster. He reached over, hovering each of his hands over them. As he did so, Hita looked up at Meta. Her face was lowered, brows knitted together. She was turning the bent metal slowly between her fingers, staring at it incredulously. Hita frowned. Something in her eyes didn't sit well with him. There was something foreign in them.

“Hey. Something on your mind?” he asked softly. Meta winced subtly, as if caught off-guard. Her expression hardened, and she looked away.

“I'm fine.”

“You don't look fine.”

“I just don't like doing this metal test, that's all,” she replied firmly.

“Meta, c'mon. You didn't have that look last time,” Hita prodded, his tone guarded. Meta stared up at Hema, going silent. Hita frowned, but looked away in resignation, just in time to see Hema hold up the Agate and the Amethyst.

"There we are!" Placing them down as well, he looked over at Meta and Agate. "Meta, since she's over there, you can go ahead and get Aggy situated. Hita, can you do the same with Frecks?"

Meta looked down at her lesson partner, expression unreadable. Aggy swallowed nervously, waving up at Meta and taking a few steps back. Hita, on the other hand, looked down at Frecks, and didn't lift his hand up at first. The tiny Peridot had taken off her limb enhancers for the moment, setting them aside. With how sharp the toes were on those things, she knew she'd pop the bubble almost instantly if she kept them on. She looked up as Hita lifted his hand over her. Mati glanced over, narrowing her eyes again at the lanky service gem. This didn't really go unnoticed, and Hita returned Mati's gaze, though his was  _ far _ more worried looking.

_ Vwip! _

A silvery white bubble appeared around the small Peridot's form, Hita's hand hovering above it. Gasping softly, the tiny gem steadied herself, hands held out at her sides. She looked down at her feet, wiggling her toes curiously.

"Whoaaa." Plastering her hands to the side of the bubble, she giggled self-indulgently, looking around.

 

Mati crawled over, eyeing Frecks's limb enhancers curiously. Hita turned his head and glared at her.

"Matiii."

Mati ignored Hita, making an excited noise and reaching over to grab the tiny enhancers. Hita rolled his eyes and grabbed Mati's face, slowly pushing her back. Mati grunted and squirmed, flailing her arms ahead of her.

"MFFGH let go of me ya big toothed dork," she grumbled, pushing her head against Hita's hand.  Frecks noticed the commotion and looked over at the gray-haired gem, eyes widening. She quickly pushed her hands against the side of the bubble nearest her limb enhancers, letting out a muffled noise of protest. Gazing up at the rowdy Hematite, she clenched her hands, silently pleading her not to take the gem tech she'd left behind. Mati glanced over at Frecks, her overzealous smile fading into something far more disheartened. Scratching her head awkwardly, she crawled away without a word. Hita raised a brow, but looked down at Frecks's bubble.

"Can they uh... move okay in these?"

 

Having watched the two quietly, Hema popped his lips before looking down at the Alabaster, who seemed to be getting around well enough in her bubble, albeit unhappily.

"They seem fine. It'll take a few minutes of getting used to. You five- Red aside- are to make sure your partner doesn't cheat. They're not to catch you and re-bubble you like they caught you fair and square." With a flick of his hand, he gestured toward the obstacle course. "Alright, all five of you, head out there and get used to wandering around. We'll be coming out to start the training in a few minutes. And, by the way." He narrowed his eyes and looked up at the four. "No going after someone else's target. You are to find  _ yours. _ Understood?"

Tiny's shoulders slumped, and she pouted, glancing over at Frecks. However, she nodded in understanding after a few moments. Meta nodded as well, lifting her hand over Agate and bubbling her.  The Amethyst seemed to be getting the hang of it, chuckling quietly to herself. But, soon, they found themselves bumping into the Alabaster's bubble, thumping them in the other direction. Hita frowned heavily, getting more and more nervous as the seconds ticked by. He had a bad feeling about this. Bending bars was one thing, but...  _ this? _

Hema watched the Amethyst and the Alabaster with a small bit of amusement, though he kept his composure well. He lifted his chin up to the group as Red and the other two rebels made their way into the maze. Frecks looked up at Hita before she smiled and looked forward, sticking her tongue out in concentration. It took her a few steps to get used to how to move the bubble forward, but after a moment, she got the hang of it. A bit clumsily, she made her way away from the group, little grunts of effort escaping her. Hita curled his lip up slightly, the fangs at the sides of his tooth protruding slightly, but his expression fell again. He hung his shoulders low and stared off at nothing.

Agate glanced around her curiously, pressing her hands firmly against the bubble. With nothing but a gentle push, she fell forward, tumbling around in the bubble. Meta gazed down at the Agate, carefully placing one finger on the bubble to keep it steady.

"Here, try and get your balance first."

 

Agate placed her hands again to the side of the bubble, looking up at Meta thoughtfully. Rebalancing herself, she started to move her feet again, trying to get a hang of how to move the bubble. Soon, she was able to get it going without falling over.

 

Meta waved back at the Agate as she followed after the others. She placed her hand back in her lap, her gaze distant. Hita was busy watching the bubbled gems run off, too, before Meta suddenly spoke up.

“It'd be nice not to be last, for once.”

“... What?” Hita asked, baffled at the sudden statement. Meta shrugged.

“Our tests n'stuff. You asked me what was on my mind. That's all. I'm just. Starting to get a little tired of coming in last all the time.”

“Really? You never struck me as the type to wanna be first-”

“I didn't say I wanted to be first. It's just.” Sighing, Meta shook her head. She reached up under her visor and slowly ran her palm over her face with a disgruntled, muffled, “Look, nevermind. It's dumb.”

“Meta, it's not dumb. You don't always come in last, what about your strength? You blew everyone else out of the water back when we were divided by skills,” Hita offered.

“Strength? That's. That's not exactly anything to be proud of. That's not something you learn. It's just my coding. I'd like to be good at something that wasn't handed to me,” she grumbled. Hita went quiet, and averted his gaze. He looked askance, lifted his eyes to Meta as his lips parted to say something, then looked down once more. He didn't reply.

Meta let out a slow, disgruntled breath and tucked her hands into her pocket. She turned back to Hema as he cleared his throat.

"Now. I know... some of you are worried about this part, and worried about possibly hurting your target gem. But, here's what you're to do. The key is to stop grabbing them as soon as the bubble pops. That's your indicator. Don't keep trying to catch them. And  _ that's _ where the previous exercise comes in. You all had to get in tune with your strength enough so you could control it at minute levels, and stop applying pressure on short notice. You had to learn how to stop when the metal bar was at its limit or if it got unstable and threatened to snap. You've been prepared for this, and you'll do fine. If it helps at all, slowing your pace right before you go to catch a target usually helps you pull back your focus right before grabbing them. It's inefficient out in the field, but this isn't a real mission."

 

Mati was practically running in place, eager to get started.

"Yeah yeah, slow down and catch! Gotcha!" she said, glancing back at the obstacle course. "Can we go yet? Can we?" she asked excitedly, clenching her fists tightly in front of her. Hita sighed and slumped his shoulders, gazing tiredly at the obstacle course.  _ Is it too late to slip out of this for a nap? … Yeah, yeah, it is.  _ Looking away again, he held his knees close to his chest and grumbled something quietly. 

Hema motioned for Mati to stay patient, pursing his lips.

"Juuust give them a second, Mati. They need a little time to get further into the maze and get used to moving around." Standing up, the service gem stretched, rolling his shoulders idly. Meta stood up as well, looking down at Hita. She shot him a lopsided frown, walking over and offering him her hand.

"Come on. We did the first lesson, we can do this one too, last place or not."

 

Hita looked up at Meta's hand, then took it. He nodded up at her. Meta looked over at Tiny, who was pacing quickly around in a circle. She seemed just as anxious as Mati to get started.

After a few minutes, Hema cleared his throat and motioned to the field.

"Alright. Fetch your target with their bubble intact, and bring them back here. And no cheating!"

 

Mati rushed past the rest eagerly, giggling to herself. Puffing her cheeks out at Mati, Tiny scurried into the maze as well. Hita was a little more reluctant to head in, sparing Hema an unreadable glance before finally walking in the maze, clearly in no hurry. His visor chirped, and his radar narrowed down to a smaller radius of a few hundred feet instead of a couple miles, like usual.  _ Might as well make this at least a  _ little _ fair for Frecks. _ Meta trailed after Hita, inhaling slowly through her nose.

_ Well, pass or fail, she was probably about to get a pretty good idea of how the Harvest moon would go. _

Using her lighter weight to climb around the obstacles without disturbing them, Tiny hopped to and fro between the maze's walls. She used her lower body mass to her advantage, finding various perches and vantage points to see more of the maze from. Perking up, she let out a sharp 'aha!' upon spotting the Amethyst. Wiggling on her haunches, she leapt down mere feet away from the bubbled gem, splaying her arms out in front of her.

"Found ya!"

 

"KYAHAHAhaa!"

Mati came flying over the wall next to Tiny, landing behind her with her hands up in the air. Her expression fell as she noticed that the bubbled gem wasn't her target. "AW come on!" She growled, turning sharply to head off somewhere else. In the heat of the fuss, the Amethyst quickly turned and high tailed it out, using the momentum of the bubble to pick up her speed. Tiny scowled back at the larger Hematite before turning her attention forward again. She gasped a the lack of her target and groaned in frustration.

"Aaaugh, Mati, I had that! Ya cost me my catch, you clod!" Scampering off, she chased after where she hoped the Amethyst had rolled off to.

 

A small ways away, Agate was just now getting the hang of how to move around in her bubble. The only problem was, she was finding it hard to control her momentum. Bumping into the walls occasionally, she cursed herself quietly and made her way down the ever-twisting paths of the maze.

 

Meta, unlike her odd-toothed companion who strolled elsewhere in the maze, wasn't using her visor yet. She wanted to see if she could hear any of the target gems before using her gem tech. After a few minutes of walking, she caught wind of one of the bubbled gems bumping into the walls and obstacles not too far from her. Narrowing her eyes, she rounded a corner, gaze scanning along the walls. Nothing _. _ She moved on to the next one, and suddenly caught sight of Agate rounding one of the corners. Inhaling sharply through her nose, she rushed down the pathway best she could while trying not to knock anything over in the narrow corridor.

 

Agate froze up for a moment, gasping as she felt the ground start to tremble under her. She didn't know who was behind her, but she knew it was time to pick up the pace. Scrambling in the ball, she quickly picked up speed and rolled down the pathway, blindly looking for a smaller path to go down. Meta frowned and finally rounded the corner, slowing her momentum so she wouldn't crash into the next obstacle. She spotted the tiny striped gem, hesitating. Following after her at a brisk walk _ , _ the giant gem frowned, leaning down to try and snatch up the bubble when she got close enough. Agate turned slightly, spotting a massive hand coming for her. Shrieking suddenly, she shoved her entire weight into the bubble, pushing it forward. Clumsily, the brown striped gem rolled around in the bubble, scrambling to regain her footing so that she could run off. Meta felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as she grasped at the open air, having missed Agate entirely. Puffing her cheeks out, the giant gem made a wild grab for the bubble again, but instantly regretted the choice as she accidentally pinched some of the bubble wall.

_ Plip! _

She tensed up, eyes widening subtly. Slowly, she let her shoulders slump, an irritated groan in her throat. Agate flinched heavily, holding her arms up defensively over her head. Opening her eyes reluctantly, she looked up to see that her bubble was gone, but she was unharmed. Nervously, she stood up, pressing her fingers together.

"Th-that's okay! We can try again! Heheh..."

Meta huffed her bangs away from her face, cautiously reaching down and forming another bubble around the striped gem.

"Sorry about that. Alright, go ahead and get your head start."

Agate smiled reassuringly, albeit anxiously, and started off in the other direction. Rounding a corner, she disappeared in a flash.

 

Meanwhile, Hita paced casually through the maze, looking around to see if he could see anything. His visor chirped, notifying him of the presence of a certain green gem not too far off. Sighing, he picked up his pace slightly. Might as well put  _ some _ kind of effort into it, even if it wasn't much. Not too far off was a gem with a much more stealthy approach to her task. Frecks, her hands on the front of her bubble, peeked out from a small crevice she'd hidden in. She looked around, acutely aware of the slight tremble in the ground below her. Carefully, she backed up, out of sight.

 

Hita turned a corner, raising his hand to adjust the visor over the bridge of his nose. The signal was reading from here, but he didn't see anything. Grumbling something under his breath, Hita walked down the pathway, almost reluctantly. Frecks slowly peeked from her hiding spot again once she spotted Hita walking by, and she smiled deviously, looking to her left and right after he was a good few paces down the path. Staying silent, she made her way out of the crevice, quickly heading the other direction where he'd come from. Hita started to complain silently to himself, grumbling too unintelligibly to make anything out.

"MMgghnn bubbles... gemsss... nnghh tiny things... where..." Turning to look around a corner, Hita snorted in mild frustration upon seeing nothing ahead. Tilting his head up to the sky, he let out an exasperated groan and turned around, headed in the other direction.

 

Frecks giggled quietly to herself, making her quick way down a long, twisting 'hall' of rubble. She suddenly yelped, though, as Tiny leapt overhead, chasing after her own target who was a few paths over. The Peridot quickly covered her mouth, hurrying down the path. Hita's attention shot over to the right, where he'd heard a faint noise. He frowned, narrowing his eyes. He suddenly dropped low to the ground, practically creeping on all fours as he made his way down the path. As soon as he'd reached the corner where he heard Frecks yell out, his visor glazed over. Slowly, he peered around the side, skulking silently into the pathway, ready to pounce _. _ There, at the end of the hall, was Frecks's bubble. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he had to fight  _ every _ instinct to run at his tiny target. Quickly hunkering low to the ground again, Hita kept a close eye on Frecks, creeping forward.

 

Unfortunately for Hita, Frecks was on high alert from making too much noise, and within moments of him creeping around the corner, she looked back, eyes locking on his crouched form. For a moment, she blinked silently, stopping in her tracks.

"... AaaAAAH-haahaha!" She gave a sort of mock-shout before it turned into an excited laugh, and she suddenly bolted off, down a rather narrow path mere feet in front of her. Within an instant, she was out of sight. Hita quickly skittered forward, skidding around the corner ungracefully and digging his hands into the ground to slow him down. His fingertips left deep scores in the ground. As soon as he'd found the path that Frecks had rolled down, he caught a tiny glimpse of her headed to the left. He fell silent and stood up, quickly squeezing through the narrow path as best as he could. But, he was quick to find that the path was just a little too narrow, and the sides of his visor scraped against the walls. Without a word, he quickly grabbed his visor and snapped it in half between his fingers without a second thought. Right now, all he cared about was catching up to Frecks _. _ Without his visor, it was easier to navigate through the narrow, winding path.

 

Frecks stuck her tongue out in concentration as she rolled forward quickly, making her way through twists and turns. She was acutely aware of Hita approaching, but didn't look back yet. Instead, she kept her eyes open for a hiding place in the hastily-made obstacles. And, to her pleasure, she found one. Just beyond the narrow path laid a small stretch of the maze, its walls much further apart. A dark patch laid at the bottom of one of the sloppily-made walls, providing a promising hiding spot. Darting forward, the green service gem lodged herself in the small hole in the wall, giving a quick shove against the bubble before she plopped inside the dark nook. Bits of rock crumbled to the floor, leaving a small bit of debris on the ground outside the hole. Frecks fell ungracefully onto her front, but quickly righted herself, sitting on her backside as she stared out the small crevice, to the outside world.

 

Hita turned his head sharply, looking around the area with narrowed eyes. Hita walked carefully around the area, inspecting each and every nook and cranny he could find. He moved as quietly as he possibly could. He knew Frecks couldn't have escaped this place without him seeing, so she had to be somewhere around the crevice-riddled stretch of maze.

Hita spotted a small hole in the wall. It didn't look too special from any of the others, all aside from one tiny detail. From the small spread of debris that lay in front of it, it looked like that crevice had been recently disturbed. Eyeing it suspiciously, Hita walked over to it, slowly lowering himself down. Frecks felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as Hita stopped in front of her hiding place, and she looked around quickly, standing back up on her feet. However, as she stepped backwards, the bubble bumped against the back of the corner she'd backed herself into. She was left to stare up at Hita's face, which filled up her view of the outside world.

Hita narrowed his eyes slightly, silently unmoving for a few moments. Then, he lifted himself, making it seem as though he had left. Frowning heavily, Hita looked at his hands blankly. If he reached in, he risked popping the bubble with his fingers. Catching her out in the open was the best shot he had at keeping the bubble intact. She had to leave the tiny area sooner or later.

Thinking for a moment, Hita stepped to the side, taking a few extra paces in place but staying stationary. He stared intently at the entrance, staying perfectly still. Slowly, Freckledot narrowed her eyes, tapping her chin with one finger. Smirking slightly, the tiny green gem ventured forward a tad, enough to peer up through the entrance of the crevice. There Hita stood, staring intently at her.

"Aha!" Giggling, the tiny gem darted back into her hiding place, scooting herself in the back again. "Nice try, Hita! But you gotta be slicker than that! I know you guys and your tricks."

 

"Okay. Fair enough," Hita said quietly. Suddenly, a deep shadow cast itself over the entrance.  _ Looks like he had to do this the hard way. _ Hita reached in carefully, his hand slowly spreading in front of the bubble. His brow twitched slightly in concentration. He couldn't see the bubble, and one wrong move would-

**Plip!**

Hita's eyes widened, quickly looking over to the hole where his arm rested. He completely dropped his weight to the ground, laying on the floor pitifully.

"Uuuggghhhuhuhuh, nooooo......." he groaned, covering his face up with his other hand. Digging his fingers into his skin, he hissed through his teeth and lowered his face to the floor, looking completely defeated _.  _ Frecks looked up at Hita's hand in surprise, her brows furrowing. She uncurled from where she was crouched and blinked in concern at the giant gem, expression falling.

"Oh, heyyy! Hey, Hita, it's okay!" she called out reassuringly, scurrying over to his hand. It quickly became apparent she couldn't get out of the crevice without touching him. Sticking her tongue out, the tiny green gem clambered over the service gem's hand and forearm, clumsily sliding onto the ground in front of him. She scurried over and pouted, gripping the side of his hand that was covering his face, attempting to pry it off. "Hrrrgh, come on, buddy! That was just your first try! We can do it again! Why... If I wasn't in a bubble, you woulda caught me!" she said encouragingly. Sighing heavily, Hita lowered his hand in front of him, but didn't look at the tiny green service gem. The look in his eyes held far more than mild disappointment, or simple frustration. In their tired depths lay deep-seated exhaustion, a hollow tiredness that worried Frecks. Hita couldn't even look at her. He just dug his sharp fingertips into his forehead and hair, his lip curling up in frustration.

"That's not the point... We've gotta catch you  _ in _ bubbles. What if I just wasn't careful enough? I hate these stupid hands, I hate my stupid teeth, I hate my stupid self... I can't do this right, I can't do anything right." The maroon haired Hematite closed his eyes and dug his fingers into the sides of his head, clawing into his hair. Slowly, he lowered one of his hands over Frecks, forming another silvery-white bubble around her.

"Just... go. I'll catch up later."

Frecks looked around at the new bubble, lifting a hand to her mouth. Quietly, she bit onto one of her fingers, looking back at Hita.

"... Hey." she said quietly, voice softer than usual. Grunting slightly, she nudged herself forward, gently bumping the bubble against the giant gem's nose. Hita peered down at the tiny green gem, his nose twitching slightly. Frecks plastered her hands to the wall of her silvery confines, gazing up at Hita with concern. "...  _ I _ think you're pretty great... teeth and hands and all. You're unique, none of the other Hematites are quite the same as you. I  _ like _ that," she said softly, gripping slightly at the inside of the bubble. “You can do this, okay? Don't let this psyche you out. I know you're not feeling too great right now, but you have really good mission records, don't forget that. Just remember the stuff Hema taught you, and you'll do fine.”

 

Hita's expression softened, brows raising slightly. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that...

Tilting his head up slightly, Hita used the top of his finger to push Frecks back a few inches.

"... Thanks. You should get going. I'm gonna try to do this right, this time," he said softly. Frecks perked up, smiling brightly.

"Aaalright! And, hey! I know you don't feel like it, but you're doing  _ one _ thing right, Hita!" Turning, she rushed off, waving back at him. "You're trying to get better!"

And with that, the tiny gem vanished around the corner. Hita's mouth parted slightly, taking a deep breath. He looked down, brows furrowing in thought.

 

Mati spent the majority of her time scrambling about, mostly running into other paths and wandering until she finally caught sight of her target, the rather snooty Alabaster. Chuckling, Mati made a mad dash for her, holding her hands out to scoop her up if she got close enough. The Alabaster gave a rather ungraceful yelp before turning tail to make a mad dash away, but she misjudged the distance between her bubble and the next turn. Cursing under her breath, she found herself quickly stopped by the gray-haired gem, left to run in place in the still intact bubble. Grumbling, she crossed her arms, sticking her nose up in the air and looking away from the Hematite. Cackling slightly, Mati carefully placed both of her hands around the bubble, holding it gently. Looking over the bubble and its more than grumpy contents, Mati smirked widely.

"Hah! In your face, Tinnyyyyy.~" she called out, holding up into the air. From far across the training area, Tiny popped up in response to Mati's announcement. She frowned deeply, grumpy that the gray-haired gem had beaten her.

"Aw COME on!" she called across the way, the sound rather distant.

 

Meanwhile, the Amethyst was having great luck rolling about. Chuckling quietly, the Amethyst rolled around a corner and glanced behind her to make sure she wasn't being followed.

_ Thump! _

 

Gasping sharply, the Amethyst gasped in shock, staring out in front of her. She'd hit a dead end. Grumbling slightly, the Amethyst turned around and went to roll back the other way. A dark shadow fell over the wall leading to the corned the Amethyst had come around, a huge figure slowly closing in on her location. It seemed that whoever it was, they were skulking around on all fours, keeping hidden below the obstacles. For a moment, a tense silence filled the air, the soft whir of a hunting visor drifting around the corner. But as the giant gem peered around the corner, it quickly became obvious that it was not Tiny...

It was  _ Hema. _

The ivory-haired service gem raised a brow at the purple warrior. Silently, he smirked, sitting up a bit.

"Oooooh Tiny! You're on the wrong side of the course~!"

There was a long pause before a rather flustered voice popped up some distance away.

_ "WHAT?!" _

 

The Amethyst looked back behind her, then back at Hematite with an indignant growl.

"D-Don't just give me away, ya big clod!" she hissed. Grumbling, she rolled out under him and made her way quickly down another path.

 

_ Thnk! _

Aggy was still getting used to the course. She was getting better, but she was still not quite adapted to the momentum that the bubble rolled with. Huffing with strained frustration, Agate kept swerving through the course, rolling out into a crossroad.

 

Hema chuckled and watched the quartz soldier roll off, moving out of the way for them as they passed. He lifted his chin and looked around, checking his radar. Seemed Red was still some distance away. _ Fine, he could go after her later. _ For now, he was more interested in watching Meta or Hita. Peering over the side of one of the walls, the service gem looked around, rather quickly spotting the top of Meta's head some distance away. He made his way over, sure to keep his distance so she wouldn't see him.

The pink-haired gem didn't seem to be really tracking her target at the moment. Instead, she was shuffling around and moving bits of the course, placing them in new locations. Soon enough, she had a section of the maze that only let out in two directions. One, where Agate was quickly approaching from, and the other a few corridors down. Every other path lead to a dead end now, blocked off by pieces of rubble or scrap metal. Carefully, the Hematite settled down around the bend of a sharp turn, frowning deeply as she tried to keep quiet.  _ If Mago was right about the rumors of Hema's first test, maybe this could work. _

 

Agate rolled around one of the corners, but stopped suddenly.  _ Wait... hadn't she been here before? _ She turned her head quickly, nervously scanning the area for any sign of gems. But, she couldn't see them. Frowning, she headed off down one of the paths she thought would be best.  _ All of these looked the same. _ Agate looked down the path she rolled through and peered around every other that she could find. Soon enough, though, she found herself at a dead end as well. Gasping, she turned quickly, rolling back out. She was fast enough to find a different path, hoping she could find a safer route.

 

Meta's eyes widened. From the sounds of it, a bubbled gem was slowly making their way toward the one way forward from her little maze-trap. Quietly, she activated her visor, scanning the immediate area.

_ There we go. Okay, don't mess this up  _ **_now,_ ** _ Meta. _

Hunkering down, the well-built Hematite waited for Agate to come around the final available path.

With rising anxiety, she was starting to get a little antsy, her paranoia increasing with every twist and turn. She knew she couldn't keep this up forever... and, after running into another dead end, she squeaked with frustration, grumbling and slapping the side of her bubble repeatedly in protest.

Meta frowned and waited, her eyes narrowing. All her senses were trained on the Agate wandering nearby, so much so, that she didn't notice the giant, approaching footsteps until they were practically on top of her.

 

"AHA!"

Tiny skidded around a corner, in hot pursuit of her target gem. She cackled deviously as she darted after the bubbled quartz soldier, her tongue sticking out. The two rounded a corner. Tiny looked up in surprise, spotting Meta at the other end of the path. "Nyeheehe, oh I've gotcha now!" she crowed, chasing the purple gem into a 'dead end'. Meta's eyes widened, and she looked over sharply, cursing under her breath.

The short-haired Hematite continued to make noise, suddenly darting forward and snatching up her bubbled target.

"I win," she whispered, holding the bubble up proudly. Agate gasped quietly at Tiny's noisy clattering, and turned in the other direction. Scrambling out of Meta's carefully-laid trap, the tiny gem scurried off, quickly fleeing the area. Meta caught the sound of Agate escaping, and groaned softly. The Amethyst warrior in Tiny's hands grumbled and pressed their hands into the side of the bubble, grimacing nervously at the Hematite. The rambunctious Hematite grinned up at the quartz soldier, sitting up and scurrying away with her.

"See ya, Metaaa!" she called back, blissfully unaware that she'd just ruined her trap. Slowly, Meta laid her forehead on the ground, groaning quietly.

"Uuuugh. Yeah. Bye, Tiny," she muttered grumpily. Finally getting back to her feet, the pink-haired gem continued her hunt after Agate. Mati was finished. Tiny was finished. Hita was probably on the last leg of his hunt.  _ Why was she not surprised? _

 

Meanwhile, Hita continued to hold Frecks up in the air, so she could get their bearings. Frecks narrowed her eyes and looked around the miles-wide clearing, gazing back over at one of the far ends. Her eyes widened as another gem slunk into the maze, the giant holo-screen closing behind them. They were out of view before she could tell who it was. A small flutter of worry rose in her chest, but she shook her head, trying to disregard what she'd seen. After all, if there was trouble, the guards would step in.

"Uhhh let's see. Aha!" Turning the other way, she pointed to Hita's left. "Head that way! Looks like Mati's already finished and Tiny's on her way over.”

“... Any sign of Meta?”

“Hmm. She's over on the other end, looks like she's just kinda wandering. I don't think she's caught Agate yet.”

 

Hita carefully lowered the Peridot, nodding at her thankfully. He frowned heavily, furrowing his brows. Mati was finished. Tiny was successful. He, too, had already caught his target. Only Meta, alone in the maze, was left.

“Hita? Exit's over there,” Frecks repeated, patting the side of the bubble. Having zoned out for a moment, Hita shook his head and stared down at the Peridot. He didn't reply. Instead, his fingertips slowly closed in on the sides of the bubble, until...

_ Plip. _

Frecks gasped quietly when the bubble dropped from under her and she found herself in Hita's palms. The giant gem tilted his chin up.

"Oops. Your bubble popped. Looks like I'll have to start over," Hita said monotonously, slowly raising his hand over the tiny Peridot. Rebubbling her, Hita knelt down carefully on one knee and held out his hand, rolling the bubble off of his palm. "Better get going."

 

Frecks blinked in confusion, tilting her head.

"... Uh. Okay!" she replied uncertainly. Turning around, she scurried off, quickly out of sight. Hita nodded, waiting a moment to give Frecks a head start. After a good minute or so, he trailed after her. From his lax pace, he didn't seem to be in any sort of hurry.

 

Meanwhile, Agate was busy buzzing around a congested part of the maze. Finally having gained her balance, her travelling speed had almost doubled, making it far harder for her lumbering pursuer to stay caught up with her.

At least, she'd thought so.

 

**_THUD._ **

Without warning, Agate's path was suddenly cut off by a massive, looming figure. Fists clenched, Meta frowned down at the striped gem, visor glazed over. Quickly leaning down toward the bubbled gem, the pink-haired Hematite reached her hands out, teeth grit.

Agate's eyes widened, and a jolt of fear stabbed up her form. Meta looked furious. Squealing in horror, she turned around to bolt in the other direction, but she was moving too quickly to stop. At the tiny gem's shriek, Meta winced heavily **,** quickly retracting her hands, eyes wide. Her breathing hitched, and she froze up, numbly watching the bubble roll into her foot. She made no move to grab it. Agate sat up, having tumbled onto her front. She and Meta met eyes for a long, tense moment. Agate was the first to snap herself out of her shock, and she seized the opportunity to escape. She turned around and scrambled forward, the silvery sphere making its way back down the path.

 

The giant gem was frozen in place for a long moment, staring blankly ahead. However, once she finally processed that Agate had run off again, she stood up, shaking her head. Frowning, she chased after the striped gem, turning off her visor. Agate scrambled around a corner, bumping into one of the walls slightly. Panting heavily, she quickly turned her head. Meta hadn't caught up with her yet.

_ Hey... keep this up, and you'll be out of that prison in no time! If you can avoid the biggest Hematite they've got, you can get away from any of them! _

An exuberant chill ran up Agate's spine, and a new, strange warmth stirred in her chest. Freedom... it was so close. To think, it was a simple matter of one test. One horrible game of hide-and-seek stood between her, and shedding her shackles she'd been working so hard to break from. With a new fire in her chest, Agate rushed forward, weaving her way down hall after hall. Her eyes were bright, and a small, but confident smile graced her lips.

However, it was not to last. Though she gave it her all, filled with newfound determination to avoid capture... Agate still found herself in the throes of luck's folly. Quite suddenly... she skidded to a halt in an inescapable dead end. She bumped against the tall, makeshift wall, and stumbled onto her backside. She glared up at the obstacle, chest rising and falling rapidly. Before she could even process she was stuck, the ground began to shake below her. Quickly, Meta came around a bend, staring down the corridor down at the striped gem.

"... Come on, Agate. Let's make this easy," she said gently _ , _ stepping forward with her hands extended. Agate was backed up in the corner, her back plastered against the bubble. She swallowed thickly, shaking her head.

"N-No! You don't understand! I-If I can't avoid you, then I'm gonna be stuck as a prisoner forever! I have to try!" she growled boldly. She scrambled to her feet and rolled forward, making a mad dash towards Meta's feet. Frowning, Meta sighed and bent over, casually cupping her hands and reaching for the gem. She picked the bubble up easily.

"That's during the  _ real _ test, Agate. Not this. I just... want this one to be over." Standing straight, she gazed down at the striped gem in concern. “... I'm sorry for scaring you back there,” she said quietly, making her way toward the outside edge of the maze so she could get back to the meeting place more easily. Agate sat down in the bubble, crossing her arms with a heavy sigh.

"Woulda mattered if it  _ was _ the real test." She glanced up. “... S'fine,” she grumbled under her breath. As soon as Meta stepped out of the obstacle course, she looked around, raising a brow as someone snuck their way into the maze.

“Hm. Looks like someone's still tracking.” Meta pursed her lips, turning her attention to Tiny and Mati standing far across the clearing. She made her way over, keeping a leisurely pace. Not a few steps down the clearing, she realized that while Mati and Tiny had finished their task, Hita was nowhere to be seen. And, if he hadn't finished yet... she wasn't the last to finish the exercise.

Meta felt herself smile faintly in relief. It faded quickly, and she mentally chastised herself for being happy that Hita hadn't passed the exercise. That wasn't fair to him. With a small frown, Meta looked over her shoulder, gazing back at the maze. She kept her eyes peeled for a tuft of maroon hair, the glint of his familiar, pink visor, any sign of him. No such luck. Wherever he was, it seemed he was keeping a low profile.

Well, knowing him, he'd be done soon. With a small, self-assuring nod, Meta turned forward and quickened her pace. She earned this. She deserved to enjoy her little victory. She just hoped Hita would join her soon.

 

Frecks stuck out her tongue, darting around corner after corner. She wasn't sure how close behind Hita was, but she felt it was safe to assume he wasn't too far off. He never seemed to be.

 

Hita was lagging behind a bit. He'd since summoned a new visor to replace the one he broke, but it appeared dormant for the time being. The giant gem meandered around corner after corner, sniffing around for his elusive target. Every now and then, he stopped to peer closely at the artificial blockades Hema ordered. His pace was slow- leisurely, even. Hita stopped, his eye caught by a partition of broken-up wall. Something glinted on its surface. Raising a brow, Hita leaned down, resting a hand next to the small, iridescent patch that laid on the rough surface. Bearing all sorts of hues between green and blue, an uneven rash of scale-like minerals laid on the broken piece of wall.

Just as he lifted a finger to pick at the reflective patch, Hita perked up as a bubbled gem whirled around the corner next to him. He looked at it sharply. To his surprise, while he'd expected to see Frecks, He found himself locking eyes with none other than Hema's Pink Pearl. Red skidded to a quick halt, the tiny gem staring up at Hita for a moment. She looked him over and smiled faintly.

“Getting a bit distracted?” she asked.

“Oh, uh. Just taking a break. Found something that caught my eye,” he replied almost meekly. Red chuckled softly, glancing off to the side for a moment.

"Neat! Hmhm, good luck!" she said, turning and running off in the other direction. Cheeks flushing a faint red hue, Hita blinked in confusion. He stood up and shook himself out of his momentary surprise. His visor whirred to life, and he looked back over his shoulder, frowning faintly. He headed back into the heart of the maze, heading towards a green dot of color on his radar.

Hita managed to find the general area where Frecks' signal was coming from. He was practically on top of it. His pace slowed to a near-crawl, and he made sure to carefully check every nook and cranny he passed. No path was left un-checked, no hiding place unnoticed. For a good few minutes, he remained directly on top of Frecks' signal, yet, there was no sign of her.

Hita stood up straight, scratching the back of his head.  _ If she was so close by, why wasn't he able to find her? She couldn't be one step ahead of him this whole time, could she? Surely he would have seen her by now.  _ Brows raising faintly, Hita suddenly froze.

_ If she wasn't one step  _ ahead _ of him... _

Grimacing in embarrassment, Hita slowly turned around. Before he could so much as blink, something darted between his feet, rushing ahead of him.

"Gotta keep on your toes, Hita!" Frecks called up, running towards to a narrow path that lay ahead. Springing to action, Hita picked up the pace, gradually gaining speed as he ran just as he'd done before. His eyes locked onto the tiny service gem, Hita got down on all fours and pounced again, but this time he landed behind the Peridot instead of practically on top of her. He darted around her, cutting off her path. Claws leaving deep scores in the ground, he turned towards the tiny gem that was still rolling quickly towards him and held out his hands.

With intense focus, he cupped his hands around Frecks's bubble, stopping its momentum. He gasped quietly as it made contact with his palms. His eyes widened, his hair standing on end. Every fiber of his being, in that moment, told him to grasp the bubble firmly, to keep Frecks from escaping. But, he held himself together.  _ Don't flinch. _

Slowly, Hita lifted the tiny gem to his face. His palms pressed lightly on the bubble's sides, and his fingertips hovered away from its surface. Frecks took a moment to recover from falling on her behind again, but once she did, she sat up and smiled at the giant gem.

"Alright Hita! Twice in a row!" Clapping once, she gazed up at him. "That was a lot better! Good gob," she said encouragingly, nodding as she looked around.

"Now, how about we get back to the other side of the clearing? I'm sure the others must be waiting."

 

Hita blinked and poked his tooth into his lower lip.

“... Yeah, sure. Point me in the right direction,” he said as he lifted her up. A heavy sigh escaped him as he waited with bated breath. “Is everyone else done?”

 

Narrowing her eyes, she lifted a hand over her face, peering to the east.

"... Oh, yeah! Looks like Meta's heading over!" she called down, smiling. "Let's follow after her! I think Hema's still out there, somewhere.”

 

Hita closed his eyes and sighed with relief, slowly lowering the Peridot closer to his chest.  _ Oh thank stars. _ With Frecks in tow, he finally made his way back to the rest of the group.

Meta sighed quietly as she walked into the small where Tiny and Mati were settled. She looked down at the bubble in her hands before looking back over her shoulder, surprised to see Hita a little ways down the course. The tiniest smile crossed her face. Turning back to the other two, Meta raised a brow, frowning faintly.  _ Where was Hema? Weren't they supposed to bring their targets back to him? _ Looking out to the huge maze, she narrowed her eyes.

  
  


Red's eyes were trained to the path ahead as she carefully maneuvered around each twist and turn. While she stumbled and slowed every few steps initially, her pace was smooth and quick, now. Even as she focused on making her smooth way through the maze, she couldn't help but wonder why Hema hadn't found her yet.

 

A breeze blew through the Cove, whistling ominously through the obstacles surrounding the bubbled, lone target. The silence lay heavy on the air, until Red quickly approached a U-turn in the path. Something around the next bend shifted quietly, out of sight. A dark shadow cast itself over the path before it stopped moving, laying in wait. The soft whirring of a hunting visor drifted from behind the corner. Red stopped completely, narrowing her eyes. She held still, not even daring to breathe, should the giant gem around the corner hear her. Turning silently, she made a move to run back the way she came. But, to Red's surprise, a shadow quickly fell upon her. Within mere moments, the bubble lifted off the ground, brought to an abrupt halt. Clawed fingers surrounded the silvery confines, gripping it just carefully enough not to pop it.

"Well, well, well. You're new,~" cooed a voice, unfamiliar to the Pearl. The giant gem lifted the bubble up slightly and turned it towards her. With a casual roll of her neck, she smirked, her long black hair falling over her shoulders. Red scrambled back in her bubble, glowering up at the newcoming gem.

 

"Wha-?! Hey, put me down, you-” Red's cheeks puffed out, a low grumble in her chest as she stifled herself. She quickly sat up and stood to her feet, standing with as much poise as she could manage. “Excuse me, you're supposed to catch your  _ own _ target!" she scolded, crossing her arms over her chest. Standing up straight, Mago perched the bubble up on her fingertips, precariously holding Red up to her face.

"Targets, huh? Is this part of Pipsqueak's lessons?" she asked in a condescending manner. Her visor whirred quietly and gave off a soft click as it locked onto Red's gem."A Pink Pearl? I've never seen your kind before," she said curiously, nibbling her lip as she sized up the tiny gem. Red felt an uncomfortable prickle bite at her skin as she stared up at the giant gem. Furrowing her brows, she looked away, refusing to make any sort of eye contact.

"Yes, it is. I'm not sure how you got in here, but unless you are partaking in such tests then put me  _ down!"  _ Smirking, Mago flicked her free hand over her visor, eyes now visible through the screen.

"And what if I  _ am _ taking this test, hm? Seems I caught you fair and square." Her fingers tightened on the bubble, making it squeak quietly, threatening to pop. "Sooo, whose Pearl are ya? What's a dainty little thing like you doing in a place like this?"

 

Red glanced over the side of the bubble, hugging her arms closer to her chest.

"Hmph! If you  _ were _ a part of the test, you'd know that you're supposed to catch your own targets,” she huffed, deflecting Mago's question. The giant gem slowly frowned, not replying. Her gaze burned down at the tiny Pearl, making her feel even smaller than she already did. Red fidgeted subtly, gritting her teeth. “... Hematite's. I'm the Pearl of White Diamond's Hematite," she said, pursing her lips indignantly. Mago paused, going silent. The air around her suddenly cooled considerably, chilling the bubble in her grasp. A soft, forced chuckle escaped her.

"You. Belong to Hema? Pipsqueak has his own Pearl? Weeeell isn't that just  _ great _ for him? What did he ever do to deserve his own service gem?" she said with a trace of bitterness in her voice. She slowly brought the bubble closer to her face. Red blinked, looking around quickly.

"Put me down this instant!" the Pink Pearl demanded, clenching her fists tightly. "You shouldn't be on this course!"

 

Narrowing her eyes, Mago grinned slyly.

"Who's gonna make me leave?  _ You?" _ she asked sarcastically, claws closing in on the bubble again.

 

Red's brows furrowed more, the faintest trace of sweat forming on her brow.

"I... Hematite will! You're not supposed to pop these!" she said, glancing up at the claws that started to dig into the exterior of the silvery safe haven.

 

"Oh? Well then isn't  _ this _ unfortunate."

_ Plip! _

"Woops~" Quickly, the service gem clutched her hand around the Pink Pearl, her clawed fingers forming a cage around her. "You know, I don't really appreciate your tone. You're awfully bossy for such a little thing."

 

Red gasped sharply, scrambling back in Mago's hand. Shoving her palms against Mago's fingers, she grabbed at them and tried to squeeze her way out.

"Let go of me, you-! You don't know what you're doing!" she shouted desperately, flooded with frustration and panic. Scoffing, the giant gem closed her hand around her captive entirely, holding her arms at her sides.

"Oh trust me, I know exactly what I'm doing." She held the gem closer to her face, eyes narrowing. But, before she could make another move, a voice called out from behind her. Mago stopped, grimaced, and grumbled under her breath, “Tch, I knew I heard someone comin'.”

"Mago! What are you doing in here?!" Hema demanded, flicking his hunting visor from his eyes as he stormed over. Gasping sharply, Red shoved herself against Mago's hand and grunted, realizing she was stuck fast. She lifted her arms, trying to lean to the side to spot Hema behind Mago.

"Sir!"

 

Mago pursed her lips, putting a hand on her hip as she turned around, staring at the approaching Hematite.

"Yooo pipsqueak." Slowly grinning, she gestured her hand that held the Pink Pearl. "Lose something?~" she sneered, snickering. Hema bristled indignantly, eyes widening.

"Put her down, Mago! You aren't even supposed to be in here!" He rushed over, reaching to take Red back. Mago quickly lifted her arm over her head, moving her free hand to hold the shorter service gem back.

"Heheh, you'd be surprised how gullible those guards are. And... nahhh. I think I'll hold onto this one for a while. She's cute.~"

 

Red grumbled with annoyance, her hands prying at the inside of Mago's hand.

"OOoohh let go of me you insufferable-!”

 

Hema grit his teeth, scrambling to reach up for the pink gem. But, Mago had a height advantage over him, and was making sure to use it.

"Awww what's the matter, Pipsqueak? What, do you care about her or something?~" she crooned with dripping sarcasm, grinning deviously down at the smaller gem. Hema grit his teeth, digging his clawed fingers into her sleeve as he tried to pull her arm down.

"Yeah, I do! Not that  _ you _ would know anything about that!" he snapped without thinking. Mago stiffened, wincing slightly. She froze up. Hema blinked and frowned as he tugged her arm down and forced her hand open, carefully taking Red from her. He quickly backed up, holding the tiny gem close. "Leave, Mago. This course is for gems who actually want to learn something, not for gems that want to cause trouble."

Mago wore a forced, weak smirk, brows furrowed as she lowered her hand. She scoffed and looked away, crossing her arms.

"Right. Will do, Hematite!" she said rather sharply, turning and walking away from the two.

 

Red peeked out from Hematite's hand, glancing reluctantly between them both. She glowered over at the taller gem as she left. What was that all about? What was  _ her _ problem?

"Sir, we should get back to the rest. I think everyone's completed the course..." she said, clearing her throat.

 

Hema stiffly watched Mago leave, waiting until she was far out of sight to even move. Sighing slowly through his nose, he stood straight and looked down at the Pearl, holding her up to his shoulder.

"Right. Sorry I didn't get over here sooner... I hope she didn't hurt you," he said quietly, starting to make his way out of the maze. Red brushed herself off, hopping up on Hema's shoulder with her head held high.

"Don't worry sir. I'm fine now, thanks to you," she said, frowning slightly.

 

The ivory-haired gem gave the Pearl an unsure glance, not responding past a soft 'hmm'. He turned his attention forward, soon stepping into the small clearing around the entire maze. He spotted Mago making her way out through the cove entrance, quickly vanishing from sight. The holo-screen closed behind her. Rolling his eyes, Hema walked down toward the clearing, his arms folded behind him. His mind clouded with bitter, annoyed thoughts towards the troublesome gem. He frowned uncertainly for a moment… but the expression quickly cleared as he looked down at Red. 

\--

A few minutes later, the two finally made their way back to the clearing. Hema glanced over all four of the gems, smiling with a nod of approval.

"Well done, everyone! I trust you all completed your task in a decent amount of time, and followed the rules. Perform like this during the Harvest Moon, and you'll be just fine."

 

Mati waved her hand in a sassy, dismissive manner and chuckled.

_ “ _ Of course I'll do fine, I love chasing stuff around!” Glancing sidelong at the bubbled Peridot in Hita's hands, Mati smiled deviously. Hita didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, and in fact, seemed to be staring off into space. It took Hema staring at him expectantly, motioning to Frecks' bubble, for him to snap out of it. Turning his attention back down the the bubbled gem in his hands, he lifted a single finger and tapped it gently, popping it.

 

Frecks shook herself off after the bubble popped, giggling softly as her feet touched back down onto Hita's hand. She stepped forward and grabbed onto the giant gem's finger, gazing down at Hema. Meta looked down at her own bubbled target and lifted a hand, popping the silvery confines and releasing the Agate. Tiny did the same with her bubble, cupping her hands around the quartz soldier. Mati's Alabaster was already released from their bubble, standing grumpily off to the side.

Hema watched them and straightened up.

"Now... I know I was supposed to give two more lessons, but I'm afraid I'm out of ideas of ways to teach you. The best thing I can suggest is that you practice the methods we've used here, one way or another, and that you keep your skills sharp. This obstacle course will be up at the end of each week, to help you practice if you want. The target gems will be here, and the managers watching them have been given very careful instructions on what to let you all do, to practice. The Harvest Moon is in a mere eight rotations." He lifted his chin. "Do your best. Use your wits. Be careful, be mindful. Don't forget what you've learned here," he said professionally, standing tall. Tiny smiled proudly and stood a little straighter, a determined gleam in her eyes. Meta managed a tiny, half-hearted ghost of a smile before looking at Hita. The tired Hematite was staring blankly down at Frecks.

Tiny slowly put her own target down, gently patting her back to usher her away. Looking down at the Agate in her palm, Meta forced a small smile and knelt to one knee, putting her hand on the ground. The amethyst looked up at Tiny, turning to face her wordlessly. As if looking her over, she moved her head up and down to look over the Hematite, but turned quickly again to rush back into the crowd.

Agate rubbed the back of her head, returning Meta's smile.

"You did great today," she said encouragingly, before turning shyly and rushing off behind the Amethyst.

Leaning down slowly, Hita reached out his hand to let Frecks off.

"Thanks, Frecks," he said, raising his brows slightly.

 

Frecks tilted her head back, staring up at the giant gem. The Peridot, oddly enough, didn't climb out of Hita's hand right away. She blinked up at him before snapping her attention forward again, raising her hand. Hema arched a brow, looking around. He turned back to her, pursing his lips.

"Yyyyes, Frecks?" he asked curiously. The freckled service gem smiled and lowered her hand, resting it on the tip of Hita's clawed finger.

"Can I stick around with Hita? White gave me the rest of the day off, so I don't have to get going anywhere."

 

Hita blinked, his brows raising in confusion. Glancing away awkwardly, he poked his tooth gently into his lower lip. Hema tilted his head slightly, looking Hita in the face for a moment. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I don't see why not. So long as you return to the Archives by tonight, that should be fine. If Hita's alright with it, that is."

The tiny green gem smiled hopefully and looked back at the Hematite holding her. Hita looked quickly between Frecks and Hema, standing up carefully.

"I mean... sure? If she wants to, I don't see why not. Not like I've got anything else to do today." He said, shrugging a shoulder slightly. Mati gasped and eyed the Peridot in Hita's hands. Grumbling, she went off after Tiny.

Hema crouched down and picked up Frecks' limb enhancers. Hita walked over and took them from him as Hema looked up at him.

"Here you go. You two have uh... 'fun', I guess!" he said politely, offering the taller Hematite a smile. Blinking slowly, Hita stared at the limb enhancers in Hema's hands, then looked at him. He curled up the corner of his mouth, one of his side fangs visible. It looked more like an awkward sneer than a smile, and he took the limb enhancers without breaking eye contact.

"Have a good day," he said quietly, handing Frecks her belongings. Frecks smiled and held her gem tech close after Hita handed it to her. Hema blinked, smiling lopsidedly at the maroon haired service gem before he headed off in the other direction. Hita spared Meta a glance before making his way out of the Cove. Hema folded his arms behind him, giving a soft 'hm'. After the maroon-haired Hematite was out of earshot, he looked up at Meta.

"He's an odd one." Hema trusted her judgement at this point. Meta sniffed once and looked down at the shorter gem, her expression unreadable. She turned her gaze back up, watching Hita leave with the Peridot. After a moment, the tiniest smile crossed her face.

"Yeah. He is," she said quietly. With that, she drew a hand from her pocket, placing it on Hema's head. The service gem stiffened for a moment, but quickly relaxed, glancing sidelong at the taller gem. Without looking down at him, she ruffled his hair. "Thanks for the lessons." Withdrawing her hand, she put it back in her pocket, walking off toward the cove exit. Red watched curiously as Meta walked off. She gently nudged Hema, smiling up at him.

"You did great, sir!" she whispered to him, crossing one leg over the other.

 

Hema lifted a hand to fix his hair, staring after the larger Hematite. At first, he didn't even respond to the Pearl on his shoulder.

"... Huh? Oh!" He chuckled awkwardly, running his fingers through his hair. "Thanks... It definitely could have gone worse! Hopefully they all learned something valuable." The service gem looked to his right, watching the rebel gems walk off.  _ Right, time to get this place cleaned up. _

 

Hita was silent for most of the way back to his territory. Thankfully, it wasn't too far off from the Cove, so the walk didn’t take very long. Occasionally, he'd glance down at the energetic Peridot in his hands. He turned around a corner. A long hall stretched in front of the Hematite, scored with strange markings. Thick, clawed scratches marred the stone walls, increasing in frequency the closer Hita drew to a small branching path. Frecks looked around at the walls, her small smile fading over time. She nibbled her lip quietly, turning on her diamond pad to take a few pictures.  _ Well, perhaps they were just to mark his territory. _ Some of the other Hematites did similar things, if she remembered correctly.

"So uh, good job back there, Hita! Ya caught me twice! I'm sure you'll do great during the real test," she said with a chipper tone, looking up at the Hematite. Hita glanced down at her, frowning faintly.

"We'll see," he said. Drawing his gaze forward, he turned left into the branching path littered with scratch marks. The further he walked, the more scarred the walls became. Eventually, Hita entered a more open area. Large, flat topped boulders jutting from the ground here and there. All along the walls, wide, flat ledges Smacking his lips, Hita walked over to one of the flat topped boulders and kneeled down, placing the tiny Peridot on the ground. Suddenly he stood up, stretching his arms behind his neck with a tired grunt. Then, turning to the boulder, Hita clumsily flopped down over the top, his lanky form draped ungracefully across. "MMmmmggghhh."

 

Clutching her limb enhancers close, the tiny green gem steadied herself, looking up as Hita flopped over one of the boulders that littered the clearing. At first, she made no move to bother the maroon-haired service gem. Instead, she put her leg enhancers back on and scurried around, taking video and pictures of the area Hita called 'home'. Her metallic feet clunked along the rock floor as she wandered to and fro. Lifting her diamond pad, she took a picture of a rather deep claw mark.

"... Did you get in a fight in here, Hita? Or..."

 

Hita remained fairly motionless on the boulder, oddly comfortable looking despite laying down in such an awkward position.

"Nah. I just like to scratch." He replied monotonously, glancing up to the walls for a moment. "Besides...I don't really like to fight, honestly..."

 

"Oooh. Does scratching help you relax, or is it for claw maintenance?" she asked curiously, making her way over to some shallower marks. She reached up, running her hand along the small grooves in the stone.

 

Grumbling silently, Hita shifted onto his back, splaying his arms out to his sides.

"Relax? Something like that, I guess." Lifting his hand up, he motioned his fingers slightly, looking over their tapered ends. "It sounds odd. It feels odd, and it helps me clear my head and focus on something."

Frecks looked over her shoulder, smiling.

"Aaah, gotcha. I was just wondering, because Hema cleans his for maintenance purposes!" she said rhetorically. Scurrying back over, the Peridot stopped at the foot of the large boulder Hita laid upon. She tapped her foot, pursing her lips. "... Hita, would you mind if I gathered some data on your form? I'm afraid I don't have much info on you yet, aside from what's in your mission reports."

 

From atop the boulder, Hita raised his arm, waving dismissively.

"Mggh… Sure, if you want," he said quietly.

 

Grinning brightly, the tiny green gem tapped her feet together in turn, a soft thrum sounding from her leg enhancers. Without wasting another moment, she ran up to the sloped side of the boulder, effortlessly running up the near vertical surface. Her leg enhancers stuck to the rock easily, letting her scale the rock face with little effort. She eventually clambered up to Hita's side, sticking out her tongue as she latched onto his suit with one hand. Putting her diamond pad between her teeth, she grabbed on with the other, climbing up his side. Pulling herself up, she huffed quietly and returned to holding her gem tech with her hand as she stepped over to the service gem's chest. She tapped her diamond pad's screen, pulling up a few empty files.

 

Hita remained still, glancing down for a moment when he felt Frecks standing on top of him. He lifted his head slightly, raising a brow. He didn't say anything. The Peridot didn't pay him much mind at first. She seemed busy sorting out some files on her gem pad.

"Aaaalright. So I'm just gonna take some basic measurements like height later, when you're on a flatter surface. So for now, could you move your hand up here?" Tapping on a file, she brought up a small projection, which appeared to be some kind of measuring tool. "Oh! And I'll need to get a good look at your gem, if that's alright." Looking over, she shot him a reassuring smile. "I'll make sure to be careful."

 

Blinking slowly, Hita looked at his hand again, then to the projection screen. Moving it forward, he lined it up as best as he could against the hologram.

"That sounds fine to me.”

 

The Peridot looked over at the huge hand, holding her diamond pad up to it. It chirped quietly and scanned along Hita's palm, taking a few different measurements. Length of his fingers, the whole hand, etc. The scan completed in a few seconds, and Frecks nodded in approval.

"Alright, that part's done." Looking over to his neck, the tiny gem pursed her lips. She glanced up at his face for a moment before walking a bit closer, glancing between his gemstone and his eyes. "I'm just gonna get some measurements on this too. Take some pictures... that sort of thing."

 

Hita narrowed one of his eyes, but slowly leaned his head back without a word, completely exposing his gemstone at the top of his neck.

 

Giving an awkward half-smile, the green gem looked down at her leg enhancers, taking them off in turn and carefully dropping them down off to the side of Hita's shoulder. After depositing the gem tech, she looked over at his neck and swallowed quietly, smile fading. Carefully, the tiny gem stepped onto Hita's collar, holding herself steady. Sticking her tongue out, she moved her hands out in front of her, moving to rest on her knees instead of walking along the Hematite's neck. After a moment, she scooted forward, now close enough to get a good view of the large silvery stone. Sitting up, she smiled faintly and tapped something on her diamond pad, taking out the measuring tool again.

"Aaalright, just stay still for me..." she said quietly, turning the gem tech around to scan the gemstone. It chirped softly, doing a much slower, more thorough scan of the silvery gem.

 

Hita's lip twitched slightly, but other than that he remained stationary. It felt strange having such a small gem literally crawling over him...especially on his neck. Slowly, Hita tapped one of his fingers idly on the stone next to him. He stared up at the sky, focusing intently on a wisp of cloud that floated high above.

 

The scan took a solid few minutes _ , _ as opposed to the rather quick one done to the giant gem's hand. Freckledot was taking her time getting a full visual on the whole gemstone, scanning it from multiple angles best she could.

"Oookay, almost done!" she called up, gently patting his neck with a smile. Her diamond pad gave one final chirp as it completed its scan. "Aha!" Grinning with satisfaction, the tiny gem scooted back and climbed back onto Hita's chest, turning to look at him. She tapped the gem tech's screen and pulled up a hologram of the gemstone. It slowly spun around, giving a full 3-D view of the silvery stone. "See? Isn't that neat? I hope to get scans on all the Hematites' gems one day."

 

Hita moved his hand up, gently running the end of his finger across his gem for a second. Slowly, he lifted his head to look at the tiny Peridot curiously. Despite her words, he didn't seem really phased. At least outwardly.

"Uh… Good luck with that, might not be the safest thing, if the others even agree to that," he said half-sarcastic seriousness.

 

Frecks looked up at the hologram, her expression falling. With a soft sigh, she plopped down, crossing her legs.

"Yeaah..." she said quietly, pursing her lips. She motioned her fingers over the projection, turning the virtual gemstone over. "Well... I'd like to get a  _ few, _ at least. You're only the second one to let me."

Smacking his lips, Hita raised a brow, but slowly lowered his head back down to rest on the side of the boulder.

"Who was the first?..."

The Peridot pouted and flicked to another file, looking it over idly.

"Hema. He let me scan his gem a while ago. Everyone else I've asked said no, or..." Frecks trailed off. Shaking her head, she frowned, distracting herself by flipping through a few more tables on her screen. She went quiet.

Hita stayed still, tapping his finger again on the boulder. Occasionally he stopped to drag his nail an inch or two against the surface. He narrowed his eyes slightly, staring up at the sky. Then, after a weighty pause, he added, "He seems like a nice gem."

 

Frecks perked up, forcing a small smile.

"He is! He's really sweet, he's brought me tea a few times while I was working, and stays with me sometimes when I have late nights organizing archives." She lifted a hand and scratched at her cheek, grinning shyly. "Iiii hoped that all the Hematites were as nice as him, but. I guess that was wishful thinking. U-uh, not that some of the others I've met aren't nice!" she said quickly, giving a nervous laugh. "Y-you're not so bad, and Mati helped me out one night..."

Hita glanced up at the passing clouds, his expression unreadable.

"... Meta's pretty nice, if you actually talk to her. I don’t have much to say to say on the others.”

“Don’t know anything about them, huh?”

“I didn’t say that,” he replied simply. Frecks’ brows raised, an intrigued glint in her eyes. Hita added, with a dismissive wave of his hand, “I digress. I’m not fond of a few of them, but I couldn’t really say if any of them are like Hema. I don’t know him well enough.”

 

Looking up at the gem, the Peridot tilted her head curiously.

"... So, Meta, huh? Do you think she’d let me scan her gem? She seems like she'd rather be alone, most of the time."

Hita looked down without moving his head, but glanced back up at the sky to watch a thin cloud.

"Tell her I sent you, that might do the trick."

Frecks blinked and pursed her lips, scratching her cheek again.

"Uh. Alright?" After a moment, she shrugged, looking up at the sky as well. The two sat in silence for a few minutes before the green service gem finally glanced down, turning her head back to the maroon-haired gem. She bit her lip, looking as if she wanted to say something. Hita zoned out, gazing up at the pleasantly-blue afternoon sky. His chest rose and fell steadily, until it slowed to a shallow, tired pace. His eyes gradually closed, his hand on the boulder relaxing.

 

"... Heeey. Hita? Would you mind if I took a look at your teeth?" Frecks asked softly, holding her diamond pad up to her chin. Eyes snapping open, Hita tilted his head up to look at the tiny service gem, staring down at her.

"Uh... I don't really...  _ mind,  _ exactly _ ," _ he said, nervously poking his tooth into his lower lip. "Why, though?”

 

The service gem moved the diamond pad a little further up her face, now covering the entire lower half.

"Well. It's part of my research. So many of the Hematites have really unique sets of teeth, and there's almost no records on them. And, besides! Yours are some of the most interesting!" she said politely, tapping the bottoms of her feet together. Hita smacked his lips, furrowing a brow.

"You really think they're interesting…? Hemmi thinks they're stupid," he said, glancing away with a small frown. Without missing a beat, Frecks lowered her diamond pad from her mouth and smacked her lips once.

"Hemmi's a clod," she said simply, still smiling. Blinking, Hita looked back at the Peridot, making a small noise akin to a chuckle.

"… I like you,” he said quietly, his eyes half lidded. Peering down at the Peridot with a bored expression, Hita propped himself up just slightly so that he wouldn't have to keep his head in such an awkward position. The tiny green gem perked up, clinging onto the giant gem's suit best she could so she wouldn't tumble back.

"I like you too, Hita! You actually seem like a pretty cool gem, compared to some of the others!” she said in a rather unreadable tone. “... Anyways. Uhm. So, is that a ‘yes’ on the teeth?”

"Just uh....be careful, alright?... These things aren't exactly... 'safe' to be around," he said, tapping his tooth with a single finger. Again, without missing a beat, the Peridot stood up and held her diamond pad close, a forced smile on her face.

"Oh, trust me. I'm aware of this," she said in an awfully cheery tone. "Maybe you should move to lay on your front. This might not be the best angle," she said simply. Looking to his side, Hita held his hand behind the Peridot and sat up, catching her as she slid back a few feet. Carefully, he shifted around to lay on his chest and placed her out in front of him.

"Is this better?”

The tiny gem looked up and stepped forward a pace, pursing her lips as she tapped her chin.

"Hmmm. Yes, much." Smiling, she nodded and looked down at her diamond pad, bringing up the measuring tool once more. Stepping forward to his face, Frecks clicked her tongue idly a few times, opening an empty file. "Oookay. Just hold still for this part," she instructed quietly, holding the diamond pad up to his front tooth. The tiny gem smiled to herself, staring at the Hematite's tooth with undisguised intrigue. "So don't move or anything, but. Thanks for letting me do this, Hita. You guys all have such unique builds and quirks, it's nice to get some new data for once. And it's been a blast hanging out with you guys during these lessons and stuff. I know you must be stressed about the Harvest Moon, but. I think if you really put your mind to it and make sure you don’t crack under the pressure, you'll do great." She glanced up at him for a moment. "And if you find it hard to motivate yourself... Try and find something to ground yourself. Give yourself a reason to pass. Find a  _ reason _ to try and stay here on Homeworld." She looked down at her work again, with a weak smile. "Even if it seems like something 'silly'. Sometimes that helps."

Hita’s brows raised, the corner of his mouth twitching. He looked away. Frecks carried on scanning his front tooth as he glanced around thoughtfully and stayed still. The only sounds that drifted on the damp air of the Kindergarten chasm were the soft beeps of Frecks’ diamond pad, and the chill winds that bit at the tops of the cliff side walls. A few minutes passed before Hita finally looked back at the tiny gem. His eyes fixed intently on her, without him noticing.

_ Chirp! _

"Ah, all done with that one!" she said promptly, standing straight. "Alright, you can move now." Frecks looked up, but her smile vanished as she locked eyes with the giant gem. He was staring intently at her. For a short moment, time seemed to stand still. Hita seemed to notice the awkward pause, and blinked rapidly before looking away. The Peridot swallowed quietly, shaking her head.  _ He sure does stare a lot. I can’t tell if he’s curious, or annoyed, though... _

"... Hiiiita? Whenever you're ready, dooo you mind opening up your mouth, so I can scan the inside too?" she asked quietly, covering her chin with her diamond pad.

Hita glanced down at the patch of rock in front of Frecks, then back up to her. A hesitant groan rose in his throat as he licked the back of his front tooth. He made a soft sound of resignation escaped him before he sighed and opened his mouth, staring off at the opposite wall. The tiny gem stifled a shiver that ran up her spine, but she bravely stepped forward, holding her diamond pad close.

"Okay, don't move while I do this. I'll be careful." Taking a deep breath, the service gem looked down at her diamond pad and leaned a bit closer, holding the gem tech behind Hita's front tooth. The device gave a soft chirp and started scanning, whirring quietly.

Hita tapped his fingers idly on the boulder he lay on, trying to avoid looking at the tiny green gem leaning into his mouth. He kept quiet and as unmoving as he could, aside from his fingers drumming on the rock.

Giving a chirp, the diamond pad completed its first scan. Frecks smiled faintly, pulling her arm back out and flicking something on the screen, bringing up another file.

"Oookay, I'm gonna scan the others. Hold still for me, alright?" she called up, turning her attention back to the giant gem's mouth. Swallowing nervously, she stepped a bit closer, carefully placing a hand on his tongue.

“Eh?!” Hita's eyes widened slightly, his tongue twitching back. Digging his claws into the rock's surface, he pulled back, staring down at the tiny gem. Frecks quickly flinched back, taking a few paces away, eyes wide.

"Ah! S-sorry, is something wrong?" she asked nervously, holding her hand close as she looked up at the giant gem.

Hita closed his mouth, looking away. He licked the back of his front tooth again, muttering to himself. Taking a deep breath through his nose, he shook his head.

"Mm... It's fine. Sorry,” he said, laying his head down and opening his mouth again; But this time, he closed his eyes.

Smiling weakly, the tiny gem stepped forward again, patting his cheek once. She leaned forward again, propping herself on her hand as she leaned in slightly, looking around in surprise. Putting her diamond pad between her teeth again, she steeled her nerves, hoisting herself up onto the service gem's tongue. Hita looked up sharply at the wall across the clearing. His brows furrowed in worry, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Now on her hands and knees, Frecks looked around, eyes wide. Sitting up, she took her diamond pad from between her teeth and flicked it over to the measuring device, holding it up to a few of the rather odd-looking molars lining the harvester's mouth. They were sharp and cone-shaped, and there were far fewer than the Peridot expected to see.

Hita fidgeted uncomfortably. It wasn't that he wasn't familiar with this feeling, with having another gem in his mouth... but for one to just walk in  _ willingly. _ He didn’t know how to react to that.

To his surprise, and mild concern, the skin around his gem started to prickle. The uncomfortable sensation reflected itself in his chest, too, making him stir involuntarily for a moment. Knitting his brows together, Hita closed his eyes and tried to will the feeling away and stay still. He held his breath, keeping himself as motionless as possible.

A few muffled chirps sounded here and there as the Peridot scanned the giant gem's teeth. She was quiet for the most part, aside from muttering to herself now and then. She was utterly entranced by Hita's strange teeth, and took her time to scan each one individually. As she was getting a visual on one of the side teeth, she looked up and peered at one of the others. She reached a hand up, carefully running her fingers along the smooth surface. Her diamond pad chirped, and she looked down, turning the measuring and scanning tool off. Looking to her right, Frecks pursed her lips, glancing from side to side before she leaned over, laying on her front to reach her diamond pad back over the Hematite's tongue. She quickly snapped a picture and retracted her arm, making sure not to drop the diamond pad. The last thing she wanted was to lose  _ another _ piece of gem tech to a harvester's mouth. Looking back, she sat up and snapped a picture of the back of Hita's front tooth. With a quick nod, she scooted forward, carefully making her way to climb back out.

"Aaalright, all done!"

The Peridot rolled out rather ungracefully onto the boulder with a surprised squeak.  Licking the back of his tooth, Hita stifled a small grunt and shook his head, looking down with a furrowed brow at the tiny Peridot. He smacked his lips, trying to shake the uncomfortable feeling and get the odd taste out of his mouth. He didn't say anything, but glanced to the side.

The tiny gem shook herself off, not looking too bothered by the dampness that clung to her form. She gave the giant gem a thumbs up, grinning ear to ear.

"Thanks Hita! I can't wait to add this stuff to my archives! Sooorry if that was weird at all, heh." Frecks looked away and stepped over to her limb enhancers, plopping down and starting to slip them back on.

Hita slumped over slightly, resting his chin on the ground. He let out a soft sigh of relief.

“It’s fine, just… glad you didn’t get hurt or anything,” he muttered to himself. He watched Frecks with a curious eye, staring at her limb enhancers. "Hey, uh… don't Peridots usually have a full set of those limb things?" He said, raising his hand up to adjust his visor. Gasping softly, the Peridot stiffened, eyes widening as her fingers clutched at the edge of the leg enhancer she was putting on.

"... Yeah. Usually," she muttered quietly, slipping her foot into the gem tech leg. Her expression fell, and she clutched her diamond pad close. "... I lost the other ones." Frowning heavily, Hita looked down at the boots and then back up to her.

"How?" He dared to ask. He hoped it didn't bother her  _ too _ bad for him to question such a thing. She didn't exactly seem very happy about the matter, whatever it was.

"Ehhh." Tapping her metallic feet together, she pursed her lips, eyes half lidding. After a weighty pause, she sighed deeply, turning to the service gem with a rather haunted look in her eyes. "... Promise you won't tell them I told you about this. Who knows what they’d do..."

Hita’s eyes widened subtly. He furrowed a brow, but then nodded in agreement.

"I won’t. No-one really talks to me anyway....'Cept Meta, sometimes," he said, tapping his fingers on the ground next to him. “And I won’t tell her.” Hita's comment seemed to hit a chord with the Peridot, but she didn't say anything about it at the moment. The worried look in her eyes said enough.

"... I. Might have asked Hemmi if I could scan her gem and take a look at her teeth, like I did with you. And, at first she seemed kinda offended, but. She went with it, and I thought it was fine, even if she did handle me kinda roughly." The tiny gem shuddered, looking away as she held her diamond pad close to her chest. "But. Then I guess I made some comment about her teeth that offended her, and she..." Sighing, Frecks bit her lip, going quiet. A breeze blew through the kindergarten, stirring her hair. "She bit onto my arm enhancers and yanked them off. It hurt pretty badly... and she said if I ever crossed her again, it'd be my real arms next time," she said quietly, her voice wavering slightly toward the end. “I think it was an empty threat, because she knows that’d be illegal, but… I can’t tell with her.”

Unbeknownst to the tiny Peridot, Hita made a mental note on the inside of his visor, shutting it off after a moment. His eyes narrowed, but he remained otherwise outwardly unphased by what Frecks had told him. Lifting his hand under his chin, he propped his head up on it, but never broke eye contact with the tiny green gem.

"I never  _ did _ like her." He said, his tone slightly darker than it normally was.

Looking up at the service gem, Frecks reached up under her visor, wiping her face.

"Yeaah. I did say something kind of rude, though, I guess... Anyways. She put 'em in her pocket dimension, so. I'm... not getting them back any time soon." Forcing a smile, she held up her diamond pad. "That's why I carry this around! It's... not a  _ great _ replacement, but it's something." Sighing, she dropped her gaze again. "I would ask Yellow Diamond or White Diamond for a new set, or to have Hemmi return them... but I don't want to upset them, and I don’t want to start problems with Hemmi. I just told them I prefer using a diamond pad..." Shaking her head, she sat a bit straighter. "Anyways! Listen to me being all negative, sorry."

Hita waved a hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it. Sorry you had to deal with that clod,” he said monotonously, lifting his head slightly off his hand. "Her and her ragtag lackeys give me some bad vibes. I try not to talk to them even when they  _ do _ try and talk to me. Which is usually only to heckle me or yell at me for something. Guess this gives me even more reason to avoid them," he said, frowning heavily. "... Hey, if you ever have any more trouble with Hemmi, you can come find me if you want. I'll do my best to make sure make sure she doesn't hurt you again.” The tiny gem looked up at Hita, blinking in surprise.

"... You mean it?"

"I don’t say anything I don't mean,” he said simply.

Smiling, Frecks got up on her feet and walked over to the gem's arm, peering up at him.

"... Thanks, Hita." She reached forward and patted his arm. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Looking up and around the clearing, the green gem pursed her lips. "... Do you mind if I stick around here for a while? It's nice and quiet."

Hita blinked and glanced to the ledge not too far away and turned his head, yawning tiredly.

"Knock yourself out. I need a nap anyway... Just uh, don't go poking around my mouth while I'm sleeping. Kay?' he said, glancing sidelong at the Peridot.

Frecks chuckled and stepped aside, finding a comfortable place by the Hematite's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I woooon't. I got what I needed," she teased. Yawning, the tiny gem leaned back against Hita's shoulder, tucking her knees close to her chest as she crossed her arms over her diamond pad.

Hita glanced down at the tiny service gem, then back at the wall ahead. From the sound of it, she needed a nap, too. Closing his eyes, Hita took a deep breath then exhaled, moving his other arm around the front of his face, now crossing his hands over one another. The Peridot was now loosely tucked between his forearm and his shoulder. He closed his eyes.   
After a few minutes, the Peridot slumped against Hita’s face, out cold. The Hematite opened one eye and gazed down at the tiny gem best he could. His lips parted subtly in surprise. Slowly, he peacefully closed his eyes, and the corner of his mouth curled up. A long sigh escaped him as he relaxed, dozing off in the early afternoon sun.


	82. Self Reflecting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the Hematites get special training.

A hoarse whisper of wind carried clouds of purple-tinted dust down into the chasms of the Hematite Kindergarten. Clusters of guards, Jaspers, Jets, Ambers, Onyxes, all stood with watchful eyes atop the towering cliffs. Whispers of the upcoming event concerning the massive harvesters drifted on the wind alongside distant sounds of Hematites training down below. Throughout the miles and miles of the Kindergarten, the huge gems were either sparring, resting, trading hunting strategies, or going over maps of the Pink District. Most of them didn't talk with one another, and seemed to be keeping to their stretches of territory. 

But, one particular group was busy chatting away in the Cove, discussing something unknown to the guards above. Hemmi, HT, and Mite all sat in a small circle. They kept in a corner to themselves, and spoke in hushed tones. This earned them a few suspicious stares from the guards, but little more.   
One particular Hematite- tall, with short, jet-black hair -kept her distance from the others and paced around as she waited on a call from a friend. A friend who was still trying to figure out how he could possibly teach a harvester how to use instincts they didn't seem to have.   
  
The Diamond towers stood quiet. A lone gem made his way down the path connecting Yellow and White's towers. Pacing along the bridge, Hema scratched his head, brows furrowed. 

_ I’m cutting this way too close, _ he thought to himself with a nervous grimace.  _ So much for a walk helping me think. Yellow means well, but sometimes I wonder if her advice on working out problems like this only works for her... _   
_ I thought training the others would give me an idea, but none of this will work. Showing her recordings won’t do anything, just telling her how to hunt won’t help; she might as well just read a book on natural predators in that case.  _ Hematite sighed to himself and gazed out at the cities beyond the walls.  _ Tam seems sharp; she probably already researched as much as she can. Words aren’t going to be of any use. _

You couldn't explain harvesting. You couldn't simply tell someone how to feel or what to do in every situation they might find themselves in, anymore than you could verbally teach a soldier how to think on their feet in battle. No, Hema knew he had to show Tam how it felt to hunt, or what went through a, well, '''normal''' Harvester's head when they were on the job.   
Hema stopped in his tracks, his head shooting up as he thought back to his most recent mission with Blue Diamond. He stood straight, brows furrowing as he placed a hand over his mouth. His instincts had been at their peak during that job, and if he wasn't mistaken, he'd been able to share a small taste of it when he and Blue Diamond formed-

  
Smiling faintly, Hema nodded curtly, and adjusted his eyepiece. It was a long shot, but perhaps if he pitched his idea correctly to White, she'd give him a chance. And, just maybe, he could help Tam out.   
But, first, before he pitched any ideas, he had to make sure he knew exactly what he was dealing with. Turning around, Hema made his way toward the White tower, a small smile on his face. His visor chirped, and pulled up Tam's profile. After a short ring, she answered. A screen with the black haired Hematite's profile picture popped up, followed by a tense, professional voice.   
_ "Hello, this is Hematite 4. How can I-... Oh, Hema?" _   
"Afternoon, Tam. Apologies for taking so long getting back to you. How are you holding up?" he asked politely. There was a small pause, and the voice on the other end sounded forced.   
_ "Ah, I'm... I'm alright!" _ There was another brief pause, and Tam's voice wilted.  _ "Okay, no, no I'm not. I'm not feeling so well Hema, I think the stress is starting to get to me. I'm sorry," _ she said.   
Hema's smile faded, and a faint flare of guilt rose in his chest.

"Ah... No need to apologize, I'm sorry I took so long. Have you had any progress with self-training?"   
Tam scratched her head. She waited for a moment, her footsteps audible as she paced.   
_ "I haven't had very much time. I've tried my best to research anything I can but... There's nothing on instincts. I mean, there's plenty of documents on natural predators and creatures, and I studied those,” _ she huffed, rambling on,  _ “But all I gleaned from those-" _ She paused, sighing heavily.  _ "What am I talking about... This is absurd. I'm just wasting my time." _ _   
_ Narrowing his eyes slightly, Hema frowned, though it wasn't exactly aimed at the gem on the other end of the call.   
"I wouldn't be so quick to say that, Tam. I've got an idea, but I'll need you to trust, me, alright?"   
Tam perked up slightly, but she was more confused than anything.   
_ "I mean, alright? I-I'll try anything! If you think you it will help..." _   
"I think I can, I just have to uh... run it by White Diamond first. Hold on one moment."   
_ Click _   
Tam blinked, staring at the idle screen projecting from her visor. Her eyes were wide, an uncertain frown on her face.  _ Wait… White Diamond, what is he planning? _   


\--   
\--   
A little while later, Hema stood in front of White Diamond's office doors, adjusting his sleeves. Taking a deep breath, he straightened up, knocking twice on the metallic door. It hissed open slightly, and there stood White Diamond's Pearl, prim and proper as always. Offering Hematite a warm, friendly smile, she gestured for him to come in. Hematite gave the Pearl a smile in return, along with a soft ‘thank you,’ and walked inside, promptly saluting his leader.   
"Hematite reporting, White Diamond."   


White was sitting at her desk with a diamond pad laying next to a tea tray. Picking up her cup from her saucer, White smiled and looked over to the gem saluting her.    
"Hello, Hematite. What brings you here today? Aren't you off-duty?"   


The service gem nodded before standing at attention, clearing his throat.   
"Yes ma'am, I am. But I'm going to be giving some personal training to one of the Hematites today, annnnd I needed to run something by you. I currently have her on hold; would it be alright if she attended this conversation?" he asked politely. White took a sip of her tea as Hema spoke, placing it down gently after a moment. 

"Certainly.”   


Smiling, Hema glanced at his eyepiece.   
_ Chirp! _   
Hematite's gem tech glowed to life, a faint image of the ebony-haired service gem popping back up on the screen. For now, he kept the call to audio instead of video.    
"Tam. I'm here with White Diamond. I figured you should hear the idea that I have."   


Tam gasped sharply, straightening up. 

_ "A-ah, afternoon, my Diamond- er, continue, Hema, sorry." _   


After a short pause, Hematite inhaled deeply through his nose, bringing his hands out in front of him. He folded them together, palms pressed against one another.    
"White Diamond. Tam, as I'm sure you recall, is the Hematite that, along with Ti," he internally cringed for a moment, but quickly brushed the feeling away. "Stood up against a few rather irate Hematites that wished to do me harm in the Kindergarten. I digress. Tam here has had some bumps with her training that I hope to address today so that she may have a better chance at passing the Harvest Moon tests. Her needs are very particular, and I've been racking my mind trying to come up with some way to teach her what she needs to know. Unfortunately, I can only think of one way, and it requires... Fusion."   


Tam gasped audibly, but stifled it quickly. White, however, narrowed her eyes slightly. Pursing her lips curiously, she glanced to the side.    
"Fusion…? And how, pray tell, do you suppose that would help her?" she asked cautiously, steepling her fingers in front of her.   


Hema laced his fingers together, the slightest flare of nervousness creasing his expression.  _ I don’t wanna completely expose her, but White needs to know how serious the situation is. Maybe if I word this right… Tam won’t get too angry... _   
"Well. Tam needs to be  _ shown _ a very specific facet of hunting. As a non-harvester, she hasn't had much, if any, experience in this field. As an avid harvester myself, I have the mental means and experience to share with her; but I can only do so… through fusion.”   


_ "H-Hema!" _ she said in a hushed whisper of utter shock. White, however, seemed fairly unfazed by Hematite’s statement.   
"I think I see where you’re going with this… hmmm..." White furrowed her brows, slowly turning her chair around. A thoughtful frown darkened her face. Two Hematites freely fusing outside of the capital… That’s unprecedented. And technically against the law; Yellow would throw a fit if she found out. Tch…

“Hematite, are you certain there’s no other way?”

Hema frowned nervously, straightening up.

“N-no ma’am, not that I can think of. Tam’s done all the research she can, and if pure and simple reading can’t help her, I don’t think me trying to explain things in words will help. I thought, since Blue experienced the…” He paused, thinking of a way to phrase his words without giving Tam away. “ _ -senses _ of a hunter through Dioptase, maybe it could do the same for Tam. Did you experience the same sensation with Howlite?”

“... Well, now that you mention it,” she muttered thoughtfully. "If you're looking to share your instincts... then, I will give you clearance this once. But please do this in an environment where you can be monitored by another Hematite or two, just in case the fusion goes out of control. I  _ don't _ want to have to come and break you two up, and I know you don't want me to, either," she said, turning back in her chair and shooting Hematite a stern look.    


The service gem glanced at his eyepiece. He turned his attention back to White and gave her a reassuring smile.   
"Absolutely, White! I actually was just about to get to that. Should we do this, it would be in the Kindergarten Cove, the area with the highest concentration of guards. We won’t be fused any longer than a few hours, rest assured. And I'm going to have one or two of the other Hematites attend so they can help the guards, should we get out of control. But, seeing how controlled this situation will be, that shouldn't be a problem. You won't have an unruly fusion on your hands; by the Diamond Authority, I swear it." He saluted her with a curt nod, standing tall. White mumbled something under her breath, mulling something over. Inhaling quietly through her teeth, she closed her eyes for a moment, then placed her hands on the table. Peering over at the service gem, she raised a brow.   
"Very well. However, when you are done, I'd like a report on her progress, if you will," she said, her eyes half-lidded. “If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, I’ll need to look into this more if her condition does not improve.”

Tam swallowed nervously, unable to say a word. The hair on the back of Hematite's neck stood on end, and a faint prickle of anxiety rushed through his core.   
"Yes, ma'am. I'll be sure to get you a full report after we're finished."   


White straightened up a bit, nodding. 

"Very well. You may proceed, then. Best of luck to both of you.”   
Tam sighed heavily in mild relief on the other end of the call. Hema echoed the sentiment, his shoulder slumping with a soft huff.   


"Thank you, White." With a quick salute, the service gem turned and left the office, sparing White’s Pearl another polite, albeit weak, smile. As soon as he was out of the room and the doors closed behind him, he sighed softly, relaxing.   
"Alright, Tam. Sorry about that. But if this works out, you shouldn't have to worry about this little 'problem' as much."   


Tam nervously tapped her fingers together, biting her lip.   
_ "W-what were you thinking, Hema?! Fusion?! Wh-White’s figured out everything now! What if this doesn’t work, what if we can’t even fuse, or we get out of control?! White’s going to have me off the planet in a Yellow District minute if she finds out I can’t hunt. I’ll be reduced to studying dirt samples on some abandoned rock out there… Ohh, what am I going to do..." _ she stuttered with a distressed groan. She started to pace back and forth, gripping at her hair as she muttered unintelligibly under her breath. Wincing, Hematite bit his lip, reaching up to rub the back of his head.   
"She doesn't exactly know everything. For all she knows, your sense of hearing could just be off. I didn't say anything specific. But... Look. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help you out, and I've got a good feeling about this. But I need you to focus and trust me, okay?"   


Tam sighed heavily, still sounding rather rattled.   
_"Alright. Are you going to meet with me in the Cove, then?"_   


Narrowing his eyes, Hema tapped his chin, thinking hard.   
"... Actually. Not quite yet. I need you to meet me there  _ tonight. _ My instincts are always sharper in the evening. Could you please collect up Tiny for me? We'll need her assistance. I need to go fetch someone else as well, and call in some-" he paused, grimacing a bit. "... Spinels to set something up in the Cove."  _ Wish we’d left the last course up, _ he thought bitterly. "I'll meet you there in a few hours, alright? Around sunset."   


Tam, collecting herself, forced a smile, despite the fact that Hema couldn’t see her.   
"Very well, Hema! Thank you, so much..." she managed. And with that, she ended the call. Nodding, the service gem started for the elevator. He glanced at his eyepiece again.   
_ Contact the Blue District Spinel manager, facility three. _   
\--

\--   
_ Gleam! _   
Looking around, Hema stepped off the warp pad, raising a brow. A small, green service gem stepped out from behind him, clutching her diamond pad close with a bright smile. She turned her attention up to him, grinning ear to ear.   
"So, who are we training today, Hema?" she asked excitedly, standing on her tiptoes. Smiling, Hematite glanced sidelong at the Peridot, stepping off the warp pad.    
"Today I have a special job for you. We'll be hunting with Tam," he said simply, heading down the stairs. Frecks blinked in surprise, pausing for a moment.   
"Wait, really? Tam's not exactly the best-... ohhh."   
"Yeaaaah. She really needs our help, from the sound of it," he said over his shoulder, beckoning for the Peridot to follow after him. He looked ahead of him again, restraining a frown when he saw a small group of tall, well-built gems- about seven of them. They were of varying colors, though the majority of them were some shade of red. Some stood over twice Hematite's height, while others were about as tall as a Jasper, with builds to rival said gems. Their messy heads of hair were tied up in buns and ponytails, or were cut short and scruffy. Each looked tough and serious, with varying levels of scuffs on their round gems. They spoke in low, gruff tones, and didn’t pay Hema and the Peridot any mind.   
Hematite steeled himself, walking over with a forced, friendly smile.    
"Evening! Thank you all for getting here on time. I hope nobody's given you any trouble," he said politely, folding his arms behind him. Frecks stuck her tongue out as she descended the rest of the stony stairs, scurrying up behind the service gem. She stopped, hugged her diamond pad close, and stared up at the huge gems before her. Many of them turned to give Hema and the Peridot grumpy or outright disdainful looks. However, one in particular turned to the service gem and stepped forward, crossing her arms as she tilted her chin up. She wore a puffy, short ponytail at the back of her head, and a high-collared suit that shielded her lower face from view. A reddish-pink gem sat squarely in the center of her chest, but was quickly covered as she crossed her arms.   
"A'right, what do ye need us to do... Hematite, was it?" she asked with a skeptical frown, eyes looking up and down the smaller gem. Hematite cleared his throat.   
"Are you the secondary manager I asked for?”   
“Aye,” she said with a mildly suspicious brow raise. “Are ye the gem that asked for my services, or do you work for them?”   
Hematite frowned, and replied with a mildly offended, “Yes, I’m the one that called you here.” He stood straight, adding a quick, “Right, I need you all to make me a course in the Cove-"   
Before he could even finish his sentence, a few of the Spinels groaned and rolled their eyes, putting their hands on their hips or crossing their arms. They muttered to one another, shooting Hema dirty looks. Hema blinked rapidly in surprise and confusion as the collected gems started to complain to one another.   
"Why do we have to follow the orders of such a wee gem?"    
“Not this again.”   
“Oh good, can’t wait to get threatened again.”   
"Doesn't he know we have more important things to do?"   
"An' why has he got a Peridot with'em?"   
Keeping his composure, Hema fidgeted behind his back, clearing his throat rather loudly.   
“Excuse me, is there a problem here?”

Spinel drummed her fingers on her upper arm, her brows furrowed as she stared down at the Hematite.

“Last time this squadron of mine was here, apparently one of the gems that lives here harassed them near the ‘Cove’ you’re talkin’ about. I don’t think they’re too keen on going back, an’ with fair reason,” she said tersely. Hema softly snorted and rollsed his eyes.

“I'll be escorting you to and from the Cove. My...  _ sincerest  _ apologies that you ran into problems last time. Won't happen again."   
The tallest Spinel arched a brow, but didn't respond right away. She went thoughtfully quiet for a long moment, looking over her shoulders to her squadron of workers.   
“Is this gem the one that gave ye trouble?”   
“No, Spinel. That one was the size of a fusion, not this wee gem.”   
Uncrossing her arms, Spinel placed her fists on her hips and gave a curt nod to Hematite.   
"Aye, alright. We’ll go see what this job is ye have for us. See to it that ye  _ don't _ let it happen anymore. I've had to listen to these clods complainin' night and day ever since they got back."   
Hema turned his attention to the tall, reddish gem and pursed his lips. He gazed up and down her form, sizing her up with his gaze.

"Right. Well, work is work, and I'm  _ so sorry _ if they were complaining about doing their jobs," he said simply, narrowing his eyes. The Spinel narrowed hers in return, snorting softly.   
"I don't much care for yeh tone, ya wee speck," she replied quietly, leaning over slightly to glare at the smaller gem.   
Slowly, a smile spread over Hematite's face, and his eyes narrowed to slits. A few of the other Spinels shifted their weight to their other legs and glanced away, suddenly looking a bit uncomfortable at the strange gem’s expression. They cast the tallest Spinel nervous, warning glances. Hema cleared his throat, keeping his forced smile.   
"’Speck’, huh? That's a new one. Come along now,  _ Spinels. _ Your job is this way." With that, he turned and beckoned for them to follow. Frecks, who'd stayed quiet, trailed after him, but not before giving the tall gems another curious glance.   
Snorting quietly, the tallest Spinel straightened up and followed after Hematite, motioning for her group to follow. They complied, albeit hesitantly, and kept together as a unit as they trailed after the service gem. Hematite kept quiet for a minute or so before he suddenly stopped and glanced back, a sly smile on his face. The tallest Spinel stopped in her tracks, giving Hema a leery look.   
"What're yeh smilin' about, yeh wee-"   
"Oh, sorry. Silly me. It's just, I seem to have forgotten that escorting you at  _ this _ size wouldn't do us much good," he said as he continued to step forward, away from the group. Frecks didn't move from her spot. Instead, she watched after the Hematite excitedly, clutching her diamond pad to her chest. Spinel glanced confusedly at the Peridot, reaching up to scratch her dark red hair. She turned her attention back up to Hema, brows furrowed.   
"Oh would yeh cut to the chase, yeh overgrown Albite, what're yeh goin on-"   
The large gem stopped mid-sentence as Hematite's form began to glow and shift up, sparks flying to the floor. Spinel's eyes widened, and she stepped back, motioning for her group to do the same. Soon enough, Hema stood at his half height, unnervingly close to the group of service gems. He slowly turned with a smile, leaning down to lower his hand next to Frecks. The Spinels paced back a few steps, but Frecks stayed put, stepping into Hema’s palm without any complaints. Hema glanced at the nervous Spinels.   
"Now then. Let's head out, shall we?" he said simply, standing straight and turning to walk down the huge corridor. Spinel looked back at her group, an unnerved frown on her face. Turning forward again, she scratched her head, staring up at the massive gem in confusion.   
"Stars, what kind crazy gems are they makin’ nowadays?!" she muttered under her breath. After a good moment of hesitation, Spinel sighed and trailed after Hema, keeping her distance from him.  _ Right. Just go in, get this job done, get out. Nothing to it... Aside from, you know. Gigantic, fusion-sized gems with snarky attitudes. _

  
  


\--   
"Tiny, stop! This is ridicul- OH, HOLD STILL!! Would you PLEASE cooperate?!"  Tam snapped, dashing down one of the Kindergarten paths after the diminutive Hematite. She'd found Tiny, but now the hard part was getting her to stand still long enough for her to even talk to her. The moment Tam had shown up, Tiny seemed eager to run circles around her.  _ Figuratively and literally. _ "I swear to White, you're gonna hold still and listen to me or I'm going to bring Meta into this!" 

  
  


Tiny cackled to herself as she scurried up a tall piece of abandoned gem equipment, effortlessly perching on top. She grinned down at Tam, sticking her tongue out at her.   
"Nyehehe, you gotta catch me before I'll listen to yaaa!" she called down, wasting no time in leaping a good ways down the corridor and bolting away again.   


"UUuuugh! Come  _ on _ **,** Tiny! I really need your help right now!!" Tam shouted in exasperation, picking up her feet to chase after the other Hematite. “Why do you have to be so difficult?!”   


"Hmmm, you never needed my help beforeee! You just boss everybody around, why would you need  _ my _ help?" she called back in a questioning tone. Bolting on ahead, the smaller Hematite rounded a few corners, easily outmaneuvering the taller gem. She suddenly perked up when she saw a familiar gem in the distance, laying in her usual spot. Grinning, Tiny snickered to herself and shot forward, quickly scrambling up and over Meta's side, hiding behind her. Meta gave a quiet, surprised grunt, but didn't stir from her spot. She slowly opened one eye, squinting down at the smaller Hematite.   


Tam skirted around a corner, but stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she spotted Meta. She groaned, standing straight as she adjusted her visor. Slow, reluctant steps carried her towards the recumbant Hematite. 

"Hello, um… Meta. Sorry if Tiny here is… disturbing you." She said promptly, her brows raised.   


For a moment, it almost seemed like Meta hadn't even heard Tam. She stayed still, silent, unmoving, her back facing her. She didn't so much as flinch.   
Until she slowly shifted her arm, a low grumble in her chest. Tiny's smile faded, and she backed up a bit as her wide eyes locked on Meta’s lifting hand. Tam's expression fell, and she backed up a few steps.    
"Tiny, please come here,” she said quickly under her breath.   


Tiny backed up against the wall, turning on her heel to run off again. Before she took two paces, she was suddenly lifted off the ground, something tugging the back of her suit. With a tired grunt, Meta lifted the much smaller gem up and over her side, moving her arm to reach behind her. She held Tiny up by her suit, not even turning to look at Tam.   
"Here you go."   


Blinking in surprise, Tam sputtered some sort of mumbling nonsense, but nodded and stepped forward.   
"Th-thank you, Meta. We'll be on our way, now, won’t we, Tiny?" Tam said, taking Tiny up in her arms. Tiny kept her rather unnerved, stunned smile, her arms and legs held close to her body as she dangled from Meta's grasp. She didn't so much as struggle as Tam picked her up.   
"Yep let's go Tam I'll help you out," she said quickly, clinging to Tam’s arm. Meta slowly lowered her hand back to her side, yawning quietly.   
"Try to keep it down, whatever you're doing."   


Tam shot Meta a wide, forced smile despite the fact that she couldn't see it.    
"Yes thank you Meta we will!" she blurted out, shooting Tiny a scolding glance before turning to make her way towards the Cove. Glancing up at the service gem holding her, Tiny idly tapped her feet together, her smile slowly returning as the two made their way through the Kindergarten.   
"That was cool," she murmured, squinting forward at nothing in particular.   


"No, it wasn't," Tam growled. Rolling her eyes, she hugged Tiny closer as she turned a corner. "You really should be more careful, you know. And maybe, oh, I don't know… listen to people when they are trying to speak with you."

“Whaaat, it was good practice for the test later,” she said slyly.

“No, Tiny. You’re supposed to listen to people when they tell you to do something, not run off and cause them trouble,” she said sternly in reply.   


Rolling her eyes, Tiny grinned and silently, mockingly mimicked Tam as best she could. She didn't reply, but instead focused on the path ahead. After a few moments, she finally spoke up.   
"Sooo. Where we goiiiiiin'?"   


Tam sighed quietly and stared on ahead.    
"We're headed to the Cove. Hema is going to be helping me with… something. And he wants you to participate. I'm not  _ exactly _ certain for what, though. But you probably won't be bored." She said.   


The smaller Hematite brightened up, wiggling excitedly in Tam’s arms.   
"Awww yeah, lemme at it! Heheheh!" she snickered to herself, somewhat trying to get free of Tam's grasp. Tam held the Hematite a little tighter, but not so much as to squeeze her too hard.   
"Oh please, hold still, Tiny. We'll be there soon..." she grumbled.

_ Hema, please tell me everything’s ready... _   
\--

\--   
"Alright, here we are."   
Hematite stopped just inside the entrance to the Cove, looking around. The Spinels behind him filed in, all of them eyeing the miles-long clearing. Tapping her foot, the tallest Spinel looked up at the giant gem, narrowing her eyes.   
"A'right, yeh speck. What're we doin' here?" she called up, crossing her arms. Hema turned and stood professionally, Frecks in one of his palms. She was eyeing the group of Hematites across the clearing, holding her diamond pad close. From the looks of it, Hemmi, Mite, and HT were all chatting in private. Lifting his chin, Hema cleared his throat.   
"Right, here's what I need you to do." He pointed down toward the end of the Cove. "We need a very large-scale, city-like replica. I will be training one of my comrades, and we need a good stand-in for the Pink District. You don't have to make them detailed, prisms will be sufficient, just make sure they're large enough to simulate a city block," he instructed, nodding once. "It needs to reach all the way over the-" Frowning, Hematite finally noticed the gems at the end of the clearing. "... Over there. Hold on. You start on the other end, I'm going to tell these gems to clear out."   
Spinel rolled her eyes, turning to the group.   
"A'right, make buncha fake buildings. That's the gist of it. Now go! Get to work!" she instructed forcefully. The other Spinels all frowned seriously, dispersing to the left side of the Cove as Hema made his way over to the small group of Hematites. Hemmi's back was turned to him, thankfully, though the other two had already spotted him. Frecks blinked and cautiously peeked over the service gem's fingers, letting out a nervous hum.   
HT blinked and sat up slightly, slowly raising a brow at the approaching Hematite.   
"... We have a visitor."   


Mite turned her head, glowering at the service gem.    
"Ugh, it's him." Eyes widening slightly, she spotted the tiny Peridot in his palms, slowly grinning. "Oh, and look! He brought us a snaaaack." She cooed out, elbowing Hemmi in the side of her arm with a dark chuckle. ema sneered, holding Frecks close and curling his fingers over her protectively. The Peridot whined softly, hunkering low in his palm. Hema glanced down at her, frowning sympathetically. Hemmi sat up, slowly turning to glare at the ivory-haired gem.   
"Can we  _ help _ you?" she asked icily, narrowing her eyes. "We're in the middle of a conversation, and you happen to be  _ interrupting." _   
HT leaned back, watching the other gems silently.    
Hema frowned and scoffed quietly. He attempted to keep his professional demeanor, for now.   
"I need you all to clear out. I'll be giving a private lesson here for the rest of the night."   


Mite frowned, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Hema.   
"As if! We were here first. This is  **our** spot, and we're not moving!" she sneered, crossing her arms. Hema felt his lip curl, but before he could say anything, HT suddenly spoke up.   
"Technically, he outranks you. You have to do what he says, Mite," she said simply, idly licking one of her elongated fangs with a rather bored expression. Scoffing with an offended frown, Hemmi turned sharply to the long-haired service gem.   
"Excuse me, HT. Whose side are you on?" she asked venomously. The long-fanged gem shrugged a shoulder, staring right through Hemmi.   
"The side of whoever's in the  _ right." _   


Mite huffed with acute annoyance at her fellow group member, but glared up at Hema.   
"Fine," she muttered, glancing quickly at Hemmi. Hemmi slowly narrowed her eyes at HT, not making a move. She steadily drummed her fingers on the stone floor, staring right through the other Hematite’s core. HT faltered, glancing away. She pursed her lips, avoiding eye contact with the pink-haired gem.  
Gaze flicking between the three, Hema frowned. He cleared his throat, the smallest of smirks crossing his face.  
"She's right, Hemmi. Now then, get moving. Orders from White's harvester," he cooed icily, raising a brow. Hemmi's fingers clenched into a fist, and she suddenly stood up, now towering a good couple heads over Hema. She turned to him, a sneer on her lips. Hema faltered, a faint trace of sweat forming on his brow. A deep, rumbling growl resonated from Mite's chest. She stood up behind Hemmi, but instead of joining her… she tugged at her sleeve. As much as she wanted to see Hemmi beat this clod into the dirt, she knew White already had it out for them. _And he did, too._   
"C'mon, Hemmi. This pebble's not worth our time _or_ our trouble right now," she said, shooting Hema a rather nasty look.  


Hemmi glared back at her comrade, tugging her sleeve away. She turned her attention back to Hema, leaning dangerously close to his face.   
"You listen here, you defective excuse of a gem," she hissed venomously. "You may be White's Hematite, but you are  **not** superior to me. Not by a long shot. You call yourself a Hematite? You're not worthy of that title." Turning her nose up, she grit her teeth. "So I suggest you stop acting like you're better than us, because by the end of this Harvest Moon, you could very well lose everything you gained by accident, while we all keep our ranking." She leaned so close, Hema had to lean back, the frosty air around Hemmi’s form nipping at his face. Hemmi glared down at him, her hair bristling. "You be sure to keep that in mind."   
Hema's eyes widened, and he held Frecks close to his chest, a faint flicker of anxiety tightening his chest.   
"... Get moving, Hemmi."   


Mite looked between Hemmi and Hema with an unreadable expression, but was quick to turn away. Crossing her arms, she huffed and made her way out. HT stayed where she was, still not looking at the others. Finally, Hemmi stood straight, regaining her usual professional air.   
"Come along, HT," she said simply, heading off after Mite. Hema turned to the long-fanged Hematite and frowned faintly.   
"... No, she'll be staying here. Move along, Hemmi."   
The pink-haired service gem scoffed, but otherwise, she kept her comments to herself, hurrying out after her comrade. HT looked up at Hema with a forced, neutral expression, still seated on the ground.   
"... Am I in trouble?" she asked quietly, tapping a finger on the ground. Hema pursed his lips, but then shook his head.   
"No. I need you to stay here because Tam and I will be fusing, and I need a neutral third party here to break us up, should anything go wrong. Do you think you can do that for me?" he asked, standing straighter. HT's expression relaxed, as did her shoulders.   
"Oh. Sure. Make sure you two don't run off and eat everyone, got it," she said nonchalantly, getting to her feet. The ivory-haired service gem smiled faintly and held his hand out again, looking down at the Peridot in his palm. He blinked in surprise upon seeing her staring up at him with wide, gleaming eyes.   
"You and Tam are gonna fuse?! I've never seen a two-Hematite fusion before! Stars, what kind of hunting lesson is this gonna be?" she asked excitedly, clenching her fists in front of her. Hema looked out at the moonlit clearing, setting his jaw.   
"With any luck... a successful one."   


Hobbling into the clearing, Tam was still holding the ever-rowdy Hematite in her arms, spotting Hema along the way.    
"Oh thank stars..." She groaned out in exasperation, letting go of the smaller Hematite at last. She darted up to Hema, smiling weakly. "I'm so pleased to see you!" She said. Glancing down at Frecks, she nodded in greeting. "Hello, Frecks!"

  
  


Tiny perked upon seeing Frecks and chuckled, trying to grab at her from Tam's arms. The tiny Peridot quickly turned to the approaching Hematite, hopping up to her feet. She stared up at Tam in glee, grinning ear to ear.   
"Taaam, are you really gonna fuse with Hema?!" she asked eagerly, stepping in place. HT stared at the four with an unreadable expression before she slowly lifted a hand to point to a jutting ledge not too far off.   
"I'm just gonna. Sit over there so I can get a good view." And with that, she walked off, idly messing with her hair.   


Tam looked at HT with a curious glance, but looked back to Frecks and resumed smiling.   
"Ah, that's the plan I think! B-but you'll have to forgive me, I..." She paused, blushing a deep purple color. "I-I've never fused before!..." She said, frowning suddenly.  _ Was this really a good idea? _ She had no idea what she was getting herself into. She honestly was stunned that White even gave them the clearance to do this.   


Hema smiled faintly, turning to face the taller Hematite.   
"Don't worry about it, Tam. The biggest thing to remember is that both fusion partners need to have the same goal in mind in order for a fusion to be stable and reliable. And, in our case, it's to help you out! If we can both focus on that, you should do fine. The dancing is the easy part!" he reassured, standing straighter.   


Tam pried Tiny off of her arm and set her down carefully, standing up once more.    
"I'm not so sure about this, Hema… what if I can't? What if I don't  _ get _ it?..." She said, unable to look him in the eyes. "Are you sure this will help…?”   


Tiny looked up at the ebony-haired gem, tilting her head. Her attention was quickly grabbed, however, by a distant, powerful rumble down the Cove clearing. One by one,  _ huge, _ looming rock prisms jutted up from the ground, starting to form a pseudo-city block. Hema looked over as well, distracted for a moment.  _ Ah, good. They finally got to work... _ He smiled gently at his taller kin, pausing for a moment.   
"I think it can. And I'm sure you'll do fine. Something has to help... and I'm sure we'll figure it out as we go along. We have the whole night, and I won't give up on you if you don't give up on yourself."

  
  


Tam slowly smiled, running her fingers through her hair. With another quick sigh, she mustered up her strength and motivation enough to take Hema's words into account.    
"Thank you… I'll try," she said, smiling at him hopefully.   


Brightening up, Hema nodded and looked over at the quickly assembling 'city', taking note of how fast the Spinels were working. He had to admit, they could do some amazing work when they put their minds to it. 

Tiny watched the quickly-rising city, her feet rapidly patting in place. Her eyes shone, her hands clasping together as the prism-shaped ‘buildings’ shot from the ground, rapidly casting the Cove in long, blue shadows.

"Whoaaahohooa, cool!" Tiny said excitedly, starting to run off. Hema quickly grabbed the back of her suit, holding her in place.

"Now, Tiny. We need you to focus, alright? You're going to be one of Tam's fake targets. You'll be running through there and trying to avoid us."   


Tam suddenly looked over to the faux city, frowning nervously.

"You couldn't have picked any other Hematite, Hema... Not Hita? Or one of the slower ones?"   


Arching a brow at Tam, Hema pursed his lips.    
"Come now, Tam. We're supposed to be training you to catch  _ fleeing targets, _ not stationary ones." With a coy smile, he pulled Tiny closer. "Now. Tiny will be the difficult target... whiiiiile," he started, tilting his head toward the tiny gem in his hand. "Frecks here will be the warm-up." The green service gem perked up, blinking in surprise. After a moment, she clenched her fists in front of her, smiling ear-to-ear.   


Tam tapped her finger inquisitively on her lip, making a small noise of uncertainty.    
"Are you sure about this?... Frecks here is...awfully small. A-and if something goes wrong, I wouldn't want to risk hurting her...!" she said, looking down at the eager Peridot. "No offense, Frecks."   


Freck's expression didn't change.   
"None taken."   
Hema looked down at her and smiled slyly.    
"Dooon't worry."   
_ Vwip! _   
"She'll be juuuust fine," he said with a smile, holding up the bubbled Peridot. Frecks threw her arms up, puffing her cheeks out.   
"Yesss. Don't worry, Tam! I'm tough, I can take it!"   


Tam smiled weakly again, clicking her tongue to the roof of her mouth.    
"Well… alright. So… what exactly am I supposed to be doing, Hema?" Tam asked, crossing her arms nervously.   


"Hm, right. Frecks, Tiny!" he started, popping the bubble in his hand. "You two come with me, I need to brief you on your specific instructions. Tam, I want you to simply focus on getting ready to fuse. Try and relax, focus on your goals, get in the right mindset to be taught. The rest I'll explain when we're fused."   


Tam took a deep breath and nodded, lacing her fingers together.    
"Y-yes, I'll do that. Thank you, Hema." She said, her expression falling.   
_ What was she to do... _ She had never done anything like this before, and she wasn't even certain it'd work. What if things went wrong? What if they lost control of the fusion? What if this couldn't help her?... What would become of her? She was haunted, worried,  _ scared _ even. What sort of Hematite was she if she couldn't even do what she was  _ supposed to be already in-tune _ with?   


Hema gave her a reassuring smile, stepping closer and putting a hand on her shoulder.   
"You'll do fine. It's in your nature, somewhere."   
Pulling his hand away, he turned and walked off, leading Tiny and Frecks to a more secluded area.   
The Spinels continued working on the course, the rumbling of shifting rock echoing in the dark clearing.   


Tam closed her eyes, starting to pace back and forth. She'd never even read up on anything involving how to fuse, or what it was like, for that matter. But she had to trust him. She just couldn't help but assume and prepare for the worst. Sighing, she chewed at her nails, glaring down at the ground in worry. Eventually, she found herself looking up to the tall buildings that the Spinels were making. It was impressive, really, that they could create such massive structures with the ground around them. Perhaps she should study them later, too.  
 _Focus, Tam._   
Grumbling something under her breath, she started to pace again, but this time ended up wandering towards Hema and the others. But she wasn't particularly in any sort of hurry.   


The ivory-haired gem was talking quietly with Tiny and Frecks, giving them instructions on how they were to perform during this 'lesson'. He spoke in a hushed tone so Tam wouldn't overhear them. As she approached, however, Tiny scampered off down the clearing, heading where the Spinels were. Seemed they were just finishing up the course. Turning, Hematite glanced down at Frecks, who had taken off her leg enhancers. With a quick motion of his hand, the service gem bubbled the tiny Peridot, moving to set her down afterwards.   
"Alright, Frecks! Get adjusted there and do as I said once Tam and I have fused," he instructed politely, gently ushering the bubbled gem away. The Peridot saluted eagerly and scurried off a bit clumsily, making some distance between her and the giant gems.   


Tam looked nervously over to the shorter service gem and cleared her throat just in case Hema hadn't noticed her.   
"O-okay, I'm ready! I think? Well, as ready as I'll ever be." She said, shrugging with another wide, forced smile. She felt a little awkward, but kept telling herself that things would be fine... She just wished she could believe it.   


Turning to look up at the taller service gem, Hematite smiled and stepped a bit closer, his form glowing. He shifted up enough to be closer to her height, now standing at near eye-level with her.   
"Right... let's see what we can do, shall we?" he said politely, holding out his hand. "Just follow my lead. I had a really good teacher back in the day.~ It's not as hard as it looks."   


Tam's shoulders tensed slightly, and she looked down at Hema's hand anxiously. She hesitantly held out her own, holding it in place for a moment before finally taking the service gem by the fingertips.    
"You'll have to lead, then..."   


Hema nodded once and gently pulled the ebony-haired gem closer by her hand, stepping forward a pace.   
"Just watch what I do. We'll try and find a dancing style that's easy for you." He reached his other hand up and laced his fingers with hers, taking a step back, waiting for her to follow.   


Tam nodded simply, opening something up in her visor to take notes if she needed to. Following by his side, she observed him carefully, following his movements as best as she could.   


The ivory-haired gem took his time showing her some dance moves, making sure she was following along well.   
"Now..." he said, letting go of one of her hands as he extended his arm out to his side. "A big thing to remember about dancing... you can't think too much about it." He gently pulled her closer, taking another measured step back.   


Tam held her breath, following directly after him. Leaning into his movements a tad bit, she bit her lip and looked away. She suddenly wished she had read up more on dancing.   


Noticing her nervousness, Hematite smiled and closed his eyes for a moment.   
"You have to  _ feel _ it. Every dance is different... and every one is a completely different experience." Stepping around her, he wrapped one arm around and took her free hand, now standing behind her for a moment. "And the best way to make the most of that experience..." Without warning, the service gem pulled Tam around, spinning her in place before pulling her into a dip. He grinned down at her, giving a soft chuckle. "Is to have fun with it!"   


Tam gasped quietly, a little taken aback by Hema's brash movement. Her cheeks flushed a vibrant purple once more, and she glanced away awkwardly.    
"Oh my. Okay!" She said, taking another deep breath. Tightening her grip on Hematite's hand, Tam leaned up and took a step back, twirling him to her side.   


Blinking in surprise, the ivory-haired gem let out a quick laugh, going with Tam's change of pace.   
"That's it! Much better!" he said brightly, shooting her an encouraging smile.   
Frecks watched from a distance, her fists clenched in front of her. She was smiling ear-to-ear, anticipation fluttering in her chest.    
_ C'mon, you guys can do it! _   


Tam kept up the movements, glancing between her feet and Hema's eyes.    
"I… I think I've got it!" She said, finally smiling. Closing her eyes for a moment, she placed one hand on Hema's shoulder and stepped forward, urging him to move where she did. Stifling a small chuckle, her gemstone started to glow.  _ She didn’t even notice. _ With another quick movement, she spun around, leaning back into his arms, then stood up once more and tugging him back gently by his wrist. "Like this?" She hummed out with a small grin.  _ Maybe she was getting the hang of it, finally! _   


Hema followed her movements, shifting to let  _ her _ do the leading now. His eyes widened at the sight of her glowing gem, and he looked up at her with a bright, anticipatory smile. After another moment, his own gem began to glow.   
"That's perfect~!" he replied encouragingly, nodding, despite her not being able to see it. "You're doing great, Tam!" Pulling her closer, he put a hand on her shoulder, turning them in place as he paced back, in a steady sort of waltz.   


The two were drifting into a steady dance now, the ebony-haired Hematite leaning into the flow surprisingly well. Opening her eyes at last, she glanced over to him, noticing his glowing gemstone. Blinking, she parted her lips slightly as if she were going to say something.  
 _But she stayed quiet._   
She trusted him. Whatever was going to happen…   
"Thank you..."

  
  


Hematite gently pulled the ebony-haired gem closer and led her into a dip, holding her up with one arm. He smiled warmly at her, giving a single nod.    
"No need to thank me."   
Tilting his head down a bit, he met her eyes, their foreheads almost touching.   
**Us Hematites need to stick together. I'll do whatever it takes.**

  
  


Tam leaned in, closing her eyes slowly as their foreheads bumped together. She smiled hopefully.   
**Show me what it** **_really_ ** **means to be a harvester. To be a Hematite.**

  
  


Frecks let out a soft, gleeful noise as the two Hematites began to glow, their forms slowly merging into one gem. The two silvery gemstones drifted into place as the fusion grew taller and taller, creating a rather lithe, prim form. The glow from their body slowly faded out, leaving a tall, slender gem in its wake. She looked closer to Tam's build, though she retained boots similar to Hema's. She wore long, black gloves that completely covered her clawed fingers and reached her elbows. Her suit bore a deep black section with a large diamond insignia in the front. Both Hema and Tam's gems sat in their proper places, one above the other. Her hair was a bit odd, as it was styled similarly to Tam's in the back, but like Hema's in the front. On top of that, it was a dark gray color instead of black or ivory. She wore a single pink, monocle-styled eyepiece over the right side of her face, which bore two pairs of eyes and two mouths. Both pairs of features laid under one another. Slowly, the fusion opened both sets of eyes, an openly curious and surprised expression on her face.   
\--   
_ Blinking his eyes open, Hema looked down at the ebony-haired gem, immediately noticing that the lighting around them had changed. He smiled brightly, letting out a breathless laugh. _   
_ "Tam... look." _   


_ Tam's eyes were screwed shut, the slightly taller service gem slowly opening them to peer around. She gasped sharply, holding her hand up over her mouth. She was awestruck. It was  _ **_gorgeous._ ** _ All around them there were different ledges and plateaus, all with smooth, reflective, mirror-like surfaces. But what made it especially beautiful were the millions of gleaming white stars twinkling in the sky that reflected off of the mirrored surface of the fusion plane, giving the illusion that they walked through the sky. Tam turned to face Hema, eyes wide. Slowly, she smiled and laughed, grabbing his shoulders excitedly. _   
_ "I can't believe this! This is… absolutely incredible!” _   


_ Hema stood up straight, pulling Tam to her feet with him. His breath caught in his throat, and he smiled in awe, turning to gaze around the gorgeous fusion plane. _   
_ "I'll never get used to this... but. In a good way," he said quietly, taking a step away from his fusion partner. "I'm guessing the reflective surfaces are yours... I'm pretty sure the stars are from me. They were there with Howlite and Dioptase as well. But..." He shot her a small smile. "That's a story for another time. How do you feel? _   


_ Tam looked around quickly, taking note of everything around her. Every feature, every feeling, every sensation that filled her very core. _   
_ "I... I’m alright. I think? I've never fused before… how does this work? Who are we?  _ **_Where_ ** _ are we?" She said, looking back to Hema with a quirked brow. "I know my pocket dimension has mirrors and other reflective surfaces here and there but... the stars are new. Is this what it looks like in other fusion planes?" _   


_ Ah, right! Tam had never fused... This was all new to her, wasn't it? _   
_ "Ah, we're, well. This is a fusion plane! It's an amalgamation of parts of our pocket dimensions. Every single one, from what I understand, looks different! Blue and I had a watery floor, White and I had marble floors and white skies. It all depends. Now, all we need to find is-" Looking around, the service gem pursed his lips, scanning the horizon for something he'd become familiar with. They needed some kind of window... some sort of viewpoint... Aha! "Ah, here we go!" Rushing over, his footsteps echoing through the huge plane, Hema approached a large, glassy surface that didn't seem to reflect anything. _   


_ Tam raised her brows, eyes widening suddenly. Gasping, she ran up to Hema and placed a hand on his shoulder. _   
_ "What is that?!" She exclaimed, looking up to the mirrored surface. It seemed far different from all the others. What was it, and what was it doing here? _   


_ Looking at the hand on his shoulder, Hema raised a brow, a tiny smile on his lips. He looked back at Tam, turning his attention to the mirror after a moment. _   
_ "If I'm not mistaken... this is probably what I like to call the Fusion Window. Hah, just made that up, but. Ahem. If I'm correct, this is how we'll see from this fusion's 'eyes'." He paused, rubbing his chin. "We're an entirely new gem. A new form, a new... mind, so to speak. You have to respect a fusion gem's consciousness. As long as you do that, they won't get out of control. And, in fact..." he looked at her with a reassuring smile. "From what I've experienced, two gems of the same type are  _ **_far_ ** _ easier to control in a fusion. Oddly enough, two gems of the same type are less 'merged' than two different ones... but. That's all my own experience. If this goes the same as it did when I fused before, we should be able to trade off control of her at will. Now..." Narrowing his eyes slightly, Hema ran his hand over the mirror. "What to call her..." _   


_Tam looked up to the screen, reluctantly holding her hand up to touch it gently. Nothing happened, and nothing appeared._  
 _"Is it supposed to be blank?...Why hasn't it turned on yet?.... We have...They have a name?" Tam continued, looking up expectantly to the sleek glass-like wall. This was all so new, all so peculiar to her. She'd have to write about this later._   
\--  
The fusion opened her eyes, looking down at her hands for a moment. She seemed to turn and move, trying to get the hang of her new body _as well as_ her surroundings. Stumbling forward a little, the lithe gem fell onto her knees with a small noise of surprise. Shaking her head, she looked up, peering at the gems and 'buildings' around her in confusion.  


\--   
_ Hematite tapped the mirror, pursing his lips. After a few moments, the mirror suddenly 'cleared', becoming far more window-like. _   
_ "Ah! Looks like it's up. Let's see what we've got here." Glancing back at Tam, he motioned for her to stand beside him. "And she  _ **_can_ ** _ have a name." Smiling, he looked at the screen. "She's still a Hematite... so perhaps we should simply combine our names?" _   
\--   
Tiny trotted over to the fusion gem, looking her up and down excitedly.   
"Heeey, you guys did it, huh? How does it feel? Can ya walk? Why are ya on your knees?" she asked rapid-fire, running circles around the gem, still at her half size. Spinel and her group finally approached, the tallest of them scratching her head as she squinted up at the massive fusion. Blinking curiously, the fusion looked down at the group of service gems, adjusting her eye piece. Spinel popped her lips once before suddenly motioning for her group to follow after her.   
"A'right, they're gettin’ bigger, it's time to go. Good luck with all o’ this. Call us again when yeh need it torn down," she said with a wave over her shoulder. Tiny looked after the multi-colored service gem before looking back at the fusion before her, still waiting for a reply.   


\--   
_ Tam tilted her head, placing her palms against the glass again, staring out of the screen with a breathless gasp. Turning her head to the other Hematite, she smiled faintly. _   
_ "Both of our names? Hm... Uh, lets see... Hetam. Hemta.... Tema?" _   
\--   
The gray-haired fusion blinked, still getting used to her new form and surroundings. Peering down to the smaller Hematite, she opened one of her mouths to speak. But, nothing came out at first. She wasn't sure what to say. Looking down to her legs, she carefully stood up, now towering above Tiny.    
"Um... hi."   


\--   
_ Hema blinked and smiled faintly in return, soon turning his gaze back to the window. _   
_ "Tema... I like the sound of that. Hah... she seems a bit dazed, but I suppose this is all rather new. Let's see..." Tapping his chin, Hema closed his eyes, focusing intently on connecting with Tema's consciousness. A noticeable shift drifted through the fusion plane. Tema's mind honed in on Hema's consciousness, his instincts, his mind, his very core resonating through the large, open space. Not opening his eyes, Hema  _   
\--   
Standing a bit taller, Tema looked herself over, holding up one of her legs. She twirled her foot at the ankle, eyes widening curiously. Putting her leg down, she held up her arms, running her fingers down her gloves. Pursing her lips, she lifted her hand up to her eyepiece, touching it quietly. After a moment, she looked down at Tiny and cleared her throat, standing a bit taller.   
"Ahem... evening, uh.. Tiiiny? I think...?"   
Eyes shining, the smaller Hematite paced in place, giggling to herself.   
"You know my name? Neaaat."   
\--   
_ "Did you feel the change, Tam? I currently have control over the fusion. ... I think." He chuckled softly. "This is what it feels like to be in sync with my mind, at its default state." _   
_ The air in the fusion plane had an odd sharpness to it, along with a light weight that bore down on the two gems. The faintest, dull feeling rested in both their chests, dormant for the time being. _   
_ Tam clutched her hand tightly in her other palm, looking up to the screen, then to the area around her. Soon, her gaze rested upon the slightly shorter service gem once more. _   
_ "I think so...I certainly  _ **_feel_ ** _ different." She said, smiling a little hopefully. Maybe he was onto something... _   
\--   
Tema smiled weakly, folding her arms behind her back.    
"It's um...nice to meet you. Well...see you...again? I think? No, wait..." Tema shook her head, clutching the sides of her face for a moment. Seemed she was still getting used to being a singular entity. Soon, she spotted a much smaller gem, green and boisterous. She perked up just slightly, eyes widening. "Oh, you must be ...Frecks?"

  
  


The tiny green gem straightened up, gasping excitedly at Tema's acknowledgment  _ Stars, fusions were so fascinating! _   
"Ah, yes! Nice to meet you!" Scurrying over, the service gem clasped her hands together, gazing up and down the huge gem's form. "Oh my stars, you two look great!"   
Tema blushed faintly, turning away and cupping her cheek.   
"A-ah, do we? Er, do  _ I _ ? Hah..."   
\--   
_ Nodding once, Hematite smiled. He still kept his eyes closed. _   
_ "Good, that means it's working. If this goes right, you'll feel everything I feel on a hunting mission. For this part, just pay attention to how things  _ **_feel,_ ** _ and don't try to think too hard." He opened one eye. "I'll lead.~" _   
\--   
Turning to the two smaller gems, Tema cleared her throat. Her lower mouth parted, and a voice much closer to Hema's came out as she spoke.   
"Tiny, please go escort the Spinels to the warp, and be civil. They had trouble last time they were here. Come back here, shrink down to your civilian size, and hide somewhere in the course when you're done."   
Blinking in surprised curiosity, the short-haired gem tilted her head. After a moment, however, she nodded and trotted off, heading after the Spinels.   


Watching the boisterous Hematite head off, Tema sighed quietly and peered down at Frecks curiously. She leaned down, tilting her head to look the tiny Peridot over.    
"Um... I think... Hema wanted you to go off with Tiny in the course. But you'll need to be safe, so..." Lifting a single finger, Tema carefully placed her hand down towards Frecks and encased her in a silvery bubble. "I'm sure you know how to do this already, so I won't need to explain."   


Frecks looked up at the fusion gem and smiled, nodding with an excited, determined light in her eyes.  
"I've got it! I won't let you down, you two!" Saluting, she turned and scurried off, heading into the faux cityscape. As Tema watched her run off, the hair on the back of her neck stood up _ever_ so slightly. She suddenly had to hold back the urge to chase after the tiny retreating gem, which... confused her. She stood straight again and pursed her lips, staring at nothing in particular.  
\--  
 _Nodding once to himself, Hema finally opened both of his eyes, tilting his head toward the screen._  
 _"Seems Tema's pretty well in sync."_  
T _am sighed, backing up from the screen slightly. She didn't take her eyes off of it._  
 _"In sync… with you? Does that mean I'll be, too? I mean, will I understand...?" she said, frowning slightly. She couldn't help but have her doubts. She still wasn't exactly sure where this was going, or if anything that she learned here today would stick with her once they unfused._  
 _Giving the ebony-haired gem a curt nod, Hematite looked at the screen. Regardless of whether or not Tam was aware of it, Hema could feel every doubt, every anxious thought, every worry that seemed to boil in her very core. He was concerned that her own doubt would get in the way of him teaching her..._  
 _"Look at it this way, Tam." He turned completely to her, folding his hands in front of him. "You're a Hematite. Your instincts are buried in there somewhere; we just have to get them to come out. One way or another, I'm sure one of these practices will work." Tilting his head slightly, he smiled. "Funny story... I taught Blue Diamond and a Kyanite how to use a hunting visor."_  
 _Blinking, Tam turned completely to Hema now with wide eyes._  
 _"What?! Really? ... Did they actually manage to figure it out and use it properly?" She asked, almost in disbelief. She knew gems could pick up on gemtech pretty well, but she’d honestly never thought about Hematite-specific gemtech being used by other gem types. Fascinating... perhaps she'd have to make note of this as well._   
_"They did! Blue used it to track a rebel, and the Kyanite used it to help me with some agility training by tracking me around a facility. They both learned it well enough to 'hunt' using them. So, if a gem with absolutely_ ** _no_** _natural inclinations to hunt can do it, I_ ** _know_** _you can."_  
 _If she showed it outwardly, it wasn't much. But she was_ ** _hopeful._** _Genuinely, truly hopeful. If anything, she was at least relieved. Easing her shoulders, Tam smiled thoughtfully and glanced back over to the screen._ ** _Alright... I believe you. Let's hope this works, then!_**   
_Turning back to the window, Hematite furrowed his brows with a determined smile. Right. Time to give this his best shot._  
\--  
Adjusting her eye piece, Tema looked around, brows raised. _Alright, where to start?_ Pressing her fingertips together a bit awkwardly, she pursed her lips, starting to walk through the faux city.  
\--  
 _"Hmm. Okay. Tam, I know you said you don't know how to_ ** _hunt,_** _but is it tracking too? Do you know how to use your visor properly?"_  
 _Tam frowned, tapping her own visor with a single nail._  
 _"Yes, I know how to use it. It's the catching part I'm not very good at..." She said nervously, staring up at the screen. At least by the looks of it, Tema had begun to move around more._  
\--  
Curiously, the fusion peered around one of the buildings down the block, eyeing the corners of the street. There didn't seem to be anyone around this way. It was going to be tricky finding them in here... Mumbling something anxiously under her breath, Tema held her hands close to her chest and snuck through the middle of the street, glancing every which way.  


\--   
_ "Hmm. So tracking is fine... but catching is the problem... sooo." Looking up, Hema squinted at the stars high above the two. "... I'm assuming you don't stalk?" he asked curiously, turning to look at the slightly taller gem. _   
_ The ebony-haired Hematite brought her hand up to scratch her neck, looking away with a deep blush. _   
_ "Well… no. I don't really know how to, and… I don't think I'm very good at it." _   
_ "Ah, actually, don't feel too bad; this gives us somewhere to start!" he said optimistically, turning his attention to the window again. _   
\--   
Blinking, the fusion gem stopped, looking down at her feet.   
"Hmm..."   
Tilting her head, she slowly got down on all fours, furrowing her brows. At first, she looked rather silly and unnatural, but after taking a few tentative paces forward, her stance smoothed out, and she started creeping along the smaller faux buildings.   
\--   
_ With a soft hum, Hema nodded in approval. _   
_ "There was an alien creature I studied once. It was called a 'cat', if I remember correctly. They also called it a 'feline'. These creatures use this method of hunting to its fullest potential. The trick is to keep low, stay quiet, and try to disturb as little of your environment as possible." Glancing away, Hema rubbed his neck almost awkwardly. "Aaand from my experience, this stance and method of stalking helps put me in the right mindset for hunting. Feels more natural." _   
_ "So you think I should think like this... 'cat'? Okay, um… just keep leading, I'll try to take notes." She said, clutching her fingers in her adjacent hand. Perhaps if all went well, she could pick up her own hunting methods. _   
\--   
Tema frowned heavily, peering around each and every corner. She just couldn't find any sign of the two loose gems running around. They  _ were _ hiding in this place, right? Maybe if she just kept looking... 

  
**Thump!**

  
From down one of the alleys, Tema heard something. It was faint, but the sound was unmistakable. Perking up, the gray-haired fusion gasped silently and started after where she'd heard the noise.   


\--   
_ "Now..." Closing his eyes, Hema inhaled through his nose. "When you think you've located your target, sometimes it's best to slow your pace as you get closer. Sometimes, they'll come to you. And, if you take it slow, you're far less likely to be heard or spotted. Be slow and strategic...  _ **_Until you obtain a visual._ ** _ That's when you need to leap into action, and it's a mistake I made a lot when I was starting out." _   
\--   
Skirting around a corner, Tema slowed down, steadily lowering her body closer to the ground. All her senses were trained ahead, eyes wide. After a moment, she suddenly stopped entirely, her right hand hovering ever so slightly above the ground. Something a few alleys down was moving.   
  
...   
  
After a long pause that felt like minutes, Frecks suddenly scurried around the corner, her hands pressed to the wall of the bubble she was held in. Tema tensed up, her eyes widening. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as her gaze locked onto the tiny gem a little distance away from her.   
\--   
_ A dense, powerful feeling suddenly flooded the fusion plane, bearing down on the two service gems. It was a driving, insistent urge to chase after the tiny gem. Though despite how invasively powerful the feeling was, it held no malice in it but, rather, a well-meaning  _ **_thrill._ ** _ Hema, of course, had no intentions to harm the tiny gem, but his instincts to capture her were still there. _

_ “She’s in our sights; what do you think we should do now, Tam?” _

_ Tam frowned and bit one of her nails, staring hard at the screen. _

_ “W-well, she’s quite a ways down the street. We’ll have to get closer, obviously.” _

_ Hema nodded in approval with a quiet, “Okay, good start.” _

_ “But, if we start moving, she might hear us. And, if we don’t move, she’ll turn around and see us. And then she’ll get away from us again, and it will start all over again…” _

_ Hema frowned faintly, raising a brow at Tam as he opened one of his eyes. Tam felt a chill go up her spine, causing her to swallow thickly. She took a single step back, eyes fixated on the screen. Every word that Hema had said before, every piece of advice, every feeling they shared, she jotted down as notes in her visor. She could feel what was driving him forward, whatever it was. It went without saying that it was foreign to her, in every way. Even with all his advice, something didn’t feel right. In fact, it was worse than that; this was the same way all of her hunting attempts had gone in the past. Nothing was changing. _

_ “Then, maybe we should go ahead and run and try to pounce, right? B-but, no,” she muttered, looking away from the screen entirely. “If we do that, we risk hurting her, or hurting ourselves. And then she’ll still get away, or the whole lesson will have to be stopped. M-maybe… maybe if we move for a second or two, and then pause for three seconds to let her lower her guard, and then move again for two seconds… No, there’s still the random chance of her turning around, and-” _   
_ "You're overthinking things.” Hema paused before continuing. “Hunting isn't a science. It's an  _ **_experience,_ ** _ much like dancing. Sure, you need to judge what the best course of action is... but usually you should  _ **_act_ ** _ before you think. Trust your gut feeling and go with it. It's far more reliable than your mind, when it comes to actually  _ **_catching_ ** _ the gem. Your mind comes later, when you're deciding what to do with them." _   
\--   
Frowning, Tema tensed, noticing that the Peridot was starting to turn her head.  _ Wait, should she go, should she wait, should she hide? Maybe she should back off, wait for a better chance! _   
... No.   
_ She's within range. _   
  
**Go.**   
  
Suddenly launching herself forward, the huge fusion gem closed in  _ quickly _ on the bubbled gem, landing incredibly close behind her. Frecks yelped in surprise and turned to run, but Tema was too fast. With one quick lunge forward, she scooped up the bubble in her palms, awkwardly landing on her front with a sharp 'oof!'   


Tema looked up at the bubble in surprise, clutching her hands gently around the silvery sphere.   
"I… I did it!" She said with a chuckle, smiling down at the tiny Peridot inside. But her smile faded, and she looked to the sides awkwardly. "Um… what am I supposed to do now? Sh-should I find Tiny? Or?"  
\--  
 _The ebony-haired hematite blinked, rubbing her upper arm. Walking back up to the screen, she placed a hand on its surface, taking down a single note._  
 ** _Successful._**   
_Opening his eyes and sparing Tam a small, warm smile, Hema stepped back away from the screen. He cleared his throat quietly._  
 _"Like that,” he said gently. “Alright, Tam. We're going to give Frecks a few minutes to go hide again. I want_ ** _you_** _to lead this time. Tiny is the more challenging target, and we're not quite ready for her yet. I gave her specific instructions."_  
\--  
Frecks righted herself quickly and shook her head, clearing it. She stood up and smiled up at the fusion gem with a determined gleam.  
"Alright, put me down again! This time it's gonna be harder!" She said boisterously Tema tilted her head down at the bold little Peridot and slowly lowered the bubble to the ground, peering curiously at her. Without hesitating, Frecks ran off down the street, vanishing around one of the corners.  


Huffing heavily, the gray-haired fusion slumped down on the ground, resting one arm above the other. She waited patiently for a minute or so to tick by, unsure how long she should give the tiny Peridot to run. Looking down at the ground, she pressed her finger to the stone floor, feeling the rocks on her fingertips. She was fascinated by the simple sensation… all these new things she'd never felt or seen or experienced before. She felt curious, her mind racing in many different directions. Even if she was nervous, she couldn't help but feel some sort of rise of excitement.   
\--  
 _Tam steeled herself, squaring her shoulders. Taking in a long, drawn-out breath, she puffed out her cheeks and stepped back, glaring intently up at the screen. Exhaling through her teeth, she clenched her fists repeatedly. She closed her eyes, furrowing her brows seriously._  
 _"Okay, I think I can do this... I think... I think I can. Just let me… Just..."_ _Slowly, Tam opened her eyes, completely silent. She remained frozen in place, eyes trained to the screen ahead. The entire plane started to shift. The air became a little less dense and the urge that swirled around their very beings backed off. It was still there, but not as strongly as it was before._  
 _"I think I might... have it."_  
 _"... Good. Do your best and go with your gut," he said simply, taking another step back. "I'll be here to step in if you need it. But for now, it's all you." He took a deep breath through his nose and looked at the screen, watching and observing curiously._  
\--  
After a few minutes, Tema finally stirred, lifting her head. It'd been a few minutes, and Frecks had plenty of time to get some distance away. _It was time to try this again._  


Getting to her feet, Tema remained on alert, glancing around the street ahead of her.  _ Stay focused… stay sharp. _ With a steady, quiet pace, the fusion treaded through the roads and followed the lead from her visor. Frecks was pretty fast in that bubble; she was already halfway across the map! Frowning intently, Tema picked up her speed and headed for where she thought Frecks was rolling around.   


The Peridot finally stopped, panting quietly as she put her hands on her knees.  _ Stars, how far had she run? _ Looking around, she took note of her surroundings and all the odd nooks and crannies in this part of the course. Some buildings were tilted over or had small little alcoves in them, perfect for hiding, and  _ that _ gave the Peridot an idea. Hematite had given her specific instructions to make noise during the first test, but then be as silent as she could during the second... And, if she  _ could, _ she was supposed to hide and dart out the moment she was found.   
Scurrying over to an oddly-shaped set of 'buildings', the Peridot peered between them, staring into the nearly pitch-black alley that laid beyond the street. Sticking her tongue out, the tiny gem squeezed her way into the hidden little alcove, hiding in a dark corner. She settled down and listened carefully, eyes narrowed.   


Tema came creeping around the corner, holding her head high. According to her visor, it seemed that Frecks had stopped moving, at least. Now that she was in range, it was time to give this a shot…  _ but the visor wasn't going to be able to help her for this part. _ She steadied herself, crouching low. This was it. Be quiet, be steady, be mindful.  _ But don't overthink it. _ Finding herself in a slew of alleyways, twists and turns, Tema started to look up to the high-towering buildings. She felt a pressure weighing down on her, as if the dark-faced, looming figures were watching her, judging her. Tema frowned nervously and shrank closer to the ground, swallowing softly.

_ No, relax. You can do this. _   
Holding her breath, Tema slowed down to a crawl, narrowing her eyes curiously. Frecks was around here somewhere… but  _ where? _   


The tiny Peridot could have  _ sworn _ she heard something moving around outside of her hiding place, but she stayed still, stayed quiet, and didn't move an inch. Every once in a while she'd glance around, but aside from that, she kept her eyes trained on her one escape route.   
Narrowing her eyes, Tema crept around another corner, keeping her head low as she dropped down to all fours so her steps would make less noise.   
_ Okay, this is what Hema said to do... will this really help, though? _   
_ No, don't think about it. Just do it. _   
\--   
_ Hema kept his eyes on Tam. _

**_C'mon, you can do this._ **

  
  


_ Tam stood straight, focused on whatever it was that Tema was seeing. Maybe if she could  _ **_feel_ ** _ what she felt... To feel what  _ **_Hema_ ** _ had felt before. Steadily, the air started to shift again. The ebony-haired Hematite furrowed her brows in concentration, but this time… she focused on her entire mind. The world around her went fuzzy, almost blinding her from anything but her immediate surroundings, and the sounds of a nearby target. Tam’s mind immediately tried to hone in on numbers; it started racing, coming up with possible distances between herself and Frecks, the number of steps it would take to close the distance- _

_ No. Don't overthink it. Logic won't help. Tech won't help. _   
\--   
Tema stayed low, keeping her balance equally distributed on all of her limbs. Soon, she found herself standing beside one of the taller buildings that held a particularly dark alleyway nearby. She stood still for a good moment, waiting for anything to happen.  _ Nothing. _ Narrowing her eyes, Tema quickly shot to the side, blocking off the entrance to the alleyway and lowering herself again over the road, staring down the path.   


The Peridot hiding down the alley stiffened up at the seemingly sudden appearance of the massive fusion gem. She hesitated for a moment, the hair on her neck standing on end, but she quickly shook herself back to reality. Brows furrowing, she suddenly grunted and shoved her way back out of the alley, doing her best to skirt by Tema and flee back down the street.   


Tema, instead of making a clumsy grab for the Peridot,  _ let _ her roll by and whirled around to follow her. Her speed steadily picked up as she trailed close behind. Soon, she was practically running  _ right next _ to the Peridots, not taking her eyes off of the bubble. At any moment, she could have made a move to reach over and grab her.  _ But she didn't. _ She hesitated. For a moment, she was afraid she was going to hurt Frecks, even if she  _ was _ in a bubble. Grunting, she made a move as they turned a corner, scrambling suddenly to try and pick up the bubble as soon as they changed direction.   


The Peridot took advantage of Tema's moment of hesitation and suddenly darted off in the opposite direction, quickly making her way toward a more congested area of the city. If the fusion didn't act  _ quickly, _ her job was about to get a  **whole** lot harder.   
\--   
_ Hematite bit his tongue, keeping his orders to himself. He wanted to  _ **_tell_ ** _ her to go after Frecks, and not to be so hesitant, but she had to figure this out herself.  _   
G _ rimacing nervously, Tam clutched her fingers tightly together, lifting her hand up to her mouth to chew on her nails. She never once took her eyes off the screen.  _

\--   
Tema panted heavily, skirting around various twists and turns of the outskirts of the main parts of the faux city. She had a good visual on Frecks, at least, but likely not for long. She didn't have  _ time _ to think about that. Suddenly, Tema made a bold, hasty decision and lunged forward, landing  _ in front _ of Frecks. Turning on her heel, she quickly swiped her hands down and cupped them over the bubble, her hair standing on end. She shuddered, eyes widening slightly.   


The Peridot squeaked in surprise, trying to skid to a halt as soon as the fusion landed in front of her. Unfortunately, her momentum was too great, and she found herself knocked off of her feet, suddenly rolling about in the bubble. She came to a sudden halt in the giant gem's hands, and bounced against the front of the bubble, landing quickly back on her rear. Letting out a dazed groan, she laid there, head spinning. She seemed unharmed, though.   
\--   
_ Smiling brightly, Hema looked up at the screen, an odd warmth in his chest. She'd done it. Granted, Frecks wasn't the hardest gem to catch... but she'd still made a step forward. _   
**_Any progress is big, no matter how small it may seem._ **   


\--   
Blinking, Tema relaxed slightly and tilted her head, slowly uncovering the bubble just enough to see inside. Carefully, she picked it up, holding it a little closer to her face with a bright smile.    
"I did it!" she exclaimed excitedly, suddenly laughing in dazed excitement.    
\--   
_ Tam grinned ear-to-ear, looking back at Hema quickly. Gesturing towards the screen with her thumb, she looked between Hema and the tiny Peridot in the bubble in absolute shock. _   
_ "I can't believe this...!" _   
_ Smiling brightly, Hema perked up, stepping closer and putting a hand on Tam's shoulder. _   
_ "Believe it, Tam! You just caught a target gem on your own! And, see? That quick decision you made is what made it possible. Just trust your gut like that, and you'll be far more successful." Looking back at the screen, Hema gently squeezed his fellow Hematite's shoulder. "Tema sure seems happy about it," he said warmly, grinning as the fusion gem's delighted laughter faintly drifted through the fusion plane. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread through the space surrounding the two gems, sinking into their very cores. _   
\--   
Frecks shook herself off, rubbing her head as her bubble was lifted closer to the fusion's face. After a moment, she smiled and clapped once or twice in approval.   
"Nice job, you two! Stars, you can jump  _ far! _ I didn't even see ya coming!" she said excitedly, bunching up her fists in front of her chest.   


Tema held Frecks out a little further from her face, still beaming over to the tinier service gem.   
"Hah, yeah! I think we're pretty agile... I mean, I think  _ I'm _ pretty agile!" she said, blushing slightly. Leaning down carefully, she placed Frecks back on the ground and remained crouched over for the time being. "I think… I think I can do this!!"   
\--   
_ Tam could hardly speak. She was impressed… no, more than that. She was  _ awestruck _. Looking to Hema Tam held out her hand reluctantly, but placed hers on his shoulder to return his gesture. She was thankful… and she was hopeful. _   
**_No wonder White picked you._ **   
_ Blinking in surprise, Hema felt a faint wash of color spread over his face. The service gem chuckled shyly and looked away, a bashful smile on his face. _   
_ "A-anyways. Great job, Tam! Nowww we have to track downTiny ! She's under completely different orders than Frecks, and once you capture her, my lessons  _ **_should_ ** _ be done for the night, and you'll be given time to practice for the rest of the night, if you wish." _   
\--   
Frecks nodded and looked up at the bubble, trying to paw at it so she could pop it.   
"Yeah, I think you can too! Noow can you let me out of here? Hema said I needed to step off the course after you guys caught me twice."   
Tilting her head, the fusion gem blinked and nodded quickly.   
"Oh, certainly!" she said politely, reaching down to the bubble. Extending one clawed finger, she gently popped the silvery confines, withdrawing her hand afterwards. The Peridot sat up and dusted herself off, adjusting her suit from her little tumble previously.

  
  


Turning quickly, Tema gave Frecks a little wave of thanks and goodbye before running off to track down the boisterous Hematite.    
"Thanks, Frecks! Hope to see you again someday!! I appreciate the help!" She called out, running down the street excitedly.    


Frecks smiled and waved back, quickly heading out of the course. She wanted to see if she could get a good view of this!   
\--   
_ The ebony-haired Hematite looked up at the screen, swiping her bangs away from her eyes for a moment. Smiling, the service gem a rare surge of confidence within herself. But how much of it was really  _ **_her_ ** _ and how much of that was from Hema? She wasn't certain, but regardless, it was  _ **_something._ ** _ If this was actually working... maybe she had some hope after all! _   
_ "Right! Tiny... Oh joy, she was hard to catch out in the  _ **_open._ ** _ I take it you can't tell me what instructions you've given her?" Tam said, looking over her shoulder thoughtfully. _   


\--   
_ Smiling coyly, Hematite took a step back, looking up to the side. _   
_ "Weeeelll, I suppose telling you her instructions wouldn't hurt." He cleared his throat with a small smirk. "She's a bit bigger than her civilian size right now, and she's under strict instructions to  _ **_never stop moving."_ **   
T _ am swallowed nervously, slowly looking back to the screen. Oh stars,  _ **_never?_ ** _ She was hard to catch to begin with; this would be a hassle. But if she didn't try, she wouldn't ever have a chance. Or at least  _ **_know_ ** _ if she had a chance. Nodding, she turned back to the screen completely and clenched her fists with fierce determination. _   
\--   
Tema followed the signal as best as she could. Unfortunately, every time it refreshed, it was somewhere different. Furrowing her brows in mild frustration, she gathered that her visor wasn't going to be of too much use here. Perhaps she'd have to go for a different approach with this one...   


\--   
_ Hema smiled again, looking at the screen. There was one other instruction Tiny had that he had refused to share: she was to move in an unpredictable way so that Tema didn't have a clear pattern to go by. That wasn't usually how targets worked in the field, and was actually  _ **_far_ ** _ more difficult to track... but that was the idea. If Tam could track and catch a target that moved in the worst possible way a target could, she'd be prepared for almost anything. _   
\--   
About thirty seconds later, the visor refreshed again, and, once more, Tiny was in a completely different area. How in stars' name was she supposed to track down a target that was somewhere different every few seconds?! She couldn't even see over the buildings surrounding her. Even if Tiny was whipping by her as she scurried along the course, she would never know it! Her field of view was so limited down here...   
_... Wait. _

Stopping in her tracks, the fusion gem looked up, furrowing her brows at the towering 'buildings' surrounding her. After a short pause, she bit her lip, crouching down. With a mighty leap, she landed on top of one of the stone towers, steadying herself with a quiet 'whoa' and holding her arms out for balance. Looking up, she jumped to a higher one, and an even higher one, until she stood atop one of the tallest towers that overlooked the course.

  
  


Tema glanced around slowly, eyeing the surrounding area carefully. If she had any chance of finding Tiny, this was likely  _ far _ more reliable than her visor. Tiny could only move so fast, and even if it  _ was _ speedy, the fusion would at least be closer than she was before.

_ There. _

To the right, about half a mile ahead, Tema spotted Tiny's ever-moving form scuttling around one of the faux buildings. Looked like she was enjoying herself, at least, since Tiny hardly ever stopped moving as it was. Clutching the corner of the tallest building, Tema narrowed her eyes and leapt down skillfully onto the shorter buildings until she was on the ground again, finally bolting off to where she had last seen the other Hematite.   


Tiny perked up when she heard a rather loud 'thud' a few thousand feet away. Grinning deviously, she bolted off in the opposite direction she'd been heading, running on all fours. Looks like that giant clod had figured out where she was. Things were about to get interesting!   


Tema made her way nimbly through the faux city, passing various turns and closing in a good distance within minutes. She'd have to keep her eyes peeled in order to spot Tiny, as it was likely she was already heading far away from where she originally had been.  _ But Tema was closing in. _   
\--   
_ The air in the fusion plane seemed to shift once more. Though it was a little hard to tell as to  _ **_what._ ** _ Tam was getting noticeably anxious again, biting her lip and squeezing her fingers in one of her hands. However, despite her nervousness, she was focused, intently staring up at the screen. She was determined to get this right; she had to. Keeping his eyes on Tam now, Hema frowned faintly, pursing his lips. _   
**_C'mon, Tam, just go with the chase. Don't worry so much about it. You can do this._ **   
_ He glanced at the screen, eyes widening subtly as Tiny flickered into view for a moment. His own hunter's instincts flared up  _ **_noticeably_ ** _ for a moment, weighing down the air of the fusion plane. _   
\--   
The fusion gem grit her teeth, quickly whipping around a corner to see Tiny  **bolting** down a long path toward a more open area of the course. The small Hematite was incredibly quick on her feet, and, well, her hands, and she was already making quite some distance between herself and the fusion chasing her down. She glanced back, grinning.   
"C'mon, you big dirt bomb! What's the matter, get bored with the Peridot?" she teased, turning and picking up speed.

  
  


Tema's brow twitched slightly, and she hunkered down lower on all fours. Irritated with the smaller Hematite's taunts, the fusion picked up her own speed, trailing quickly after. Instead of calling back, however, she remained silent and focused.   
\--   
_ Tam shivered slightly, clutching her fingers tighter. Glancing back briefly to Hema with a raised brow, she slowly looked around the fusion plane. It was all so strange how they could feel the very atmosphere seem to change, yet it physically remained undeterred. Turning back to the screen, Tam faltered for a moment.  _ **_She felt something._ ** _ The feeling from before becoming steadily stronger, rising up within her very core and swirling around it like a heavy presence A heavy  _ **_need._ ** _ A desire to  _ **_catch._ ** _ The longer the moments ticked on, the more she could start to feel it. Was this what Hema was talking about? Was it… actually  _ **_working?_ **   
\--

  
  


\--   
_ After a few moments, Hematite started to notice that the hunting drive weighing down the fusion plane...  _ **_wasn't his alone._ ** _ He smiled faintly, a hopeful, hopeful anticipation coming off of him in subtle waves. _   
\--   
Tiny cackled and tossed a smirk over her shoulder again, quickly noticing that the fusion gem was almost upon her. With a loud 'hup!' she suddenly skidded to a halt, turned, and ran  **directly** toward the huge gem. Tema gasped in surprise, eyes widening as the tiny gem raced toward her. Before she could properly react, she looked down just in time to catch sight of her target sprinting  _ under _ her, scurrying in the other direction. It took the fusion a long moment to recover, awkwardly stopping her forward momentum by digging her clawed fingers into the ground. She twisted around, growling lowly as she spotted Tiny making tracks away from her.   


Tema followed after the gem, frustration increasing by the minute. First the taunts, then the tricks. She guessed she should have expected it,  _ but it didn't make it any less infuriating. _ Eyes trained on the smaller Hematite ahead, she started to close in faster once she got back into the swing of things. If she persisted, hopefully she'd be able to catch her.   


The two raced through the faux city for a long while, Tiny always ahead by a few paces. She used every trick she knew to avoid getting caught, and for a while, it worked.   
But despite her best efforts... she was starting to slow up. Her leaps and bounds grew steadily sloppier, and she almost seemed to be running out of steam, though she kept up the taunts and mocking.   
But that didn't stop Tema from taking note that she could now catch up with the smaller gem.   


Tema panted heavily, soon upon Tiny just as she was Frecks before. Now running practically beside her,  _ this time she didn't hesitate. _ Without warning, Tema lunged to the side and wrapped her arms around the smaller Hematite, stumbling onto the ground with her.   


Tiny yelped in surprise, wasting no time in struggling to get loose. She was only about the size of a kitten to Tema right now; big enough to take a bit of a tumble, but not big enough to easily escape if she wanted to.  _ And stars, it sure seemed like she wanted to. _   
"Leggo of me, ya big clod!" she squeaked, growling as she tried to push Tema's arms away from her. The fusion gem sighed in relief and looked down at the smaller Hematite, sitting up from her rather unpleasant position on the ground.   


Tema glanced down at the tiny gem she held in her hands, a rush of excitement washing over her. She made no move to let go, but smiled ear-to-ear.    
\--   
_ Tam was speechless, moving her hands up closer to her mouth. Her eyes wide, she wondered how much of that had  _ **_really been her._ ** _ Tema had done it. Tema had  _ **_caught Tiny,_ ** _ and in a reasonable amount of time, too! _   
\--   


The smaller service gem grumbled to herself, glaring up at the fusion with squinted eyes.   
"Yeah yeah so ya got me, pumme down now!" she barked, gritting her teeth. The  _ faintest _ hint of anxiety flashed across her expression, though it was covered quickly.   
\--   
_ Hema stepped back over, clasping his hands together in front of him with a smile. _   
_ "Well, would you look at that," he started, turning to look at the ebony-haired Hematite. "I didn't have to step in at all.~ Very nicely done, Tam." _   


_ Tam took in a single, sharp breath and chuckled, turning quickly to Hematite and wrapping her arms around him as a pleasant warmth filled the fusion plane. Clutching the smaller Hematite closer, Tam's lip quivered. _   
_ "Thank you..." _   
\--   
Tema's expression fell just slightly, and she lowered the smaller gem to the ground, letting go. Rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, she glanced away without a word.   


\--   
_ Gasping quietly in surprise, Hematite froze, eyes widening. A pleasantly warm breeze drifted through the fusion plane, gently disturbing the two Hematites' hair. After a moment, Hema relaxed and smiled, wrapping his arms around Tam in return. _   
_ "You're welcome." _   
\--   
The smaller Hematite shook herself off, her hair fluffing up afterwards. She looked up at Tema with an unreadable expression, starting to pace away.    
"Sorry, you did a great job but I gotta get going!" she said hastily, suddenly turning and bolting off to exit the course. Tema raised a brow in confusion, but didn't move to stop the tiny gem. She folded her hands in front of her, still sitting on the ground. After sighing through her nose, she tilted her head up, gazing at the night sky.   


She must have simply been in a hurry to get going. Ah well, that gem never seemed to stop moving much, anyway. Smiling to herself, Tema took an awkward stand.    
\--   
_ Tam's eyes shot open after a moment, and she quickly backed up, clearing her throat. _   
_ "Oh, my… sorry, I'm so sorry. That wasn't very… um... Nevermind." She placed her hand to her cheek and looked away, her cheeks tinted a dark shade of violet. At the very least, she'd managed to succeed. She just hoped that whatever she’d learned or felt would stick even remotely after they unfused. Sighing heavily, Tam forced a smile and looked back, brows raised. "I didn't think I could do it..." _   
_ Hema adjusted his sleeves, shooting the service gem a friendly smile. _   
_ "Don't apologize. I do that all the time." He chuckled quietly before turning to the screen as well. She didn't think she could do it? Well, he understood that she had troubles hunting, but... "... Have you never captured gems before... or gone on hunting missions, Tam?" _   
_ Tam shrugged a shoulder, her expression softening. Honestly, she wasn't sure how to answer that. _   
_ "Well... yes and no. I've been on hunting missions but… unfortunately, none have really been successful. And by that, I mean none at all..." She said, frowning slightly. "This is the first time I've ever really 'caught' anything." _   
_ Brows raising, Hema opened his mouth to say something, but then quickly closed it again. He looked at the ebony-haired gem, a perplexed frown on his face. _   
_ "... Wait. Then... You've  _ **_never_ ** _ harvested a gem? Like... with any method?" _   
_ Looking away for a moment without moving her head, Tam puffed out her cheeks and chewed the inside of her lip for a second, looking back at Hema. _   
_ "No. No, I have not..." She said, almost ashamed. _   
_ Puffing out his own cheeks, the shorter Hematite glanced to the side, thinking hard about something. He was silent for a long moment. _   
**_Well that won't do._ **   
_ "Alright... Well! I didn't know that. Hm." Looking around the fusion plane, the ivory-haired gem stepped away a few paces. "... Tam, be honest with me. How good do you feel your chances are, after this little exercise?" he asked curiously, not turning to look at her. He folded his hands together. _   
F _ urrowing her brows slightly, Tam glanced away, deep in thought. How  _ **_did_ ** _ she feel? She gave Hematite a brief nod, smiling. _   
_ "Well, I feel a lot better about it, now! I’ve never felt something like that before, wh-who knows, maybe all this is the piece I was missing with all this hunting business?” _   
_ "... Mmm. How would you feel about one final test? You'd put these new skills to use in one last, much more difficult task," he said simply, his tone unreadable. _   


_ Tam pursed her lips, looking at the shorter Hematite curiously. What was he getting at? _   
_ "Ah... Might as well! I'm always willing to try and learn something new. Since we're already doing this, after all." _   
_ Smiling faintly, the ivory-haired gem stood at attention, unclasping his hands. _   
_ "Alright, good! So..." Turning, he walked back over. "As much as I hate to say it... I think Tema has to go for now. You'll need to be completely on your own for this last task." _   
_ am nodded simply, breathing silently. She couldn't help but feel her nervousness return, but it certainly wasn't quite as sharp as it had been before. _   
_ "Right... Okay. Thank you, Hema. This was… an incredible experience!" she said, her smile picking back up. She'd  _ **_definitely_ ** _ have to write about this later! _   
_ Grinning warmly, Hema nodded and scratched the back of his head. After a moment, he reached out and gently took Tam's hand in his own. _   
_ "It was... But it's not over!" he said brightly, closing his eyes. _   
\--   
Tema blinked in surprise, stopping in her tracks. She'd taken to wandering around the faux city without anything better to do. But now... she felt something stirring in her core, and she gently placed a hand over her gems. Sighing softly, she looked up at the stars again, a sad smile on both her mouths.   
_... It was fun while it lasted. _   
Closing her eyes, she began to glow and her form soon shrank down, leaving the two Hematites standing among the training course’s 'buildings'.   


Tam blinked, opening her eyes at last. Adjusting her visor slightly, she brushed her bangs from her face and looked over at her hands, then back to Hematite. With a single chuckle, she smiled, placing her arms behind her back.   


Hema dropped his arms to his sides, looking up at the taller Hematite. He pursed his lips, watching her brush her bangs aside.   
"... By the way." He carefully lifted a hand up to her face, playfully brushing a finger over the bangs that laid in the center of her face. "You might wanna do something with this while you hunt? It might get in your eyes."   


Tam tensed her shoulder slightly, looking at her bangs as they were brushed to the side. She blushed faintly, but it faded quickly.   
"Ah, yes, sorry about that. Er, wait… what exactly… am I doing, now?"   


Withdrawing his hand, the ivory-haired gem nodded briefly and folded his arms behind him, mirroring Tam's stance.   
"Right! Well, I want you to take some time looking around at the course, getting a really good feel for it, and planning out some places that'd be good to corner a gem. You're going to do one final hunt, and at the end of it, I want you to  _ harvest _ your target. I'm sure you know how that process goes," he said simply, raising a brow.

  
  


Tam tapped her fingertips together nervously, glancing around at the various buildings and alleyways. She'd never done this before... She didn't want to  _ scare _ anyone.   
"Er, yes...but um...Will I have to place them in my pocket dimension? Or....?" She asked, daring to make eye contact.

  
  


Hematite shrugged his arms to his sides, pursing his lips.   
"Whatever you find fitting. Pocket dimension or otherwise. I've done both in different circumstances." He met her eyes, expression unreadable. "But I think this will be good for you. You should harvest a gem at least once... I mean, who knows. Maybe that's the one thing that's been holding you back?"

  
  


Tam grimaced slightly, but she pushed her discomfort aside for the time being. Perhaps he was right. After all, that was probably a huge factor that played in her lack of hunting drive. _It was worth a shot._   
"Um… okay! I think I've got it." She said, turning slightly to look around. After a few moments, she turned back, but didn't look back at Hema just yet. "So, who am I going to be going after this time?"

  
  


Raising a brow, Hema glanced off to the side. He needed to go check on something.   
"I haven't decided. Most likely, either Frecks or Tiny. I'm going to go see who's up for it." He cleared his throat, standing straight. "In the meantime, you do what you need to here. I'll give you a quick ring on your communicator when the test is beginning."

  
  


Tam saluted Hema promptly, standing up a bit straighter.    
"A-alright! If you're sure they'll be okay with that, at least..." She said, looking over with a bit of concern. Turning away, Tam glanced around again and started off down the street. She wanted to get a good look at this area herself before she got going.

  
  


After a short, hesitant pause, Hematite turned and flicked his hunting visor over his eyes, quickly checking where Tiny and Frecks were. His radar came online and washed over with a wide mix of colors from Tam, the guards, HT… and Tiny and Frecks. Seemed the two of them were near the entrance to the Cove.  _ Alright, good, that wasn't too far off. _   
The ivory-haired gem started off, thinking quietly to himself.   
_ A Hematite who had never harvested before... Surely that could do  _ **_something_ ** _ to you, right? Maybe finishing the night off with this would really help his lessons stick. _   
\--   
A little while later, Hema finally spotted the Peridot standing near the huge entrance to the clearing. Surprisingly, she appeared to be on her own. Hematite frowned and tilted his head, shifting down to his civilian size as he approached the small green gem. Frecks had her back turned to Hema, and seemed to be holding something in front of her. Her leg enhancers were back on, and her diamond pad was tucked under one of her arms.   
Clearing his throat, Hema stepped closer. He could have sworn he heard Frecks talking to someone... Lifting his visor up, the service gem tilted his head.   
"There you are, Frecks," he said simply, tucking his arms behind him. The Peridot suddenly jumped, stiffening at the sound of Hema's voice. She scrambled to turn around, holding her hands behind her back as her diamond pad clattered to the floor. Inhaling sharply through her teeth, she glanced down at the gem tech, hoping it wasn't broken. Her eyes returned to the approaching Hematite, and she grinned awkwardly.   
"Hiiii Hema! Done already, huh?"   
Raising a brow suspiciously, Hematite frowned slightly. What was she holding behind her back?   
"Ah, yes... well. Sort of," he stammered, trying to peer over the green gem's shoulder. She made a rather amusing face, brows raised, and leaned back so he couldn't see behind her. Hema squinted at the Peridot, but stood straight and continued. "Tam needs a  _ harvesting _ target. I was coming to see if you or Tiny could step in."   
Frecks' expression dropped, and she looked away nervously.  _ Stars, a  _ **_harvesting_ ** _ test? Being in a Hematite's mouth for research and photo-taking purposes was one thing... but...  _ **_That?_ ** _ That was something else entirely. _ The Peridot meekly turned her attention back up to Hema's face, biting her lip.   
"U-uhm. I don't know if I could... you know. I'm not exactly the hardest gem to catch, would I even make a good test?" she asked nervously. Hema frowned sympathetically, looking up to the side. He sighed in resignation, shaking his head.   
"Noo... I suppose not. But, then what about Tiny? She was a challenge." He looked around. "Where is she, anyways? My visor told me she was around here."   
Frecks glanced to the side.   
"... She can't do it. She went off to do something else after she left the course," she said quietly, frowning. The ivory-haired gem cocked a brow at the Peridot.   
"... Is that so?"   
The shorter gem couldn't meet Hema's eyes. She nodded and looked at the ground, idly stepping on a small pebble. Sighing, Hematite rubbed his face, looking away. He couldn't very well ask HT to do it, and if Frecks and Tiny were out of the question...   
  
...   
  
That really only left one option.

  
  


Meanwhile, Tam peered around one of the faux buildings and mumbled something quietly to herself. Every now and then, she would jot down a few notes or make a random, temporary note of the layout. The more information she could collect now, the less trouble she'd have later.

  
  


Groaning quietly, Hematite puffed his cheeks out, turning to look out at the course. Frecks followed his gaze, frowning curiously.   
"... Hema?"   
"Hm? Ah. Don't worry about it, Frecks. I've got a backup plan." He turned and smiled at the smaller service gem, cocking a brow. "You just go stay somewhere out of the way, alright? Preferably near one of the guard stations, just in case. There's one down the clearing, to the right." He nodded his head toward a large metal 'lookout' that rested atop one of the cliffs. "That's a good place to hang out. ... And uh. Keep Tiny safe."   
The Peridot stiffened up, a shudder running up her back.  _ How did he know? _   
"Riiight, gotcha! I'll uh... I'll do that." With an awkward smile, she leaned down and picked up her diamond pad with her free hand. "Well, best of luck with the rest of the test, Hema!" Turning, she quickly brought her hand back in front of her, rushing off toward the guard station. Hematite let out a single, dry snort and silently wished the two service gems good luck. As long as they stuck near the wall, they'd be fine.   
Looking back out over the course, Hema felt his smile fade. He sat down on a nearby rock, propping one leg up to rest his elbow on. Narrowing his eyes, he gazed out over the faux cityscape.   
  
\--   
  
Hema gave Tam a good hour to take notes on the course. Being such a huge place, she'd need all the time she could get. However, he still knew they only had the rest of the night to do this. So he supposed it was now or never. He'd steeled his nerves as well as he could. Standing up, he flicked his visor back over his eyes.   
_ Contact Tam. _

  
  


Tam's image appeared on the visor, moving as she did.    
"Hello, Hema! Any news?" She said hopefully.

  
  


Clearing his throat, Hematite stood straight, his eyes half-lidding.   
"... Yes. I've found your target. You’ll be hunting… me.”   


Tam blinked, her eyes widening suddenly.    
"What?!" she squawked, her lip twitching into undisguised confusion. "Wha… Do you really think that's a good idea? Why you? What about Frecks and Tiny?" she said, sounding nothing short of panicked _. _ Hema, on the other hand, kept his tone even.   
"Frecks is not a good test subject, and would be very easy to catch. Tiny is currently indisposed. She wore herself out in the first test. I'm the only logical option."   


Tam lifted her hand up under her visor and groaned slightly, but she went with it. Oh well. _It was something, at least._   
"Alright. If you're sure… I'll… do my best!" She said with a forced, lopsided smile.  


"Very good." He squinted at the visor, quickly taking note of Tam's current location. "I won't go easy on you, and I expect the same from you. You are to treat me as a rebel gem that you've been assigned to relocate."   


Tam nervously brushed her hair to the side, nodding in understanding.   
"Yes, Hema! As you wish. When do we start?"   


"I'm outside the course, so give me a thirty minute head start. During this time, you are to turn off your radar and stay on the ground. I'm going to trust you to time this yourself."   
Slowly, the service gem rolled his shoulders, a steely expression spreading over his face.   
_ "Begin." _   
Rushing into the faux city, Hematite glanced at his hands. His eyes narrowed, and he looked up and around himself, humming out a soft note.   
  
  


Tam straightened herself up, taking in a deep breath. Thirty minutes...alright. Focus. Relax. Turning the radar off, Tam remained stationary in her spot so that Hema could avoid her more easily. Even if  _ he _ could see where  _ she _ was, she didn't want him running into her right now. As the minutes ticked by, Tam felt herself get more and more nervous. Occasionally she'd remind herself to calm down and not overthink things… but she couldn't shake the ever-present doubt that weighed down her very being. Would she  _ really _ be able to pull this off on her own?...

  
  


\--   
Thirty minutes passed, and the course was as silent as it had been the entire half hour. Hema had never passed close enough by Tam's location for her to hear him, as he'd avoided her location entirely.   
Glancing at his visor timer, Hematite frowned and looked around, quickly heading to a small, pitch-black alley much like the one Frecks had hidden in. Crouching down, he settled into the darkest corner he could find. His visor dimmed, and he closed his eyes, keeping his sense of hearing on high alert.   
He'd left some 'surprises' for Tam. He just hoped they'd work as intended.   


Tam, after noticing that her waiting time was over, quickly stood up from where she had seated herself and motioned her arms forward, cracking her knuckles. Her visor glazed over, and her demeanor seemed to change. Time to look at things from a different approach. Setting off immediately, she took note on her visor where the closest patch of gray was. Oddly enough, it wasn't moving, but perhaps he was hiding somewhere! Picking up her speed, she carefully skirted around various faux buildings, making her way steadily over to where her target area was.  
Though, as soon as she'd found the block she was looking for, her anxiety and confusion rose up. He was around here, but...where?...   
At least that's _what the visor said._   
Frowning, Tam skidded to a halt, rapidly looking around for any sign of movement.

  
  


_ Nothing. _   
The signal wasn't moving. Hematite was nowhere in sight, and from the sounds of it, if the signal  **did** belong to him, he wasn't moving an  **inch.**   
To make matters worse...   
Other gray signals were showing up on the radar a little ways off. Six or so gray splotches of color dotted the mesh-like map, spread out across the course. And those were just within the radar's  _ current _ field of view.

  
  


Tam tapped at her visor, mumbling something under her breath. _Was this thing faulty? What was going on?_ No, it wasn't the gemtech. In fact, as Tam pressed on, she noticed something glimmering behind one of the buildings just within an alley. Her attention shot towards it and she quickly made her way over. Kneeling down, she furrowed one of her brows in acute confusion.   
_Was that...? A knuckleduster?_   
**What?!**  
Huffing, Tam adjusted her visor and picked up the small weapon, looking around. _She didn't know these could give off faux signals! ...She'd make note of that as well._ Frowning heavily, she dropped it and made her way towards one of the other signals. With any luck, Hema hadn't made too many, and she'd stumble across him eventually.

  
  


From the looks of it, Hema had made  _ good _ use of his thirty minutes, and had spread a total of 14 of his weapons across the entire course. Some of them were perched atop buildings, some were buried under rubble, and some of them were hidden in dark alleyways. In total, there were now 13 faulty signals and his true signal on the radar. Unfortunately for Tam, every splash of color looked the same, making it impossible to tell what was what.   
  
Hema was nestled among three or so of the faulty signals, all of them within a few thousand feet of his location. He made sure he wasn't the furthest signal from Tam's starting location, in case she caught on to his trick and assumed he was at the end of the course. With any luck, she'd get frustrated and start getting sloppy when she felt her time slipping away from her.   
Then again, part of him also wanted her to  _ succeed, _ so he wondered idly if he should have done this... Though, he supposed that if she could get through this trick, she could  _ definitely _ catch someone during the Harvest Moon test. He was almost certain that non-harvester gems had no idea how to take advantage of a hunting visor's loopholes like this.

  
  


A solid  _ hour _ passed, and Tam had found 7 other faux signals. Her anxiety was steadily increasing, and the doubts came rushing back. What if she couldn't find him in time? There were so many of these, it was hard to tell what was what! And, to make matters worse, if Hema was among these signals, he wasn't moving. He was playing it smart. Unfortunately for Tam, that made things more difficult.    
_ How on Homeworld am I supposed to do this... _   
_ What kind of Hematite am I? _   
_ He was wrong. I was wrong. I can't do this. _   
_ I should just give up, this is pointless. _   
  
...   
  
**No.**   
**I won't give up. I can't give up.**   
**I am better than this. Stronger than this.** **  
** **I can learn. I can succeed.**   
**I can do this.**

**I am a Hematite. I am** ** _a harvester._**   
  
Furrowing her brows, Tam's lips turned into a fierce scowl. She picked up her pace. If she was going to have any chance of passing this test, she needed to hurry. She needed to be efficient. She needed to listen to her instincts.   
It was unlikely that Hematite was on the outskirts. That was too easy, so that was out of the question. However, maybe he was somewhere around the middle? Or perhaps somewhere in between? She'd check those first. The more she progressed, the more the phantom feeling that she had experienced earlier came stinging back.  
 _But now, it was starting to become much more than just another feeling._  
 _It was becoming an_ ** _urge._**

  
  


Opening his eyes, Hema checked his visor. Only 6 more of the fake signals remained, along with his own. Tam was playing it smart and working her way down the course, clearing out the weapons as she went along. However, she suddenly started moving past the signals on the outskirts, quickly heading closer to him.   
_ Stars, she'd picked up on it, hadn't she? _   
Frowning, Hema kept his eyes on his radar, waiting for it to refresh. Once it did thirty or so seconds later, Tam's signal was far closer. The ivory-haired gem hunkered down, eyes staring straight ahead out of the main exit to his hiding place. There was a more narrow path behind him to his right, but he only wanted to use that if she showed up on the street.    
**_Alright, let's see if this'll throw you off._ **   
Focusing his attention on one of the weapons near Tam's current location, Hematite unsummoned it, making it vanish into a cloud of sparks. Now, if he was lucky, Tam would see one of the signals wasn't where it used to be, and perhaps she'd think he'd moved.

  
  


Tam furrowed her brows, skidding to another halt.    
One of the signals was gone.    
Glancing around the radar, she took note of where it may have gone...counting, it looked as though  _ none of the others _ had moved. She had counted them all before, and instead of one moving, one was  _ lost. _ She smirked slightly, pushing her visor up closer to her face. She continued down her path, unwavered by the sudden disappearance of one of the weapons.

  
  


Waiting, Hema kept his eyes on the radar. The small smirk he'd worn a few moments ago suddenly vanished when he saw that Tam hadn't stopped moving toward his location. Hopefully, she'd check out some of the surrounding signals first, and he could make a break for it. If he could get a few more decoys set up, maybe he could buy himself enough time to avoid her for the remainder of the test. He knew he couldn't outrun her... He wasn't exactly the fastest on his feet. In fact, if he was being honest, he ran on the slow side of the spectrum, aside from little bursts of speed he seemed to randomly get.   
Shaking his head, the small service gem kept his eyes and ears open, not bothering to dissipate anymore of the weapons. There were three near him, one that laid between Tam and himself, and two others that were beyond his location.

  
  


Unfortunately for Hema, Tam had picked the one close to his location. Placed on the roof of one of the shorter buildings, Tam glowered up at the faux tower in frustration.  _ Fortunately _ for Hema, she hadn't picked  _ his _ location. Grabbing onto the weapon laid out on the roof, Tam crushed it in her hand and huffed indignantly. There were only a few of these signals left.  _ He had to be  _ **_one_ ** _ of them. _

  
  


Hematite lowered himself into the shadows. He'd finally caught movement some distance away. Tam's footsteps were unmistakable, and they were closing in  _ fast. _ Narrowing his eyes, the ivory-haired gem readied himself to bolt, his entire form tensed up.

  
  


_ Too late. _   
  
As he was about to find out, Tam was  _ far _ faster than one would have thought. Perhaps that's where Tema got her speed in the first place. The ebony-haired hematite skidded up to the alley that Hema had hunkered down in, her visor illuminated brightly and glazed over. She bore a serious frown which turned up into a faint grin.   
  
"Found you."

  
  


Hair standing on end, Hematite wasted  **no** time in bolting off down the narrower end of the alley, quickly appearing on the next street down. He bolted across, heading for another narrow path that Tam wouldn't be able to follow him down.

  
  


Tam's attention shot after the tiny gem, her feet soon following.  _ He wasn't going to get away. _ She was determined to catch him. Turning sharply down a corner, she narrowed her eyes at the path ahead. There were buildings far more close together. As soon as Hema had gotten close enough, she knew it'd be too risky for her to make a dive now. With impressive agility, she leaped up onto one of the tops of the buildings and locked onto Hema who still ran far below. She watched him closely, refusing to lose a visual.    
_ There it was. _   
Stronger than ever, something was  _ gnawing _ at Tam. Something strong. Something deep down, something  **instinctual.** She  **wanted** to catch him. She felt it impossible to even be remotely distracted, her attention latching onto the small, retreating service gem. Leaping onto the top of another building, she leaned over, perched on the side to look down. As soon as Hema got within range...  _ She'd make a move. _

  
  


The service gem looked back over his shoulder, grimacing as he realized he'd lost visual. Something in the back of his mind suddenly screamed at him to look  _ up, _ and he turned his attention to the rooftops, eyes widening behind his visor. Tam was perched high on one of the faux towers, staring  **right** at him. He skidded to a halt before he got too close, and booked it in the opposite direction, heading to a small, condensed area of the course. Unfortunately, his pause cost him a  _ lot _ of momentum, and he misjudged how far the safety of the narrow paths was.

  
  


Hema was fast... But Tam was _faster._ Seizing her chance, Tam put _all_ logic and _all_ doubts aside and went in for the pounce. Leaping off the roof in one fell swoop, she landed with a heavy thud _right_ behind Hema. Her visor clicked, locking on once more to his tiny form. Before he could get too far, however, Tam hunched down on all fours and swiped her hand out with a frustrated grunt, missing him by mere _inches._   
She was quick to right herself, however, and launched herself forward as he did, following _dangerously_ close behind him.

  
  


Yelping quietly at the rush of wind that swept at his back, Hematite suddenly scurried forward at an even quicker pace, stumbling along the way. Unfortunately for him, the shuddering THUD of Tam landing behind him combined with the near-miss had rattled his nerves, and his focus was lost. He waved his arms out, attempting to keep his balance, but a few uneven rocks tripped him up, and his retreat stuttered as he tried his hardest to stay upright.   
_ There was her chance. _

  
  


Lunging forward once more, Tam skirted beside Hematite and struck her hand out, carefully but _quickly_ snatching the tiny service gem off of the ground. The hair on the back of her neck stood on and, her eyes widening. Her lip twitched, and she _froze._   
Slowly, she pulled her hand closer to her face, easing up her grasp.   
"....Did I hurt you?..."

  
  


"I'm not poofed, am I? So no, you didn't hurt me..." Glancing up at the huge gem, Hema pursed his lips, his expression unreadable past his visor. He waited for her grasp to ease up before he suddenly tensed up and forced her fingers apart enough for him to nearly slip free.

  
  


Tam was quick to adjust her grip, squeezing a little tighter. _She didn't want to hurt him, at least...but she couldn't let him get away._ She could be excited later. She still had _one last thing to do._   
"That's good, then." She said, lifting Hema up closer to her face. Looking him over for a moment, she curled her lip up in mild uncertainty, her mouth shut tightly. She wasn't so sure about this. _She'd never done this before._ Was this weird? Would he look at her differently?... Was he _really sure_ this was necessary?... Oh well. "Sorry if this is um… awkward, then."

  
  


Looking up at the giant gem, Hematite squinted, his visor poofing away. Grunting, he managed to pop one of his arms loose from Tam's grip, holding up his index finger.   
"Five. This has happened to me five times. I'm kinda numb to it at this point, don't worry about it."   
_ It couldn't be any worse than the Spinel. _   
He shrugged and continued to try and struggle free, determined to put up a fight until it became a risk to do so.

  
  


Tam sighed quietly and licked her lip. Well, here went nothing. Lifting Hema up over her face almost reluctantly, opening her mouth below him. Carefully pinching him between her fingers, she dropped him a short distance into her mouth, curling her tongue up under him. Closing her mouth quickly, she blushed faintly.  _ This was odd... _

  
  


Hair standing on end, Hema grimaced as he landed in Tam's mouth. He quickly righted himself as best he could, turning onto his back, his eyepiece glowing to life. Looking up at the giant gem's teeth, Hematite felt the faintest shiver go up his spine.  _ Her teeth were a lot like White's... _   
He dimmed his eyepiece again, left in total darkness. Had he been in any  _ real _ danger, he would have kept struggling and putting up more of a fight to get out, but instead, he grumpily shifted around, as if in weak protest. He was  _ acutely _ aware of how dangerous it could be to try and actually free himself, and besides that, he didn't want to hurt Tam. As far as he was concerned, she'd passed his last test. Now he just had to deal with  **his** end of the bargain.

  
  


Shrugging a shoulder, Tam looked awkwardly from side to side as if self-conscious.  _ She hoped no one else was watching this. _ Looking back down at nothing in particular, she figured she might as well get this over with. As strange as it was...it didn't exactly feel  _ foreign _ to her, nor was it entirely  _ unpleasant. _ In fact, she could have sworn that Hema was giving off some kind of strange flavor. Did all gems taste like that?... It wasn't half bad.    
At least she didn't want to Put Hema in her Pocket Dimension. She worried it would be too much of a hassle for what they were doing. It  _ was _ just a test after all, so perhaps this would be easier. Tilting her head back slightly, she held her hand over her mouth and swallowed slightly, shuddering. She swallowed again, sending the rest of the tiny service gem down. Huffing heavily, Tam tapped her chin with her nails, nervously glancing around.

  
  


_ Yep, here we go again. _   
Giving a quiet huff, Hema kept still, shutting his eyes tightly.  _ Stars, the chase was far more stressful than this. _ Within a few moments, Hematite fell a short distance and shook himself off, stifling a shudder. He crossed his arms, tapping his fingers along his upper arm. Idly, he wondered how many times the  _ other _ Hematites had been in his position. Probably not  **near** as many times as he had.

  
  


Tam licked her lips, tapping her fingers now on her abdomen. She didn't particularly move anywhere, but she leaned up against one of the shorter buildings.    
"O-okay, Hema! Assuming you can hear me in there...?" She said with a lopsided, awkward smile. "I...I did it!!" She clutched her fists tightly in front of her, her smile growing a lot wider. Stifling a squeak of excitement, Tam giggled quietly to herself and tapped her legs against the side of the faux building. She composed herself quickly, taking a deep, steady breath. "I actually did it! I can't believe it!...Well, I mean, I can now... Oh this is wonderful!!!" She cooed, placing a hand up to her mouth again. "Oh thank you, Hema, thank you thank you!... Oh, I should um… probably get you out of there!!"

  
  


Glancing up, Hema blinked in surprise, listening to Tam's excited babbling. His sour frown slowly faded, replaced with a fond smile. A smile that softened into something warmer.   
_ She was genuinely grateful. She'd performed  _ **_wonderfully_ ** _ during that test, despite his rather underhanded trick. And she seemed... so happy. _   
  
_ Happier than he'd  _ **_ever_ ** _ seen her. ... Well, 'seen'. _   
"Hm..." Humming thoughtfully, the ivory-haired gem glanced to the side, the faintest bit of color on his cheeks.  _ He was glad he could help her. She'd stood by Ti to defend him so long ago, and she'd never really done anything to make him wary of her. In all honesty, he was  _ **_happy_ ** _ White had given him the task of tutoring the Hematites. Otherwise... he may not have ever had this chance to get to know Tam better; to see what she was like behind her 'proper' attitude and her standoffish nature. _   
Hema kept still and quiet, waiting for the giant gem to retrieve him. He hoped she knew how to do  _ this _ bit. Though, considering it was explained during their lectures all those years ago, he doubted she  _ didn't _ know it.

  
  


Motioning her fingers for a moment, she hovered her hand over her abdomen, sticking out her tongue awkwardly.  _ Should just be a simple trick of projection, right?... _ Her midsection started to glow in a spot, and she stuck her hand through as if it were a portal.  _ This honestly felt weirder than the harvesting part itself. _ As soon as she felt Hema, she grabbed onto him and pulled him out, unfurling her fingers to let him sit freely in her hand. She smiled down hopefully at him, her grin spreading even wider.  _ He was alright, other than a bit soggy and shaken. _

  
  


Hematite shook himself off, making a rather amusing sound as he flicked his hands out to the side and shook his head to clear off the worst of the dampness. As soon as he stopped, his hair stuck out in all different directions, spiked up oddly from the clinging wetness. Looking up at the ebony-haired gem, Hema returned her smile, placing his tiny palms down on her hand.   
"You did it, Tam! See? I knew you had it in ya. How was it? Do you think it's starting to sink in?"

  
  


Tam ran a finger gently over Hema's hair, trying to wipe off some of the saliva that still stuck to his tiny form.    
"Ooooh I think so!! I don't know how you did it, Hema, but you're some kind of miracle, you are..." She said, practically beaming. "I don't think I could have done this without you… How could I ever repay you?"

  
  


Gazing up at the ebony-haired gem, Hema smiled lopsidedly, letting out an almost inaudible, single chuckle. The tiny service gem closed his eyes slightly as Tam ran her finger over his hair, leaning into the gesture a tad. Opening his eyes again, he glanced up to the side, thinking for a moment. He didn't want anything in return, of course... he was just glad he could help.   
"You know, Tam. Seeing you this happy is repayment enough. Buuut if I had to ask something of you." He furrowed his brows, smiling widely as he suddenly pointed up at the lithe Hematite with a fierce gleam in his eyes. "Do your very best to stay here on Homeworld! If you perform as well as you did here, you're sure to pass the Harvest Moon test with flying colors!" Snickering, he shrugged a shoulder. "You deserve a harvester ranking far more than  _ other _ Hematites I can think of."

  
  


Tam was awestruck. Her cheeks flushed purple, and small, warm tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. But she was smiling. Shaking her head, she looked down at Hema and held him closer to her with a small, gleeful noise. Soon after though, she leaned down and placed him on the ground, taking a step back.    
"Thank you, Hema... Really. You're a good gem. I'm sure the Diamonds are proud to have you as a part of their team!" She said, clutching her fingers tightly.    
At one point, Tam had been envious of Hema's position. And a part of her still  _ was. _ But she understood now  _ why _ he was the one they had picked.  _ She felt a sense of pride herself, somehow… as if happy  _ **_for_ ** _ him instead of the wariness she had held some years before. _ She was glad that she'd gotten a chance to learn from him.

  
  


Hematite gazed up at the taller gem, pursing his lips. With a soft hum, he chuckled and stepped back, shifting up to meet her height. Running a hand through his hair, he gave another lopsided smile, meeting Tam's eyes.   
"I'm proud to  _ be _ part of their team. And you know what? I sincerely hope you get a chance to really show White what you're made of out there. Because I'd be happy to have you as part of our  _ harvester _ team," he said with a determined glint in his eyes, clenching a fist in front of his chest. After a moment, his gaze softened. "... I'm  _ proud _ of you, Tam. You've made a lot of progress today. And, even though it may seem insignificant to others... any progress is big, no matter how small it may seem."

  
  


Lifting her hand up under her visor, Tam wiped away the small tears that had accumulated in her eyes. A familiar warmth flushed through her very core. She was happy… probably the happiest she'd been in  _ a long _ time.  _ Maybe the happiest she'd been, ever. _ Folding her hands behind her back, she smiled down at Hema proudly.    
"I'll remember this, Hema." She said softly, glancing up to the horizon of the course. "We should get back to the others, now… I'll be honest; after all that, I'm pretty tired..."

  
  


"Hah... Yeaaah." With a soft sigh, Hema dropped his arms and folded them behind his back. "I have to get ahold of the Spinels and have them bring the course down. I'll do it in the morning though, when it's less of a hassle." Turning away, Hema looked sidelong at Tam. "You rest up. And hey, maybe you can chase Tiny around the Kindergarten to stay sharp! I'm sure she'd enjoy that." With a chuckle, he turned away, slowly walking off out of the faux city.   
_ Right, check on Frecks and Tiny, contact the Spinels... get home and get some rest. _   
  
_ His work here was done. Meta, Hita, Mati, and Tiny had been trained. Tam had been put through her paces... and the rest of the Hematites were doing their own preparations. _   
  
_ The rest was up to them. Who would fail... who would pass... it was all up to fate, now. _   
  
_ And all they could do... _   
  
_ Was try to do their best. _

  
  



	83. Refuge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyan continues to look for a home.

_ Maybe here? _

_ Or over there, in the next city? _

_ No, that place is a little too run-down, even for my tastes. _

Pushing through some thick foliage, a small, blue gem made her way down an overgrown, empty street. Narrowing her eyes, she kept herself low and eyed the various toppled buildings and pieces of rubble that littered the landscape. She stopped next to one of the half-ruined buildings, looking up at it.

It appeared to be the lower half of an old, small residential spire. A spiral path led up around the outside, completely overrun by vines and moss. The other nearby facilities were of the same type. Some were faded to muted shades, and cracked with the weight of their age. Their quaint gardens overflowed from their fences, swallowing up their walls, pillars, and decorative statues. The small residential spires lined the length of the street Kyan found herself on. Wild parks dotted the streets as well, offering dense foliage for gems and creatures alike to seek refuge in.

While the buildings around her were sparse and far apart, Kyan could see in the distance that the urban town thickened a few miles in from where she was. With a soft grunt, the disheveled gem made her way into the depths of the town, cautiously watching her back. Though it took her some time, she eventually reached a stretch of the residential streets that was less worn-down and decrepit. The buildings were still faded and cracked, with vines and flowers overgrowing them, but overall, they looked more stable. Kyanite ran up to one of the smaller business buildings, peering into the massive, thick window that showed off the inside. It didn’t look too terrible. She tapped on the glass, frowning. It looked to be at least a foot or two thick.  _ Kch, this isn’t gonna go down easy, _ she thought crossly. Looking around, Kyan made her way to the door and rested her hands on it. Tapping her palms on the cracked, off-center rock slab of a door, she muttered something under her breath. _ Old Axinite-door. Mmm, this doesn’t look too sturdy. Maybe if I just... _   
...   
WHACK...

WHACK...

CRACK!    
Cackling, the small blue gem unsummoned her bat and crawled in the hole that crumbled away from the thin stone door. Small rays of light peeked through the doorway and window, illuminating the dark building. While there was life growing everywhere inside, it wasn’t completely filling the large lounge rooms like everywhere else she’d seen today. Her footsteps softly echoed in the tall-built rooms, crunching small roots and pebbles under her boots.    
Kyan kept quiet as she rounded a corner, gazing down it. Large windows lined one side, casting the hallway in a pleasing glow, even through the murky mosses and dirt that spattered the outsides of the glass panes. On the other wall of the hall hung dozens of huge paintings, faded from years of sunlight streaming in.

Kyan pursed her lips and walked down the hall, curiously gazing up at the giant paintings. Some of them she recognized; they were standard-issue wall hangings that many other Pink District buildings had in them. Paintings of Pink Diamond, portraits of the other Diamonds, murals of the Diamond Authority, paintings of important places in the Pink District… she was sure she’d seen it all. But, one painting in particular caught her eye.

Kyanite slowed her pace as her gaze landed on a smaller painting, spattered with dark blues and brilliant pinks. She stopped entirely when she realized what the blue forms in the painting were. A soft gasp escaped the tiny gem as she scurried over, placing her hands on the wall. Above her head hung a group portrait of Blue Diamond, Pink Diamond, and a squadrons of proud, serious-looking Kyanites and a cluster of beautiful, well-poised Morganites. Lined in front of them were a petite row of saluting Rubies, all looking far more serious than they had any business looking for such a casual portrait. Blue and Pink stood in the middle, looking proud of each other, but still professional. Kyan’s lips parted as she gazed in awe at the faded squadron of her kin. All were wearing the tell-tale tones of the Blue District outfits, though their colors were much more muted. Whether from the fading on the painting, or from the change of styles over time… Kyan couldn’t tell.

_ Are these the original Kyanites?! Oh man, this has to be before the war, that’s gotta be them! They’re so thin, and where’re their freckles? I’ve never seen this before, I wonder if this is a unique picture… Wouldn’t White or somebody want this in some museum or something? They like stuffy junk like that, right? _

Something shuffled at the end of the hall. Kyan opened her mouth and turned to look excitedly down the hall, eyes bright. But, the light quickly vanished as she was sharply reminded there was nobody there… and, instead, a Mica had just happened to scurry by the hallway arch. The small warrior wilted, her smile fading behind her scarf. She spared one last look at the painting, her hands fidgeting restlessly as she contemplated grabbing it.  _ Mm. It’s nice, but it’s too big; it’ll slow me down. _

A long sigh drifted on the stale air as Kyan sat up from the wall and continued on her way. It didn’t take long for her mind to wander as she made her way into the depths of the hall-filled facility.  _ Eeh, this place isn’t gonna work. It’s just fulla a bunch of weird paintings and murals and headless statues… I wonder if it’s got a fancy residential wing like that other one last week, though, _ she mused, fidgeting with her scarf.  _ Over two weeks since Hema cut me loose, you’d think something woulda shown up by now. Tch, I thought after the Star Stealers were gone, I’d find something faster. No stupid scouting missions to go on. Maybe I shoulda stuck with Hema; he could’a helped me find something. _ Kyan frowned and kicked a rock, watching it scuttle into a long, wide path that grew once-contained plants at either side. It appeared to be a sort of indoor greenery exhibit. Kyan stopped and frowned as she eyed the foliage.  _ Wait, since when do Jet plants grow in this area? _ she thought, walking over to a cluster of black vines and thorns. She crouched down, poking at the strange plant with her foot.

_Well, this place ain’t any fancy resident spire, but… I guess it could do. It’s pretty spacy and open, but I might be able to make it work, if I can just find a main room to stay in. Mmm, that, and I’ll have to tear up all these plants; they smell funny._   


Despite the near-silence of the ornate facility, something in the air didn't feel right. It felt tense, charged, as though she weren’t alone. Kyan stood straight and slowly continued down the hall, making sure to turn in place to look around her. Now and then, a leaf of foliage stirred, but she couldn’t tell if it was the plants settling… or something else.

_ There’s just Mica here… right? _   
  
_ Hsssksksksks _   
  


From behind the small blue gem, a tiny, dark creature crawled out from some invasive shrubbery. It had multiple, bright-blue eyes and an elongated, toothy muzzle. Multiple tendril-like tails whipped around behind it in fury like a living flail. It was only a fraction of Kyan's size, but it glared up at her with utter  _ malice, _ snapping its brightly-glowing maw.   


Kyan whipped around with a sharp gasp, quickly summoning a bat. Standing her ground, she clutched tightly at its base and glared at the gem monster, taking a step forward.    
"Go on! Shoo! Get outta here! This is my place now!" she shouted, running up and delivering a sharp blow to the side of the creature's head.   


_ HSKAAAA! _   
With a hissing screech, the small creature tumbled to the side, landing deep in one of the overgrown shrubs. Without warning, a cacophony of similar screeches  _ flooded _ the room, echoing off the walls. A plethora of similar monsters suddenly surged out of the dense plant life, quickly closing in on the small, blue gem. There had to be at least ten or so of them. And even though they were small...  _ they did not look like they planned on backing down. _

Kyan's eyes widened, her bat dropping to the floor with a loud clang.   
"Uh… nevermind! You can have it!" she said quickly, making a mad dash for the hall leading out of the building. Barreling out the open doorway, Kyan ran as fast as she could through the small town to get away from the hissing beasts. _ Damn it, that place had looked promising...! _   


The vicious, spider-like creatures scurried after Kyan for a good distance, but eventually, once she was out of range of the museum, they backed off. The group slithered back to their 'base', retreating into the darker sections of the facility. Kyanite stared back at the large building. Her expression fell, her shoulders slumping.   
  


 

 

The outskirts of the town weren't much better, with smaller gem monsters scurrying here and there. Kyan took notice that many of them traveled in little groups, some even looking semi-organized. She found it odd. She’d never seen gem monsters working in tandem together, except in the case of Mica. But, around here, it seemed like everything was working together in a strange manner. Many of them barked or chirped at Kyanite as she passed by, guarding their little territories.   


Kyan frowned, summoning another bat, just in case. She glanced over in disappointment at each house she passed, flinching slightly at the monsters that urged her away. Sighing under her scarf, she decided that this place was just far too populated with monsters for her to live safely in any of its buildings. She'd have to find somewhere else.    
"Mmmm, great. Another day wasted..." she grumbled to herself, propping her bat up over her shoulder as she walked. Kyan crested up a hill, and gazed out at the horizon. To the right laid a large, run-down city block. She already knew that one was a bust. But, perhaps…

She stared off at another town not too far off to the left. Perhaps she could check that out before night fell. Huffing under her breath in frustrated resignation, Kyan nodded and rushed down the hill, quickly running down the street.  _ It’ll be better there. _ She clutched at her scarf, frowning.  _ It has to be. Just… stay strong and hope there’s nothing big and mean there. _

 

\--   


\--   


  
The city block laid in warm silence. The late-afternoon sun was starting to laze towards the horizon, leaving blue and amber hues in its wake around the time Kyan arrived at the outskirts of the city. Its crumbling streets were empty, aside from monsters scurrying here and there. Micro monsters, larger ones, all of them appeared to be heading from the open air to the security of the surrounding buildings. Perhaps it was because the sun was setting…

Or, maybe, it was because of the massive, dark form creeping through the streets.

 

 

_ Come on, cooome to Mago.~ _

Slowly rocking on her haunches, the giant gem, crouching on all fours, lowered her chin close to the ground. Her body nearly touched the floor. Her visor was glazed over and glinting in the late afternoon light. Daylight was quickly fading, faint pink hues washing over the district as a cool breeze blew through the abandoned town. This one was far more urban than some of the others, and consisted of many tall, ornate buildings.   
The giant gem grinned in satisfaction as a bulky, dusty-brown gem monster came snuffling around the corner of the building she was hiding behind.  _ A corrupted Axinite. _ The monster had curled, brown horns atop its head, and a scruffy, poofy 'mane' around its neck and chest. Its limbs were stocky and powerful with  _ huge  _ sharp claws at the end. Its back legs were far more reptilian, with rough light tan scales. It had a short, fuzzy tail that stood straight out behind it, perked and alert. A small, tan gem rested on its left arm.   
Mago lifted her head, sharp teeth glinting in the fading light. At the same moment, the dusty-brown creature stiffened and quickly leapt into a defensive position, barking angrily up at the gem. Eyes half-lidding, the ebony-haired gem licked her teeth, quickly lunging forward toward the corrupted gem. To her surprise, it lunged towards her in return, its claws outstretched. Mago’s eyes widened as she stopped dead in her tracks, and a sharp scraping sound echoed through the street. The corrupted gem left a shallow scratch on the giant gem’s visor, and went in for another strike before Mago swatted it away. The Axinite yelped in shock and quickly spun around trying to run, but it only managed to scuffle a few paces forward before the giant gem suddenly caught its tail between her teeth. Claws digging into the dirt, the monster growled as it was drug back. With a soft, contemptuous snort, Mago yanked the creature back and skillfully grabbed its back half in her mouth, tossing it up in the air before letting it fall back toward her.   
_ SNAP _   


Not a moment later, Mago’s gem flashed. She sighed and ran her finger over the new scratches on her visor.  
 _Alright, just a few more, and I’m done for the day._ _Stars, they weren’t kidding; these things are getting more gutsy. Those Amethyst squadrons are lucky they got away from that group with just a few scuffs… What’s gotten into these things?_  
Mago sat up, looking around lazily. 

_ Mmm, this job is going well, I probably have some time to lounge around. _ She pursed her lips, huffing her bangs away from her face.  _ Then again, the sooner I get this done, the sooner I can go nap. Don’t wanna be worn out for the test.  _

Mago’s soft sigh drifted down the alley way. She muttered something to herself before slinking down the street, keeping her eyes and ears open for anymore troublesome Axinites. She made her way for the heart of the city, where the buildings sat thickly together. The only respite from the clustered buildings were spaces parted by streets, like rivers cutting through an urban forest. These were the paths she kept to, keeping her head low and her senses alert. 

 

 

 

Just a ways off, a small blue warrior scurried towards the center of the city. With sharp eye and scrutinizing gaze, she sized up every half-destroyed building she passed.  _ Too broken, too exposed, not big enough, too big, too overgrown, no escape routes _ . Nothing was ‘right.’ 

But then, just as she was going to turn and make her way out of the city, Kyan perked up, her attention caught by something on the horizon. Up ahead lay another residential spire. But, this one was in good shape, and bore almost no huge, clinging plants on its exterior. Kyan felt her chest tighten, and she rushed down the street towards it.  _ It’s probably infested too… but it’s worth checking out. Maybe my luck’s finally turning around! _

She stopped at the building’s front door. Instead of the usual thin stone doors, these were made of what looked to be an old refined carbonite. Kyan frowned and experimentally tapped her bat on the doors. The soft ‘clangs’ echoed dully through the building’s main room.  _ Doesn’t look too sturdy, _ she thought to herself.  _ Hah, this’ll be eaaaasy, let’s see what you’ve got, ya stupid door _ ! With a smug grin, Kyan reeled her bat back, and slammed it as hard as she could into the carbonite doors.   
  


**CLANG!**

  
Kyan yelped in pain, and her bat cracked upon the impact, creating a loud noise that echoed through the town and startled some of the nearby gem monsters. Shaking her hands and hissing through her teeth, Kyan stumbled back as she dropped her bat, glaring at the door.   
"AGH! Ssshit..." she growled, holding her hands close to her scarf. Her thumbs rubbed aggressively against her palms, her fingers clenching and unclenching. She felt something bubbling up in her core, making her skin prickle uncomfortably, and her body run hot. Her eyes glared daggers into the door, and she cried out in deep-seated frustration as she kicked it. The sound echoed off the buildings around her, carrying far through the heart of the city.

Perking up, Mago looked around. Her senses honed in on the general location of the strange, loud noise. Narrowing her eyes, Mago lowered herself to the ground, slinking around various street corners, closing in on the source of the racket.

Kyan clenched and unclenched her fists at the door, yelled out in frustration, and slammed into it shoulder-first. It didn't budge. She made a go at it again, and again, never making any progress against the stubborn door. She carried on like this for a good minute or two, unaware of just how loud she was being.

It wasn’t until a voice drifted to her on the breeze that she stopped her assault. Her hair stood on end, a chill running up her spine.   


_ "Weeeell. Fancy seeing you here.~” _   


Kyan gasped sharply and clenched her fists, scurrying back a few steps to turn and glare down the street. She took a defensive position, but her expression softened slightly as she realized who it was. Mago was peering around the corner of a building, her visor glazed over. Kyan sighed and forced herself to relax.   
"Heeeey! What are  **you** doin' here?" she said, dropping her arms to her sides. “... Wait, I’m not in trouble, am I?” she asked incredulously. “I haven’t done anything since Hema let me go, so if you’re here to bring me back there again…”   


Still cocking her head to the side, the giant gem pursed her lips. Her visor cleared up, so Kyan could see her eyes.   
“No no, I’m not here for  _ you _ . You’re not scurrying around in any buildings I need to tear down, this time. But don’t worry about what I’m doing here; I should be asking  _ you  _ that,” she said coyly. Something was off about her tone; she sounded agitated, and expectant. She walked closer to the tiny gem, looking around for something, or someone, else. Even as Mago approached her, Kyan stood her ground, placing her hands on her hips.    
"I'm just… looking around!" she said, glancing off to the side, then back up at Mago. She took silent notice that Mago had avoided her question. Instead of pushing her for an answer, she continued, "You know, for a building. One that's not crawling with monsters," she said, frowning seriously. "Not having much luck, though.”   


Looking up at the structure Kyan had been trying to break into, Mago frowned lopsidedly, lifting a hand and gesturing to it.   
_ "This _ hunk of junk? Why are you looking for a building?" Without warning, she leaned down, far closer to Kyan than before. Her hands rested on the ground, propping her up as she crouched uncomfortably close to the tiny warrior. "Aren't you staying with  _ Pipsqueak?"  _ she asked, a dark edge to her voice.   


Kyan flinched slightly, taking a single step back.    
"Uh. Pipsqueak…? Oh, Hema?" she mumbled under her scarf. Without turning her head, she quickly looked to the side again, then back at Mago. "No. Not anymore. He dropped me off about… thirteen, fourteen rotations ago? I dunno. I lost count of the days, but. I’m not with him anymore.”   


Mago's expression sharply dropped, her eyes half-lidding. She frowned in disappointment, her tone going from sly and agitated, to just plain flat.   
"Oh. I see." Looking up to the side, she huffed her bangs from her face, idly watching them fall back into place. She turned her attention back down to the blue gem, narrowing her eyes. “So then, you and Pipsqueak aren’t a ‘thing’ anymore?”

Kyan’s brows furrowed, her lip curling up in confusion.

“Huh? No, we weren’t ever a ‘thing,’ he was just guarding me so I wouldn’t get in trouble. His job’s done, so he let me go.”

Mago’s expression softened. She looked askance, almost seeming angry at herself for a moment. 

"Sooo. You're just running around here in the open on your own? Not the smartest move, scruffball," she said, trying to change the subject. Kyan puffed out her cheeks indignantly and took a bold step towards the huge gem.   
"Hey, why do you think I'm trying to find a place to stay?! Not like I have anywhere to  _ go!" _ she growled, crossing her arms. "I'm not goin' back to the Blue District, either.”   


Pursing her lips, Mago tapped her fingers along the ground. She slowly slid her gaze from the bold, blue gem, to the door she'd been standing in front of.   
"Sooo, you're trying to get in there to check it out, huh?"   


"Yyyyeah." Kyan responded with an almost annoyed look. Turning to the building, she huffed silently and stared up at it.   


Smirking, the giant gem glanced down at the tiny warrior and lifted her hand over her. Without warning, she pinched Kyan's shirt between her fingers and picked her up, moving her over across the street and out of the way. Kyan squirmed in protest for a moment, but as soon as she was back on the ground she shook herself back to normal and puffed up indignantly, swatting at Mago’s hand as it drew itself away.   
"Hey, what are you doing?!"   


Ignoring the blue gem's protest, Mago smirked and gazed sidelong at her for a moment. After she was sure Kyan was watching her, she turned her attention back to the door, raising a hand over to it. Pursing her lips, she tapped it with a single clawed finger, a sardonic smile spreading across her face. Retracting her hand, the giant gem sighed theatrically and balled up her hand into a tight fist.   
"Knock knock."   
  
**_SMASH!_ **   
  
A shuddering 'CRACK' resounded through the city block as Mago's fist smashed through the building’s front like it were made of glass. The metal doors shot into the front lounge, clattering noisily into the wall opposite to the entryway.   
"Hmhmhm~" Slowly, she withdrew her fist, gazing with half-lidded eyes at her rubble-covered knuckles. Glancing sidelong at Kyan, she pursed her lips, casually blowing dust and rocks off of her hand. Kyan's eyes went wide, gleaming brightly. Her hands dropped down to her sides.    
"Wooooaaah..." After the dust cleared, Kyan ran up to the entrance of the building, peering inside. Turning her head to Mago wordlessly, she looked back and placed her hand on the side of the door frame. "... That was really cool." she said monotonously, gazing at Mago with an unmistakable shine of awe in her eyes. With a rather cocky, smug air, the giant service gem idly dusted the rest of the rubble off her hand, humming to herself.   
"Yeah, I know~"   
Kyan grinned and peered fully into the building, turning her back on the giant gem. Mago’s grin immediately vanished, and she silently shook out her hand, mouthing out multiple swears as she rubbed her scuffed knuckles. She sharply stopped as Kyan turned around to look at her, raising a brow. She smiled, clearing her throat.

"Soooo, now what, oh adventurous one?" she cooed sarcastically, resting her chin in one of her palms. "Youuu gonna go in there?"   


Kyan grinned ear-to-ear with a fierce look in her eyes.    
"Heck yeah I'm goin' in there! Thanks for busting the door open!" Without another word, Kyan hopped in the building and looked around. This one seemed a  _ lot _ more well preserved on the inside. There were still various gem plants here and there and it was really unkempt and dusty, but other than that, it was the nicest building she'd seen so far.   


"Mmhm, any time." Mago watched the small gem scurry into the building. "So, you just gonna find some run-down place to live, with all these monsters?" she asked idly, slowly moving to lay on her back. Thankfully, with her good hearing and all the cracks in the building's walls, she could hear Kyan from pretty much anywhere inside.   


Kyan, in turn, could easily hear Mago. Rolling her eyes, she kicked open one of the doors that was being held shut with a few invasive vines.   
"Yeah! That's the plan! Well... I mean, I don't plan to move  _ in _ with the monsters. I'd rather live somewhere where they don't," she called out, glancing around a poorly-lit room. Frowning, she grumbled something under her breath and glanced over her shoulder, towards the gem on her back. “Tch, it’s so dark in here,” she muttered.

The huge service gem settled on her back, lifting her hand above her face. She lazily observed her nails, checking them for debris and foliage.   
"Aaah. Well I wish I could say there  _ was _ a place where they don't live, but they've been p-a-retty active lately.~ Most monsters that usually live underground have been coming out and causing trouble, groups have been working in teams." She scraped under one of her sharp 'nails' with her thumb, flicking out a large rock.   


Grumbling again, Kyan stirred a fallen chair on the ground, scooting it across the floor.  _ Yeah. She’d noticed. _ Without responding, Kyan narrowed her eyes and traversed further into the dark room. Without help from her gem, she found herself completely encased in shadow. The air in the room was stagnant, and smelled oddly of cinders. Kyan frowned, her nose scrunching. She held out her arms to feel for another door or a light switch. But... her hand came in contact with something odd. Her fingers brushed against soft, silky fur before suddenly retracting in surprise.   
  
**RRrrrrrgh.**   
  
Gasping sharply, Kyan stumbled back but tripped over the chair that she'd moved. Scrambling to get up, she didn't have much time before something peered at her from the darkness with fierce, glowing eyes.

Flicking another small rock from her nails, the service gem glanced up at the low growling sound. She squinted one of her eyes, raising a brow.   
"... Ya good, scruffball? C'mon it can't be that bad," she said simply, rolling her eyes. Being grumpy was one thing, but growling?  _ That was her thing. _

"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"    
Screaming out in a panic, Kyan scrambled to her feet but was suddenly pounced upon _. _ Pinning her to the ground, the gem monster let out a horrific roar and loomed over her tiny blue form. Kyan squirmed under its massive paw and shoved against it, chomping down onto its leg. The monster screeched and swiped at her, sending her into the other room. Skidding against the floor, the stunned Kyanite shook her head and coughed, looking up at the doorway with wide, horrified eyes.    
What lay beyond it, slowly lurking out of the darkness of the other room was something huge, angry, and pink _. _ It shouldered its way through the entrance, cracking the walls around it. Its long, feline face was framed by a flowing pink mane. With a fierce snarl, it shoved its way fully through the door, lashing its barbed tail behind it. A chitinous ‘claw’ curled at the top of the long tail; it looked like a tough, sharp stinger. On its front right paw laid a pale, shining gem with a rectangular cut.   


Mago stiffened when she heard Kyan's panicked cry, and then scrambled to sit up when she heard the unmistakable roar of a gem monster. Gritting her teeth, the huge gem snapped her attention to the building and moved closer, suddenly slamming her hands down on its side.   
**_WHIRRRRRRRR_ **   
Visor glazing over, the Hematite parted her teeth slightly, focusing all her senses on what was going on inside the building. She could faintly detect two high-heat signatures. Kyan, and  _ something far bigger and warmer. _ Hissing through her teeth, Mago locked onto the bigger signal and suddenly punched her arm straight through the walls. Her massive hand started feeling around for whatever the source of the heat signature was.

Kyan gasped sharply, scrambling away from Mago's hand. The monster, however, hissed and suddenly lit its entire form on fire. With a horrific snarl, it lunged towards the massive gem's hand and chomped down on her finger, digging its teeth into her skin.   


Crying out in pained anger, Mago sharply retracted her hand, lashing it to the side to try and dislodge the creature from her fingers. Grimacing, she looked back into the hole she'd created in the wall, quickly spotting Kyan plastered back against the wall. She quickly reached her free hand in, closing in on the tiny blue gem.   


Kyan, at first, didn't even notice Mago's hand. She couldn't look away from the angry, flaming monster. Within seconds, however, she cried out in surprise and clutched Mago's finger tightly. The monster hissed and spun around, snarling at the receding hand. It lashed itss tail behind it and darted forward, striking the stinger at whatever it could hit.   


The giant gem quickly wrapped her hand around the tiny warrior, pulling her completely out of the building. While she was distracted, though, the creature's stinger caught her sleeve. Although it didn't break her skin, her quickly retreating arm pulled the angry pink creature out by its tail, making it fall down onto the ground outside the building. Kyan cowered behind Mago's hand, peering over at the angry pink monster. Mago scrambled to her feet, holding Kyanite close to her chest as she hissed back at the creature in an eerily beastly manner. Kyan clutched tightly at Mago’s finger and stared up at her with wide eyes. She dared not say a word. The monster shook itself and snarled, flames licking around its whole body. It made a mad dash for Mago's leg and lunged, jaws wide and poised to bite.   


Inhaling sharply through her teeth, the massive gem leapt back, narrowly avoiding the creature's powerful jaws.  _ Stars, even if that thing was rather small to her, its bite was no joke... _   
Mago landed a little ways down the street, keeping her eyes locked on the creature ahead of her. But a shuddering exhale escaped the giant gem, and she suddenly froze up as she got a good look at the pink creature, and the gem on its right paw. She sharply commanded her visor to scan the vicious creature, but as it started to bound up the street, her visor couldn’t lock on. The corrupted gem leapt to and fro, using skilled, evasive maneuvers to keep Mago from being able to watch it for more than a moment at a time. It managed to close in on the giant gem, snapping at her ankles as she stumbled back. Kyan hunkered down in her hand, eyes locked onto the pink beast.    
"M-Mago, do something!"   
Gritting her teeth, the service gem cupped her hand over the tiny warrior, covering her entirely in case the beast made a go for her. With a fierce growl, she flicked her free wrist out to the side, her arm suddenly alight with a bright plasmic aura.   
"Bring it on you fiery fuzzbucket!" she crowed, snapping her arm towards the creature as she backed up, sending a large bolt of charged energy at it.   


The monster took the full brunt of the hit, the flames flickering out around its body. It seemed heavily stunned by her attack, soon shaking itself off violently. It wasted no more time in making another go for her, this time skirting around the side and snapping its jaws again at her ankles.   


Mago smirked faintly as the creature's flames died out, leaving it wide open for a safer attack. Her smile faded when it skirted around her in a quick bound, and she snarled down at it. Sharply kicking her foot out, she made heavy contact with the corrupted gem's stomach, sending it flying back into one if the buildings.   


The corrupted gem slammed into the wall, hissing sharply upon making impact. Its form glitched and twisted horribly before slowly settling back down into its natural form. It heaved itself back to its feet, flinching as it put its right paw back on the ground. A deep crack lay in the rectangular, pink gem. Kyan's eyes widened in horror, her entire form seizing up. A hollow look filled her eyes, and she started to tremble. The more the monster stalked forward, the more it glitched and shuddered. She couldn’t take her eyes off of it. Neither could Mago.

Her stomach twisted  in guilt at the sight of the glitchy, lumbering creature. Backing up a pace, Mago let out a faint whimper, eyes widening. She couldn't drag her eyes away from the creature's gemstone, a shudder of dread creeping up her back and making her entire form suddenly go cold _. _   
_ I didn't mean to kick that hard! _   
_ I'm sorry! _   
Shaking herself back to the fight, the giant gem grimaced, suddenly taking a sharp pace toward the monstrous gem. Without giving it a chance to attack, she lifted a foot and aimed carefully, stomping down on the creature's back half, missing its gem entirely.   
_ POFF! _   
Letting out a shuddering exhale, Mago stared down at the cracked, pale-pink gemstone. She crouched down quickly, lifting a finger over it. She was already scanning it, her eyes flicking over its facets. A silvery-pink bubble encased it, and she lifted it to her face.  _ Stars, please don’t let it be him. Please. _ Her visor chirped, bringing up a simple screen.  _ Gem type: Morganite. Status: CORRUPTED. Mission not available. No aliases. _

Mago covered her mouth with her hand, clutching at her cheek.  _ Did I give Morgan any aliases? Is this just faulty, oh stars, I can’t remember if I put any extra information on his signature... _   


Kyan started to tremble, cowering in Mago's hand. She pulled her scarf over her eyes and clutched at it, emitting small whimpers. Looking down at the gem in her hand, Mago let her visor clear up, her eyes visible once more. She carefully shifted the blue warrior away from her gem and lifted the bubble close, storing it away with a short-lived flash. Kyan didn’t fight her, staying still in her palm.   
Lifting her head, the Mago bit her lip, her sharp teeth digging into her skin. When she spoke, her voice wavered, dripping with anxiety.    
"Contact Morganite!"   
_ Chirp! _

 

… No reply. The call rang for a good twenty seconds before Mago hung up and tried again. No reply. Her breathing quickened, a cold sweat breaking out on her brow. Pick up, please pick up. She tried again. It rang and rang, until, finally-   


 

_ "Sorry about the wait, this is Morganite~!" _  A charming voice chimed in on the other end of the call. _ "Hello Mago! Good hearing from you again. How can I help you?" _   
"... H-hey. Hey Morgan." The service gem's lip quivered, and she suddenly slumped against the nearest building, sliding down to a sitting position. She sniffled quietly, quickly raising a hand to wipe under her visor. With a shaky inhale, she rubbed her face, trying to regain her composure. Despite her efforts, it was  _ painfully _ obvious, even over the call, that she was trying to hold back tears. She held Kyan a little closer, her form slowly warming back up from its icy state.   


Morgan paused.   
_ "Everything alright, Mago...?" _ he asked, his voice soft and concerned. Kyan shivered, peeking out slowly from her scarf. Loudly clearing her throat, Mago inhaled deeply and sat up straight.   
"Mmm, yep! Iiiii'm... I couldn't be better!" She sighed shakily, still trying to shrug off the tension in her form. "Well, I could be better. But. Dooon't you worry about me, I'm just.... Stressed about the Harvest Moon! Yeah. I wanted to see how your day was going. Distract myself a bit. But uh, if you're busy, that's fine! I just wanted to make a quick call!"

Even from the other end of the call, Mago heard Morgan’s expression soften, and his smile return to his face.

_ "Oh, I'm doing wonderful, thank you for asking! Just very busy setting up the bar for the night, so I’m afraid I can’t talk very long. Try not to stress out too much though, alright, Mago? I'm sure you'll do just fine! Best of luck to you. Do let me know how it goes, alright?" _   


Giving a forced smile, Mago nodded and hovered her finger over her visor.   
"Mhm! I'llll be sure to let you know! Glad to hear you're doing well. Talk to you later, M'!"   
_ Click! _   
"... Uuuugh." Slowly, the service gem slumped back against the building. She slid down into a rather uncomfortable looking position, her back nearly touching the ground, head propped up against the wall. After a moment, she looked down and lifted her hand slightly from the tiny warrior. Kyan clung desperately to Mago's finger, trembling from head to toe. She slowly looked at her, wide-eyed. She still looked horrified, even with the corrupted gem out of the way.   
"..."   


Blinking in surprise, Mago lowered her hand again, gently curling her fingers around Kyan's form.   
"Hey, what's up? Did that thing hurt you?" she asked softly, brows furrowing.   


Kyan’s grip tightened as she closed her eyes, leaning her forehead into Mago's finger. She didn't respond. The Hematite felt something in her chest twist as she stared down at the small blue gem, an odd, powerful urge rising in her very core. But, it wasn't the same feeling she was so accustomed to... No. This was something different. Something far stronger than her hunting instincts. It was a warm, driving need to keep this gem safe; to make sure nothing hurt her.   
Expression softening, the ebony-haired gem slowly, carefully wrapped her hand around the Kyanite, but didn't hold her tight enough to restrict her movement. She moved her thumb over to the top of the tiny gem's head, gently running it over her hair. She stayed quiet.

Kyan whimpered softly, daring to open her eyes. Sniffing, she looked up at Mago's finger and slowly reached up, grabbing onto the end of it with her hands. Mago stiffened slightly, but relaxed again, keeping her finger still. Kyan’s tiny hands could barely hold her fingertip, but they pulled it close as she wrapped her arms around it. Mago frowned in concern.   
"... Are you okay, scruff?"   


Kyan looked out past Mago's hand, blankly staring out at the horizon.    
"... I'll be okay." she said quietly, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "Thanks for … saving me." she continued, brushing her hair back over the side of her face. Mago smiled weakly.   
"Well I couldn't very well let that thing eat ya, could I? But uh... I guess that tower might be out of the question, huh?"   


Kyan sighed heavily, crossing her arms over her chest.    
"Yeah… I gotta keep looking I guess. Stupid monsters, stupid city... stupid..." she grumbled, her brows furrowing.   


Pursing her lips, the service gem sat up, letting out a tired groan. She stretched her free arm up over her head.    
"Wellll. I would take you with  _ me, _ but I've got a test to focus on and you wouldn't last two hours where I live."   


Kyan raised a brow and tilted her head up at Mago, frowning.    
"Whaaat?! I'm tough! I can handle it!" she said, jumping to her feet. She puffed her cheeks out with her usual feisty zeal. However, she paused for a moment. "A-as long as there's no gem monsters. I don't get along too well with those..." Mago slowly arched a brow.   


"Psh. Kyan, it's a kindergarten full of gems like  _ me." _ She casually tossed her hair over her shoulder, pursing her lips. "Gems that are  **_bigger_ ** than me. And there's an event coming up that you don't want any part in, trust me."   


Kyan narrowed her eyes and looked down at Mago's palm, puffing out her cheeks.   
"Pffsh… Fine. But I'm sure I'd be alright. Especially if I got to hang around you," she said, looking away. The faintest flush of pink washed over Mago's face, and she brushed her hair aside. Pursing her lips, she looked away as well.   
"Hah, you're a gutsy little thing aren't you?" she said with a chuckle, pulling her hand and the tiny warrior away from her chest. Kyan walked over to the side of Mago's hand, placing her fingers around her thumb. Beaming up fiercely at her, she chuckled. Some uncertainty still lingered in her expression, and she shivered now and then, despite trying to suppress it.

"Yyyep I am!” she replied with a snicker. “... So, by the way, are you gonna be in the same event that Hema's gotta go to, then? I remember him talking about it."   


Blinking in surprise, the service gem cocked a brow.   
"Pipsqueak? Hah." For a moment, she looked annoyed, but it quickly passed, and she forced a smirk. "Mmmhm. All of the Hematites have to participate. It's the day after tomorrow..." Shrugging, she looked up at the buildings surrounding the two of them. "S'gonna be out here." Pausing, she frowned and looked down at the tiny gem. "... Whiiich means you should probably try and stick to one of the other districts until it's over. It'd be a bad idea to stick around here.”   


Kyan's expression fell, her eyes half lidded in annoyance.   
"Hmph… I'm not goin' back to the Blue District," she muttered. “It’s not like it’s any safer there.”   


Popping her lips once, Mago looked back down at the tiny gem.   
"Then hang out in the White District or something. The others of my kind aren't exactly fond of smaller gems, Kyanite. And you do  **not** want to run into one of us during the Harvest Moon. I mean hey, if you  _ wanna _ risk getting stepped on, that's your business. But I'd hate to hear that one of my kin 'took care' of a little blue gem that got in their way," she said quietly, expression softening. Kyan puffed up again, but sighed. Maybe she was right. 

"Ugh, I guess the White District’s a little better, even if it’s just a bunch of snobs. And I guess it beats being stepped on,” she conceded. With a huff, she flapped her hand dismissively. “Fiiiine. I'll stick around there, then. How long's it gonna take?" she said quickly, shrugging a shoulder and peering up at Mago incredulously. "I gotta get a move on. I got places to see! Places to go! And none of em' are in the other districts…”   


"Mm. Not sure. It should only take that night, but if something goes wrong, it could take two days. The Harvest Moon itself lasts three days or so, so there's no telling. It's a good idea to stay out of here until then." Curling a finger, Mago casually patted the tiny warrior on the head. Kyan closed her eyes, puffing her cheeks out.    
"Alright. So I'll stay there for three days. But after that, I've gotta get back out here and find a place to stay. Hopefully the monsters will back off, or I can find a place where they won't get me..." she grumbled, rolling her eyes.   


"Hm. Yeaaah, hopefully," she replied, not sounding all too optimistic. "Until then. White District, Yellow District, whatever works. The Yellow District's got lots of open space if gems in the other districts are too uppity for your tastes." She smirked faintly. "I know they are for  _ mine." _ Shrugging a shoulder, she eyed the tiny warrior curiously. "Buuut anyways~ I have a mission to get back to. You want me to drop you off anywhere before I get going?"

Kyan brushed her hair back a bit, crossing her arms close to her chest.   
"... Actually, yeah. There's a town not too far from here. I was gonna head there anyway if I couldn't find anything in this place. Maybe I can find refuge there."   


Smiling, Mago carefully got back on her feet, making sure not to jostle the tiny gem too much.   
"Aaaalright, then let's get going.~ Just make sure to hightail it out of here in the next day or so, alright, scruff?" Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she lifted the warrior up, allowing her to climb up next to her neck.

Kyan smiled excitedly and hopped up onto Mago's shoulder, scrambling up next to her neck and sitting down. An unmistakable light glittered in her eyes as she settled comfortably, her hands clutching at Mago’s suit. She looked down at her hand, idly running it over the fabric with a fond smile.

"... Yeah, I hear ya. Don't you worry about me; I'm tougher than I look!" she said, grinning ear-to-ear.   


Turning to shoot the tiny gem a coy smile, Mago crossed her arms in front of her chest, heading off to the next town.   
"Uuuhuh. Whatever you say, Kyan.~ Just don't try to be tough when there's another Hematite starin' ya down." She lifted a hand and carefully ruffled the Kyanite's messy hair, chuckling to herself.   


Kyan smirked under her scarf and closed her eyes as Mago ruffled her hair. 

"Like I said! Don't worry about me. If they try to mess with me, I'll throw a bat at their face!" She said, clenching her fists in front of her with a cackle.   


"Aha, ha. That's a bad idea I wouldn't suggest it,” she said dryly. “But hey, maybe you can manage to take a tooth out. Who knows." Smiling, the service gem crossed her arms again, tilting her chin up. "Regardless. You've got spunk, Kyan. I can respect that."   


Kyan felt a familiar sense of pride well up within her. With a cheeky grin, she snickered.    
"Yeah? Really? Well… You're tough. I can respect  _ that." _ she said, closing her eyes and crossing her arms, as if to mirror Mago’s pose. Giving a soft chuckle, Mago adjusted her visor. She glanced sidelong at the tiny gem, a fond smile spreading over her face.   
"C'mon you cheeky little dustball, let's get you to the next town.~" 

 


	84. Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone prepares for the Harvest Moon in their own way.

Tomorrow.   
Everything went down tomorrow night.   
Who would pass, who would fail, who would be sent off-planet, and who would stay here on Homeworld. If everything would change, if everything would stay the same… it would all be decided under the warm, orange glow of the Harvest Moon.

\--   
Hematite laid on his back on his couch, staring up and out of the large window across from him. The White District glittered brilliantly against the deep navy sky, lights of businesses, facilities, and homes dotting the horizon. Hema quietly sniffed, glancing at his eyepiece. He'd been running through some mental scenarios to try and get in the zone for tomorrow night, and he'd been rather quiet as a result. One of his legs was crossed over the other, his foot bobbing in place. A soft sigh escaped him. He almost wished he actually had something to  _ do _ tonight... He could run through these faux scenarios all he wanted, but he felt like he was as prepared as he could be.   
He'd rather be hanging out with friends, or having tea with White, or even-   
A bright, hopeful smile spread across the service gem's face. He suddenly sat up, adjusting his eyepiece.   
_ Contact Blue Diamond. _   


…

…..   
  
_ "AAaaahaha! Well well, if it isn't the Hemabuddy himself! Howsit goin' kid?" _ She said, a rather cheery tone in her voice. From the sound of it, it seemed she was sitting in a more public place. Hematite perked up at the familiar sounds in the background. If he wasn't mistaken...   
"Heeey Blue! I was just calling to see if you'd like to chat over some drinks, but it seems like you might’ve beaten me to it. Are you at Morgan's right now?"   


Blue glanced to her side, bearing a wide grin.    
_ "I sure am! Come on over, kid, I'll be here for another two hours or so! I still owe ya some drinks, hehe," _ she chortled. There was a familiar voice on the other end; soft and melodic.  _ "Oh, and Morgan says hi! He's gonna have somethin' waiting for ya when ya get here!" _   


With a bright smile, Hematite spun around to stand up from his spot on the couch. He stretched with a satisfied sigh and chuckled.   
"Let him know I'll be there shortly! See you guys soon!"   
_ Click _   
Stepping a few paces away from his couch, the service gem cocked a brow.   
"Hey, Red? You still studying over here?" he asked curiously, rounding the partition that divided the two halves of the room.

  
  


Red glanced up from where she was sitting, her arms crossed. In front of her lay an active diamond pad.   
"Oh, I'm almost done, Hema!" she said simply. With a soft hum, Hema stepped over, curiously peering at the diamond pad.   
"What are you reading up on tonight? Anything good?"   


Red pursed her lips, looking from the taller gem back down to the diamond pad and smacked her lips.    
"No, not really, if I’m being honest. Just some stuff for standard battle protocol. I'm generally familiar with it already, but there are so many fighting styles out there, it’s hard to find all the nuances that make them effective. I’ve been poring over dozens of reports and trying to pick up what I can, but with some documents, it’s like looking for a grain of sand in a pile of rocks... Oh, forgive me. I'm rambling. Did you need something, sir?" Red asked, clutching her palms together. Cocking his head to the side, Hematite frowned sympathetically.   
"Ahh, I'm sorry to hear that.” His frown slowly shifted into an almost coy smile, and he folded his arms behind him. "Ohhh nothing too spectacular... buuut. I'm going out on the town with Blue Diamond if you'd like to tag along."   


Red perked up, gasping quietly.    
"That sounds lovely! I'd like that, sure!" she said with a small smile on her face. Quickly turning the diamond pad off, she stored it in her gem and hopped eagerly to her feet. "Thank you, sir! Where are we going?"   


Hema turned and motioned for Red to follow after him, a bright grin on his face.   
"We're going to my favorite place in the Blue District!"   
\--   
Holding his arms out, Hema stood in front of the neon-decorated building, glancing over at the Pink Pearl.   
"Morganite's Club.~ Blue took me here back when I'd just started working for White Diamond. I'm personal friends with the owner," he chuckled, looking at the groups of gems filing in and out of the dance hall and bar entrance.   


Red looked up in wonder at the brilliant display of color that accented the building. It was incredibly pleasing to look at during the evening. She'd never seen anything like this place before! The pubs in the White District were far more toned-down, refined. This one felt happy and striking, somehow. Smiling faintly, Red peered over at Hematite and gestured him in.    
"Well, you’ll have to introduce me, then!" she said, folding her arms behind her back formally.   


Following after the gem, Hema nodded with a smile. He gave a polite wave to the guard at the door and made his way inside, heading straight for the bar. He spotted Blue almost immediately over the small crowd of gems he was busy wading through, and lifted his arm to wave and call to her.   
But then he stopped.   
He caught sight of  _ another _ gem at the bar… one he hadn’t expected to see. Blue almost immediately noticed Hema walking in and raised her brows. Nudging the gem next to her with her elbow, she pointed towards the service gem, but he was a little too far away at the moment for him to make out anything she'd said over the dull roar of the bar. It certainly was busy tonight. The tall, familiar gem next to Blue turned and eyed Hema over the small clusters of gems in the bar. Her eyes brightened as she grinned warmly, and she and Blue lifted a hand to beckon him over.    


Drawing his lips into a tight line, Hema quietly cleared his throat, walking over to the two. Politely, he saluted and stood at attention.   
“Ah, evening, White Diamond. What brings you here tonight?" he asked in a professional tone.   


White stifled a small chuckle and fully turned around. Her cheeks were darkened subtly, and an inebriated haze lay over her features and her movements.   
"Hello, Hematite! It's wonderful seeing you here this evening. No need to be so formal here! Take a seat and join us, will you?" she said in an off, oddly happy manner. Blue snickered and scooted over to the seat next to her and patted the one she was sitting in before, in between her and White. Upon noticing Red, Blue raised her brows.    
"Oh, she can sit next to me if she wants!"    
Red gasped quietly, clasping her hands.  _ Her, sitting next to a Diamond? _   
"I'd be honored!" she said, smiling warmly. Hema, however, was staring hard at White. He’d been in Morgan’s bar enough times to know that look on someone’s face. He’d just never expected to see it on White, of all gems.   
"Ah... thank you, White! Hah, I wasn't expecting to see you here!" Turning to Red, the service gem motioned for her to sit next to Blue before hopping up into the seat between the two Diamonds.

  
  


Red hoisted herself up into the seat shyly and placed her hands on the counter. She just barely could see over it. Morgan was busy in the back and hadn't had a chance to say hello just yet, but sitting in the spot where Hema was seated was an extra tall glass of his usual order. White tapped her fingers together and glanced sidelong at the smaller service gem, still grinning. Blue leaned over with a smirk and nudged Hema with her hand.    
"I thought it'd be a good idea to take a break and relax before tomorrow's big event, so I managed to drag White along with me! She was pretty stressed about the whole thing, but I think she's managing it well. We tried to get Yellow to come along too, but she was too busy and wanted nothing to do with the bar." Blue whispered, sparing White a glance. Shrugging, she sat up and sighed heavily. "Oh well, her loss.~ Yellow doesn't usually like these kinds of outings anyway… She doesn’t really like alcohol or what it does to her. But White here, Whiiiiite knows how to have fun! Ain’t that right, White?"    
White chuckled again and grabbed onto her glass- which was empty at the moment- and swirled the stirring straw that was placed in the top. Three empty glasses sat at her side.   
"Morgaaaniiite! I'd like another one of those Galaxy Reduxes, and an Atmosphere Dive, if you please," she crooned, eyeing the lithe warrior behind the counter. Morgan turned and gave White a wave to show that he'd heard her, immediately moving to the back to pick up something from the shelf.   


Hematite smiled when he saw his glass waiting for him, and he pulled it over, taking a quick sip as he listened to Blue.   
"Ahh. Well, thanks for trying to help her unwind. She uh. Definitely looks like she's enjoying herself," he said quietly to Blue. He smiled and turned to White, stirring with the little decorative stick in his glass. Without taking his eyes off of her, he called over to Morgan. "Hey, Morgan? Can I get another one of my usuals?" he asked politely.   


Morgan turned his head finally, spotting the service gem sitting over at the counter. With a bright smile he raised his hand up just as he did with White a few moments prior in greeting. He murmured to her, “The Dive will be another minute; the bottle hasn’t settled yet.” He walked off, and White watched him with a sharp, interested gaze. 

Adjusting herself in her seat, Blue placed her hands up on the counter, grabbing her drink and taking a sip.    
"So how are you holding up, kid? You ready for tomorrow?" Blue asked, glancing over at Hema. Hema pursed his lips, humming an uncertain note.   
"As ready as I'll ever be. I'm more worried about the others, honestly." He sipped the flavorful drink in his hands, smiling faintly in satisfaction. The sweet, slightly fizzy drink washed over his tongue, relaxing him with its familiar taste.   


Morgan was quick to come around with two drinks in hand. One of Hematite's usuals, and another odd-looking drink. It was black, with an almost iridescent, starry look to it. He handed White the black drink and Hema the more colorful one, grabbing a cloth that hung from his belt.    
"Heeeey Hema, how have you been? Did you ever take care of that little Mica infestation the other day?" he said, raising a brow. Blue snickered and leaned over a bit.    
"Mica? Oh you'll have to tell me about  _ that _ one someday, kid!"

  
  


At first Hema bore a warm smile, but it quickly dropped at the mention of his mission.   
"Aha. Ahaha. Yeaaah. No. No we didn't. I'm afraid those Mica got a little carried away." He sipped his drink and smacked his lips once. "As did Red."   


Red sat up straight, her eyes wide. Slowly, they narrowed, staring off at nothing.   
"I swear if I ever see another one of those miserable pests again I'm gonnaaaaa..." She shook her head, clearing her throat. She forcefully relaxed her shoulders, pursing her lips. "Pardon."    
Smiling awkwardly, Blue chuckled and leaned back a bit in her chair. White didn't seem to be paying much attention to the others. She looked to be a little zoned out, staring off into space with half-lidded eyes.    


Hema snickered to himself, shaking his head. After a moment, he slid the extra drink Morgan had brought him down to Red.   
"Oh! Right, you two haven't been properly introduced." Smiling, he motioned to the pink gem sitting nearby. "Morgan, this is Red, my Pink Pearl and my bodyguard. Red, this is Morganite. As I mentioned, he's a good friend of mine."   


Red peeked over the counter carefully, blinking at the warrior that stood behind it. Morgan offered a friendly wave to the Pink Pearl and tilted his head up.   
"Pleased to meet you! I haven't seen one of your kind in a very long time. Good to see they're still in production every now and then. White always did keep her Pearl Kindergartens well; her gems produce the most pristine Pink Pearls,” he said, glancing over at White. White gave Morganite a subtle wink, smirking as she took a sip of her drink. Morgan's expression twitched for just a moment, a small bit of smoke appearing over his shoulder. Without taking his eyes off White, he smiled widely and brushed his shoulder off, turning quickly away to attend the patrons at the other end of the bar. Hematite stared at the two, raising a brow as he took a sip of his drink.  _ What was that all about? _

Red looked up at the drink that Hema had slid towards her and grabbed it, looking into its colorful contents. With a curious hum, she took a sip. Her eyes widened, and she looked at the glass in surprise. Without hesitation, she took another sip, glancing around to make sure nobody was watching her eager drinking. Hema chuckled, sparing her a pleased look. Then, he perked and looked to White.   


"Mm, by the way! I didn't get a chance to report to you, with how busy things have been. I'll drop off the full details in your office later, but you should be happy to know that Tam performed very well during our lessons!"   


White turned her attention to Hema, a brow raised simply. 

"Oh? That's wonderful, I look forward to looking that over later. How did she do?" she asked, smiling with another sip of her drink.   


"She did fantastically, as far as I can tell! Our fusion was very stable and behaved well, and she performed three track and capture tasks. And then, on her own, well." Sipping his drink, Hema smiled proudly, sitting up a bit straighter. "I gave her the task of tracking  _ me _ down. I used a rather interesting trick I picked up, and she still caught me within two hours."   


Looking over her drink, White sat it down on the countertop and stuck the tip of her index finger in it, swirling it around.    
"Well that's good to hear, then! Perhaps she'll do just fine tomorrow. Thank you, Hema." White said, lifting her finger from the drink and sticking it in her mouth. Blue leaned over and peered up at White, grinning widely. White raised a brow and took her finger out of her mouth, narrowing her eyes with a coy smile.   
"What's with that look, Blue?" White cooed.   
Blue snorted quietly and leaned back again.    
"Don't ya have somethin' you wanted to saaaay? Don't tell me you forgot." Blue said, rolling her eyes.   
White's expression didn’t change, but instead she slowly looked down at Hema, her brows raised.    
"Ah, right! Hema, I've been meaning to tell you. I know it's not necessary or expected, but I'd like to thank you for helping me with the Harvest Moon training. Once this is all said and done, I'd like to share some tea with you sometime.~" She said, closing her eyes and lacing her fingers together. "It's been awhile since we've had a nice chat."   


Blinking in surprise, the service gem smiled in delight, nodding enthusiastically.   
"You're very welcome, White. And, yes, I'd like that! It's been too long. A month or so, I believe?"   


White smiled, lifting up her glass near Hematite.    
"Hmhm, that it has. Then feel free to show up to my office sometime after the Harvest Moon. I'll have my Pearl prepare some special peppermint tea, just for you!" she said with a warm smile. Taking a sip of her drink, White sat her glass down and swiped her tongue over her lips, glancing over to the bartender.   


Hematite chuckled softly, tilting his head slightly up at his leader. It was peculiar seeing her with many of her walls down. Most of her formal, professional demeanor was nowhere to be found, and she seemed far more... comfortable? He couldn't place his finger on it.   
"Hm. Thanks, White."   
Looking to his left, Hematite looked at the Pearl sitting next to Blue. "How is it, Red? This is my favorite drink here." he chuckled, holding up his glass for a moment.   


Red had already finished half of her glass, and, looking over to Hema, she gave him a thumbs-up. Taking another large sip, she placed the glass on the counter.    
"It's delicious! I mean, I'm not sure what it is, but it's pretty good!" she said, beaming over at the service gem. Morgan stepped over and started to wipe off the counter with his cloth, humming a soothing tune. White leaned her head onto her hand and listened with a smirk.   
"Ahhh, Pristine Crystalline. That's one of my favorites. Hmmmmhmmhm...~" White said smoothly, starting to hum along with Morgan. Morgan blinked, a little surprised at White joining in. But, he rolled with it, smiling ear-to-ear and continuing the song. White and Morgan's voices worked together in wondrous harmony, grabbing even Blue's attention.    
"Wow, I haven't heard  _ that _ in decades," she said, cocking a brow over at the taller Diamond. "Heh, who woulda thought. Hey Morgan, congrats! You've charmed even White, somehow!" she teased, snickering into her drink. Morgan faltered slightly, smiling awkwardly at Blue with an obviously nervous chuckle.    
"Oh come now, White Diamond here simply has lovely taste in music is all! Why, the first time I heard that song was the first week I ever opened my bar. It's been awhile, it's a classic!" 

White raised a brow coyly and stopped, closing her eyes.    
"I do quite fancy a well-composed song!" she said, opening one of her eyes to peer over at Morgan. "But I also think your voice is rather calming to listen to. And you make wonderful drinks! I can see why Blue likes this place. You've got quite a lovely establishment here! Not like most of the other clubs I've seen around this district. No offense, Blue." White responded, glancing over to the other Diamond with a smirk. Blue shrugged a shoulder and smiled.   
"Eh, none taken."   
Morgan's face flushed red, and his lips curled into an undisguised smile of flattery.    
"O-oh! My, thank you, White Diamond! That's quite an honor to hear, coming from you! W-would you like another drink?" he said, his shoulders tensing slightly. White smirked and, without missing a beat, pointed her pinky towards him.    
"You know it!~ But first, you might want to think about cooling yourself down." She crooned. Morgan gasped slightly, looking down at his shoulders. They were smoking. He chuckled nervously and patted them again, stifling whatever steam was rising from his form. He turned quickly back to the shelves to grab another bottle of mix without another word.   


Watching the events transpiring in front of him, Hema sipped quietly at his drink, eyes darting between White Diamond and Morganite. Slowly, he smirked, narrowing his eyes as Morgan turned away. Setting his drink down, the ivory-haired gem leaned on the counter with both his arms, raising a brow.   
"Eyyy Morgan. You're uh. Lookin’ a little hot under the collar there,~" he said coyly, a devious smile on his face.   


Morgan turned his head sharply, giving Hematite an odd, flustered look, but turned again and grumbled something as he continued patting himself down. Blue howled out in laughter, beating her hand onto the counter.   
"OOOH you got him GOOD Hema! Niiiice!" she yowled drunkenly with a wide grin.White placed a hand over her mouth for a moment, but soon found herself chuckling as well. Hematite looked over at White in surprise, eyes widening.  _ Had she actually...  _ **_laughed_ ** _ at one of his jokes? _ A delighted smile crossed his face, and he eyed Morgan again, grinning cheekily.   
"Yeaaah, I mean. Come for the drinks, stay for the bartender, right you guys?" he teased goodnaturedly, sitting back and crossing his arms with a mischievous smirk. Morgan's brow twitched as he turned to make another drink. He shot Hema a rather amusing, embarrassed glance, but turned his attention back to his work.    
"Oh come now, Hema. Surely I'm not  _ that _ amusing," he said, smirking. White stopped chuckling and tapped her fingers on the countertop, peering over at the bartender.    
"The way your tailcoat catches on fire when I compliment you is pretty amusing!" she said, grabbing the base of her drink. Gasping, Morgan looked behind him to check his tailcoat. On the end, there was the smallest flame that flickered around the tip of the fabric. He quickly reached behind him and pinched it out, frowning heavily with a bright red blush. White laughed out again, this time louder than before. Blue was soon to follow, leaning her head over onto the counter and pounding it with her fist. Red smiled, finishing off her drink without a word.   


"Whaaa?" Hema leaned over the counter, peering at Morgan's tailcoat. "Oh my stars, it did. Hah!" Leaning back in his chair, the ivory-haired gem gave a bright, ringing laugh, drawing his knees close to his chest. "Sorry, Morgan," he started, rubbing his face as he regained his composure. "You're always so well put-together, it's rather entertaining to see you get so bent out of shape over a Diamond~" he said with a smile. Grabbing his drink, he returned to relaxing, and sipped at the last half of the colorful beverage. Morgan was still bright red, but shrugged good-naturedly.    
"Eheh. Don't worry about it! I'll whip you all up some new drinks soon. Just let me… regain my composure, please." He said, clearing his throat. White calmed down from her laughing fit, sighing with contentment.    
"Well, at least he takes it in stride."   


"Mmmhm.~" Leaving Morgan alone for the time being, the service gem finished his drink as he made small-talk with both the Diamonds, catching them up on what had happened with Kyan, how Frecks had been doing, and what he’d taught the other Hematites over the past few weeks. He seemed entirely content, sitting with two of his leaders as they chatted the night away.

As the night went on, he couldn’t help but ponder how the other Hematites were spending their night. Were they training? Were they having some special event in the Kindergarten? Just what did his kind do to relax, before a stressful event?

  
  


\--

\--   
"Hyah!"    
With a small clack, a rock hit the side of the wall of the Kindergarten, bouncing off onto the ground. After a few moments, a gray-haired Hematite pounced on top of the rock with precision, her lips curled into a sly smirk. "Gotchaaaa! Nyahaha!" Mati chuckled, plucking the rock off the ground. She couldn't sleep. All she could think to do throughout the day was throw around rocks and chase them wherever they landed, practicing her pounces. She even chased around one of the worker gems that she found wandering through her territory; that certainly gave her a good run!    
She felt fairly confident, eager, and  _ surprisingly _ happy that tomorrow was the Harvest Moon event. She'd been waiting so long for this! A chance to show everyone what she was made of, a chance to chase around gems and have fun? She was excited, to say the least.

Mati rocked on her haunches, flicking the rock away and chasing after it again. With a delighted leap, she pounced on the tiny rock and batted it around. A grin was plastered to her face as she batted it to and fro, watching it scuttle about.

As much as she was looking forward to having some fun during the test tomorrow, she knew she couldn’t take her usual approach with it. No batting gems around, no pouncing and letting them go for fun. No, this wasn’t the place to play around like she did during her missions.  _ She couldn't afford to mess this up. _   
\--   


\--   
_ Alright. The west sector has a lot of good hiding places, but the east has a lot of cave systems... Those would be good too. _   
Pursing her lips, Mago stared up at the sky, her arms folded behind her head. She was lying on her back, one of her feet up in the air. Once again, she appeared to have a small service gem balanced on top of her foot. This one, however, seemed far less nervous and more passive than anything. This certainly wasn't the first time this had happened to them, it seemed. The Hematite sighed to herself and stared up at the stars, gazing through the graphs and maps she projected from her visor.   
_ Hmmm. If these targets are smart, they won't go to the same place twice... unless White picks all new targets. _   
Shrugging, Mago half-closed her eyes, gazing at a few stars in particular. They were especially beautiful tonight... Perhaps it was because of the Harvest Moon tomorrow. 

Mago considered calling Morgan up, but figured it'd be best not to distract herself more than she already was. Besides, she didn't want to chat his ear off about harvester stuff. Not while he was working.   
All in all, she wasn't too nervous about the test. If anything, she was only confused as to how she was going to pull off the second event. She couldn't stay small for very long without tiring out, so what was she supposed to do? Run until she felt like she was going to shift up, and then hide for a while?   
Sighing, the ebony-haired gem rolled her eyes and tossed up her 'captive', reaching up to snatch them out of the air. They yelped in protest, but then puffed their cheeks out at her, grumbling something. Mago smirked and dangled the gem over her face before suddenly setting them to the side, ushering them away.   
_ Noo, she couldn’t dull her hunting instincts tonight. She was going to need them tomorrow. _   
\--

\--   


Tam was pacing rapidly around her territory. A clear track ran through the dust on the stone floor, in a circular shape. Tam paced along the cleared path, her quick pace stirring up little clouds of purple dust.

She was constantly muttering under her breath. From the maps and various screens that were projected from her visor, she seemed to be going over areas in the Pink District, and various paths she could take through it.  
She had no idea how she was going to perform, despite Hema’s training. She had far higher hopes than she had before, sure, but she just didn't want to get her hopes up _too_ high in case things got out of hand. Sitting down on one of the ledges in her territory, Tam huffed quietly, running her fingers through her hair.   
_Don't overthink it. Relax. Everything will be fine. You just make things worse when you overthink them. It's not that complicated. Just go with the flow!_   
Closing her eyes, Tam took a few deep breaths and leaned back slightly, placing her hands next to her. She opened her eyes to look up to the sky, smiling faintly.   
She could do this.  
Somehow or another, she knew she could.  
She just had to relax, first. Stressing out the night before wasn't going to do her any good. Deciding that she had done enough studying for the evening, Tam laid back onto the ledge and closed her eyes. Perhaps she could get a little rest before tomorrow's big event.   
_She needed to save her energy and make sure she didn't overwhelm herself before tomorrow. Everything would be fine._  
\--

  
  


\--   
"HrrRRRAGH!"   
  
**SMASH!**   
  
Heaving, a ponytail-wearing Hematite stood up, staring at the crumbled remains of a boulder she'd smashed with her club. Her eyepiece, which rested on the right side of her face, chirped and analyzed how many pieces she'd broken the rock into. Her eye twitched, her rounded teeth bared in a grimace. “ONLY TWELVE?! Are you KIDDING me?!” Crying out with frustration, she lifted her metallic club up and smashed the rock again and again, beating it into smaller pieces. The grit from the hapless stone skittered and pattered against the rock around her. Her visor chirped again and again, recalculating the number of pieces it could count. Nearby, HT was perched on a cliffside. One of the stray pieces of rock shot up into the air and clicked against HT’s visor. She mildly flinched, frowning as she looked down at the furious gem.   
"Tae. Please. Tomorrow is about  _ not _ poofing your target, much less breaking it into a million pieces. That is the last thing you should be doing to practice; you want to end up like the big boss?”   
Snarling, the shorter Hematite glared up at HT. By the looks of it, HT was documenting some odd gorse that was growing on the ledge. Tae bared her teeth, clutching her club tightly as she pointed it accusingly up at her calm kin.   
"How I train is my business, ya big priss! You aren't even  _ doing  _ anything! How about you stop playing with that stupid plant and get down here and fight me, huh?!"   
  
"Mmm. I see little point in wearing myself out the night before our tests. I'll pass."   
  
Snorting angrily, Tae glared down at another rock and lifted up her club, slamming down on it with a sharp 'HYAH!'.

“I will pass this time,” she muttered darkly to herself. “Have fun catching plants tomorrow, HT. I’m sure the Diamonds will let you take some with you when you’re sent off-planet again,” she snarled. HT sneered down at her.

“Thank you for your valuable feedback on my training, Tae. Really, just couldn’t be more pivotal to my results tomorrow,” she replied monotonously. Tae mockingly growled under her breath before swinging her club at the wall, smacking it with all her strength.

_ We’ll see who’s Hemmi’s favorite after tomorrow. _

“Just stay out of my way, or we’ll see how many pieces  _ you  _ break into,” she hissed. HT rolled her eyes with a low groan.

“I won’t be anywhere near you, Tae. I can promise you that.”

\--

“Those two had better be in top form tomorrow.”   


Hemmi idly ran a finger along the projected screen in front of her. Mite was busy poking around wherever she and Hemmi walked, checking over her territory. Thin burn marks scored the walls here and there, and Mite checked each and every one of them with little nods of approval.

She perked up when she heard Hemmi muttering to herself.  Hemmi swiped her screen aside the moment Mite suddenly sidled up to her. Pacing around to Hemmi’s side, the white-haired Hematite grinned ominously and stared up at the bright, orange moon intently. She chuckled under her breath.   
"Tomorrow's the big daaaay, Hemmi! Are you ready?" she asked, clasping her hands together. Stifling a low chuckle, she turned to face her with half-lidded eyes. "We’ll get the highest scores out there. … Wait, are there scores?” she mused, frowning and glancing up. She scoffed. “Whatever, we'll probably finish first, regardless!" she said quietly. "Those other clods don't stand a chance."   


Hemmi walked slowly, her paces measured. She glanced momentarily at Mite’s territorial markings on the walls before staring up at the moon.

“Not ‘probably,’ we'd  _ better  _ finish first, Mite." She slowly turned her attention to her shorter comrade, eyes half-lidded. "I trust you'll do your best tomorrow and not disappoint me."   


Mite's confident demeanor broke for a moment, her eyes widening as she turned away. Quickly regaining her composure, she smirked widely.    
"Of course, Hemmi. I wouldn't even  _ think _ about doing less than my best! I'm ready to knock this test out of the water!" she said, placing her hands on her hips. "We're the most capable here! It's only natural we'll perform better than the others. Tiny's a spaz and never stops running around, Mati's erratic and thinks everything's a game, Meta's too big and slow and Hita's a lazy, inept idiot. Not to mention, Tam's a prude and has about as much hunting drive as a Sapphire! Nyeheh, That's five out of the question right there! They'll all be lucky if they even  _ find _ a gem out there, let alone catch them! The only gem that even comes close to us in skill is Mago, and, psh… she’s too much of a runt to really be much trouble," she sneered.   


"Hm. Yes, well, while all that may be true... don't count them out." She looked forward, eyes steely, and her voice low. "Everyone is a threat. They've been getting training from that sorry excuse of a Hematite. And while I don't believe a few paltry lessons from the runt can help them enough to pass... we can't let our guard down. Who knows what tricks those sods have up their sleeves, now." She narrowed her eyes, lifting a hand to her chin. "HT and Tae have a chance to be stationed here on Homeworld. They’d be far better assets here than off-planet. I wouldn’t mind seeing Ti or Meta take their places. Mago either.” Hemmi’s lip curled up into a sneer, a disgusted grimace on her face. “But I swear, if HT and Tae don’t pass this time, they’re out of the picture.”   


Mite frowned, looking ahead. A confused, haunted shadow fell over her gaze. She cleared her throat quietly, looking up at a bare patch of wall.

“Ooh, I haven’t marked this place yet. Must have missed it,” she remarked, flicking her hand up to her side. Her hand lit up with a thin, concentrated wisp of plasmic energy. "Don't worry about them, Hemmi. We've got this in the baaaag. At least I know  _ you and I _ will do just fine. Let's give it our all and show those clods who the real hunters are, shall we?~"   


Slowly looking over at the shorter service gem, Hemmi went silent.   
"I'm not worried." Lifting a fist, the pink-haired gem narrowed her eyes, summoning a knuckleduster. Slowly, she swiped a hand over the weapon, sharp, silvery 'claws' growing from the back of it. "I know I'm going to do an excellent job.." Gazing at the wall beside her, Hemmi extended her arm, placing the clawed tips of her weapon on the stone.   
_ ScccRRRIIICKCKCKCK _   
Eyes locked ahead, Hemmi paced forward, dragging her 'claws' along the stone wall. Sparks flew from the silvery knuckleduster as it dug into the wall, leaving dark-red streaks on the purple-ish rock. After a long moment, she withdrew her hand, staring at the blood-like coloration at the end of her weapon. "I simply want to make sure this test weeds out a few 'problems'," she said lowly.   
In a flash, she unsummoned her weapon and folded her hands behind her back, eyes locked forward.   
"But... yes. Let's show these sods how it's done."   


Mite looked over at the scratch marks left deep into the stone, her lip twitching. Other than that, she remained fairly steady. The plasma around her hand died out, and she meekly put her arm back behind her. So much for marking up that section.

\--

  
  


Deep in a closed-off alcove outside the main Kindergarten territories, a petite Hematite was curled up in a small bed of scraps of foreign plants and odd materials that she'd collected from various missions. It was akin to a bird's nest, and was surrounded by protective walls. The bed was nestled in a small cubby in the wall of a tall, cylindrical alcove that cut deep down into the ground just outside of the Kindergarten.

Tiny was fast asleep, a small smile on her face. Every once in a while, her limbs would twitch as she dreamed, soft noises escaping her every few minutes.   
\--   
"Heheheh... like this, right?" Tiny crouched down on all fours, her arms splayed out in front of her as she faced something crouching in front of her. The floor beneath her was a brightly glowing pane of reflective glass, bright pink in color. Dark, warm hues flowed and swirled above with starry swaths of color dancing in their grasp. Sugary flecks of color danced across the sky, which always seemed to be glimmering or swirling about with warm, nocturnal colors. As far as the eye could see, the horizon stretched out further into galaxies of stars, swirls of color, and clouds of nebulous forms and shapes. Constellations dotted the horizons, connected by lines of light.

Directly in front of Tiny crouched a brilliantly-glimmering 'creature'. A galaxy-like pattern swirled along its form, making it look as if it were cut straight out of the night sky. The starry critter tilted its head, eyeing Tiny's form with dark, sparkling eyes. Grinning with sharp, glittering teeth, the furry creature nodded in approval and leapt back, joining a myriad of other starry creatures. Some were dark, almost black in color, while others were warmer in hue, made of pinks and oranges. They were all different shapes and sizes. Some were small and agile-looking, while others were huge and bulky. They milled about, but at any one point, one of them would pace forward and instruct Tiny on something, speaking in some unknown language. Stalking methods, poise, how to run on all fours… they all had advice to give, recited in the carefully-chosen words of textbooks and audio files from training videos she’d pored over as of late.

  
"Nyaha, come on, you guys! Let's race and put all this to the test!" she crowed at the group, standing tall. The group of galaxy-furred creatures all turned their attention to her before parting aside, letting one particularly large critter step forward. It had a stubby, stout body and a long, bushy tail. Its muzzle was snubbed, filled with small, round teeth. It had a lighter 'mask' around its eyes, and a claw-shaped gem on its forehead. Its pupils were glittering, bright stars, and locked onto the small Hematite. Tiny grinned and snickered, boldly reaching forward and papping the creature on the snout. It didn't react aside from snorting quietly. Snorting back, Tiny crouched down, rocking on her haunches.    
"C'mon, just you and me, buddy-boy!" she challenged, brows furrowing. The starry creature crouched down as well, narrowing its eyes with a 'smirk'.   
_ Let's see what you've learned, Tiny,  _ echoed Tiny’s voice. It seemed to emanate from the creature’s form and Tiny’s mind at the same time. The fluffy-haired gem nodded and crouched down, suddenly running off. A few of the creatures chased after her, running alongside her in equal pace. Soon enough, Tiny found herself cackling joyously to herself, racing weightlessly across the glassy floor alongside her starry companions.   
\--   
Smiling warmly, the short-haired Hematite rolled over in her bed, holding her arms close.   
"Mmmm."   
\--

_ \-- _

_ It's okay. You'll be okay. You're fast, you're a good hunter. You've done this before... you were one of the first to pass last time... _   
Clutching her knees close to her chest, a silvery-haired gem rocked back and forth atop a small ledge. Her eyes were wide and staring ahead of her, focusing on nothing. She was seated in her secondary territory, if one could call it that. It was rather small; it was more akin to a hole in the wall, which lay near the Cove.

_ Just don't poof the gem this time. You coulda done that last time.  _ _   
_ _ Hema did it, I can do it. Hema did it… I can... stars, why didn't I take his training? _   
_ Hates you. He saw us. _ _   
_ _ No, he doesn't know, he doesn’t know... our fusion just got a bit out of control. He didn’t see you. _   
_ Lie. Lie. Threat. Stay away from him. _   
  
Brows twitching, Ti inhaled shakily. She lifted her chin, staring up at the glowing, orange moon overhead.   
_... Calm down. You'll be fine. Just stay safe during the test and pass it as quickly as you can. Gotta make Hemmi happy. _   
  
Sighing deeply, the silver-haired gem closed her eyes, letting out a soft, melodic hum. Her tune was uneven and uncertain. It held none of its usual confidence, and died quickly in her throat. Ti sat in silence, her forehead pressed to her knees.

Only the soft sounds of another song drifting on the wind finally broke her from her numb daze. She sat up straight, looking around in confusion. Someone was… humming?

_ Wait, who else sang, besides her? _   
\--

\--   


_ Click. _ _   
_ _ Click. _ _   
_ _ Click. _   
Repetitive tapping filled the air, drowned out by the all too familiar sound drifting on the breeze. Hita had heard it nearly every night for the past two weeks or so. Sprawled out over a rather lengthy boulder, he lay on his stomach and lightly tapped his claws to the slow rhythm of the voice that harmonized with the evening breeze. He closed his eyes, listening intently. For many minutes he lay still, silent, and peaceful.    
_ He still didn’t know where it was coming from… or if he was just hearing it in his own head. _ It was happening so often, perhaps it  _ was _ coming from somewhere specific. Surely, it couldn’t be a gem creature or his imagination if it was so consistent. Right?

Stirring from his spot, Hita ungracefully rolled off of the boulder and landed onto the ground with a heavy thud, staggering slowly to stand up. He smacked his lips and made his way out of his territory. He figured that, since he didn't have too much better to do… he'd try to figure out where the humming was coming from. 

 

  
Wandering aimlessly through the scratched-up halls, he soon came out into the more open pathway that spread across the Kindergarten. Lifting his head to the sky, Hita listened carefully.  _ No, that’s definitely louder, now. Where is that coming from?  _ Taking a few paces forward, Hita raised his brows slightly and glanced from side to side, trying to get a read on where the sound was. 

He tilted his head, frowning slightly as he looked to his left.  _ That can’t be right… _ he thought to himself, starting to walk down the path leading away from his territory. The further he went, the clearer the humming became.   
Hita adjusted his visor on the bridge of his nose; the screen was turned off, no light shining from it. He blended into the shadows of the dark Kindergarten walls as he traipsed down the path. Sure enough, it led him to the familiar scents of Meta’s usual napping place. 

She wasn’t there.

Hita frowned and looked around. Hesitating, he took a cautious step into the pathway. He watched the moon as he walked, transfixed by its massive size and unnatural orange glow. To be honest, it provided more than enough light to see through the Kindergarten, while also casting deep shadows on the paths.

Making his way curiously towards Meta's territory, Hita kept his pace slow and steady. As he entered the biggest Hematite's grounds, he sidled up against the wall, staying quiet. Just as he came upon what looked to be an exit to the narrow path, which led into a much more open area, he stopped. Sure enough, the humming was clear as day now, unmistakably drifting from the clearing ahead.

  
  


_ Hmmhmhmhmhm hmm hmmmmmm~ _   
  
_ Hmmmmhmhmhm hmm hmhmmmm~ _   
  
  
The haunting song drifted throughout the Kindergarten, carrying on the wind, echoing off the tall walls. Every once in a while, it'd fade out, as if stopping, before slowly picking up again. It was a slow tune... a lilting melody that the Hematites in the Kindergarten, should they care to pay attention, had grown all too familiar with. The melody generally stayed the same... though it would change every few nights. Tonight, it was stronger than it had been for a while.

  
Slowly, Meta brushed her finger along the floor of the clearing she laid in at her half size. Normally she'd stay fully shifted, but she wanted to save her energy for the test. The pink-haired gem lazily traced shapes along the dusty floor, drawing out beautiful curves and swirls and lines to her song.    
_ Hmhm hm hm hmm hmmm hmmmmm~ _   
  
Her back was turned to the entrance that lead into the clearing she laid in, the side of her head propped up in her left hand. She continued to hum, drawing more shapes in the dust. The wind blew her hair back, sending her subtle scent blowing towards the entrance of her territory. Towards Hita.   


Hita felt a small chill run up his spine. Turning the corner quietly, he stopped, peering around the edge. His eyes widened slightly upon spotting exactly what he hoped he'd find. There, in the clearing, was Meta. And, sure enough, the mysterious humming was coming from her. 

Tilting his head slightly, Hita stepped up and pressed his back to the wall, completely out of sight. He listened carefully, closing his eyes. He sighed silently, filled with an odd sense of peace. Something he hadn't felt for a long time. A nagging voice in the back of his mind told him it was fleeting, painfully temporary… but for once, he didn’t pay the voice any mind.

He'd been so stressed about the Harvest Moon that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d done something as simple as relax his shoulders. As he listened to Meta’s haunting song, he found himself slowly let his shoulders droop, his arms hanging loosely at his side. 

What was it about this that brought him such peace…? It was such a somber song. Eerie, even. Of all the things he’d tried to do to calm his nerves, to let him rest amidst all the worry, why was this the thing to finally do it?

What was it about  _ her? _

Why was she always the one to change something for him? And why was he so hypnotized by her low humming, by the way it drifted on the breeze and seemed to make the Kindergarten shiver with its subtle, but unmistakable, power?  
Hita tilted his head down, continuing to listen to her song. After about ten minutes, Hita opened his eyes with a blank, solemn look, and peered up at the moon.  
After a hesitant moment… he, too, began to hum.  
  
 _"Hmmm hmm hmmm hm hm hmmmmmmmm......."_   
Following along with Meta's tune, he continued melodiously by her side. His hum was a bit lower-pitched than hers, finely contrasting the way that she presented her own voice. It even sounded a bit rougher, though, not unpleasantly so.   


 

_ "Hmmmhmhmhmmmm~" _   
Slowly, Meta opened her eyes. Her gaze was vague, calm, and unfocused. She'd drifted into a sort of half-asleep daze while humming, but something drew her out of it… a sound drifting into the clearing that she hadn’t heard a moment ago.   
She suddenly stiffened as she snapped back to reality, a slightly lower tune drifting through the clearing. Her humming died out in her throat.  _ That was  _ **_her_ ** _ song... but who was humming it? _   
And for that matter... Who  **dared** wander this far into her territory without her permission? Frowning, Meta tapped on the ground, glancing to the side.   


The other humming soon stopped. For a few long seconds, an eerie silence filled the air. What followed next was a voice from behind the edge of the wall.    
  
"Hey... Why'd you stop? It was nice..."

  
  


Meta gasped quietly, eyes going wide. She sat up enough to turn and look over her shoulder, her left arm holding her up.   
"..." Squinting toward the entrance to the clearing, Meta curled her lip slightly in a confused frown. She sniffed quietly "... Hita?"   


From behind the corner of the entrance, Hita peeked out sheepishly, his form just barely illuminated by the bright moonlight.   
"Hey... Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. I just. I like your humming. It's lovely," he said, glancing away and clutching the wall. Meta stared for a long moment. She almost didn't seem like she'd processed who was standing in the 'doorway' of her little clearing. However, after a few beats, her face slowly turned a faint pink color, and she glanced away in embarrassment.    
"... You're not bothering me. And... Uh. Thanks." She cleared her throat quietly, voice lowering to a hushed tone. "Yours isn't so bad either."   


Casting his gaze towards Meta, Hita tilted his head slightly, his eyes half-lidded.    
"Um… thanks. If you want, I can go. I just wanted to see where that humming was coming from. I stay up sometimes to listen to it. I never realized it was  _ you _ ."   


After a moment, Meta slowly sat up, turning to Hita. She gazed at him with an unreadable expression. After a long moment, she patted the spot next to her, looking away and pursing her lips. Hita looked behind himself briefly in confusion, then back at the spot where Meta’s hand rested. Without a word, he made his way over, sitting down next to her. He hugged his knees close to his chest, leaning slightly into them. Meta glanced at him.   


"... You know. I think you're the only one who knows that singing is me. Besides Mago," she said quietly, drawing a knee up to rest her arm on. She looked up at the moon, blinking slowly. "Certainly the first one to hum along with me."   


Hita poked his tooth into his lower lip, glancing up at the moon just as she did. Silently sighing, Hita drew his arms over his legs and leaned a little towards the gem next to him.   
"I hope it's not the last time."   


Without turning her head, Meta glanced sidelong at the gem beside her, expression softening.   
"It won't be," she said quietly, lifting a hand over the smaller gem's head. She gently ruffled his hair, looking back up at the sky. "... Mmm. Can I be honest with you, Hita? I mean, I might as well, with tomorrow coming up so fast."   


Hita closed his eyes for a moment, but when he opened them again, he was looking away.   
"Of course."   


“... I’m not great with this sort of thing, so. Forgive me if it comes off weird,” she muttered. She stopped mussing his hair, but kept her hand on his head. “I know this is coming out of nowhere, but. I really didn’t know what do think of you, for the longest time. You’re so elusive, I can count on one hand the number of times we actually talked before that mission we went on.”

“Hm. Yeah, guess I can’t remember us chatting much. You always seemed-” Hita stopped himself, his words catching in his throat. “Sorry, continue.”

“Disinterested? Angry? Yeah, I get that a lot.” Meta let her hand fall from Hita’s head. She slipped it into her pocket, using her free hand to take her visor from her face. She idly looked it over. But, as she did, her calm expression creased with frustration. “Tch, stars. I had so much I wanted to say, but, it all sounds weird when I think about it,” she grumbled, rubbing her forehead. Hita frowned and looked up at her, a sympathetic, tired look in his eyes.

“Hey, it’s okay. You can say it, even if it comes out odd,” he prodded gently. Though, even through his careful tone, the faintest bit of tension showed. Hita could feel something tightening in his chest, making him feel sick with apprehension. It forced him to hold his knees tighter, and stare heavily at the ground. Meta shook her head.

“No, just. Nevermind. I, uh.”

She stopped. A stiff breeze whistled overhead, carrying a cold nip at its head, and dusty clouds at its heels. Purple plumes of particles drifted down into the clearing, parading around in the air before finally settling down on the cold, stone floor. The breeze carried on across the chasms, howling along its way towards the capital. Its cold voice was the only thing to break the weighty silence that stretched between the two Hematites.

Meta went quiet for what felt like minutes, though she only paused for a moment or two. A thousand different ways to phrase what she wanted to say raced through her mind, each worse than the last. It made a cold heat bubble unpleasantly in her chest. Her hair bristled, and she covered her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply through her nose. Then, slowly, she sighed, and relaxed.

“Look, what I wanted to say was… Thank you. Even though we haven’t really known each other for long, and… there may have been a point where I didn’t like you very much. I’m glad I properly ‘met’ you.” She paused, rubbing her temples with her thumb and forefinger. “If I’d gone by myself on that mission to find Tita. I.” Meta’s words caught in her throat painfully. Her voice cracked for a moment, but she swallowed and forced the noise down. When she spoke again, her tone was heavy, forced. “I wouldn’t have come back. So. I. Appreciate what you did for me, back there.” She paused. “... The, the thing about walls. Or, ‘the wall,’ or.. ugh. You know what I’m talking about,” she muttered, rubbing her forehead in frustration. Hita didn’t respond right away. He couldn’t. Every single one of Meta’s words bit at his chest, stabbed a pain into his core that he couldn’t explain. He felt something he knew didn’t belong right now. Fear. What was he afraid of? There was nothing dangerous going on right now… What was this horrid feeling? Why did he want her to stop talking, and yet continue at the same time?  


"... I'm glad my strange metaphors are uplifting to you," he mumbled quietly. Meta looked down at him for a moment, her expression distressed, yet unreadable at the same time. She swallowed quietly, lowering her hand away from her face. She looked over her visor.

“It brought me back from a dark place. I know you probably didn’t think anything of it at the moment, but. I’m glad you said what you did. And, I’m glad you actually. Gave me a chance. And-” She stopped, looking away. Something tightened in her chest, making her gem run cold. “... I guess what I’m trying to say is, you’ve really grown on me, and I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve had together. So, if tomorrow doesn’t go great… if I don’t pass, or something happens.” 

Hita grimaced, unable to look up at the gem beside him. His fingers tightened around his legs, digging into his suit almost painfully. His eyes went wide, lips drawing tight.

Meta sighed, still looking away.

“I’m sure we’ll both do just fine, and I’m just saying this stuff to be on the safe side, but. I still want to keep in touch, on the small off-chance tomorrow doesn’t go great. That’s. All I’m trying to say,” she managed, finally looking back down at Hita. He caught her looking at him out of the corner of his eye, and he forced himself to relax as he returned her gaze.

"I think you're gonna do great, Meta. You don’t need to worry about all that." He looked down at the ground, eyes heavy. “You’ll do fine.”   


Meta frowned faintly. She finally caught the defeated tone in his voice, and it worried her. Looking up at the moon, Meta lifted her hand from her pocket, and lifted her arm up to Hita’s side. She wrapped it around him and pulled him closer, pulling him up to her side. Her hand gently squeezed his arm.

"You're gonna do great too, Hita."   


Hita’s brows raised in surprise, but he didn’t recoil from the gesture. No, instead, he leaned into her slightly, staring up at the sky with a somber expression. The already-heavy pit in his stomach only weighed down harder on him as his head swam. He suddenly wanted to cry out, to spill all of his anxieties, his doubts, his fears to her. He wanted to scream, claw at the stone under him, to allow himself one moment to let out the torment he felt biting at every inch of his body to be free. Every part of him just wanted to lean into Meta’s embrace, to try and lose himself in her words, her warmth, her small bit of assurance.

But, suddenly being so close to her, his senses swimming… he felt a thousand worlds away. Even pressed up against her side, he felt as though if he so much as moved, she’d suddenly be a galaxy away, without a word, without warning. He hated it. He feared it. He didn’t understand it. He was here… so then, why did she already feel like she was gone?

"... Thanks Meta. We should probably get some rest. There's a long night ahead of us tomorrow,” he said monotonously. Meta nodded quietly, rubbing Hita's arm with her thumb.   
"That there is." After a long, quiet pause, a breeze blew through the Kindergarten, and a familiar song drifted up into the air.   
_ "... Hmmhmmhmm hmm hmm hmmm hmmmm.~" _

  
  


Hita looked away, soon closing his eyes. His weariness was starting to settle in, calmed slightly by Meta's song. But, now, the stress of everything he was worried about before came rushing back.  _ He had to sleep, _ but he didn't know if he’d be able to. Something bit down on his core, piercing it with spear-sharp teeth. The voice in the back of  his head started to shout, angrier, and angrier.   
Looking up slightly, Hita opened his eyes for a moment and frowned heavily.    
"Hey… Meta?"   


Meta opened her eyes, looking down at the smaller gem.   
"Hm?"   


Hita closed his eyes again after a few seconds, leaning completely into her. His body relaxed.  
 _Tell her._  
 _Tell her how you feel._  
 _Tell her you'll miss her._  
 _Tell her_ ** _something._**   
**_Tell her goodbye._**   
  
"... Goodnight."  


Meta raised a brow, turning her face back up to the moon. She leaned slightly against him in return. Her lips parted as she started to say something, but the word quickly faded.   
"... Goodnight."

  
  


As the minutes drifted on into the night, Hita kept himself rested upon Meta's arm. Though, he didn't sleep for a good hour or so. Keeping still and quiet, he simply enjoyed being in her company.  _ He felt strangely comforted by this gem… and he couldn't explain it. _ She'd given him hope when he thought he'd had none left. She'd given him strength when he thought he wasn't strong enough. She'd given him a  _ reason _ to fight.   
But that was her.   
He couldn't escape  _ himself. _   
His own doubts. His own burdens. His own crushing stress.    
What would become of him after these tests? He'd be sent away, surely. Probably to a far off planet for an unknown amount of time. What would happen there? Would he ever see Meta again, or anyone else for that matter? Would she corrupt before he returned,  _ if _ he ever returned? Would  _ he _ corrupt like Tita did?    
Would  _ she _ be the one sent after him once he'd gone missing?    
  
No, I have to at least try tomorrow. No matter what. I know she’ll pass; I have to stay here with her. If I get sent off-planet, I have to try there too. There’s no knowing what will happen tomorrow, just.

Try your best, remember your lessons. They probably won’t help, but if Meta believes in you, maybe that’ll be enough.

Just do your best.

Do your best.

Do better than you think you can.

_ Do as well as she believes you can. _


	85. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Harvest Moon ensues with test one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This chapter is (mostly) unedited! There WILL be a lot of typos and mistakes, but all of the chapter is still here! We will update it when we can with the fully edited version! This means small details are up to change until this note is gone.]

_ It was time. _   
  
  
  
All throughout the day, the Diamonds prepared the Pink District for the upcoming night. Their soldiers did their best to repress any monsters within a large radius of the Harvest Moon event's starting position, but they could only do so much in a day. Other groups had been busy clearing out further areas, but White didn't really expect the Hematites, or their targets, for that matter, to be able to cover much ground in four hours. So, she settled for only the first couple hundred miles being 'cleaned out'. 

As the various clusters of soldiers traipsed their way through the district, a few groups stationed themselves every couple miles. The Diamonds didn't want a repeat of the last test, so they'd collectively decided that guards would be posted throughout the entirety of the test area to keep a silent eye on the Hematites. They were to stay out of sight, to stay silent, and not to intervene, except in one or two  _ very _ specific scenarios. They were only to interfere with the gems and their tests should a Hematite corrupt or go completely rogue and shatter a target. Or, they were to call them if a Hematite was in danger.   
White couldn't see that happening, but anything was possible, and she didn't want to take chances. With such a controlled test, the biggest risks to anyone were the Hematites themselves. She expected her communicator would remain silent through the night, but it was better to be safe than sorry.   
  
As evening approached, the last preparations were made. A group of nine rebels were gathered; Aggy, the Ruby, and the Amethyst from the training sessions among them. Nine targets, twelve Hematites.

Everything was in place, and the Pink District was as ready as it could get. The Diamonds were busy gathering themselves up in their different towers, mentally preparing for the test in their own ways. It'd been so long since the first test... And yet, at the same time, it seemed like they'd only done this the other day.

 

The sun had nearly set by the time a large group of Jaspers, Spinels, and a few other common guard-gems filed into the Kindergarten, near the warp. One of them instructed the Peridots to send a Kindergarten-wide message that the Hematites were finally needed for the test. Within a few minutes, every sector's Peridots had been alerted, and they started letting the Hematites know to meet in the center of the maze of rock walls and wait for instructions.   


As the Hematites made their way to the designated area, it was apparent that some seemed more anxious to get started than most. There, at the front of the clearing, stood more guards than normal. Four on each side, all armed with destabilizers at their belt. Between them, side by side, the Diamonds stood. White stood in the center, her arms folded neatly behind her back. She waited patiently for everyone to settle. Silently counting over each and every Hematite in her head, she made sure everyone was present and accounted for.   
Clearing her throat, White took a single step forward, smirking slightly.    
"Attention, Hematites! Welcome to the Harvest Moon. As you will notice, the moon is just beginning to rise. Bright, golden, and casting just enough light for a perfect evening to show us your skills as Hematites. I hope you all have caught up on a good bit of rest and practice, for these events may change how your lives go until the next test we hold.” She paused for effect. “Or, perhaps nothing will change at all. I expect you all to do your absolute best out there and perform to your highest potential!" she called out, her expression becoming more serious and determined as she spoke. "That being said… I will give you a brief rundown of the rules before we begin! I already explained them to you a few weeks ago, but in case some of you have forgotten, or perhaps, weren’t listening... I shall reiterate them."   
Within the crowd, a few Hematites stirred and whispered among themselves, but quickly became quiet again to listen to White speak. Many of them suddenly started to fidget, watching White with nervous, self-conscious gazes. White Diamond continued.   
"For the first test, you will all be given four hours to apprehend your target and capture them. You are not to destabilize your target! This is imperative. Do not harm your target; that should be self-explanatory. If you harm your target's gemstone, you will pay severe consequences. I'm sure I don't need to specify what those consequences are.” She glanced at Yellow, who slowly narrowed her eyes at the group of Hematites. Many stirred uncomfortably, averting their eyes from Yellow Diamond. White raised a brow and continued. “You are not to attack each other and steal someone else's target if they have already captured them. Once you have your target, please report back to us at the primary Pink District warp to await the end of the test. Once the time is over, Yellow Diamond will set off a signal to instruct you all to return. It's the same one that you were all given during your very first test. Trust me, you will not be able to miss it. You are also to stay within the given territory. Anyone caught trying to escape or leave the area will be disqualified and dealt with accordingly."    
The guards shifted and turned in a perfect union, slowly making their way back to the warp pad. White turned her head slightly, looking over at one of the guards.   
"Now. If all of you are ready... Please shrink down to your civilian sizes and follow us to the Pink District."

  
  


Behind the Diamonds, Hema stood at attention, his arms folded behind his back. Red stood beside him, poised and professional as always. He listened intently to White's speech, taking note of the rules one final time. His index finger and thumb rubbed together behind him as he eyed a few gems in particular: Tam, Meta, and Hita. As White finished speaking, Hema straightened up, stepping up onto the warp pad. He and Red, along with a few of the guards, were the first gems to vanish in a beam of blue light.   
  
Glancing around at one another, the gathered Hematites all straightened up and saluted their leader, their gemstones starting to glow. One by one, they shrank down to their civilian sizes. Meta, of course, was the largest among them by far, and still stood about twice Yellow Diamond's height. One by one, the Hematites lined up by their numbers and started up the staircase to the warp pad ledge. Hemmi and Tam stood at the front, and Ti and Tiny were at the back. Soon enough, they all filed in front of the Diamonds, nodding silently to show they were ready to head to the district.

  
Already at the front of the Pink District, Hema stepped away from the warp pad and the guards with Red, sighing.   
"... Alright, this is where we part ways, Red," he said quietly, turning to face her. Idly, he noticed that Frecks was standing near a group of guards, her diamond pad in hand. She was speaking with a Jasper, by the looks of it.

  
  


Red gave Hema a warm, encouraging smile and nodded.   
"Best of luck to you, sir! I'll be rooting for you!" she said with a quiet, but fiery spirit. Her expression softened for a moment, and she clasped her hands together. “Just, be careful, alright? Don’t strain yourself or anything,” she added softly. Hema blinked in surprise and smiled at the Pink Pearl, nodding in reply as the other gems started to appear in groups. The Diamonds were last to arrive.

The Diamonds stood nearby, talking amongst each other. Blue, in particular, looked rather energetic. She kept stepping in place, rocking her weight from one leg to the other as she spoke enthusiastically. Yellow actually seemed a little nervous, but to anyone watching, it was hard to tell. Only the snapping of her gloves’ wrists gave her away. She muttered something, motioning to Blue, but White raised a hand dismissively. Shrugging, Yellow turned away, her arms crossed. White rolled her eyes, then looked down at Blue. They continued talking quietly.

  
Once all the Hematites were in the vicinity, White perked up, looking them over. It looked like everyone was ready. Well… almost. Stepping forward with the other two Diamonds, White let a faint smile spread across her lips. The Hematites all stood in a line, still at their civilian sizes. Red had gone to stand by Frecks, far out of the way of the main goings-on in the clearing. White’s voice rang out clearly to the line of gems.   
"I hope you all are ready to begin. At this time, all targets will be released into the field to run or hide. Their goal is to avoid capture for the duration of four hours. Anyone that can avoid being captured shall be given either a reduced sentence  **or** have their freedom given back to them, depending on the severity of their previous crimes. They are to return when the signal is given as well, should they succeed," White said powerfully.   
Among the small group of prisoner gems, quiet murmurs arose. Most of them looked nervous, others looked excited at the prospects their Diamonds offered. White gave a simple gesture with her hand to the group of prisoners, and the guards around them parted. Without a word, the group of gems scattered, rushing off into the Pink District.   
White snapped her attention back to the Hematites with a smirk.   
"They will have a five minute head start. But, before you all begin, I have two more final, surprise announcements."   


The service gems stood at attention, watching with narrowed eyes as the prisoners dashed away. They remained quiet and turned their gazes back to the three Diamonds near the warp pad. Brows raised, and eyes widened at the mention of White’s ‘surprise’ announcements.   


Yellow Diamond suddenly looked distracted, sparing Blue Diamond a few glances before summoning her sword and standing at attention. White Diamond crossed her arms and smirked. Giving Blue a nod, the shortest of the trio gave them both a short glance and suddenly  _ bolted off _ towards the area where the prisoners were released.   
  
"Blue Diamond has volunteered to be one of the targets for this test. You all have very specific instruction to handle her as gently as possible, should you catch her. She'll be a tricky one. I don't think I need to tell you what will happen, should any harm befall her."   


All the Hematites blinked in surprise. Some were more shocked than others, but one in particular looked  _ worried. _   
Hema's eyes went wide as he watched Blue bolt off. He bit his lip, brows raising in concern. Sighing softly, he forced his anxiety aside and watched White intently, waiting for the final announcement.   


Looking back to the crowd, White waited for a moment.    
"As for your final instruction. There are guards stationed all over the Pink District, to make sure you’re following rules. They’ll be keeping a close eye on you all to make sure you don’t play dirty, you don’t go rogue, and that you follow all the rules regarding your target… including this last rule.” White straightened up, narrowing her eyes.

What she said next struck a chill into the cores of nearly every Hematite present.

“You are not allowed to use your hunting visors during this test. Absolutely no technology is allowed. This is to test your abilities in dire situations; to see if you can still perform up to expectation, should you unexpectedly find yourself in a situation where your visors are useless, or lost. You can only rely on your gemtech to a point. Anyone caught using their visors will be disqualified."   


  
The Hematites stared at their leader in a collective, hushed shock. Some looked  _ panicked, _ while others just looked mildly surprised.   
Hema let out a soft, shaky breath and glanced at his eyepiece, frowning. Slowly, he lifted his hand and took off the piece of gem tech, looking it over anxiously. After a moment, he stored it in his gem, standing straight and looking at White with a small, affirmative nod.  _ Right. He'd hunted Topaz while  _ **_blinded._ ** _ Surely, this couldn't be much harder? _   
  
Meta looked over to the smaller gem, a concerned look on her face. Lifting a hand, she removed her pink visor, frowning. Her grip on it tightened as she gazed at her reflection in the pink glass. She followed suit, and stored it away after a moment, looking ahead with a worried, but determined expression. Arching a brow, Mago scoffed and quickly removed her visor, storing it away in a flash of light. Standing at attention, she crossed her arms over her chest, chin raised confidently.   


Tam looked absolutely  _ horrified. _ Her hands trembled in front of her as she slowly took off her visor, her bangs falling between her eyes.  _ Everything she knew, everything she studied and relied on was in her gemtech. _ Furrowing her brows, she looked up at White, her lips drawn into a thin line. A determined frown creased her features as she sent her visor away with a small nod. Hema’s lessons were still fresh in her mind. She could do this, one way or another.   
Hita, unlike everyone else, didn't seem outwardly fazed, other than raising his brows a bit. Slowly, he removed his visor, turning his hand over and looking at it silently.   
_ Well. Looks like this is it. _ He crushed it in his hand quietly and hung his shoulders low, sighing without a sound. White glanced at him with a small, surprised frown. But, she didn’t say anything.   


The rest of the Hematites, although hesitantly, followed suit and poofed or stored away their visors, once again standing in an attentive line. As soon as they all were visor-less, Frecks suddenly stepped forward, holding her diamond pad in front of her.   
"You may all stand apart from each other and shift up to your half sizes now! You are to remain at this height for the entirety of the test." She lifted her chin, frowning seriously at the group. "This is about pacing yourself and conserving your energy. If you know your limits, make sure you work around them to avoid shifting. If you shrink down..." she looked at Mago with narrowed eyes. "Or shift  _ up _ to your full height, you will be disqualified. So remember the rules!" Tapping her feet together, she stood tall as she could, folding her arms behind her. The service gems stared at Frecks for a long moment before starting to spread out, making a much broader line across the huge clearing. The Peridot continued as they started to spread apart from one another.   
"Do not leave the Pink District. Do not harm a target's gemstone or poof their projection. Do not steal targets from each other or fight. Do not use your visors or eyepieces. Your mission: bring back a target gem. Their mission: avoid being captured. You have four hours." Nodding, she stepped back near the line of guards once more. She spared White and Yellow a quick, hopeful glance before holding her diamond pad close and looking forward. White gave Frecks a small glance, then turned back to Yellow. After all the Hematites had shifted up, they waited. Within a few more minutes, Yellow Diamond stepped forward a single pace. Standing tall and fierce, she held her sword to the sky.   
  
"The Harvest Moon event begins now! Good luck, everyone!"   
A massive bolt of electricity shot into the sky with a thunderous crack. Almost immediately, everyone scattered to get going, all heading off in different directions. All except one.

Hema stayed put. He was watching each and every Hematite as they dashed off, taking note of where each one was headed. Compared to where each prisoner ran off, it seemed most of them were already well on their way to being on someone’s trail. Hema noticed that many of them seemed to avoid going where Blue Diamond was headed, which he found odd.

He turned to White and Yellow, stepping away a few paces as he flashed them a nervous smile. White’s expression softened, and she smiled in return. She and Yellow both gazed up at him, nodding respectfully. Hema felt something tighten in his chest, and for a moment… time slowed to a stop. He felt the chill air of the Kindergarten, and the phantom brush of long hair against his back. The same nervous excitement from his first test so long ago came rushing back to him, and he was sent right back to that fateful day.   
“So, are the boundaries of the district clear?” he asked sarcastically, grinning lopsidedly. White managed a small, amused chuckle before she dismissively shooed him away.

“Go on now, Hema. You are wasting precious time,” she said with well-meaning firmness to her tone. Hema nodded with a smile and turned away, running off into the district.    


 

For half an hour, the Hematites spread out through the head of the Pink District, each trying to track down a target by whatever means they had. Some relied on their noses, others used their speed to rush ahead and cut off any potential targets, and some took the slow and steady route. By the end of the first half hour, most of the Hematites were miles apart; some were on the trail of a target, but most of them hadn’t had any luck.

\-----------

_ The cities are the most sensible place to hide, right? Lots of nooks and crannies, harder to navigate for us, fewer open spaces than the fields and forests... surely someone has to be in here. _

Tam wrung her hands together, her eyes scanning along every alley and building she passed by as she cautiously walked through a small city block. Not a creature was stirring, not even a Mica. The street lay in unnatural silence, aside from a chilled breeze that disturbed the sparse plant life clinging here and there to the ruins of the city.

Tam was making slow progress. Worse; the longer she wandered around, the more she started to doubt she was approaching this the right way. Half of her told her to rush ahead and try somewhere new, while the other half kept her planted in place, telling her to be thorough and check every corner of the city. If she stayed here, she risked wasting her time; but, if she rushed ahead, she could miss a perfectly good opportunity here if someone was hiding out. 

Stopping in her tracks, Tam sighed and pinched her brow.  _ I’m doing it again. Tss, okay, just. Maybe get a better vantage point and just scope out the whole block. If there’s no movement, move on to the next place.  _ Carefully, she hopped up onto one of the building's rooftops. She settled comfortably at the edge, scanning the horizon for flickers of movement. Her eyes gradually moved along to the closer sections of the city, glancing at any street and window she could see.

The Hematite remained perched in silence for at least ten or so minutes. Just as she was about to stir and move on from her perch, the smallest glint caught her eye. Eyes widening, Tam slowly tilted her chin down, staring into the dark space between the two buildings below. Two gems were huddled low in the shadows of the alley. One was a Ruby, the other, a Jade. The Ruby was talking quietly with her companion in hushed tones, glancing to the side every once in a while. Tam’s lips parted in a silent gasp.  _ A Ruby and a Jade. A Ruby and a Jade… I only need one of them. The Ruby could burn my hands. Jade it is, then. … But, couldn’t the Jade also- _

_ No, stop thinking. GO. _

A shuddering THUD shook the ground as Tam landed at the end of the alleyway. Her hand suddenly closed down next to the Jade, just missing her. Both the gems yelped in shock,  _ instantly _ splitting apart and heading in opposite directions. The pale gem started to glow faintly, a vibrant green aura surrounding her form. In an instant, she was out of sight, her long, scruffy hair trailing behind her as she rounded a corner. The Ruby was slower on her feet, but she was much smaller, and was able to squeeze into spaces that not even Tam's arm could fit through. She bolted toward a tight alley, hoping she could lose the giant gem past there.

  
  


Tam looked a little confused suddenly, eyes widening subtly.  _ Get one. It doesn't matter anymore, just get one! _ She made a dash suddenly for the Ruby, since she still had a visual on her. Tam jumped back on the rooftops and kept her eyes on the small fleeing red gem. She was fast, but the ruby was among the alley in no time. She wasn't going to be able to grab onto the Ruby since she was in there, but she refused to give up. She jumped up onto the buildings of the alleyway, her eyes still trained on the gem that weaved through it.  _ They couldn't stay in there forever. _

  
  


The small red gem glanced back, panting quietly as her eyes scanned the alleys behind her.  _ Hah! Lost her! _ Grinning, the feisty soldier gem weaved to and fro between the narrow paths, soon making it out to a clear street. She didn't stop, though. She kept up the pace, racing toward another congested area of the city block. If she could just get this gem off her tail long enough, she could find a better hiding place and hunker down!

  
  


The ebony-haired Hematite stayed hot on the Ruby's trail, determined to not lose them. Lunging between roofs, she looked for the opportunity to pounce down. She was practically running at their side now, though higher up on the roofs. As soon as the Ruby was in a more open area, Tam's attention shot towards a spot somewhere in front of them. Picking up her speed, she suddenly leapt down in front of her and turned on her heel, facing the quickly advancing soldier.  _ Need to stop them long enough to grab them. Do something to stop them in their tracks, anything! _

Teeth gritting together, Tam suddenly spun on her heel. A furious expression met the tiny gem as she crouched down. Her lip curled back as she suddenly let out a harrowing screech that echoed far across the city block. With a shuddering gasp, the tiny red gem skidded to a halt, her feet slipping out from under her. She landed on her back, quickly lifting her face to stare up at the huge gem in absolute terror _. _ Her entire form froze up, faint wisps of smoke rising from the path below her.   


Eyes widening, Tam made a quick grab for the Ruby. She was hot to the touch, but Tam suddenly got an idea. Before the small red gem could do much damage...   
_ Vwip! _   
A silvery white bubble formed around the smaller gem. Tam clutched the bubble carefully, staring wide-eyed at the captive gem inside. She stared for a few long seconds and suddenly bore a wide, excited grin.   
"... I did it! I can't believe this! OOOoh this is amazing!!" She cheered quietly, spinning around giddily. Peering down at the Ruby in the bubble, she kept her excited smile. "Sorry for the scare, dear. You're safe with me, though!" She informed, suddenly looking up to the horizon.  _ She may have caught her target, _ but she needed to get back with them in one piece too. Hopefully she could return with no problems. She started off back towards the main Pink District warp pad.   


The tiny gem hovered in the center of the bubble, growling in frustration. She ignored Tam's polite apology, kicking her stubby legs in an attempt to break her prison. However, she quickly realized that there was no way to reach the walls of the bubble, and she frowned deeply, crossing her arms with a puffy-cheeked pout.   
"Mmghm big clod stupid test mghf hoppin' around on the buildings..." she grumbled, narrowing her eyes. She was frustrated that she'd been caught at all, more than anything else.   


Tam made her way back through the city, a bright smile on her face. She made sure to hold the bubble carefully, yet firmly enough so it wouldn't slip from her grasp. Thankfully, she hadn't run into any trouble on her way back, as she hadn't spotted anyone else. That was, until she got out onto one of the fields close to the main warp pad.  _ Someone else _ was around.   


Twirling her ebony hair around her finger, a familiar, much shorter Hematite came around the corner of a building. She was walking out to the small field that divided the current city block that Tam was walking through from the last stretch of district that led to the warp pad. Eyes half lidded, the service gem looked over at her taller kin. She smirked, giving Tam a phony 'salute' with one hand. However, she didn't say anything.   
She didn't have a target gem in her hands, but she seemed rather pleased with herself, and was heading the same direction that Tam was.

  
  


Tam raised a brow, her expression falling for a moment.  _ Mago?... _ What was she doing around here? Was there a target nearby?...She didn't seem to  _ have _ one, anyway, at least that she could tell. She wasn't going to outwardly say anything though, continuing off to the main area.

  
  


The shorter Hematite trailed after her fellow hunter, curiously eyeing the Ruby in her hands.   
\--   
The two soon made their way to the warp pad clearing, though Mago stepped ahead a little quicker than Tam. Glancing back, the service gem grinned, turning away from her and the diamonds for a moment. After a short pause, she suddenly moved her hand away from her face and was  _ pelted _ with insults from a very angry, very soaked Jet. She turned around and dangled them from her fingers, looking rather proud of herself. The small, dark gray gem thrashed about, throwing useless punches and spitting rather vile insults at the harvester.

  
  


Yellow's expression fell, her face paling. She turned away without a word, pretending as though she hadn't noticed. White rolled her eyes and placed her palm on her face, sighing silently through her teeth. _Well. It was in tact, so she technically wasn't breaking any rules._   
"Well done, Mago. Please place the gem back down near the prison guards to your right. You may take a seat and wait for the rest of the Hematites to return." She recited, looking up and _past_ her. Upon noticing _another_ black haired Hematite, White raised a brow.   
Tam approached, grinning ear to ear. Looking down at White Diamond, she held up her bubble proudly, holding her free hand behind her back. White seemed fairly pleased, smirking at her eagerness.   
"Good to see that you have made quite the comeback, Tam is it? Very well done. Please place the gem down near the prison guards to your right." She recited with a respectful nod. Tam's face flushed a soft violet briefly, but it quelled soon after. With a wider smile, Tam turned to the guards not too far off. _Here she was, being congratulated by White Diamond herself, when she never expected to pass._ She couldn't wait to tell Hema.

  
  


Chuckling, Mago looked over at Tam and winked at her, setting her rather perturbed target gem down near the guards. She brushed her hair behind her ear, shooting her taller comrade a smile.   
"Nice jooob, Tammy.~ One of the first ones. Not baaad," she cooed quietly, playfully nudging the taller gem in the leg with her hip.

  
  


Tam puffed out her cheeks slightly, blushing again.    
"Oh, th-thank you! Weren't you first to finish the last time, too?..." She said, holding her hands together.

  
  


Mago stood up straight and 'polished' her nails on the front of her suit, looking down at them.   
"I meaaaan, I'm not one to brag but. Hehehe. Yes, I was.~" Pursing her lips, she gazed up at her taller kin. "... No but, really. Nice job. Welcome to the team, ya big squawker," she teased, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

  
  


Tam ran her fingers through her hair and bore an awkward grin, stifling a small chuckle. Even if Mago _was_ a bit frustrating at times, she could tell she meant well. Folding her arms formally behind her back, Tam looked up at nothing in particular and sighed with relief _She'd done it._   
"Thank you, Mago. It's an honor."

  
  


"I know it is." Sparing the taller gem a playful smirk, she walked over to a small, half destroyed building, sitting down and crossing one leg over the other. "Now to wait for the other clods,~" she sighed, looking up at the stars.

\--   


Unfortunately, some other gems weren't having near as much luck as Tam or Mago. Hita had found himself wandering throughout a field of rubble, his pace slow and sluggish. For the first hour, he hadn't even caught sight of a single gem. Sighing, Hita toppled over the top of the giant rubble piece, his expression blank and disheartened as ever. After about a minute or so, Hita furrowed his brows and sat back up, propping himself up with his arms.  _ He couldn't give up, as much as he wanted to. As pointless as this all felt. He still had a chance. It was small... but it was a chance. _ Standing back up, Hita quickly got to his feet and continued through the field of rubble, keeping a close eye out for anything he could find.   


\--  
Grumbling darkly to herself a few miles away, a familiar pink-haired Hematite was stalking awkwardly through a small suburban 'town', peering into each house she passed with a disgusted sneer. Narrowing her eyes, the service gem stood up and stomped through the street of abandoned gem homes. It'd been well over two hours at this point... She'd almost caught one target, but got rather scuffed up on some thorny vines and ended up caught on them long enough for the gem to escape. Another two attempts had ended in Hemmi finding a corrupted gem monster or a native gem creature. She couldn't tell the difference. Without her visor, she was practically blind.  
Hissing through her teeth, the tall service gem rolled her neck, eyes locked forward, straining her hearing to catch whatever she could. A few minutes passed, and eventually... she could have sworn she heard loud approaching footsteps in the distance. Snapping her attention to her right, Hemmi bared her teeth, catching sight of a Hematite scurrying through a large field of grass and rubble. _It was Tiny._   
The smaller service gem was rapidly chasing after a rather speedy target gem, a slightly undersized Almandine, if Hemmi wasn't mistaken. Huh... an uncommon gem. The pink-haired Hematite crouched down as soon as she realized that Tiny was heading _right_ for her. Narrowing her eyes, she hid behind a slightly taller spire, waiting. Tiny's soft giggling and rapid foot and hand fall approached quickly, closing in on Hemmi's location.  
"C'mooon! I'm not gonna hurt ya! Jus' c'mere so I can bring ya back to the diamonds, ya clod!" she jeered, sticking her tongue out as she closed in on the gem.  
The Almandine grit her teeth, whipping around a corner before she yelped and skidded to a halt.  
  
 _SNATCH!_  
  
Sneering, Hemmi held up the tiny red gem, eyes half lidding. Tiny came rushing around the corner, barreling straight into Hemmi's legs. With a sharp 'oof!' she stumbled back, rubbing her face with a soft groan.  
"Ouch... Eh?" Looking up, she blinked, eyes widening. "... H-Hey! That's my catch, Hemmi!" she whined, biting her lip as she hopped up on her feet. "G-give them back! Go get-" The smaller Hematite stopped short as Hemmi shot her a _dangerous_ glare. "... your own."  
"Hmph. Sorry, _Tiny._ But you hadn't caught this gem yet. Opportunistic hunting, and all that. All's fair in war and harvesting." Folding one arm behind her, the taller gem walked off, dangling the blood-red gem from her hand. "Good luck finding another one," she said icily, heading back toward the warp pad.  
Tiny stood there, shoulders slowly dropping. The tiniest trace of tears pricked at her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away with the heels of her hands. _That gem had taken her this entire time to track down and chase... how was she supposed to find another one before time was up?_ Looking up and around, the short-haired Hematite sniffled quietly and crouched back down on all fours, scurrying off to try and find someone else.   
\--  


Okay, so she'd gotten a  _ little _ carried away.   
Mati shook her hands and grumbled something under her breath, her lips curled into a pained sneer. She had no idea that jades could be so hard to catch... But she was determined to get this one! Even if she  _ did _ sting upon contact. Maybe that's why she was glowing?    
Mati was hot on her trail, but kept low and quiet. She had caught this gem previously, but figured out the hard way that Jades had the rather nasty ability to become corrosive to the touch. Her hands were burned, and the stinging hadn't quite gone away. Thankfully it was more of an irritation than a full on burn.    
Spotting the jade a little ways away, Mati suddenly made a mad dash for them, grinning deviously ear to ear. She had a plan this time, and she  _ wasn't _ going to let them escape!   


The Jade turned around and hissed loudly, her hair standing on end, poofing up to twice its usual volume. She bolted off in the other direction, quickly shifting to run on all fours, which seemed to be oddly natural to her. Scurrying over rubble and downed buildings, the pale green gem started to glow again, her eyes turning a bright green color.   


Mati followed after the small green gem, vigorously giggling to herself. For a good five minutes she trailed behind until she was finally close enough to pounce. With one swift movement, Mati launched herself over at the wall, kicked herself off and landed in front of the Jade, her hands open.   
  
**VWIP!**   


The tiny green gem attempted to stop and turn, but she suddenly bounced back, hitting the wall of a silvery bubble. Shaking her head rapidly, she looked around, her mane-like hair fluffing up angrily. After a moment, she snapped her attention up at the giant gem that'd captured her, eyes widened in frustrated fury. She suddenly puffed her chest out, tilting her head back and giving a loud, hissing yell of anger. She flopped over in the bubble, pitching a rather child-like fit in defeat.   


Mati blinked, looking over the small gem in acute curiosity.  _ This one certainly didn't seem pleased...oh well, at least she'd caught someone! _ Smiling proudly to herself, Mati hummed a cute tune and trotted off to the primary warp pad where the Diamonds were stationed.   
Another ten minutes later, and Mati had found herself coming up on the hill, looking over to spy the Diamonds as well as a  _ few other _ Hematites that had already finished.

  
  


Sitting around the clearing were a few gems. Mago and Tam were there, of course. But so were Ti, Mite, and Hemmi. Hema, Meta, Hita, HT, Tiny, and Tae were still hunting, it seemed. Hemmi was leaning up against a building next to Mite, her arms crossed, gaze low. She watched Mati enter the clearing and frowned, eyes narrowing.

  
  


Mati smiled over at Hemmi with a wide, cheeky grin. Looking back down at her captured gem, she approached the diamonds carefully. White peered up at Mati and raised a brow.    
"A Jade... a good tactic, catching them in a bubble. I'm going to assume your hands are unscathed, then?"   
Without changing expression, Mati smiled down at the tallest Diamond.   
"Nnnnope!" she replied.   
White pursed her lips, blinking.    
"... I assume that they  _ will _ be alright, then?"    
"Yyyyep!"    
"Good. Please place your captive over there to the right with the rest of the prisoners and take a seat while we wait for the remainder of the test." White said, smirking. Mati nodded and did as she was told, placing the bubble down in the middle of the guards. Tapping her finger on the top, the bubble popped, releasing the Jade at last.   


The Jade hissed up at the giant gem, swiping a clawed hand at her as she scurried back to the others, hiding behind the Ruby in the group. The small red gem chuckled awkwardly, patting the fluffy-haired prisoner.   
"Maybe next time, Jay."   
The green gem grumbled, sidling closer to the fiery soldier.   


Mati made her way over to the rest of the Hematites and sat down next to Mite, which earned a disgusted groan from the white haired Hematite. Slowly standing up, Mite moved over to the other side of Hemmi and sat down, away from Mati. Mati grinned and looked over to her other side, noticing that she was also sitting next to Tam.   
"Heeeey, surprised to see you here." She said with a strange tone. Tam flinched slightly and looked down at Mati with an awkward frown.    
"Oh, well, uh. I finished second, I think."   
"Whaaaat? Second? That's impressive, snooty!" She said, clutching her feet close to her. Tam rolled her eyes and made a small grunt but couldn't help but smile.    
"Well...thank you. It's good to see you back. I wonder how the others are doing..." She said quietly, glancing out to the horizon of the district.

  
  


\--   
Nothing.   
  
  
She hadn't found a single target gem she could track.   
  
Scratching her head in frustration, Meta looked around at the city block she found herself in. She was in the far east sector of the general test area. She'd gone further than most of the other Hematites in hopes of finding some of the other, faster targets. But all she'd seen was Hema stalking through a suburban town, Tae angrily chasing something down in a field, and Tiny sulking as she crept through some ruins.   
But her?   
She hadn't run into any unclaimed gems... a few monsters, sure. But it wasn't her job to catch those. As far as she could tell, there was only about an hour and a half left in the test...   
Groaning, the well-built gem rubbed her forehead, leaning against a tall spire. She inhaled slowly through her nose.   
_ With how much she'd been walking, her energy was threatening to dwindle soon... She couldn't afford to shrink down. _ Closing her eyes, the service gem slouched against the spire. She tilted her head back, leaning it on the wall of the building. She'd rest a few minutes... then start her hunt again.   
  
_ But she honestly couldn't see herself catching anything in time. _   
\--

  
Eyes narrowing, Hema crouched down low in the shadow of a huge, ancient building. He rocked subtly from side to side for a moment before he closed his eyes, focusing on the soft sound he could hear a few streets down. ...  _ There was no denying it. Those were Blue's footsteps. _ Living with the Diamonds for so long had a few odd 'quirks', including Hema being able to identify all three of them purely by how they ran or walked. He couldn't explain how he could do it, but he didn't question it.   
Opening one eye, the huge gem pursed his lips, thinking over his options. He hadn't found any other target gems. Blue might be his only chance at passing this test, depending on how many gems were left.   


Blue Diamond skirted around a corner, picking up her pace as she found herself in a small, open area of the town. After a few moments of running, she ran  _ directly _ in the path of Hema, but did a double take. Skidding to a halt, her eyes widened as she made eye contact with the all too familiar Hematite.    
And she smiled widely.    
Narrowing her eyes, Blue cackled and turned on her heel,  _ bolting _ in the opposite direction towards some more narrow alleyways.   


_ Okay well that was one way to find her. _   
Sitting up quickly, the service gem smirked and bolted off after the diamond, clambering over ruins and half-intact buildings to keep a visual on the azure gem. He moved over the terrain with surprising fluidity, never once stopping long enough for Blue to escape.   


Blue glanced behind her, looking up to the rooftops.    
"Hnf." She grunted, suddenly turning to look ahead of her. Without warning, she turned and ran in the opposite direction, quickly changing her course. Her speed picked up as she ran, diving into another more narrow alley. Except now, this one had a high fence at the end. With an impressive leap, she jumped onto the top and made her way to the roofs. Hema was never too far behind. Narrowing her eyes again, she turned and jumped from roof to roof. Maybe she could give him the slip if she  _ literally _ slipped out from under him at any given point.

  
  


With a sharp yelp, Hema tried to skid to a stop as Blue suddenly changed direction, but his forward momentum was too great, and he clumsily slammed right into the side of a sturdy-looking building. Sitting up and shaking himself off, the service gem shot off after the diamond once more, brows furrowed. Like hell he was going to let  _ Blue _ of all gems get the best of him!    
It took him a good minute to catch back up with the azure gem, but she'd somehow scaled her way up to the rooftops. Gritting his teeth, the ivory-haired gem chased after her on the ground, still clambering along the ruins and alleyways on all fours, though sometimes he broke into a normal run. He looked forward, grinning with a soft chuckle as he realized that Blue was running herself to a 'dead end', where there were far less buildings within close proximity to each other.

  
  


Blue'd definitely noticed, her smile turning into a frustrated scowl. She stopped suddenly, looking around rapidly. Without warning, Blue jumped off the roof at an angle into the street on the opposite side of the building that Hematite was running near. Turning quickly, she made another mad dash down the alleys. If she could manage to get back on the main road, perhaps she could get to another more convenient area to get away.

  
  


Frowning, Hematite skidded to a halt, his claws leaving small scores in the ground. He narrowed his eyes, listening to Blue's retreating footsteps. For the moment... he didn't make any moves to rush off after her. No. Instead, he suddenly put all his weight into the center of his body so he could stalk forward near  _ silently, _ his senses strained forward. With this new tactic, Blue wouldn't be able to hear him over her own footsteps, so long as she kept running.  _ Maybe, if he got lucky... she'd stop somewhere. _

  
  


Blue eventually slowed down behind one of the buildings, ducking into the darkness. Narrowing her eyes, she peered around it's corner. There was silence, and she didn't see anything. Smirking confidently, Blue chuckled to herself.  _ Musta given him the slip! Now, lets get back to the road. _ Walking back in a casual pace, Blue made her way out of the alley.

  
  


For the moment, the road was empty. A strong wind blew through the street, whistling through the abandoned buildings. The huge, almost golden moon shone down on the city block, illuminating it in a pale orangeish light. It cast everything in deep shadow, including a small building some distance down the road behind Blue Diamond.   
Slowly, Hema crept over the top of the shorter structure, his body lowered to the roof as he peered down the street. He rocked slightly on his haunches, smiling with narrowed eyes. Seemed Blue was at ease again.  _ Good. _ Carefully, Hematite lowered himself back to the road, careful to avoid any and all rubble under his hands and feet. He was now poised down the road from the azure gem, eyes locked on her form. Another breeze blew as he waited to see if she was going to go down any alleys...   
_ But she was heading right down the road, away from him, no signs of changing paths. _   
Rocking from side to side, the ivory-haired gem lowered himself, tensing up.    
Before he suddenly shot forward, barreling down the street toward the tiny gem, closing in on her quickly.   


Blue gasped sharply, looking over her shoulder only to see Hematite getting dangerously close. She shot out again towards one of the alleyways, determined to get away. However, she turned too soon, allowing Hematite an open window before she got between the buildings.   


Eyes widening, the ivory-haired gem glanced at the alley the diamond was heading for. He grit his teeth, urging himself to bound forward quicker. Hema shot forward, jutting his arm in front of the alley, directly cutting off Blue's path.   
"Aha!" The service gem quickly lifted his hand toward her, going in to carefully grab onto her form.   


Blue skidded to a halt, but didn't stop in time before she slammed into Hema's arm, her rapid momentum knocking her on her back. Before she had a chance to scramble back up onto her feet, Hema's hand was upon her.   


Smiling, Hema scooped the diamond up in his hands, holding her carefully, but firmly enough that she wouldn't squirm free.   
"Nice try, Blue,~" he teased, sitting up and holding the gem close to his face.   


Blue struggled for a moment, but soon went limp, her arms dangling from his hand. With a pouting face, Blue poked out her lower lip and looked to Hematite with half lidded eyes.    
"Aiiiight fiiiiine, ya caught me!" she said, quickly grinning again.  "Heh, nice work, kid! Of all Hematites that coulda caught me, gotta say I didn't expect  _ you _ to be the one!" she said, raising a brow. "Can't say I'm disappointed though! That was pretty fun."

  
  


Smiling proudly, Hema stood up, holding the diamond loosely in his palm after a moment. He gently adjusted her clothes, fixing her up.   
"Glad you enjoyed yourself, hah. I didn't expect you to be participating! Yellow said you were looking forward to it, but I had no idea why." Chuckling, he looked up to the side before looking down at the Diamond again, smiling coyly. "And forgive me for this, but I gotta do this properly,~" he said as a silvery bubble form around his target.   


Blue looked around quickly, placing her palm on the inside of the bubble. She frowned for a second, but quickly regained her smile.    
"Heeeey do whatcha gotta do, Hema. We should get back to the others though! I think there's only an hour left. Don't dawdle too much!" She said, leaning back with her arms behind her head. "I'm sure the others will be proud ya caught yourself a Diamooooond! Heheh!"   


Nodding, Hema tucked one arm behind his back, heading off at a generous pace toward the warp pad clearing. It was a good ten minutes from here, at a brisk walk. He glanced at the bubbled gem with a smile.   
"I'm sure they will~"   
\--   
Walking around a tall building, Hema finally stepped into the warp pad clearing, eyes widening upon seeing how many gems were back. Seemed everyone was here except Tiny, Hita, Meta, HT, and Tae...   
... Wait.   
Eyes widening, Hema's gaze stopped on Tam, and a bright half-smile crossed his face before he forced himself to regain his composure. He walked over to the other two diamonds, looking at the bubbled gem in his hand as he stepped closer.

  
  


White and Yellow both peered up at Hema at the same time. Yellow looked surprised, but White smiled brightly, folding her arms together.   
"Oh, so you caught Blue?" White said. Blue pressed her hands to the side of the bubble and looked down at the other two Diamonds with a huff, but soon grinned. White stifled a small chuckle and gestured for Hema to put her down next to them. "Excellent work, Hematite. I honestly didn't think anyone would catch Blue..."   


Hema shrugged and lowered the bubble to the warp pad, quickly popping it with a clawed finger.   
"She definitely wasn't easy... I was almost afraid I wouldn't run into anyone," he said quietly, standing up straight again.   


Blue brushed herself off and took a stand beside Yellow, nudging her elbow into her side. Yellow cleared her throat and looked up, holding her head high.    
"Well done, Hematite!" she said in a professional manner. Glancing sidelong at Blue, Yellow pursed her lips. White clasped her hands together and cleared her throat, pointing towards the crowd.    
"Alright Hematite, you're done for the first test. Please have a seat over there to wait for the end of the test."   


Nodding with a bright smile, Hema walked over to the group, making a beeline for Tam. He stopped close by and clenched his fists in front of his chest, looking up at her hopefully.   
"Hey! If you're here, then... does that mean?"   


Tam was rather excited to see Hematite, immediately perking up upon spotting him. Mirroring his pose, Tam beamed down at the smaller Hematite with glee.   
"Yes! Second to finish, right behind Mago, actually!" she said with absolute joy.   


The smaller service gem lit up, his eyes shining. He stared up at her for a moment, his gemstone suddenly glowing. He shifted up slightly, enough to be a head or so shorter than her, and wrapped his arms around her abdomen, giving her a tight hug.   
"That's fantastic! See, I told you you could do it!" he said happily, chuckling softly.   
Mago's brows raised as she stared at the two. She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes curiously at the ivory-haired gem.   
Frecks held her diamond pad up in front of her mouth, watching the scene from afar with Red. She gave the softest giggle, smiling ear to ear. Red blinked in surprise, but smiled to herself, chuckling quietly.   
Tam suddenly felt her face go warm, flushing a deep violet color. Turning her head away for a moment, she placed her fingers to her lips and tried to hide her smile. But, after another few seconds, she turned her head again and wrapped her arms around him, returning his gesture.   
"Thank you so much Hema! I couldn't have done it without you..." She said quietly.   


The service gem soon pulled away from the taller Hematite, smiling fondly up at her. He adjusted his sleeves and shifted back down, hopping up to sit next to where she'd been moments ago.   
"I'm sure you could have... Maybe not second, buuut~ You know. I knew you had it in you. You'll have to tell me about it later!" he said cheerily, tilting his head.   


Tam walked over and sat down next to him, smiling warmly. Her blush had finally faded, but she still bore the bright smile that she had before.    
"I certainly will! I noticed you caught Blue Diamond! That's very impressive… perhaps when you aren't busy, we'll talk about this after everything's said and done. I'm sure she put up quite the chase."

  
  


"Ooooh yes she did. Tracking her was the hard part, honestly. Tracking  _ anyone, _ really... It's a lot harder without my eyepiece." Shrugging, he sighed through his nose, looking out at the horizon. Slowly, his expression fell. Hita and Meta still weren't back. How were they doing? If this many targets were caught with less than an hour left... would they be able to pull it off?   
_ Or would all their preparation be in vain? _   
  
\--   
  
Rubbing her face, Meta sighed through her teeth, looking up at the glittering stars above. The moon was almost overhead... there was less than an hour left.  _ How was she going to do this? How was she supposed to find a gem without her visor? Everything she heard around her was a gem monster, if their little noises and scratching footsteps were anything to go by. _   
The giant gem closed her eyes, grimacing sadly. She silently wondered how Hita was doing... Had he caught something? Was he tracking someone? Who all had reported back so far? ...  _ Were there even any targets left? _   
  
_ Schff _   
A soft, near inaudible gasp sounded on the wind. Meta stiffened, eyes shooting open as she looked to her left. It was  _ far _ off, and even a bit muffled... but she could have sworn she heard  _ someone. _ Standing up, the service gem frowned, clenching her fists. As slowly and quietly as she could, she made her way down the long city path, trying to keep to the shadows.   
_ Time to be smart. _   
_ Time to be quiet... _   
_ Time to be efficient. _   
  
_ It was time to end this test. _   
\--

  
  


"W-WAIT! AAAAAH!" Agate wailed out, skirting around a corner suddenly, eyes wide as saucers. Panting heavily, the small striped gem ran through the abandoned Kindergarten as fast as her tiny legs would take her. She looked absolutely _terrified._ With the thudding sounds of footfall, a lanky form skidded around the corner just behind her. His eyes were wide, locked onto Agate’s retreating form.  
 _There was no way he was going to let this opportunity pass._   
Furrowing his brows, Hita steeled himself and made a go for the Agate, his hands outstretched. But, she was fast. Far faster than most, anyway. She hadn't been caught _yet,_ and there were still about 45 minutes or so left in the test. If she could just keep out of Hita's reach, then she could finally be released from her shackles at long last. For three centuries, Agate had been locked up. Today, she was going to do whatever it took to get out of those shackles once and for all. 

_ Both were running for their freedom. But they both knew only one of them could walk away with it. _

  
Hita scraped his claws against the ground, as he made a sharp turn. His weight and momentum dug his tapered fingers into the stone, sparks flying as his claws gouged deep scrapes into the floor. Kicking against the ground, he jutted himself forward suddenly in a silent pounce. He landed just behind Agate, making the small brown gem scream and turn on her heel, bolting in the other direction down a slightly narrower path. Hita snapped his attention to her, suddenly turning and following her down the Kindergarten path.  
 _Come on, Hita. You're so close. You're not_ ** _that_** _bad at this stuff, so why is this one so hard to catch?!_   
Hita felt a bit of sweat start to form on his brow. He was running out of time. The two gems found themselves barreling out of the narrow pathway into a much larger, yet more winding area of the Kindergarten. There were a _lot_ of confusing twists and turns here, and the walls were littered with dormant gem drills. Agate dared not look over her shoulder. She knew what she’d see if she did. Hita was never too far behind, quickly racing behind her, grasping at her every chance he had.  
Making quick turns around each bend, Agate was able to gain distance occasionally since she was far more agile at her size. Hita, however, found it a little harder to keep his momentum steady with all these turns. _Don't get frustrated. Catch her. You can do this._ It was rinse and repeat. Hita would get closer, but not close enough. Agate would gain more distance with all the turns, but Hita would catch up with her soon after. Unfortunately for the maroon haired Hematite, it was too risky to pounce her, and with _so many_ turns and corners he couldn't ever manage to reach out and get a good hold on Agate without losing his focus and speed. He had to get her out in a more open area before he could make a solid go for her.   
But then, he saw an opportunity. In his haste to catch up, there was a slightly less winding path up ahead. Hita glanced up quickly at the walls then back down at Agate. There was another turn coming up, and he was determined to not let this chance go to waste. Hita hunkered down and ran on all fours, catching up quick. He was just about to reach out and see if he could grab her, but he was too focused on _Agate_ to notice just how fast the turn had come up.  
  
 **S L A M!**  
  
With a heavy thud, Hita ran full force into the side of the wall, grunting out sharply as his shoulder and the side of his face made heavy contact. The impact was so strong that he sent a shock wave through a small area of the wall, disturbing one of the guards stationed on the top. Agate gasped sharply and continued to run down the path, looking behind her for just a second to see what had happened. Momentarily stunned, Hita shook his head and quickly regained his footing, starting off for the striped gem once more.   
  
Rushing forward, Agate kept up her quick pace, desperately looking for any other turns. There was one far up ahead to the left. If she could just get there...  
 ** _Creeeeeaaak!_**   
Hita looked up suddenly, startled by a deafening metallic sound that echoed through the Kindergarten. When he realized _what_ was making that noise, his eyes widened in **horror.** Just up ahead, one of the gem drills had been knocked loose from it's stationary position, slowly tilting downwards with small rocks crumbling out from beneath it. Seconds later, one of its legs snapped, the drill giving way and plummeting down.  
 _And it was right in Agate’s path._  


Hita gasped sharply and looked down at Agate, his speed picking up _rapidly._  
If he didn't do something quick, Agate would be crushed by the drill. He had no time to think.   
**Act.**   
"AGATE, WATCH OUT!" Hita yelled out in a panicked cry, suddenly pouncing forward with all of his speed and strength. Agate skidded to a halt, suddenly turning to see Hita lunging towards her. She hadn't even noticed that there was something _far_ more dangerous on its way towards her. Flinching quickly, Agate covered her head instinctively and cowered down. Hita landed _right_ in front of Agate, directly under the gem drill.   
A gutteral, pained gasp echoed around the path. Hita's eyes shut tight, the sound of something huge and metallic slamming down onto his back. When Hita opened his eyes, he was hovering just above the ground, his arms supporting his weight so he didn't land on Agate. He tried to sit up… _but he couldn't move his lower body._ Hita looked down, meeting Agate's terrified gaze as she looked up at the massive gem hovering over her. Hita took in a heavy breath, turning his head to see that the drill had fell on him, pinning his lower half to the ground. Before he had a chance to say anything, he heard _another_ horrible noise.  
  
 _Creeeeeaaakkk_  
  
Hita looked up suddenly, his eyes wide. Another drill gave up its grip on the wall, hurtling down towards the two gems. Hita looked down sharply at Agate, and without a second thought, swiped his hand against her forcefully enough to knock her away. Agate tumbled a good distance away with a squeak of surprise, shaking her head and looking up _just_ in time to see Hita craning his head to look up.  
  
 ** _C R A S H!_**  
  
  
 **P O F F.**   
  
Agate trembled in horrified disbelief. Still laying on the ground, her legs and arms shook as she slowly took a stand, staring at the two drills that crumpled together. Grey smoke billowed out from the wreckage, the awful sound of metal screeching as the twisted pieces scraped against themselves and settled. Agate whimpered, stumbling back onto her rear when she tried to step back. She couldn't take her eyes off of the scene ahead.   
  
_That could have been her._  
 _That Hematite just saved her._  
 _He pushed her out of the way._  
 _… And he was nowhere to be seen._  
Agate looked around quickly, then up at the guard stationed on the wall. They were peering over the side, but otherwise didn't do or say anything.   
"HEY! HEY, GET DOWN HERE! HELP!" Agate cried out. But the guard shook their head.   
"Sorry, I'm not allowed to interfere. Get going! We'll retrieve them once the test is over!" the guard said from atop the cliff. Agate yelled out in panicked frustration. _How could they do that?! Hita was in trouble! Or worse!_ She needed to get help. She needed to find someone that _could_ help. She had no idea if Hita was alright or not under all that rubble, but she knew she couldn't just _leave_ him there!   
Sweat poured from the brown gem's brow, hot tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. She shook her head, pacing in place. What should she do?! If anyone could help Hita, it was another Hematite… but she'd have to find one herself. _She had to willingly give herself up._ She had to give up her freedom to save this gem.  
 _To save the gem that saved her-_  
A horrific snapping sound cut through the air, sending a chill up Agate’s form. The sounds of crunching metal, and the terrible rhythm of snapping braided wires echoed against the Kindergarten walls as the two drills slumped further to the ground. Pieces flew off here and there, and Agate watched helplessly as knots of wire and scrap scattered to the ground. Groaning pitifully, Agate ran her hands over her face and wiped away the tears that formed in her eyes, sighing heavily. Puffing up, she suddenly turned on a dime, hissing through her teeth as she rushed off towards the end of the Kindergarten. If being free meant that she had to carry the weight of a gem dying on her account, then it wasn't worth it. She couldn't bare the thought. She had to at least _try_ to help him, even if it was already too late. She just had to hurry...  


\--   
Meta stopped in her tracks, perking up at the distant sounds of creaking metal.  _ That sounded a few miles off... huh. _ Narrowing her eyes, she slowly turned back to the dark path ahead of her, shoulders hunched, teeth bared slightly. She was on the trail of an Amethyst. The same one that'd helped Hema with his training, if she wasn't mistaken. To Meta's dismay, she'd only gotten a single glance at her. Being the biggest and slowest Hematite, she couldn't get into any of the narrower spaces that the target gem was using to her advantage, and she kept getting away as a result.  _ But despite that, Meta was still on her trail. If she could just keep this up until the Amethyst wandered into a clear area... she'd be able to capture her. She could do this... she could pass. _   
_ She just had to stay focused. _   
Making her way away from the odd, distant sounds she'd just heard, the service gem crept down the city street, senses strained ahead.

  
  


Panting heavily, Agate ran as quick as she had before while running away, desperately seeking out any Hematites she could find. Her eyes widened suddenly, her tiny form skidding to a stop upon spotting someone  _ familiar _ Gasping quietly, Agate started to run towards the much larger Hematite just up ahead.   
  
"METAAAAA!"

  
  


Stiffening, Meta turned sharply to stare at the tiny gem down the street.   
A tiny gem that she recognized...   
... A tiny gem that was heading  _ toward _ her.   
With a deep frown, the huge gem turned and stood straight, raising a brow. She almost looked suspicious.   
"Agate? What are you..."   


"HELP! HELP, META! Please, you have to help!" Agate cried out in panic, stopping to catch her breath. She looked up at the huge gem, taking a few steps back.    
"I! There was! I was...! I need you to come with me, a Hematite's in trouble! They're in trouble! Please!" she sputtered, her hands trembling in front of her.   


Eyes widening, Meta tensed up. A cold shudder ran up her spine, making her hair stand on end. Frowning deeply, she quickly crouched down, staring intently at the panicked Agate.   
"Where are they, what happened?" she asked in a low tone, a sharp edge to her voice. Agate gasped sharply, taking a few steps back. She kept herself as steady as she could, turning her head half reluctantly to the direction she had come from.    
"I...! Back in the Kindergarten! I was being chased, and Hita ran into a wall I think and knocked one of the drills loose and they came down on him and-!”   
A dark chill suddenly filled the air, cooling the area around Meta. Her eyes went wide as saucers, horror written all over her face.   
_ "Hita?" _ she managed to choke out, voice quiet and higher pitched than it had been moments ago.

“I don't know how it happened, it all happened so fast! It was an accident, I swear it was an accident! He's in trouble, I can't get to it wherever he is, I'm too small and I'm afraid I'll make something worse!" she said rapidly, shivering. Suddenly standing up, Meta clenched her fists, taking a quick, shallow breath. 

"Show me. Take me to him."   


Without another word, Agate turned as fast as she could and bolted off for the Kindergarten. They had to be quick. Meta took a step forward before she suddenly stopped, a soft exhale escaping her. Slowly, she looked back over her shoulder, catching the faint sounds of her target's retreating footsteps. The Amethyst was getting away.   
  
"..."   
  
Frowning, the service gem turned back to follow Agate, keeping up as best she could.

  
A few minutes later, Meta and Agate entered the Kindergarten. The two ran down twisting corridors and paths until they finally rounded a corner into a slightly wider 'clearing', and Meta was met with a horrifying sight.   
_ Creeeaaak _   
Inhaling shakily, the giant service gem stared at the massive pile of twisted carbonite, glass, old injector fluid, and other various bits and pieces of some pretty badly damaged injector drills. This Kindergarten had  _ especially _ huge pieces of gem equipment that made even her feel small. These drills alone were at least fifty feet in length, if not more.   
Faint sounds of settling metal filled the air. The drills were still shifting subtly, having landed in rather awkward, twisted positions.   
Slowly, Meta walked closer, struck silent. Agate looked up at Meta, then glanced back over at the drills. She walked reluctantly behind the largest Hematite.    
"He… He got poofed. His gem is under there somewhere," she said, clutching her hands together nervously. Meta stood quietly in front of the wreckage, her eyes glancing over the dimly glinting pieces for any signs of Hita's gem. Nothing. Slowly, she clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking.   
_ There was no way to see him in all this mess. _   
_ There wasn't another way to locate his gemstone. _   
_ … _

_ Well, there was one, but. _   
Closing her eyes, the service gem grimaced regretfully, lifting a hand to her face. With a bright flash, her visor returned to her eyes and glazed over.   
_ Whirrrrr _   
"... Agate," she said lowly, turning her head slightly to the gem behind her. "Stay back."   


As Agate moved back without question, she peered up at the guard on the side of the cliff who now leaned over.    
"HEY!" They shouted loudly. "What do you think you're doing?! You realize you've just disqualified yourself from this test, right?! Using your visor is an immediate forfeit!" they barked. Agate tensed up, glancing over at Meta with a disheartened stare. There was a short, silent pause before Meta suddenly snapped her attention up to the guard high on the cliff. Her lip was curled in a fearsome snarl, her huge _ , _ sharp fangs bared. A small, white insignia locked onto the gem atop the ledge.   
"I don't care about this  _ stupid  _ test! Now unless you want me to come up there and harvest  _ you, _ I suggest you keep your mouth  _ shut," _ she growled venomously, a deep snarl rumbling in her chest afterwards as she glared up at the guard. The guard gasped, their expression falling immediately. Without another word, they scrambled back and grabbed their communicator indignantly. Within moments, the guard was out of sight.   


Narrowing her eyes, the service gem turned her attention back to the wreckage, crouching down closer. She stayed still and silent for a solid thirty seconds before her visor suddenly gave a sharp 'click!'.  
 _Gem found: Hematite_  
 _Aliases: Hita_  
 _Status: Gem Instability Detected_  
 _Mission Objective: Recover_  
Letting out a deep sigh, Meta rubbed her face under her visor, a few hot tears pricking her eyes. _He wasn't cracked. Wherever he was under there, he was intact._ _But, that could change easily._  
Frowning, Meta moved closer, nearly touching the huge pile of twisted metal, and peered inside. Her visor was desperately scanning along for any physical sign of the gem. It could identify that Hita was here, but it couldn't show her a direct, locked location.  
That was, until she shifted over to her left and spotted something glittering among the wreckage. Meta gasped quietly, lifting a hand up to cover her mouth. Her eyes widened. She’d found it… but only a _fraction_ of it was visible, as it was almost entirely _encased_ in a tangle of twisted scrap metal, glass, and metal 'wires'.  
  
Hita's gemstone was caught in a deathtrap.

  
  


\--

"GYAAAUUUHHH!"  
  
With a sudden cry of panic, Hita lifted himself from the ground, a horrified expression on his face. Disheveled and panicked, the lithe hematite looked around, his eyes wide, his shoulders tensed. Breathing heavily, he looked around, clutching his upper arms tightly. Slowly, he forced himself to calm down and breathe in the thick, stale air of...  
 _Wait. Where_ ** _was_** _he?..._   
He'd never seen this place before. Or, had he…? It felt uncannily familiar.  
He stood, frozen in place, peering around the area that surrounded him. Everywhere he looked, massive, stone Kindergarten walls towered above, reaching up into an overcast sky. Thick fog crept through the terrain, slowly drifting past him. The entire place was completely tinted an off shade of dull red, even the sky high above.   
Hita looked behind him reluctantly, his shoulders falling. The panic in his core was slowly fading away, only to be replaced with a sickly, uncomfortable realization. He did recognize this place. He’d only seen it a few times, and it had been a long time… but he knew where he was, now.

Swallowing heavily, Hita looked ahead and decided to make his way down the path. From the looks of it, there were only two ways to go.  _ Forward and back. _ It was impossible to climb the walls; they were too steep and too high, occasionally littered with absolutely  _ massive _ holes. He furrowed his brows slightly, peering up at a few of them. He felt completely  _ dwarfed _ by this place. And, upon noticing a more lower lying hole, he figured out why. It towered at  _ least _ 50 tall, far bigger than the maroon haired Hematite. He felt a shiver go up his spine.

He carried on for what felt like no more than a few minutes… and a few hours, at the same time. His feet were as heavy as lead, and yet his head felt floaty and ‘off.’ 

  
_How long have I been in here?_  
 _What's going on out there?_  
 _Am I shattered? Wait, no. That can’t be it, right?_  
  
Hita ran his hand along his forehead, rubbing at it in exhausted confusion. For the most part, the massive pseudo Kindergarten was a long, straight path aside from a few turns here and there. There weren't many branches from what he could see.   
He had to keep calm. He knew he couldn't reform just yet; it was too soon. The faster a Hematite came back after getting poofed, the higher the chances that they'd come back corrupted. _And he certainly wasn't going to take that chance._ He'd give it a bit longer. What happened...? He didn't remember much, everything happened so quick. Something with Agate, something with drills...   
_The drills._   
He remembered getting stabbed in the back. A phantom pain shot into his core. He cringed, slowly lifting his hand up to his neck and rubbing it. He was oddly numb. 

Hita sighed, carrying on silently. Eventually, he looked up, brows raising as he finally caught sight of a path that branched off to the left. His footsteps slowed, and he found himself frozen in front of the branching path. Something tugged him towards the massive corridor; some unseen force called him towards it, making him hesitate on his way. Looking around nervously, Hita swallowed and walked down the branching Kindergarten path. Might as well check it out while he was here.   
  
\--

  
  


Meta gripped at her head, pulling on her hair at the roots as she stared in horror at the little 'knot' of carbonite and glass. Hita's gemstone was only a few inches in diameter in this state, and was completely vulnerable. Maybe if she went and got one of the others, or contacted White-   
_ Creeaaak _   
Stiffening, Meta looked at the drills in panic as part of one suddenly crumpled, making a horrific scraping sound. She looked in horror at the place where Hita's gem was tangled, sighing in cautious relief that the drill hadn't disturbed it.  _ No. She couldn't get anyone else. If she left him, the drills could settle and crush him... _   
  
_ Agate was too small and weak to even budge such sturdy materials, and the guards weren't helping anyone. _   
  
_ It was up to her. _   
  
Swallowing thickly, the service gem slowly lifted her hands in front of her, looking at her palms in silence. She was so huge compared to Hita's gem... but if she shifted down, she wouldn't be able to reach in over the debris and get anything loose. The drills were huge to her, even at this size.   
... She had to do this at her half size.   
Grimacing, the huge gem clenched her fists, inhaling slowly through her nose.   
"I'm getting him out of there.”

Agate covered her mouth in surprise, but didn’t protest. She nervously nodded, muttering in agreement.

“Let me know if you need help.” 

Slowly exhaling, Meta closed her eyes, trying to steady herself. Her hands, which had been trembling a moment before, went still. She steadily opened her eyes again, a steely look to them.   
_ You can do this. _   
_ You can do this  _ **_one_ ** _ thing. _   
_ You did that test of Hema's over and over again... _   
Turning her attention to the knot of scrap and glass, Meta set her jaw, slowly reaching in best she could to move her hands to the sides of the lump of twisted metal. She hesitated, not touching anything for a moment.   
_ Get his gem loose. Retrieve it. Get it away from the scrap. Simple... _   
_ But what if she messed up? What if her hand slipped, or she was too rough, or the drill settled while she was working? She risked scratching him, or cracking him... or worse. _   
Baring her teeth in a worried grimace, the giant gem swallowed quietly, lightly touching one of her fingers to the tangle of metal. It creaked quietly, making her flinch back. Her hand bumped against a piece of the drill and made it shift, suddenly lurching to the side. Eyes widening, Meta suddenly cupped her hands around the knot of metal and winced as the wreckage shifted. Meta cried out in pain, making Agate jump in surprise. One of the huge carbonite legs pinned her wrists to a piece of the other drill. A few pieces of glass threatened to dig into the backs of her hands, as they were dug deep into the thick fabric of her gloves. Blinking slowly, Meta let out the softest whimper, staring down at the position she now found herself in.   
Her hands were pinned. If she tried to take them out now, the entire drill would collapse, and Hita would be done for.   
"..."   
Slowly, carefully, the giant gem parted her hands so she could see the tangle of scraps again. She moved a finger over to one of the looser looking pieces and prodded at it, checking how stable it was. It quickly gave way and fell limply to the floor with a 'clink'. Sighing softly, she continued, picking off whatever loose pieces she could find. Thankfully, all of the glass came off with ease, and many of the wires were simple enough to brush away. However, the twisted remains of the drills' inner mechanisms and legs were stuck fast, and still completely surrounded the tiny, silvery stone.   
Groaning quietly, Meta prodded at one of the sharp scrap pieces, testing how firmly stuck it was.  _ It didn't budge. _ Frowning, the pink-haired gem took the piece between her fingers and inhaled.   
Steadily, she bent it to the side, only moving it a few inches every couple seconds.   


Agate held her breath, holding her hands up to her mouth. She wanted to ask if Meta was okay, but, didn't want to spook her or make her flinch. She kept silent, wondering if Meta was angry with her… if she didn't believe her. Silently wondering if she should  _ run off while Meta was distracted. _

There was still time. She could still be free.   
No. She couldn't. She couldn't just leave... She had to know if Hita would be okay. She had to make sure  _ Meta _ would be okay. And, at least, from the looks of it right now, there was still a  _ chance. _ The small brown gem waited anxiously with bated breath, quietly hoping that everything would be okay.

  
  


The metal piece between Meta's fingers creaked and groaned in warning, slowly warping as she bent it back and away from Hita's gem. The middle of it slowly turned white under the stress, and the service gem felt a cold shiver run up her spine. Eventually, she saw the edge of the next scrap piece under the one she was peeling away, and she frowned, carefully pulling the metal away enough to get to the next one. However... in her eagerness to get to the next piece, she forced the first one back a little too quickly, and-   
**_SNAP_ **   
Sharply inhaling through her teeth, Meta stifled a cry of pain, forcing her eyes to stay open and locked on her task. The snapped drill leg had disturbed a previously unseen bundle of sharp scrap pieces, making it come undone without warning. The giant service gem grimaced and exhaled slowly through her nose, staring at the back of her left hand… which currently had a rather jagged piece of metal sticking into it. It'd cut right through her thick glove and was now stuck, limiting her left hand's movement. On top of that, it was sending a sharp, shooting pain up her arm, making it harder to focus. Gritting her teeth, Meta leaned closer to the tangle of metal holding Hita's gemstone.  _ No, she couldn't lose her concentration now. Come on, you can do this. You've been through worse. _   
Ignoring the pain in her hand, the service gem moved her fingers close to the edge of the next scrap piece, carefully starting to pull it back.

  
  


Minutes moved as slowly as the metal pieces Meta forced back away from Hita’s gem did. The more pieces she bent back, the more strained the bundle of metal became, and the slower she had to go. A good 10 minutes ticked by as Meta carefully worked to free Hita's gem. The tangle was looking more like a deadly metal flower now, with sharp, pronged 'petals'. Small beads of sweat rested on her brow as she cautiously bent back a particularly tense piece of scrap, revealing a small section of the silvery stone beneath it.   
  
_ Shf _   
  
Eyes widening, Meta froze up, lips parting in a soundless gasp. If her eyes weren't tricking her... Hita's gem had just moved. She’d loosened it. But, her hands were too big to reach in and retrieve it. Not to mention, the piece she currently held between her fingers was so tense that if she let go or bent it any further, it risked snapping. And considering it was rested right up against the vulnerable gemstone, she wasn't about to risk that.   
"Agate. Agate,  _ please _ come over here. I need your help," she said quickly, not taking her eyes off the small silver stone.   


Agate perked up, eyes wide. She suddenly bolted towards the pile of scrap, stopping next to the massive service gem and looking at the crumpled metal before her.    
"W-whats going on? What do you need?" she said, clenching her fists tightly.   


Meta kept her eyes forward, a horrified anxiety plastered over her face.   
"I need you to climb my arm down to where my hands are, and grab Hita's gem. I can't move. Don't touch anything but his gemstone. This whole thing feels like it's going to collapse."

  
  


Agate's expression fell slightly, her head slowly turning from Meta back to the scrap. Steeling herself, Aggy nodded and hopped up onto Meta's arm, clinging to the edge of her glove.   
"J-just keep still! I'll have him out in no time!" she said, huffing as she hoisted herself up. Making her way down Meta's arm carefully, she made sure to go slow enough to where she wouldn't slip. Soon, her eyes caught sight of something shimmering. _His gemstone._ It was within sight. But not quite yet within reach.   
Agate nervously hesitated, but clutched tighter at Meta's glove. She inched ever so slightly closer until her tiny form rested upon the top of Meta's hands. She felt _minuscule_ compared to everything around her. The massive metal scrap, the huge hands she stood upon… the only thing smaller than her was the silvery stone that lay on the ground. Agate didn't so much as look back. Her eyes were locked on the tiny gem.  
Slowly, she grabbed onto Meta's finger with one hand and leaned over, reaching out slowly to see if she could grab a hold of Hita's gemstone.   
_Creeeeak._   
Aggy's hair stood on end. She looked up, realizing some of the metal was still shifting. The drills were starting to settle into each other, gradually getting lower and lower as the seconds ticked by. Agate grunted under her breath and quickly slunk down onto the edges of Meta's fingers, now hovering a foot or two away from the tiny stone trapped beneath the rubble. She never took her eyes off of it. Carefully, she leaned over again, wrapping her arm around Meta's finger and reaching out with her other just as she'd done before.   
_Her fingers made contact with something._   
Eyes widening, Aggy wasted no time in wrapping her hand around the object and pulling back quickly. Holding her breath, she looked down, Hita's silver gemstone safely within her grasp.  


Meta's hair stood on end at the sight of Hita's gem in Agate's hand. 

"Hold on."   
Without a moment's hesitation, Meta moved her left hand over, covered up the tiny striped gem, trapping her in her fist. She pulled her hands free from the drill, letting out a sharp cry of pain as the jagged piece of metal in the back of her hand was dislodged.   
_ CREEAK _   
**_CRASH_ **   
Inhaling sharply, the service gem stared ahead as the drills suddenly collapsed in on one another. The tangle of scrap was quickly buried under glass and wires, no-where to be seen. Slowly, Meta relaxed, holding her hands close to her.    
"..."   


Agate cowered inside Meta's hand, her legs hugged close to her chest. She stared wide eyed down into her palms, looking desperately at the gemstone she held.  
 _He was okay._  
  
\--  
  
Hita craned his neck to look up into the massive stone that lay in the wall. Now standing directly underneath it to where he could still see it, he stared up at it with his shoulders tensed. For what seemed like a few long minutes, nothing happened. It was silent...cold...chilling. The fog drifted thickly through the air, even around the end of the path where he stood.   
Suddenly, something in the reflection of the gemstone flickered. Hita flinched slightly. He could have sworn he saw something...but he wasn't sure what. Tilting his head, he took one single step closer. Looking far above, he could still see the top of the silhouette, but at the angle he was standing, he could only see the bottom of it's head. It remained lifeless, staring ahead at _nothing._   
Another chill went up his spine, suddenly catching sight of something else moving in the reflection of the gemstone. _He'd definitely noticed that._ Looking behind him sharply, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Noone, no sound, no _nothing._ Hita slowly turned his head to look back up at the gemstone...  
 _And regretted it immediately._  
  
The gemstone had turned a deep shade of maroon, much like his hair color...but, something else was off. Something seemed to fog up the gemstone from seemingly the inside. Hita blinked, rubbing his eyes in confusion. What was...?   
Suddenly, within the gemstone, two bright, white, narrow slits opened, seeming to almost _glow._ The narrow slits raised up, revealing... _teeth._ Ominously, dreadfully familiar teeth. _His teeth._ Hita's eyes widened in horror, staring up at it, frozen in place. _What was that?_  
Suddenly, without warning, The slits closed up and the teeth disappeared...  
 **SCRREEEEEEEECCHHHHH**   
Massive, dark-gray claws suddenly scraped against the inside of the stone. From the brief moment that Hita watched, it looked as though they were connected to a massive maroon 'hand'. Hita scrambled back in shock, emitting a noise of surprised terror as he landed on his back. His eyes drifted upwards.  
Petrified, he stared up at the massive silhouette which now was looking down directly at him _._ It had moved its head, the visor glowing a bright, ominous white color. Hita whimpered quietly, his arms and legs shaking.   
  
_THOOM_  
Without warning, a massive, clawed hand grabbed the top of the cliff somewhere over the gemstone, gripping into the stone wall. It, too, was featureless and one solid color...except when it grabbed down, the rocks as _well_ as it's hand started to glitch for a second, soon fading back into a stable form. The figure started to slowly lean down.   
Hita cried out in terrified panic and scrambled to his feet. _He couldn't feel his legs._ Nearly tripping, the lithe service gem _bolted_ for the other end of the chasm, desperate to get away. He didn't look back. _He couldn't._  
\--

Meta moved back some distance from the drills, still holding her hands close. As soon as the shock faded, she looked down and opened up her palms, gazing at Agate silently. She eyed the silvery stone in the smaller gem's hands and swallowed quietly, scanning it.   
_ He was still intact. _   
The service gem lowered her hand to the ground, uncurling her fingers so Aggy could climb out of her palm.   
"Agate. Can I have that, please?   


Agate clambered out of Meta's hand, her legs shaking slightly. Looking between the stone and Meta, she carefully placed it in her palm.   


_ Vwip! _   
Exhaling in relief, Meta finally closed her eyes, holding the bubbled gem close.   
_ "Oh thank stars..." _ Groaning quietly, the pink-haired gem sat straight, gazing at the tiny silvery bubble. "I need to get him back to White," she said softly, looking back over her shoulder. Agate ran her fingers across the top of her hand, nervously peering up at the bubble.    
"... I'll go with you. I-I wanna make sure he's okay. Can I tag along?" she asked nervously. Meta looked down at the small striped gem, brows furrowing. For a moment, she didn't reply.   
"If you want," she said simply, swiping her hand over her eyes to poof away her visor. Standing to her feet, the service gem turned and headed off toward the exit of the Kindergarten, heading straight for the warp pad zone. She looked up at the moon, a deep frown on her face. By the time she got back, the test would almost be over.

\--   
  
_ Keep running. _   
_ Whatever you do, don't look back. _   
_ What was that…  _ why  _ was that...? _   
_ No. I have to get out of here. _   
**I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE.**   
  
Hita scrambled down about a mile or two of solid Kindergarten, not daring to look behind him. He didn't want to know if he was being followed or not. At one point, he felt the terror rise up again, making him clutch the side of his head, digging his claws into the side of his face. Without thinking, Hita turned sharply and lunged into one of the lower lying holes bore deep into the walls. There was a dead end towards the back, but it was shaded.    
Emitting a small whimper, the lithe service gem scrambled to the back and curled up, holding his legs close. He fell onto the ground, laying on the cold, stony surface of the hole in the wall. He stared outside, eyes wide. It was  _ far too quiet. _ Small, terrified noises escaped him, all the while trying to stifle himself and get his nerves held back together. He grabbed his head again, eyes shutting tight.  _ I have to get out of here... _   
  
_... I can't reform.  _   
His eyes opened wide again, lip quivering. He was  _ stuck here. _ And, to make matters worse...   
_ He could hear the sound of distant thumping outside. Slow, drawn out tremors racked the Kindergarten. It sounded pretty far off...but he was too afraid to walk out and see what was going on. Maybe, if he stayed in here...  _ whatever was out there wouldn't get him. He closed his eyes, covering his head with his arms.   
  
_ Please get me out of here. I hate it here. I can't stay here. I need to come back. What's going on? Why am I stuck here?! Please. Please…! _   
  
\--

  
Slowing her pace, Meta stepped closer to the warp pad clearing a few minutes later, stopping just before she came into view of the gems gathered around. She curled her fingers slightly, hiding the tiny bubbled gem from view. Closing her eyes, she inhaled slowly through her nose, regaining her usual stoic composure.   
Just as she was about to round the last set of buildings, another Hematite suddenly trotted over, her head held high. It was Tiny, and she had a target gem dangling from her teeth by their shirt. They didn't look happy. Tiny, on the other hand, looked incredibly pleased with herself. As she passed, she looked up at Meta curiously, not noticing that Agate was standing somewhere behind her. However, she kept moving and headed straight into the clearing, walking briskly over to the diamonds.   
Meta hesitated, still not walking into view of the clearing.  _ She'd broken the rules. She hadn't caught a target, and worse... she was bringing back a poofed Hematite. _   
Sparing Agate a glance, the massive service gem rounded the corner and made her way into the huge, circular clearing. Many of the other Hematites were lounging around and making small talk. A few of them perked up when they saw Meta, Hema especially. He smiled brightly and looked up at her hand, tilting his head curiously.  _ Who had she caught? _

The Diamonds all stood at attention, and Blue beamed up brightly at Tiny once she made her way over.  _ That made 7 in total so far, caught! And there was only 15 minutes left until the first event came to an end. _ Clearing her throat, White looked up at Tiny and nodded.   
"Good work! Please place your target over there with the rest of the captured prisoners." White Diamond recited, gesturing her hand over to the guards nearby. Yellow Diamond raised a brow, looking  _ past _ Tiny however. She spotted Meta, the largest of the Hematites if she wasn't mistaken. And....was that  _ an Agate? _

Tiny beamed down at the diamonds and trotted off to the other prisoners, dropping off her catch. Afterwards, she scurried off to a little section on her own, sitting down on a large boulder. She gazed up at Meta curiously, tilting her head.   
Meta didn't spare the others her attention. She kept walking forward, a cold sense of dread spreading through her chest. She stopped a little ways from the small ledge that the warp pad rested on and saluted with one hand, expression unreadable.   
"My Diamonds."   


White raised a brow, peering up at Meta curiously. Then her gaze drifted downwards, resting upon the Agate, who couldn't even look White in the eyes.    
"Ah, Meta? I see you've... 'caught' a prisoner. Well done."   
"M-My diamond.... There's been an accident." Agate dared to say, nervously looking over to the tallest of the three leaders. White's expression fell, and she slowly looked back up at Meta with narrowed eyes.   
"What  _ kind  _ of accident."   


Meta frowned deeply, glancing guiltily down at the Agate standing nearby.   
"... I didn't 'catch' her. She followed me... because."   
Inhaling slowly through her nose, the service gem steeled herself and her nerves, uncurling her fingers to reveal Hita's tiny, bubbled gemstone.   
"Hita was hurt during his hunt."   


Some of the Hematites that had overheard the commotion gasped quietly, a small, quiet murmuring rising among a few of them. Tam, in particular, covered her mouth in worry. She looked over to Hema without a word. Hema's eyes widened, and he slowly put a hand over his mouth, mirroring Tam's worried expression. A prickle of anxiety rose in his chest.   
White's brows furrowed, her eyes widening suddenly. She stepped boldly towards Meta and held out her hand.    
"Let me see him."   


Swallowing nervously, the service gem lowered her hand, offering the tallest diamond the bubble.   
"According to Agate, he was chasing her down in the abandoned Kindergarten in the east sector. He crashed into one of the walls and knocked two gem drills loose. His gemstone was caught in the wreckage. I was able to get him out unscathed with Agate's assistance," she said simply, expression flat as ever... aside from her eyes, which, though half lidded, were filled with worry and grief.   


White looked down at the bubble, then spared Yellow Diamond a subliminal glance. She slowly looked over to Agate, then back to the bubble once more. She looked it over, noticing that Hita's gemstone was intact and as flawless as it was before. There was, surprisingly, not a single scratch on it. A very small surface scuff or two, but nothing that caused any actual damage.   
"...So then... you must have been the Hematite that guard reported using their visor in the Kindergarten, I'm assuming?" she said quietly, not taking her eyes off of the silvery stone inside.   


Meta grimaced for a brief moment, but quickly covered it.   
"... Yes," she said quietly, her voice weak.

White's expression turned into a disgusted,  _ angry _ sneer.   
"That fool's going to hear about this... A Hematite gets destabilized during the test and the only thing they tell me is that one of you turned on your visor. Pathetic..." she growled, sighing heavily. "I'll see to it that I have a  _ talk _ with that one..." she muttered, handing the bubble back to Meta. Agate looked up in worry at the tallest Hematite, slowly taking a step back.    
White suddenly turned to face the small brown gem, folding her arms across her chest.   
"Agate," she said sternly. The tiny striped gem jumped slightly.   
"Y-yes, my Diamond?"   
"Is everything that Meta said true? I want to hear this from your perspective as well. What happened,” she asked, narrowing her eyes again. Agate swallowed nervously and stepped forward, looking back at Meta. She didn't say anything, for a moment.    
"Yes... I.. Hita was about to catch me, I think... but he followed me into an area of the abandoned Kindergarten nearby. I guess some of the drills on the walls weren't too sturdy, and when he hit the wall, it must have knocked them loose." She paused, a look of horror plastered on her face. She shook her head and shut her eyes quickly. "He... He jumped in the way of the drills to protect me. They were going to fall on me, and he..! He pushed me out of the way, just in time, but I..." She stopped. White's lips parted slightly as she listened intently to Agate's story. Meta, at this point, had pulled her hand close again and folded her free arm behind her, standing in a stiff, professional stance. She kept her eyes ahead, listening quietly to Agate.

"I went to find Meta to try and help Hita. His gemstone was caught under the rubble, a-and I couldn't just leave him there. So, Meta came with me, and she had to turn on her visor for something, I'm not sure what... but, she found his gemstone under the wreckage and we managed to dig it out before he got… crushed.”   


Hemmi, who was standing aside with Mite, narrowed her eyes at the scene unfolding in front of her.  _ Wasn't that the target gem that Meta and Hita had been training with? _ She sneered quietly, arms crossed as she eyed the two suspiciously.   
As Agate finished speaking, Meta looked down at the diamonds, giving them a small nod.   
"Yes. She came and fetched me from a city block a few miles away. I'd been tracking an Amethyst for a while. But." Slowly, she inhaled through her nose. "I left them to follow Agate. I needed to make sure Hita was alright. I used my visor to pinpoint his location in the debris, and to make sure he was intact. He was tangled up in a rather... precarious knot of metal and glass, but I was able to loosen it, and Agate grabbed him before the drills completely collapsed." She fidgeted behind her back, her hand still hurting a bit. "I deactivated my visor once he was safe, and I came straight here. Agate decided to follow after me, to see if Hita would be alright, I suppose."   


Agate nodded and looked up at White, noticeably nervous. White mumbled something too quietly to be heard, and placed a finger on her chin.    
"... Very well. There's only about ten minutes until the end of the test. Please take a seat while I think this over. Once everyone has returned, I would like to speak with you and Agate again, if you please." White said, closing her eyes. "I'll have made my final judgment by then. And, Meta… please look over Hita's gemstone for the time being. Keep it safe. Do not release it just yet."   
"Yes, my Diamond," she said quietly, turning away. Ignoring the other of her kin, the pink-haired gem walked to a more secluded area of the clearing, sitting heavily against one of the buildings. She drew her knees close to her chest, cupping Hita's bubbled gem freely in both her palms. She went silent, staring at it with an unreadable, tired expression.   


Agate looked over her shoulder solemnly, anxiety rising within her chest. She slowly walked back towards the guarded prisoners on her own. Yellow and Blue both looked over to White, turning to one another. They started to whisper quietly to each other.

  
  


Meta stayed quiet as the minutes ticked by. Sighing through her nose,she held Hita's gem a bit closer.   
_ "You risked your life for a little target gem? Hita, what were you thinking..." _ she whispered Frowning, she dropped her head a bit, brows furrowed.  _... Then again. She probably would have done the same thing. Hell, she  _ had  _ practically done the same thing, once.  _ Meta lifted her eyes to Mago, who was casting her subtle, worried glances. Distant, thunderous sounds of crashing snow and panicked yelling flashed through Meta’s head for a moment before she winced and looked away, focusing on Hita’s gem again.   
  
The minutes ticked by. The Harvest Moon was now directly overhead, casting the pink district in an eerie orange glow, casting dark, indigo shadows. Neither of the remaining Hematites had returned.

  
  


Ten minutes went by in no time… And yet, it felt like an eternity.   
  
Yellow sighed and twirled her sword upwards towards the sky, closing her eyes. A familiar, thunderous crack tore through the sky, illuminating the clearing in cold, white light. The first test was finally over.   


Meta grimaced, closing her eyes.   
  
  
_ So that's it. _   
  
_ After all their hard work. After all their training. After all their encouragement to one another, and their determination to do their best... _   
  
  
_ They'd  _ both  _ failed. _   
  
Lips drawing into a tight line, Meta held Hita's gem in one hand, crossing her other arm over her knee. She rested her forehead on it, her face hidden from view. Her shoulders started to shake, and she shook her head, pressing it firmly against her arm.   


White Diamond looked around. In the distance, she could see the remaining two Hematites starting to return on the horizon. One was rushing back at top speed, the other was taking their sweet, leisurely time. White sighed and tapped her foot, turning back to Blue and Yellow as they continued chatting.   
Tam looked over to Meta, unable to take her eyes off of the massive Hematite. Her shoulders hung low, and she looked rather disappointed.

“The Kindergarten is going to be strange without those two around,” she mumbled under her breath.   


Hema watched Meta nervously, his arms crossed. He gripped at his sleeve, clawed fingers digging into the fabric. He glanced up at Tam.

“Hey, don’t be so hasty,” he said nervously. “Wh-who knows, White might give them a retry.”   
Biting his lip, the service gem looked away, over at the Diamonds.  _ There was no telling what they'd discussed... _   
  
HT and Tae slowly walked into the warp pad clearing, empty-handed. Tae had her shoulders hunched, and looked rather ashamed and frustrated, while the ivory-haired gem beside her looked rather unfazed.  _ She hadn't expected to pass anyways. _   
Hemmi watched the two enter the clearing, her eyes narrowed. Tilting her chin up, Hemmi shot Tae a disapproving, withering glare, her arms crossed. Tae winced when she made eye contact, and looked away, fidgeting nervously.    
Soon after those two entered the clearing, a well-built purple gem waltzed in, their head held high. It was the Amethyst that Meta had been tracking.

  
  


White raised her brows and addressed the Amethyst, beckoning her over. As soon as they stood at attention, White gave them a curt nod.    
"Congratulations on being the only target to not be caught during the first test. As promised, you will be rewarded with your freedom, seeing as how your punishment was for mere rowdy behavior. I'll see to it that your warden has you released by sunrise.”   


The quartz soldier beamed up at her leader, a wide smile on her face. She nodded and saluted enthusiastically.   
"Thank you, my Diamond. And, thank you for this opportunity," she said gratefully, bowing her head for a moment.   


As soon as the Amethyst warrior made their way back over to the circle of prisoners, White stepped forward. Her clear, powerful voice rang out across the clearing, commanding everyone’s attention.   
"Meta and Agate… please step forward."    
  
Agate felt an unpleasant chill go up her spine. One of the guards gave her a gentle nudge with their leg, urging her to leave the group. She did as she was told, making her way forward. Slowly, Meta sat up, quickly wiping her face with her forearm. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks still damp. Brushing her hand over her eyes, she stood up, walking over to stand beside Agate. She stayed silent, gazing at White tiredly.   


White rolled her shoulders, staring up expressionlessly at Meta.    
"For those of you here that don't know... There has been an accident on the course today. One of your kin, Hita as some of you might know him, risked his own life to save this target gem, Agate." She said, clear enough for everyone to hear. Agate was frozen in her spot, swallowing nervously.  "Hita's gemstone is unharmed, however… he is destabilized. He did not catch his target. Not only that, Meta, you have broken the rules by summoning your visor during the test and directly threatening a guard." White paused, glancing down at Agate without moving her head.   


Meta frowned sadly, her shoulders dropping. She looked absolutely  _ defeated, _ something that  **none** of the collected gems had seen from her before. Frecks stared up at the scene unfolding in front of her and whimpered once, holding her diamond pad up to her mouth. She quietly bit onto the edge of it, staring up at White and Meta. White raised a brow again, looking between Meta and Agate.   
"... And yet."  There was a pause. Blue and Yellow made brief eye contact, taking a step back. White’s tone softened. "You gave up your target… your success… Your very rank in order to help save one of your own, Meta. And you, Agate, gave up your freedom to save the gem that risked his life for you." She furrowed her brows, but her expression softened not a moment later. She remained quiet, her eyes thoughtful for a long, silent pause. "... I think that's worthy of some kind of  _ recognition _ don't you think? At the very least. All three of you did something  _ very _ brave today... And I think it'd be best to reward you for your valiant efforts," she said, slowly smiling. Agate frowned, looking up at Meta suddenly.

  
  


Furrowing her brows, Meta blinked, staring at White in confusion. Her breath caught in her throat, a shiver running up her spine in anticipation. White craned her neck slightly to look Meta in the eyes as best as she could. 

"As far as I am concerned… due to his brave acts, Hita has  **passed** this first test."

  
  


Eyes widening, Meta stared down at the Diamond, speechless. It almost seemed like she didn't process what White had said, at first. But soon, a lopsided smile crossed her face, and she excitedly looked at the bubbled gem in her hand.    
Frowning, one of the Hematites in the group stepped forward a pace, glaring up at Meta before she turned her attention to White. It was Tae.   
"WHAT?!” she shouted, startling everyone nearby. All eyes turned to the stout, furious gem. “The clod goes and gets himself poofed, doesn't catch anything, and he gets to PASS?! Some of us have been hunting non-stop for four hours! I thought this test was supposed to be about proving our abilities as hunters, White Diamond!" she said with a sharp, accusatory tone.

  
  


Without so much as moving her head, White slowly looked over to the rowdy gem.   
"This test was supposed to test your abilities as  **Hematites."**   


Tae blinked in confusion and scoffed, shrugging her arms to the side as she glared at the Diamond.   
"What does that even mean?! Is our ability measured by how  _ soft _ we are, or how 'cautious' we treat missions? Hita screwed up, he shouldn’t be getting REWARDED for it! Big Guy screwed up, and he got shattered! Why, if you ask me-"   
**"TAE."**   
Wincing, the pony-tail wearing Hematite looked behind her, nervously eyeing the much taller service gem that had barked out her name. It was Hemmi. The pink-haired gem was glaring angrily at her kin, teeth bared. Her eyes sparked with unnatural fury, and her hair was bristling.   
"How  _ dare _ you disrespect your Diamond and question her decisions. You will keep such thoughts to yourself.  **Get back in your place,"** she said icily, shooting White an apologetic frown.   


White held her chin up high, sighing quietly through her teeth. Tae sheepishly backed away, into the circle of Hematites. She muttered to herself, making White narrow her eyes.   
**"As I was saying.** Meta. You have broken the rules, and yet… you only did so to save Hita. You didn't use your visor before or after you got him out of the wreckage. This is true, yes?" Agate nodded and clenched her fists.    
"Yes! It's true! I swear it!" she piped in. White glanced down quickly at Agate, making her flinch back with a quiet apology. Meta looked down at White, nodding.   
"Yes, my Diamond. I used it to pinpoint his gemstone, and put it away as soon as he was safely bubbled. The guard in the Kindergarten can confirm it."   


White pursed her lips slightly, but soon found herself grinning.   
"Well then, Meta… you  _ did _ technically come back with a target gem, safely, and before the test was over..." she said, gesturing towards Agate. Aggy gasped quietly and took another step back. With a warm smile, White closed her eyes and nodded. "Consider yourself passed as well."   


Blinking in surprise, Meta shook her head slightly, as if confused.   
"Wh... What? But, I didn't capture her! She came with me willingly," she said quietly, furrowing her brows.   


White chuckled quietly and folded her arms behind her back.   
"That's right… she did, didn't she? I never specified  _ how _ to bring back your targets. Don’t you remember the Peridot’s words? Your goal was to ‘bring back a target gem.’ And, here she is, standing next to you."   


The service gem let out a soft exhale of disbelief, brows raising. She looked down at Agate, shooting her a tiny, lopsided smile.    
"I-I-" Looking up, she gazed at her leader again, smile widening. "Thank you... White Diamond."   


Gasping, Agate managed a smiler herself and looked up to Meta proudly.    
"Y-You did it, Meta! I'm so happy for you!" she cheered, grinning ear to ear. White smiled and looked up at Meta, giving her a thoughtful look.    
"And thank you both for saving him."   


Meta nodded, inhaling deeply to try and keep her composure. She spared Agate a warm glance.   
"Of course, White Diamond. I wouldn't have known where he was if it wasn't for Agate.”   


White kept her expression, slowly resting her gaze upon the tiny brown gem. Agate met White with a nervous expression, her shoulders going stiff.   
"That reminds me." White said, raising a brow simply. "Agate… You technically didn't get  _ caught _ , did you?" She said. Agate blinked, tilting her head with wide eyed confusion.    
"Wha? Pardon, my diamond?"    
"Technically speaking.... Meta didn't exactly  **capture** you either. You came with her willingly. Here you stand on your own, and I don't recall seeing Meta bringing you here in her grasp."

  
  


Slowly arching a brow, Meta looked sidelong at the tiny gem without moving her head.   
"... You're correct, White. I never captured her against her will."   


Agate stood frozen, eyes wide.   
"M… My Diamond, are you saying that I'm-"  
  
"Free, Agate. As of this very moment. Thank you for saving one of my Hematites. I'll see to it that your warden is made aware of your status." White said, grinning coyly.   
  
Without warning, Agate's eyes suddenly filled with tears of unimaginable _joy._ _Was this happening? Was this....real?_ She was free? Finally, after all these decades locked away and living in fear... she was _free._   
"AAAAAAHH!"   
Letting out an excited scream, tears flowed down the small brown gem's face and she launched herself into the side of Meta's leg, wrapping her arms as best as she could around her boot.

  
  


Meta looked down, eyes wide, smiling ear to ear. She crouched down and gently scooped up the tiny striped gem, holding her close to her face. She had tears in her own eyes.   
"Stars, Aggy, I'm so happy for you," she said quietly, shooting White a thankful glance.   
  
Hema's mouth was covered with his hands. He stared at the gems across the way, a soft exhale of disbelief escaping him. A warm glow spread through his chest, an inexplicable swell of pride flooding his very core.  _ Tam, Meta, and Hita had all passed, against all odds. None of the targets had been harmed. Agate was  _ **_free..._ ** Smiling warmly, Hema wiped his eyes, crossing his arms afterward.    
_ Well done, everyone. _   
**_Well done._ **   


Agate hugged Meta's face, throwing her arms out and sobbing with in utmost relief.    
Yellow leaned over and tapped White's shoulder, to which the tallest Diamond responded by tilting her head slightly.    
"Can you really do that, White? I mean, yes technically speaking they  _ did _ pass but isn't that stretching the rules just a  _ little?" _ Yellow whispered quietly. White stifled a single chuckle and glanced down at the other Diamond, a brow raised.   
"I'm White Diamond. I can do whatever I wish with my Hematites. And, if I deem that as fair, then it's fair. Wouldn't you think so, Yellow?" she said, smiling.   
Yellow looked to the side for a moment and sighed, crossing her arms.    
"Oh… I suppose...."   


Holding the tiny gem close, Meta smiled warmly, closing her eyes. After a moment, she looked at White, not pulling Agate away from her face.   
"White, what about the next test? Should we wait for Hita?" she asked politely, raising a brow.   


White looked up to Meta and straightened up slightly.    
"Yes, actually. Everyone, take this time to rest up. Regardless if Hita returns within the next three hours, we will continue then. Please pop the bubble and watch over his gemstone until he returns, Meta. Once the three hours is over, we will all continue on to the next event… should everything go smoothly." She stated simply. "As for you, Agate, since you are now free... and we are no longer in need of any of the other prisoners… you are free to leave if you so wish. Discuss which district you’d like to be rehabilitated to. Best of luck to you, wherever the stars take you."   
Agate smiled down at White, peering over the side of Meta's hand. Shooting the taller service gem a glance, she looked back down and waved.    
"Is it alright if I… stay with Meta for the time being? I'd like to thank Hita when he gets back… if that's okay with you..." She called down. White smiled and thought for a moment, shrugging one of her shoulders.   
"Very well! Keep her safe too, Meta."   


Looking at the tiny striped gem in surprise, Meta blinked and looked between her and White a few times. She nodded with a soft 'hm', and turned around, heading back to her more secluded spot. However, instead of sitting down, she frowned and walked a little further, on a smaller 'street' that laid about half a mile off. She was still within view of the Diamonds, but she didn't want to pop the bubble too close to them...   
_ In case something went wrong. _   
Hema watched after the tallest Hematite, brows raising. Shooting Tam a look, he hopped off the building he was seated on and walked over to another, where he could see Meta and Agate. He wanted to make sure they were okay. Frecks looked around at the other service gems before she too moved where she could see Meta better. She stopped beside the building Hema rested upon, clutching her diamond pad close.   
  


Sighing softly with a smile, Meta lowered Agate back to the ground, gently placing her down.    
"Alright, Aggy. You should probably step back a bit. If Hita reforms at his half size, he'll need some space."   


Agate nodded simply and moved a good 30 feet or so away from the Hematite. She sat down and hugged her legs close, watching intently.

  
  


Meta sighed and looked at the bubbled gem in her hand, frowning faintly. She leaned back against a building, moving to sit down. As soon as she was settled, she lifted her palm closer, gazing at Hita's gemstone. She poofed away the bubble, letting Hita’s gem fall into her palm.

But, it didn’t land. Before it even hit her hand, Hita’s gem began to glow and lift away from her grasp. Eyes widening, Meta quickly plastered her back to the building she leaned against, sweat forming on her brow.    
_ Oh. _   
_ Oh no. _   
_ No, it had barely been half an hour! _   
  
**_No... no no no NO!_ **   
  
Quickly scrambling back to her feet, the service gem stared at the glowing gemstone, a spike of dread stabbing through her very core. The gem lifted from her hand and moved away from her, glimmering brightly. Meta shook her head, moving her hand to her gem. The handle of her hammer appeared under her palm, and he gripped it tightly, starting to pull it out.   
"Agate, get back!  _ NOW." _   


Agate gasped sharply, quickly scrambling to her feet and running back behind a nearby building, completely out of sight. She peeked out, her legs trembling.   
Slowly, as the gemstone lifted away from Meta, a bright silhouette spread out from it. With a heavy thud, the glowing form dropped to the ground, at its half size. To Meta’s horror, Hita’s warped voice cut through the sounds of his body taking shape. It was startlingly loud, cracked with panic, and almost animalistically forced from his throat.   
"STOP, GET AWAY FROM ME!” he practically screamed, rapidly shaking his head as he stumbled back. His body flashed, and he finished reforming. Aside from a few changes to his outfit, his form looked normal. But, despite that, he continued to shout, eyes wide and unfocused. “G-GET AWAY, I DON’T WANT TO HURT YOU!” Tears stung at the corners of his eyes, his entire body wracked with violent shivers. Meta’s eyes went wide, and she went stiff as she unsummoned the handle of her weapon. His arms were crossed in front of him, his clawed hands digging into his shoulders as he held himself. He cowered back, his wide eyes staring straight through Meta as tears dripped down his cheeks. Small, terrified whimpers punctuated the panicked mumbling that Meta could hear under his breath.   
  
"H-hita..."   


Hita scurried back, holding up his hands and facing Meta. He didn't look at her; his eyes couldn’t seem to focus, as if he were staring at some unseen threat.

"D-DON'T TOUCH ME! GET AWAY! I DON'T WANNA HURT YOU! PLEASE!"   


Brows furrowing in concern, Meta stopped, tensing up. She stared at him for a moment, her hands still held in front of her.   
"..." Slowly, she stepped closer, closing the distance between herself and the other Hematite.   


Hita clutched at his head, his messied hair scrunching between his fingers. Tears flowed from his eyes, and he grit his teeth with horrified, quiet whimpers.   
"No, NO! STOP-...” Hita froze. Though it took him a moment to process, he suddenly realized that he felt… warm. Meta shut her eyes tight, her arms wrapped around the terrified gem. She was crouched down slightly, just enough so she could be more level with him. One of her hands reached up to rest on the back of his head reassuringly.   
"Shhh. It's alright," she said softly. Hita stared up at Meta's shoulder, his eyes still wide. A choked sob escaped him, his form slowly easing up. The shaking gradually stopped, and he blinked. He gasped a sharp, shuddering breath, staring right through her. His whimpers stopped. As Hita's shaking quelled, Meta slowly opened her eyes, gently running her hand along his hair.   
"You're alright. You're not going to hurt anyone."   


Hita was frozen where he stood, unable to move. He felt weak, but he felt...  _ warm. _ Slowly, he lifted an arm, reluctantly touching Meta's back as if trying to hug her in return.   
"Wh... what?”    
Meta smiled faintly, holding the shorter gem a bit tighter.   
"You're back. You're safe, Agate is safe..." She closed her eyes again, turning to gently half-bury her face in his hair. "Everything's alright.”   


Hita's expression softened after a few seconds, falling back into a more confused look, rather than panic. Lifting his other hand, he wrapped his arms around Meta's form as best as he could and closed his eyes, leaning into her completely.

  
He hadn't corrupted.   
  
Agate was safe.   
He was safe.    
  
_ Everyone was okay. _

  
  


Burying her face fully in the shorter gem's hair, Meta let out a shuddering, relieved sigh. She hugged him tightly, going quiet.   
Hema tilted his head, a warm smile spreading over his face. Looking down at Frecks, he suddenly hopped up from his spot and walked back to the main clearing, leaving them be. Frecks stayed put, watching the two giant gems curiously.

  
  


Hita opened his eyes finally, looking down. He seemed… distant, somehow. His eyes were heavy, a disheartened frown lay on his face.   
"Is it over...? What's... what happened? What's going on?"   


Carefully pulling back, Meta wiped her eyes with her thumb. She gently placed her hands on his shoulders, gazing down at him.    
"Yes, the test is over... but." Smiling brightly, she chuckled, carefully tightening her grip for a moment. "You passed. We both passed."

  
  


Hita stared up in disbelief, his expression twisting into an uncharacteristically dumbfounded grimace.   
"... What? How?!" His eyes widened, he looked down at nothing in particular, poking his tooth into his lower lip. "But I… I didn't catch anyone. I got destabilized. … Did  _ you  _ catch a target?"   


"White took into account what you did for Agate... saving her life like you did, it really impressed her. Despite some...” She rolled her eyes, scoffing in annoyance. “Shoddy sentry up on that wall you crashed into. Some sentry, she didn't do a thing to help... She just stood up on that wall and watched. She could have easily called White, or something, or gotten you guys to leave the area... But. That's not the point. White heard what you did... She considered that worthy of a 'pass'."

  
  


Agate slowly came out from behind the building, clutching her hands together. She smiled up nervously at Hita, standing a little closer to them. Hita peered down at the tiny brown gem, eyes wide.  _ There she was... safe and sound, just like Meta said. _   
  
_ White Diamond was impressed with him for his, admittedly, brash choice. _

_ He wasn't going to be sent away. _   
_ He could stay here… With her.  _   
  
Hita looked up at Meta quickly, his lips parted slightly. For a second, he didn't say or do anything, only staring at her blankly.    
"… So we won't be separated, o-or sent away? Even you? We... things will be okay?"   
Slowly, Meta's expression softened. She gazed down at the shorter gem, reaching up with both her hands to cup the sides of Hita's face. Gently, she wiped away his tears, drying his cheeks.   
"Don't you worry. Your wall isn't going anywhere."   
Hita raised his hand up, grabbing gently onto Meta's and rubbing his thumb into her palm.  Looking from her hand to her eyes, he went quiet, their gazes locking. He looked thoughtful, as if trying to look for the right words to say.   
And, slowly... he smiled. Genuinely, for a few moments, he actually smiled.    
"Then, neither is your sentry."   
The taller gem felt something well up in her very core at the sight of Hita actually smiling. A warm feeling spread through her chest. She leaned forward, gently touching her forehead to his.    
"W-wait, what? Sentry...?” She looked amused, and even a bit confused, at first. But then, a moment later, her brows raised as a soft gasp of realization escaped her. “Oh, I get it... hah. Glad to hear it."   
As easily as his smile appeared, it faded. Now wearing the normal neutral expression that he always did, he turned slightly to look over at Agate. The small brown gem was peering up at them with a small smile on her face. Her hands were held neatly behind her back. Hita turned completely and knelt down next to her raising a brow.    
"I'm glad you're okay." He said tilting his head slightly.    
Agate stepped forward, placing a hand on Hita's shoe.    
"Thanks to you, Hita. I'm free, because of you and Meta... Thank you, and thank you both... I don't know how I can ever repay you,” she said, looking up to him. Hita shrugged a shoulder, lifting the side of his mouth slightly in a weird fashion. One of his teeth poked out just slightly.    
"Tell you what you can do..." Hita said, his shoulders relaxing. "Promise me you'll never end up in this situation ever again. Use your skills for good. Help other gems that need it... because no matter how big or small they are, you never know just how big of a difference you'll make on someone's life." Agate nodded with a bright smile, standing a little taller.    
"Of course! I'll never commit another crime for as long I live! By the Diamond Authority... I swear it!" she said, saluting proudly. Hita nodded his head and stood up at last, taking a step back.    
"Then you don't owe me a thing. I was just doing my job."   
Meta smiled warmly at the two, putting her hands in her pocket.   
"Well, maybe come visit us every now and then, if you're up for it. We'd like to hear what you're up to once in a while," she said in a friendly manner, shrugging a shoulder.   
Agate beamed up at Meta with a bright smile, holding her hands out on her hips.    
"I'll be sure to do that! Gosh, I haven't been free in over 3 centuries... I-I should get going, though... I don't wanna bother you guys any more than I already have. Maybe I should look into a job or something...I-I digress, I wish you two the best of luck on the rest of the Harvest Moon!" Agate said, raising her hand up. She turned to run off before they could say much else, but Hita crossed his arms.    
"Hey, Agate!"    
Skidding to a stop, Agate turned quickly with a confused look.    
"I like your teeth. They're neat. Don't let anyone else tell ya otherwise. I'll see you around,” he said, squaring his shoulders. Agate's face flushed a dark brown, her eyes widening slightly. Giving them another smile and a wave, she giggled and ran off without another word.


	86. Hunter and the Hunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Harvest Moon continues with test two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This chapter is completely unedited! There WILL be a lot of typos and mistakes, but all of the chapter is still here! We will update it when we can with the fully edited version! This means small details are up to change until this note is gone. Sorry for the inconvenience, but both editors are either INCREDIBLY sick, or away from their computers!]

_ All present and accounted for. Excellent. _   
  
Though White was surprised to see Hita had come back so quickly, she couldn't waste time by chatting or asking questions now. They were on limited time with the Harvest moon. Hopefully now, everything would go a lot smoother. White would have plenty of time to talk once everything was said and done. Gathered up near the primary warp pad, the Hematites all awaited for the next event with bated breath.   
  
White stepped forward at last, the other two Diamonds standing formally behind her. White cleared her throat, demanding the attention of the gathered hunters before her. It was time for the next test.   
  
"Now that everything is in order and the first event has been completed... We will be moving onto the next test. As I have stated before, one of your kin will be chosen to chase you down and capture you. Said Hematite will be given 4 hours to apprehend, catch, and return 4 different targets. It does not matter who they catch, so long as they do not poof them or harm them." White started, crossing her arms with a serious frown.    
"It is your job as the 'targets' to avoid capture at all cost. Use the terrain, your instincts, and methods to your advantage. I will not be telling anyone who the chosen Hematite is; But you will know them when you see them, as you will be shrunken down to your civilian sizes. You will all be asked to spread out so that you may not see or hear one another. Only the chosen Hematite will be allowed to stay at a bigger size. Anyone caught breaking the size limitation rule will be disqualified."

The line of collected gems stood at attention and listened carefully to their leader, each of them standing in a poised, professional stance to some degree. Some of them stood at their civilian sizes, some at their half. The past few hours had passed quickly, and some of the Hematites had chosen to spend the time wisely and rest up.   
As soon as White was done speaking, Frecks stepped out from the line of guards again, her diamond pad in her hands. She held a fist up to her chin and cleared her throat once. Standing tall, she looked along the line of service gems.   
"All of you please shrink down to your civilian heights at this time if you have not already!" she announced. The Hematites glanced at once another, but didn't argue. One by one, they all shifted down to their much smaller sizes and turned their attention back up to the Peridot. She smiled faintly, but then regained her professional frown. "Here are the more detailed rules, and a refresher! There are no consequences for the Hematite chosen, should they fail. This test is to measure your ability to survive in an emergency situation where you have run out of energy and shrunken down involuntarily! Almost all of you have had to deal with this situation at one point or another, so it is imperative that you be in top shape for this scenario. Should the one hunter succeed, they will be given extra optional breaks from work, and more scenic mission locations, should they want them. However, if you should be caught, you will have your harvesting missions temporarily disabled, and you will have to go through special survival and avoidance training. It's a dangerous world out there for a smaller gem," she said with the faintest odd tone to her voice. "You need to be prepared for anything!" Nodding, she looked at her diamond pad. "That being said. These are your restrictions. As White Diamond said, you may not shift up. However, you are also not allowed to shift to your micro sizes! Watch your energy levels, and do not let yourself involuntarily shift. This is an automatic failure. However, as White Diamond stated, you may use the terrain to your advantage! Please be smart about this, do not go into any tunnel systems or unstable caves. The abandoned kindergarten is forbidden for the remainder of this test. You may run or hide, whichever you choose, but do not put yourself at risk! Target or hunter, you may not use your hunting visors during this test. We're giving you a worst case scenario."   
The Hematites listened quietly, some of them shifting uncomfortably on their feet. Frecks put her diamond pad behind her back and stood straight.   
"The hunter's job; catch at least four gems and bring them back without poofing them or harming their gemstone. The targets' job; avoid capture, do not shift up or down. You have four hours!" She nodded curtly. "Now then. Each of you will be lead by a guard to your starting position. White Diamond will go directly to whoever she has picked, and then the signal will be given for you to run. If White does not come to you, you are a target. You will be given a five minute head start, use it wisely. Best of luck to you!" With that, the Peridot stepped back, holding her diamond pad close to her chest. The line of guards she'd been standing near thus far moved forward, walking over to each of the Hematites. With a nod, each of them parted away from the group and led their assigned harvester out of the warp pad clearing. The group moved out in a semi-circle around the clearing, each of them now out of sight and earshot of one another. Not a single one of them could see another of their kin, nor hear them. After a few minutes, they stood at attention with their guards, waiting for either White Diamond... or the signal.

White rolled her shoulders and smirked, giving Frecks a small grin.  
"Thank you for your help today. I'll take this from here." She stated. It was time to find the Hematite that she had chosen. They didn't know it, but White had made up her mind a few _weeks_ ago. This Hematite in particular would be perfect for the test...as they did not run out of energy while big quite as fast as many of the others. _That, and she had an impeccable hunting drive._   
Making her way down the path, White scurried over to one of the more specific locations where one of the Hematites was stationed. Turning a corner, the Diamond caught sight of _exactly_ who she was looking for.   
_Mago._

The ebony-haired service gem was standing beside her Jasper guard, her hands on her hips. She was gazing up at the vibrant golden moon overhead, her lips pursed. Casually, she shifted her weight from one leg to the other, glancing down at the slightly shorter guard at her side now and then.    
She suddenly perked up in surprise when she heard White's approaching footsteps. Turning her head around, she cocked a brow. Her eyes widened subtly when she realized who it was that she'd heard, and she turned around entirely, giving a quick salute. A smirk spread across her lips.

White placed her palms together with a formal gait, gesturing the guard away. The jasper nodded in understanding and made their way out.    
"Hello Mago! I hope you do not mind, but I have chosen you to hunt the other Hematites; That is, seeing as you have the least trouble with your stamina, as I've come to notice. Are you prepared for such a task?" She asked, folding her arms behind her back with a grin.

Tilting her head slightly, Mago placed her hands on her hips and drummed her clawed fingers on them.   
"Hmmm do I mind?" she said with a theatrical sigh. She lifted a hand up, tapping a single finger on her upper lip as she looked up to the side. "I mean, tssss. Gosh I'd have to think about that..." she said sarcastically, soon smiling deviously up at her leader. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she stood at attention, crossing her arms.  _ "You had me at 'hunt'." _

White smirked and clapped her hands together, raising a single brow.   
"Glad to hear it. Then please shift up and give the others five minutes from the signal. Once you see Yellow's lightning bolt, the countdown will begin.  _ Do your best, Mago." _ The Diamond said, turning to head out immediately. After another minute or so of walking, White approached the other two Diamonds at the side of the warp pad and nodded. Yellow flicked her sword into the air with a determined frown, a bright bolt of electricity striking into the air like it had done before.   


_ Do your best, Mago. _   
  
Grinning, the ebony-haired gem turned to look out over the pink district, eyes narrowed. She reached her hands out in front of her, lacing her fingers together before she cracked her knuckles.   
**_Oh. I intend to._ **   
  
**_CRACK!_ **   
The bolt of lightning flashed overhead with a deafening sound that echoed through the district, startling a few of the Hematites that were still standing idle.   
  
Hema's hair stood on end, his eyes widening. He rushed off into the district, Making a beeline for a more congested city block he'd passed by in the previous test.   
_ It wasn't him. _   
  
Frowning, Meta started off away from her guard, not daring to look back to check who had been chosen.   
_ Who was it? _   
  
With a disappointed huff, Tiny looked up at the moon and pouted, scurrying off toward some fields she'd run around in earlier.    
_ Darn, she'd hoped it would be her... _   
  
Gritting her teeth together, Hemmi shot off away from her guard without a moment's hesitation. Her eyes narrowed as she made her way toward the closest city block she could find. If she could just find somewhere to hide for the duration of the test...   
_ Of  _ **_course_ ** _ White didn't give her the honor. _   
  
Eyes widening, Ti looked up and around.  _ No, no surely Yellow just gave the signal early... _ Her guard frowned and motioned for her to get going. The silver-haired Hematite swallowed nervously and sped off at unnatural speed, determined to get as far into the district as she could, unless she found a good hiding spot.   
_ Just don't get poofed like Hita did, and you'll be fine... _

Mite groaned and rolled her eyes, making a move to get going before the rumble from the lightning bolt even had a chance to dissipate. Great.   
_She just hoped it wasn't Hemmi._   
  
Huffing noisily, Mati stretched out her arms and lifted one of her legs. She was in no hurry to get going, it seemed. The guard gave her a nudge with their palm and grunted. Mati waved her hand dismissively and started to bolt off towards one of the nearby cities.   
_Aw, I don't get to be the one who chases everyone? What a downer._   
  
Looking to the sky, Tam swallowed nervously. Well, she hadn't really expected it to be her anyway.... But still. Catching a gem was one thing. Could she really avoid getting caught herself? She'd try her best, anyway. Without a word, Tam nervously clutched her hands tightly and made her way out.   
_Use the terrain to your advantage..._  
  
Groaning heavily, Hita reeled his head back and hung his shoulders low a few good seconds after the signal was given. The guard gave Hita a confused look, but just as they were about to say something, Hita fell over on the ground. Looking around frantically, the guard leaned over and prodded him with their foot.   
"Hey!! Get a move on, that was the signal!"   
Without responding, Hita lay face first on the ground and groaned, his voice muffled by the dirt. The guard growled and threw up their arms in exasperation, making their leave.  
"FINE, it's not my fault if you get caught!" They called out. Hita turned his head slightly, sighing heavily.

HT looked up and headed off toward an abandoned residential area where she'd almost caught a target in the previous test. There wasn't much riding on her passing or failing this one, since she was still a non-harvester to begin with. Still... she didn't fancy being hunted down by a few particular Hematites.   
_ Maybe I can find something to study while I hide. _   
  
Eyes widening, Tae looked up at the sky. Her brows furrowed into a deep scowl as she grit her teeth. Scoffing, she ran off in no particular direction, letting her frustration from the previous test fuel her speed.   
_ I hope that clod 'Hita' gets caught. _   
  
Humming a soft note to herself, Mago stretched her arms over her head, gazing out over the whatever of the pink district she could see. She spotted a few of her kin running off into the distance and smirked to herself.  _ Ohhh, this was going to be fun.~ _ Crouching down, she narrowed her eyes, counting down the minutes.  _ Ahh, heck with it. She'd give them ten minutes, just to be fair. _   
  
As time went on, Mago found herself making a mental checklist of which gems she'd go after first, if she could find them.  _ Ti, for sure. Meta and Hita, since they were slower. Hemmi, Mite. Hema, without a doubt. She still owed him for his little  _ **_comment_ ** _ the other day. _ Everyone else was up in the air.   
The ebony-haired Hematite casually counted down the minutes, running her fingers through her hair.    
Soon enough... it was time.   
Or rather, close enough.   
Twelve or so minutes passed before Mago finally stood up straight and stretched, eyes closing.   
_ You can run... _   
Gemstone starting to shimmer, the lone Hematite stepped forward, walking out from the alley she'd been left in. Her form shifted up until she reached her full size. With a flash, her form returned to its normal colors, and she flipped her hair behind her shoulder.   
_ But you can't hide. _   
Looking around casually, the ebony-haired gem crouched down and started to make her way around her general area, making sure nobody had tried to pull a fast one on her and stay put. Her very first target had tried that, and it hadn't ended well for them.   
_ Maybe she'd get lucky again. _

 

_ \-- _

Hita had, at least, finally decided to gather himself up and move.  _ He was glad the kindergarten was off limits now. _ He didn't want anyone  _ else _ getting hurt. Making his way to the nearby fields, he ducked behind some rocks. While he was out hunting some time ago, he'd gotten pretty familiar with this area. He could, perhaps, evade whoever was chosen more easily in this place. Though, as soon as he'd gotten there, he flopped down behind one of the rocks out of sight and grumbled quietly.    
  
Mati, on the other hand, was having fun running around the city. If she wasn't going to get to  _ chase _ anyone, she was still going to keep on her toes. The only problem was, without her visor, she was quite unfamiliar with the majority of this area. She kept finding herself in dead ends, sending her back down the street to quickly find somewhere else to go.

About 20 or so minutes later, Mago finished combing through the general area around the warp pad. Nothing. Alright, fair enough.~ Smirking, she looked out toward the district and stood up straight, running out toward one of the closer city blocks. It took her no time at all to reach it at her size and speed. With a soft 'hm', she stepped onto one of the streets, looking around at the buildings. Even at her full 150 or so feet, she was dwarfed by most of the structures by a fair margin. She walked for a few minutes before she suddenly caught wind of something running around in the alleys and pathways. Mago quickly ducked behind a taller tower, closing her eyes to listen.

The gray haired hematite was scurrying about, always on the move. Occasionally, she'd hit another dead end and grumble quietly to herself before turning on a dime to bolt in the other direction. She'd be fine if she kept on the move...right? It worked for Tiny most of the time, what if it could work for her?

The ebony-haired gem could hear someone running to and fro in the different sections of the city block. From the sounds of it, they were doubling back on themselves once in a while. Perhaps they were lost.   
_ Perfect. _   
Slowly lowering herself to the ground, Mago crept forward. She quickly made her way through a few streets, closing in on whoever was running about. Soon enough, she rounded a corner, quickly spotting Mati bolting down the street toward her.   
"Aha! Found youuu~"

Skidding to a halt, Mati threw up her hands and went wide eyed.   
_Mago?!_   
Quickly, she turned around and high tailed it out of the alley, making her way through twists and turns of the myriad of buildings around them. Maybe she could lose her in here!

Scoffing, Mago quickly chased after the smaller Hematite, tracking her through the different streets and alleyways. Mati wasn't the fastest, but she was definitely trickier than some of the others. Not to mention her smaller size made her more agile than the giant gem on her tail. Chuckling to herself, the ebony-haired gem leapt over rubble and overgrown shrubbery, never too far behind her target.

Mati occasionally glanced over her shoulder, scowling. She wasn't making too much progress, here. She'd have to make a break for another area. Unfortunately for the gray haired Hematite, however, her lack of observation and aid from her gemtech had come back to haunt her. Fumbling between a few more abandoned buildings, Mati found herself face to face with a high fence.  _ A dead end. _ Her shoulders hung low and she sighed, turning with a pout.  _ Well, at least she'd passed the  _ **_first_ ** _ test... _

Not a moment later, Mago turned the same corner, quickly spotting the dead end that Mati had gotten herself into. She raised a brow and gave a soft 'hmph', smiling cockily.    
"End of the road, Mati," she said casually, stepping closer. "That was a fun chase, though.~"

Mati took a single step back, folding her arms indignantly over her chest. Turning her head, the rowdy hematite puffed out her cheeks. She was a bit disappointed that she didn't last very long.    
"Ay' you're not gonna take me back like you  _ normally _ do are you?" She said, narrowing her eyes up at the ebony haired hematite.

"Hmm." Tapping her chin, the giant gem crouched down, resting her arm on her bent knees. She was completely blocking off the alley. "Dunno. On a scale of one to ten how much would it bother you?" She narrowed her eyes down at the gray-haired Hematite, expression unreadable. There was still a faint smile on her lips, though.

Mati kept her eyes on Mago, not moving back. She didn't fancy answering this the wrong way.   
"Oh just take me back will ya...Preferably not in your mouth." She grumbled.

Removing her finger from her lip, the ebony-haired gem shrugged and grinned.   
"Alright, whatever you say. You try and run though and I'll carry you back however I want." Leaning over, Mago reached down and, surprisingly, picked the smaller gem up rather carefully. She wrapped her fingers around her form just firmly enough to safely lift her up, but not tightly enough to restrict her movement. Standing up, she turned away from the alley and started off immediately for the warp pad clearing, which was a couple minutes away.

Mati huffed quietly and threw her arms out in front of her, folding them over Mago's hand. Looking around at the district below, she wondered if Mago would be successful in catching as many as she needed.  _ Why did you have to pick  _ **_her,_ ** _ White... _

Once or twice, Mago glanced down at the captive gem, her expression unreadable. For the moment, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. At least she seemed to be enjoying herself, to a point?   
About halfway back to the warp pad, Mago stopped dead in her tracks, looking around. She was standing in a large, half-destroyed lot where a tower had crumbled down. Rubble was scattered here and there, providing a variety of hiding places. The giant gem narrowed her eyes, lips parted slightly as she gazed around the area.   
"..."

From behind one of the rocks, something small popped up. Peeking over the edge from afar was Hita, tiny clawed fingers gripping at the top of the stone. Staring  _ right at _ Mago, he slowly narrowed his eyes.   
"......."

Mago looked directly back at the smaller Hematite, eyes widening subtly. Smirking toothily, she strolled closer at a leisurely pace, Mati still in hand.   
"Two in one trip, huh? My lucky night.~"

Mati glanced between Mago and Hita curiously, pursing her lips. She didn't say a word. Before Mago could get too close, Hita suddenly ducked under the rock he was hiding behind, out of sight.

Blinking in mild confusion, the ebony haired gem pursed her lips and hurried her pace. Within a few moments, she'd closed in on Hita's hiding place and peered over.   
"Aha-.... eh?"

He wasn't there. Where Hita had been a few seconds before, he was no longer anywhere in sight. Mati raised a brow and peered over, a little confused  _ herself. _

Frowning, Mago parted her lips, looking around the immediate area. Somehow, Hita had slipped away and gotten out of range of her senses. He was nowhere to be seen, either. Squinting at the horizon, Mago sat up straight, humming out a curious note. She turned to head back to the warp pad, stepping over the ruins of the old tower.   
"That was weird..."

Mati shrugged and slumped back over Mago's hand.    
"Eh,  _ Hita's _ weird." She said, smirking slightly.

"Fair enough," she replied, grinning as well. "Ah well, I'll catch up to him later." Glancing down at her captive, Mago tucked her hair behind her ear with her free hand. "So, how did your hunt go?"

Mati looked slowly up at Mago, confused as to why she was talking to her. She never pinned Mago as someone to really go for the small talk with anyone else.  _ Then again she hardly paid much attention to Mago at all. _   
"Uh, it went well! I got burned, but it's alright." She said, smiling. "...Twice."

The giant gem winced, inhaling through her teeth.   
"Oooh yeah, I overheard you talkin' to White. A Jade, right? Are your hands feeling any better?" she asked, sparing the smaller gem a glance.

Blinking, Mati looked down at her palms, gently squeezing her fingers into them.    
"Well...uh, they're a bit scuffed... but I think I'll be fine! Ay, why do ya care?" She asked, narrowing a single eye up to the ebony haired gem.

Blinking, Mago looked forward, arching a brow.   
"Tch, no reason." Smirking, she closed her eyes and shrugged her shoulders, holding her free arm out to her side for a moment. "I tried to harvest a Jade once." She opened her eyes, still staring ahead. "I regretted it. Couldn't feel my tongue for about three days. Or so." Her expression softened, even if for a moment. "Sooo I guess I just thought I'd ask. I know how much those burns can hurt."

Mati stifled a single, dry chuckle and looked back down at her palms. She never thought she'd care enough to ask something like that, even if it  _ was _ seemingly small.

\--   
"Alllright, here's the first one.~" she said proudly, placing Mati on the ground in front of her. The service gem stood straight, already turning to head back out.   
Frecks looked over at the gray haired Hematite, offering a shy wave from where she stood.

Mati rubbed her arm, glancing back at Mago with a small frown. Admittedly, she was embarrassed she had been caught so quickly, let alone at all. But, turning her head, she spotted the tiny green service gem and immediately perked up. With a tiny gasp, Mati smiled eagerly and waved back. Yellow Diamond raised her brow curiously, glancing between Mati and Frecks, but otherwise didn't say a word. Frecks always seemed to have an affinity with these gems, but she didn't know if the Hematites shared a mutual interest in  _ her. _

The Peridot glanced over to see if the diamonds had noticed her little gesture, and straightened up when she saw that Yellow had taken notice. She attempted to regain her professional air, but kept glancing over at the lone Hematite.

Mati stood in the same spot, oddly staring at the Peridot. White was finding this to be slightly unnerving and cleared her throat.    
"Mati? You've been captured, so please have a seat over there."   
"My Diamond?"   
"...Yes, Mati?"    
"May I hang out with Frecks?"    
White blinked in confusion, slowly looking over at the tiny Peridot  _ Why?... _   
"If Frecks would like to go with you then she may. Just don't cause a fuss and I won't mind." White responded with a shrug. Mati's eyes lit up and she smiled brightly, beaming over to the tiny Peridot

Gasping quietly, Frecks smiled brightly up at her leaders before looking over at Mati. The Peridot scurried over to the general area where the Hematites had been seated previously.

\--   
Meanwhile, out in a more close by city block, Mite was making her way through various streets to try and find her way out to the further ends of the course. Maybe if she could stay out there, whoever was after her wouldn't look  _ too _ far and wide for her. After all, they only needed 4 Hematites, and there were plenty others to catch. She didn't like the sound of being one of the ones caught, either.    
However, upon turning a corner, Mite gasped quietly and groaned.    
"Hey you idiot, what are you doing just sitting there?!" She growled. There, in one of the alleys, Hita was propped up against the wall. Turning his head, he lifted his hand without a word. Mite rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.    
"Ugh, I don't have time for you...get caught and fail if you want, but I swear if you tell whoever where I'm going I'm gonna make sure you pay for it." She continued, suddenly bolting off in another direction. Sighing, Hita pressed his head up against the wall and remained silent.

Soon enough, Mago was on the prowl again. She'd combed over a field and found Tiny, but the speedy little Hematite had gotten away from her, lost in a rather dense patch of 'forest' that melded with a large city block. Admittedly, Mago wondered how safe it was in there, but she figured guards would be posted in case anything went wrong. As such, she continued on and kept her ears, eyes, and senses alert for any other of her kin. She thought she'd found one in a run-down residency, but it turned out to be a lone Ruby-rat. Not a corrupted Ruby, but very similar in appearance...  _ and _ temperature signature.   
Pouting, the giant gem skulked through the abandoned town, soon making her way into a city block. She kept her lips parted, body low to the ground as she made her way through the various ancient buildings. Little did she know that three of her kin were currently wandering about the streets of this particular city block.   
Soon enough, she stopped, having caught wind of something. Narrowing her eyes, she grinned and rounded a corner, looking around. Down the moonlit street, in the shadow of a rather impressive archive-looking building was a familiar... yet odd sight. Meta was creeping down the path, her back to Mago. She seemed on-edge, as if she'd heard something. The ebony-haired Hematite tilted her head, squinting as she closed her mouth.  _ It was strange seeing  _ **_Meta_ ** _ that small... Or rather, smaller than her at all. _   
_ Regardless, a catch was a catch. _   
Crouching low, Mago waited for the pink-haired gem to relax a bit before she made her move. Meta continued down the street and looked around a corner with a soft 'hm'. Shaking her head, she continued down the road, trying to keep to the darker shadows.    
However, not a minute later, she heard shifting from far behind her and spun around, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end when she spotted a familiar face staring at her from behind a building.   
_ Oh  _ **_no,_ ** _ she picked Mago?! _   
Growling lowly, the service gem shot down the street as quickly as she could, trying to use rubble and ruined buildings to aid her escape. Mago leapt after the smaller gem, racing down the street. It didn't take long for her to start catching up. Gritting her teeth, Meta willed herself to go faster as she raced unknowingly by one of her fellow Hematites who was currently lazing about in an alley.

Raising his brows at the commotion, Hita slowly shifted and peered out of the alley, though not enough to expose himself. Was that...  _ Meta?... _ Slowly, he backed up into the shadows of the alley, his eyes narrowed. It was probably best to get going, soon... If she was running, then Mago wasn't too far behind.

And indeed she wasn't. Mere moments after Meta rushed by Hita's hiding spot, Mago raced by in pursuit, chuckling lowly to herself. In her focus to catch her current target, she didn't even notice the maroon-haired Hematite she'd just passed.    
"C'mon Meta, this'll be a lot easier if you just give up nowww~!" she crowed after the well-built gem, leaping effortlessly over a huge stone pillar that Meta had ducked under moments ago.

Hita had darted out of the alley he was in and skirted across the street to the other side, peering out. Oh dear... at this rate, Mago was going to catch up with Meta in no time. There wasn't anything he could do really, but perhaps he could buy her  _ some _ time.   
  
Without warning, Hita raked his claws against the odd surface of the side of the building, creating an eerily  _ loud _ screech that echoed through the town. Maybe with any luck, it'd be just enough to falter Mago for a few moments. Once he was done, he bolted off the opposite way that Meta had been running in the first place.  _ He couldn't risk sticking around... _

The hair on the back of Mago's neck stood on end as she came to a screeching halt, spinning around just in time to see Hita running down the street away from her. Meta continued on her way, glancing back despite not being able to see what had caused such a loud noise. She didn't question it, though. Instead, she rushed down a much more narrow street, one that Mago wouldn't be able to follow her down. The ebony haired Hematite glanced back with a deep frown and snorted, suddenly bolting after  _ Hita, _ since she had a visual on him.

_ He was fast. _   
A lot faster than anyone really seemed to think. Every time Mago would get close, he'd dart out of the way or make a sharp turn. Any time he'd come to a dead end, he'd leap limberly over the wall and scatter across the street. He could feel her somewhere behind him, but he never once turned around to look.

Mago grew more impressed and more _frustrated_ by the second. For someone who lazed about and never did much of _anything,_ he was a quick-footed little gem. If she wasn't so intent on catching him, she would have asked why he didn't put this kind of effort into their categorizing tests back when they first emerged. No, she was far too busy just trying to keep up with the maroon-haired Hematite to ask _anything._  
She kept on his trail, rushing through the city block, deeper into the pink district.  
\--  
 _Alright, keep low. Keep quiet. Find a good place to hide. Whoever's hunting is sure to be out and about by now._  
Slowly, the smallest Hematite made his way from some half-destroyed ruins toward the end of the city block that Mago was currently pursuing Hita through. He knew he had to keep moving.   
_Maybe if he could find somebody to work with... Tam, perhaps? They could function as a unit. There were no rules against teaming up._   
Hema sighed softly and scurried out from his current hiding spot, heading further into the pink district via a dense residential area. If he could make it past here, there were some meadows he could hunker down in. The tall grasses could provide excellent cover if he found the right spot. Looking up at the starlit sky, the service gem made his way briskly past the last city tower, now rushing across a rather open space to the rows of residential homes.

Quietly stalking through the streets, however, was a gem Hema probably  _ didn't _ fancy seeing too much. Rushing out of one of the nearby buildings, Mite had taken refuge inside somewhere, But, she didn't seem to like wandering inside a pitch black abandoned building. Eyes widening, the white haired hematite stopped and groaned under her breath.    
"Ah great, it's  _ you." _

Hema stopped abruptly and stood up straight, frowning up at the much taller service gem.   
_ Oh great, it's her. _   
Narrowing his eyes, the ivory-haired gem pursed his lips as he stared suspiciously at the other gem. After a moment, however, he actually stepped closer and crossed his arms.   
"Hey. Any idea who's hunting?"

Mite crossed her arms and squinted at the other gem in front of her, scoffing slightly.    
"Noooo clue. And no, I'm not just saying that... I haven't caught sight of anyone else yet. Cept buck tooth back there..." She sneered, gesturing in another direction. "Regardless, I'm not sticking around long enough to find out."

Raising a brow, Hema looked back toward the city. If he wasn't mistaken, he could hear the faintest tell-tale sounds of a harvester barreling around, but he couldn't be certain.   
"I might. I mapped this place out the other week when I was clearing it of Axinites. There's lots of good hiding places," he said partially to himself. He rubbed his chin, brows furrowing into a thoughtful frown. "I haven't seen anyone else yet either. I was going to see if I could team up with somebody, but..."

Mite let her arms fall to her sides, snorting indignantly.    
"If you're trying to hint at something, you can forget it short stack." She growled bitterly. "Do you really want them catching two at the same time? I'm not gonna have you slow me down."

Without missing a beat, the smaller Hematite waved a hand dismissively, not so much as  _ looking _ at Mite.   
"I wasn't talking about you, Mite. You'd just slow  _ me _ down. Like I'd waste my time teaming up with the likes of you," he said icily, starting to head away from the city block. He tilted his chin up, not even sparing her a glance as he walked by.

Brows furrowing, Mite felt her blood boil.    
"Why you...Are you saying I can't be a worthy ally? Is that it?" She snarled, stomping after him. "Hah! If anything,  **you'd** be the first to get caught, NOT me!!" She hissed.    
The distant footsteps sounded like they were getting closer.

"Actually, that's exactly what I'm saying. If anything I can't even  _ trust _ you not to shift up and try something unsavory while we're out in the middle of nowhere." He frowned and turned his head slightly. "Where's Hemmi? Shouldn't you be trailing after  _ her?" _ he asked snidely, his lip curling into a sneer. He didn't like that she was following after him. He'd only had a handful of experiences with this gem, and  _ all _ of them had been negative. Hell, one of them almost ended up with him being beat up, while the other almost ended in him being harvested.

Mite groaned and threw her hand up in acute annoyance.    
"Ugh, I don't know  _ where _ Hemmi is, and to be quite frank right now I could care less. The only thing I'm worried about is getting  _ caught _ right now." She said, crossing her arms and walking a bit faster.

Hema frowned and picked up his own pace, heading deeper into the residence area. The buildings slowly got taller, though they were nothing compared to the structures in the city block.   
"Hmph. Then you would be wise to find someone you can work with. Have someone scout above while someone else scouts below. Whoever's hunting is bound to be seen from a distance if two gems are being smart about their surveillance One keeps a lookout while the other searches for hiding spots." Squinting, he rolled his eyes. "Though I guess you probably already knew that, since you're so confident in your ability to avoid capture."

Mite scrunched her nose up in disgust. Who did this clod think he was?! ....Right, White's Hematite. _Spoiled brat._   
"Well good to know _you're_ incapable. I don't need you getting me caught!" She growled.   
Around that time, someone came skirting around the corner, dragging his claws into the ground to stop his speedy descent. At an alarmingly quick speed, Hita rushed down the street and ran right past Mite and Hema, not once stopping when he'd seen them. He was out of sight within a few seconds, darting swiftly behind a fence.   
Mite's eyes widened, turning her head quickly to follow the maroon haired Hematite's path. _She didn't know he could even_ ** _move_** _that fast...let alone that much at_ ** _all._**

Hema almost fell over in surprise at the other Hematite's blinding speed, and he shook himself off as he watched him rush around a corner, quickly out of sight.   
"What on Homeworld- ... Hita?"    
**_CRASH_ **   
Yelping, Hematite spun around, staring far down the street. A massive, long-haired gem sat up and shook herself off, looking around and quickly spotting the two gems in her path. She'd gone a little too quick around the corner and couldn't slow herself before running into one of the decrepit buildings, very nearly taking the wall out entirely.   
Eyes widening, Hema took a quick step back, sweat forming on his brow.   
_ Oh. _   
_ Oh stars no. _   
_ Not  _ **_Mago._ **

Mite looked between Mago and Hema wide eyed for a few seconds, before she reached out and  _ shoved _ Hema so hard that it knocked him over. Turning on a heel, Mite  _ bolted _ down the street in a panic.    
"That's YOUR problem, now! Have fun  _ not _ getting caught!!" She called out, cackling as she made it over the fence.

With a startled shout, the smaller service gem fell over, accidentally catching his leg on some rubble as he stumbled in an effort to regain his balance. That was a fruitless effort, however, and he ended up falling flat on his back, hitting his head rather roughly on the pavement. hissing through his teeth, he gripped his scalp and shut his eyes tight, a pounding throb echoing through his head. It drowned out everything else, though he still managed to call out, "Mite! You lousy clump, when I catch up with you-!"   
What little moonlight was illuminating the tiny service gem suddenly vanished, and a cold chill rushed over Hema's form as he opened his eyes, looking up. The pounding in his head had stopped, though he suddenly realized that the sound had been Mago's footsteps, and  _ not _ his aching head. Grinning, the ebony-haired gem now crouched over her much smaller kin, brows furrowed.   
_ "Evening, pipsqueak. Having a nice little stroll, are we?~" _ she crooned as she reached down. Hema stiffened and let out a soft, panicked noise as he tried to free his foot so he could stand and run, but it was too late, and Mago's finger quickly pinned him down by his chest. Plastering his hands back down on the pavement, the tiny gem stared up at the ebony-haired hunter, eyes wide.   
"N-now Mago, uh..."   
"I don't  _ care _ about anyone, eh pipsqueak? What do you know about me, huh?" she suddenly sneered, moving to grip the front of Hema's suit between her clawed 'nails'. Squeaking in surprise, the ivory-haired gem weakly struggled to push the giant gem's fingers away from him, but it was a pointless effort.   
"Mago, come on! Y-you were messing with Red, I got mad, I wasn't thinking st-RAIGHT," he yelped as the hunter lifted him up into the air by his suit. He gripped fearfully at her fingers, glancing down as the ground grew further away from him. "H-hey! Remember that time I helped you out with your powers? Aha... good times, huh?" Chuckling nervously, Hema continued to try and free himself from Mago's grasp, but she held him tight and lifted him close to her face. The ivory-haired gem finally dared to look up, though he quickly wished he hadn't. Mago was glaring at him with narrowed eyes, her lips curled into a sneer.   
"You're not talking yourself out of this one, pipsqueak. Save your breath. Oh and..." With a cruel grin, she licked her teeth. "Have fun with your little 'lessons' later."   
"W-WAIT!"

\--  
\--   
Walking rather briskly across a field, Mago kept her lips parted, constantly looking around to see if she could catch wind of anymore targets. She'd lost track of Hita and Mite, but figured they'd probably head deeper into the district. As such, she figured it'd be best to start further out and try to head them off.   
On top of that, she hadn't seen Ti since the start of this test; and if she knew her, she'd head out as far as she could before hiding. Perhaps she'd run into some of her other kin in that time. She still had over two and a half hours to hunt, she could take her time.

Fumbling around the outer edge of the city limits, Tam was nervously making her way through various alleys. She'd wanted to get out into the more dense areas, but she didn't want to risk going out in the open in case whoever was after them caught sight of her. Lifting a finger to her lip, she bit down on her nail and turned her head rapidly, scanning the horizon. She couldn't see hardly anything from down so low...but if she got on the rooftops, she might risk getting seen.

Mago continued on her way, heading for another, much more well-kept Pink District city. Activity seemed to be low in this area, and the ambient sound was far quieter. Frowning, Mago slipped into a dark alley, looking up at the moon. Alright, it took her about half an hour to walk here. She had around two hours left... Squinting, she pressed her back against the building wall.  _ If this area was quieter, she'd be heard coming from quite a distance. _ After a moment, the ebony-haired gem parted her lips and settled down, crouching low into the shadows, partially under an outcropping that overlaid a large alleyway.  _ Perhaps it was time to sit and wait, see if something would come to  _ **_her._ **

Without her maps, Tam was completely blind. She had no idea where she was wandering, and to make matters worse, she was starting to stress out. She had thought that not seeing anyone for quite some time would ease her nerves, but it actually did quite the opposite. She was becoming increasingly worried that the longer time went on, the more of a chance she had getting caught.    
Wandering down a street, Tam decided to make a bold move to get to the next area. If she didn't try to take a chance, then she wasn't going to make any progress.

...  _ Were those footsteps? _   
Opening her eyes a bit wider, Mago glanced to the side, keeping still. She didn't so much as breathe. She waited to see who was coming down the street.   
And her patience paid off. Tam passed by the dark alley Mago was hiding in, catching the giant gem's eye. Smirking, the harvester waited until her new target was out of her view. By the looks of it, Tam was heading out of this city block to the next, more condensed area. She'd be in trouble if she got there, but there happened to be a bit stretch of open area between here and there.  _ That _ would be her chance to strike.

Tam hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. She was so focused on getting from point A to point B that she didn't pay any mind to many details around her.  _ Including those that lurked in the shadows. _ Glancing up to the sky as she picked up her pace, Tam idly wondered just how much time was left for the test. It felt like it had been going on forever already...

Mago waited until Tam's footsteps faded a bit before she finally moved. She had no idea how the other ebony-haired gem's hearing was, but for her hunt's sake, she hoped it was worse than her own. Slowly, she shifted out of the alley, slinking around a corner. Right away, she spotted the casually retreating Hematite. Smirking, Mago lowered her head, pacing forward some distance.   
Unfortunately, she was so focused on her target that she didn't keep an eye on where she was placing her hands.   
**_Snap_ **   
Eyes widening, Mago grimaced and glanced down to see she'd snapped a sizable branch under her palm.

Tam's eyes widened, her head sharply turning to see the other ebony haired hematite some distance away. With an audible gasp, Tam quickly started to run.  _ Of  _ **_course_ ** _ it had to be  _ **_her..._ ** Maybe she could shake her if she made it to the rooftops. Unfortunately, there wasn't a really low lying building for another hundred feet or so.

Hissing through her teeth, Mago shot after the other black-haired gem, no longer trying to be quiet. She scraped herself up on some overgrown shrubbery and cluttered rubble in her pursuit, wincing every once in a while. Looking ahead, she glanced at the buildings.  _ She couldn't let Tam get over there. _ Picking up the pace, she raced after the gem on all fours, eyes narrowing.

Tam leaned forward into her run, sprinting as fast as she could. Within a few moments, she looked up to the buildings which started to become lower in height. Maybe this was her chance! Turning sharply, she made a leap for the closest building, but aimed just a bit too low. Clambering off the side of the roof, she dug her nails into the top of the building. She'd almost made it...but not quite. Now, dangling off the side of the gutters, she desperately tried to pull herself up.

Parting her teeth slightly, the service gem shot forward, trying to reach for the smaller gem. She undershot her reach a tad, hand slamming against the wall below Tam. Wincing, she looked up, eyes narrowing.

Tam yelped sharply in a fit of terror, scrambling to get up onto the roof. As soon as she'd made it up there, her foot kicked the gutter and sent it flying down into the alley. Tam quickly made a swift dash over to the other roof.  _ If she could stay on the rooftops, maybe she could get away. _

Hissing through her teeth, the giant gem swerved over to the side of the building and followed Tam down the street, at ground level.    
"Get down here and face me like a gem, Tam!" she called up, suddenly launching at the building she was currently on, her clawed nails latching onto the corner of the roof.

Tam didn't dare look back. Instead, she leapt skillfully from one roof to the other. After a couple of buildings or so, it looked like she was going to make it!   
_ But she'd miscalculated. _   
Suddenly, there was an abrupt change in the buildings. All of them became far too tall for her to climb up. Stopping in her tracks, Tam craned her neck up to look at how high the building was. Looking back, her eyes widened. She had to get off the roofs...this wasn't going to work. Hopping down onto the ground with a soft thud, Tam started off for the next area.  _ She had to hope there was somewhere else to go. _

Mago grew more and more frustrated with every building that Tam scaled. She was barely keeping up with her on the ground, and she was almost afraid that she'd lose the other ebony-haired gem.   
But then Tam slipped up.   
Grinning, Mago quickly darted toward where she'd seen the small gem jump down. Skidding around a corner, she quickly spotted the retreating target and chased after her. She was closing in fast.

Looking over her shoulder, Tam was starting to get increasingly worried. Her speed wasn't doing her any good here. Sure, she was fast, but the terrain wasn't helping her and Mago was catching up in her strides. From the looks of it, there weren't any more lower lying buildings within her reach. Maybe she could try running into one of the alleys again? No, that was too risky.  _ She'd have to just keep going... _ The next area wasn't too far away. Maybe she could get lucky.

Gritting her teeth, the ebony-haired gem bound forward and pounced for the much smaller gem, but she missed and hit the ground rather roughly some distance behind her. The miscalculation made her take a hit to her speed too. As she attempted to regain her ground before Tam could reach the next city block, she frowned and narrowed her eyes.  _ She'd gotten an idea. _ It was a long shot, but if her gut wasn't wrong...   
"Hey Tammyyy~! C'mon, don't you wanna join your buddy Hema?" she called after her with a taunting lilt to her voice.

_ What?! _   
Stumbling a little, Tam was startled by Mago's statement. Hema was caught?... She suddenly felt a massive pang of anxiety well up within her.  _ If  _ **_he_ ** _ got caught, what chance did she have?... _ Unfortunately, her doubts finally took a toll on her. Completely shredding through her focus, Tam lost her momentum and tripped, skidding into the ground rather ungracefully. She regretted not keeping her eyes on the road ahead...

_ That's all it took. _   
A few bounds and a pounce later, and Mago was directly upon the smaller gem. Her eyes half lidded, and she carefully picked Tam up by the back of her shirt, lifting her close to her face.   
"Have a nice trip?"

Whimpering, Tam held her arms close to her chest. Staring wide eyed at Mago, she looked both defeated and _terrified._   
"N-not really, no..."

At the smaller Hematite's rather  _ telling _ expression, Mago pursed her lips, arching a single brow. Tilting her head to the side slightly, she pulled Tam a little further from her face.   
"Ay, what's your problem? You look like you're facing down Yellow Diamond."

Tam's shoulders dropped slightly. _That was a little better...not much, but she at least wasn't unnervingly close._   
"Ah... S-sorry. You're um... Not going to let me go then are you?" She said, forcing a rather half-hearted smile.

"Psh. What do you  _ think, _ Tam? Of course not. I have a test to pass, after all." She sat up and placed a finger to her lip, tapping it quietly in thought. Her gaze never left the tiny gem. "Buuut I'll tell you what. You keep quiet, and I'll just take you back in a bubble instead of my  _ preferred _ method."

Tam sighed with relief, letting her arms drop to her sides.    
"That's, um... That would be  _ much _ better, thank you..." She mumbled, unable to meet her gaze.

"Hm." With a small smirk, she adjusted her hand to grab onto the tiny gem, wrapping her fingers loosely around her, before...   
_ Vwip! _   
"There we go. Now." Holding the gem a little closer to her face, Mago grinned and tapped the new silvery bubble with her index finger. "If you cost me a target, well. You're smart, you can figure out what'll happen."

She tried not to show it, but the smaller gem's nerves were hard to control. Nodding quickly, Tam clutched her arms tightly around herself, hunkering to one side of the bubble furthest away from Mago's face.    
"I'm not going to do anything...!"

Mago blinked and once more put a little extra distance between herself and her tiny captive. For a moment, she almost looked  _ confused. _ She quickly shook it off, though, and her expression shifted to one of vague annoyance.   
"Yeah yeah, alright. Don't go getting yourself all wound up, I'm not gonna bite ya or anything," she said with a huff, suddenly hovering the bubble over her hand. Turning to look around her, she motioned her hand under the silvery confines, making it follow after her. As the giant gem walked off, the bubble floated after her, never too far behind.

Tam pursed her lips and looked nervously around her spherical prison. Placing her palms reluctantly on the sides, she looked over at the massive gem walking ahead. She wondered if she was just bluffing about Hema...She wondered if anyone would be disappointed in her for getting herself caught. Looks like she was going to be stuck going to even  _ more _ lessons, now. Ah, well...perhaps she could use them.

After a few minutes of walking into the next area where, incidentally, Tam had been headed in the first place, Mago returned to her normal stalking pose. She noiselessly crept over rubble and ruined buildings, all her senses strained ahead. The bubble holding Tam followed behind her, never much further than arm's reach. Though it still glowed overhead, the Harvest moon was slowly creeping past its midpoint in the sky. It cast an eerie orange light over the city below, barely illuminating the huge hunter making her way through the streets. Glancing up, Mago pursed her lips and sniffed quietly. Her eyes narrowed.   
_ She could have sworn she heard footsteps. _   
_ Rapid footsteps. _   
Hunkering down, the black-haired Hematite kept behind a tall building, her teeth parted slightly. She didn't move.

Tam blinked, peering carefully through the silvery confines of the bubble. From what she could see, Mago had stopped somewhere. But, being encased inside the bubble, she didn't  _ hear _ what Mago had heard. She didn't dare speak though, either.

After a few moments, the footsteps suddenly stopped. The city block went quiet, aside from a faint rustling sound. Slowly, Mago lowered herself to the ground. Though Tam couldn't see it, her brows were furrowed.   
_ Was someone... crying? _   
Narrowing her eyes, the giant gem peered around the corner, trying to catch sight of who had been running down the street. To Mago's dismay, the entire road was completely overgrown with dense shrubbery, screening anything smaller than ten feet or so from view. The ebony-haired gem clicked her teeth together quietly before she slunk out from behind the tall building, toward the worst of the street's foliage. It was faint, but it looked like something was disturbing some woody thorneded branches in a deep patch of briars.

The bubble containing Tam floated gently behind Mago, just a few feet away from her. The closer she got though, the more Tam could start to hear things around them. Perking up slightly, the smaller of the two tilted her head.  _ Who...or what was that?... _

Lips parting, the harvester crawled onto a huge downed pillar that jutted out over the patch of briars. After a moment, she narrowed her eyes.   
_ Yep. There was definitely someone in there. _   
Carefully, Mago reached down and looked for a relatively clear patch in the thorny branches, placing her palm down on the ground. Supporting her weight on her arm, she craned her neck forward and peered down into the rustling patch of briars. Her eyes widened at the sight of one of her kin badly tangled up in a rather dense cluster of thorns.   
It was Tiny.   
The ruby-sized Hematite looked up sharply as her form was plunged into darkness by the looming hunter. Her eyes went wide as saucers, tears already pricking at their corners. Gritting her teeth, she whined, trying to struggle free of her current predicament. She could easily escape by shrinking down, but then she'd automatically fail.   
Though, that didn't seem to matter much, now.   
Frowning, Mago gazed at the tiny, scuffed-up gem, wincing as her struggles put a large tear in her suit.   
"Whoa whoa whoa, squirt. Calm down, let's get you out of there  _ intact, _ alright?" she said with a hint of concern. Mago reached her free hand over and carefully slipped it between the thorny branches, starting to try and free the small Hematite. Tiny grumbled and tried to scurry away, despite being stuck fast.   
"Noooo! Buzz off, Mago, I can do it myself!" she whined, tiny clawed fingers scuffing uselessly at the biggest branch holding her in place.

Tam gasped quietly, finally able to see the predicament ahead.    
"Oh dear, Tiny, what happened?" Tam called down, placing her hands on the side of the bubble.

The ruby-sized gem looked up sharply, squinting at the bubbled gem hovering far overhead.   
"Baaaah, not you too!" Growling, she kicked at the branches holding her, making no headway. Mago sighed and suddenly bopped Tiny on the top of her head. Flinching, the smaller Hematite looked up, eyes wide. She stopped struggling. Mago snorted quietly and kept working to free the tiny gem. Staring at Mago's hand, the short-haired service gem swallowed quietly.   
"... I ran in here trying to hide, but I pushed a branch the wrong way and it snapped down on me," she said meekly, not able to make eye contact with either gem.

Tam frowned worriedly, crossing her arms. She wasn't going to protest out loud at least, but she wondered what Mago would do once she'd freed the rowdy Hematite.    
"Tiny, you should be careful in places like this. It can be pretty dangerous out here!" Tam said, motioning her fingers through her bangs to move it out of her face slightly.

"Pbbbt, yeah yeah! I didn't care. I just wanted to..." Frowning, she fidgeted with her hands. "... find somewhere where no-one would find me."    
Mago frowned suspiciously at the smaller gem's moment of hesitation, but she didn't say much else. A few moments later, she untangled the branches enough to free Tiny's form. She reached down and pinched her suit between her clawed nails, lifting her up out of the briars. The short-haired Hematite kicked and flailed around, grumpily trying to get loose. Oddly enough, Mago noted that Tiny still seemed to have tears in her eyes, and that she seemed to have been crying  _ before _ she got tangled up.   
Holding her up to her face, Mago raised a brow at the smaller Hematite. Tiny looked up at her, holding her scuffed-up arms close to her chest, eyes wide. There was a long pause.   
Slowly, Mago suddenly moved back to the pillar and sat up, craning herself over to place Tiny outside of the thorny patch. She carefully placed her down and patted her forward with her fingertips.   
"C'mon then. Get going. That doesn't count, in my book." she said simply. Tiny looked up at her in surprise, almost  _ suspicious _ that the giant gem would grab her the moment she tried to run off.

Tam frowned, looking down from her bubble prison.    
"You'd better get going, Tiny." She said, tapping her fingers gently onto the smooth surface. If Mago was nice enough to let her go, she wondered if she was still going to chase her when she left or got far enough away.

Glancing up at Tam, the smaller gem scooted away a few paces. She stared up at Mago, swallowing quietly.   
"... Hemmi's in the center of the city, behind an old medical bay. Check under the emerald ferns."   
With that, she scurried off, racing down the street. Mago raised a brow, watching Tiny run off. She made no move to follow after her.

Tam looked over to Mago, then back at where Tiny had run off to.    
"What?...." She said, a little confused. Hemmi? What was she talking about? Why did she bring her up? Or rather... was she even telling the truth? What was that all about?

Narrowing her eyes, Mago stood straight, the bubble following her movement. She looked toward what she assumed to be the middle of the city block, frowning. After a long pause, she headed off in the opposite direction Tiny had gone in, crushing foliage and crumbling rubble underfoot. She went silent.

The smaller gem crossed her arms, leaning back slightly on the inside of the bubble.    
"Are you going after Hemmi, then?" Tam asked, glancing over curiously. She obviously wasn't going after Tiny, it seemed.

Mago didn't turn to look at the smaller gem. She kept her attention forward, shoulders squared. The giant gem was oddly rigid, compared to how she usually moved about.   
"Mmhm."

\--   
No more than twenty minutes later, and Mago had found her way into a huge, oval-like section of the city. The very center. Pink district cities often had a circular area in the middle, and this one was no different. As soon as she was within a good distance, she crouched down and slipped between two of the buildings leading to the middle clearing. There was a small cluster of buildings in the center of a large, overgrown park. One of them was a massive medical building, overgrown with huge, outreaching plants with bright green fronds. Some of them were as big as twenty feet in length, casting dark shadows around the structure. There was a particularly dense patch toward the back of the building, shielding anything and everything within from view. Mago narrowed her eyes to slits, creeping through the overgrown clearing.

Tam got a little lower in the bubble, her head tilting curiously and observing the area around her. She wished she could have used her visor to take some notes about this place while she was here, but she couldn't. Wait...could she? She didn't want to risk finding out.

Lips parting, the service gem slipped underneath some of the huge overhanging ferns, her form now dappled with pale orange moonlight and stark blue shadows from the plants overhead. There seemed to be a vaguely clear tunnel through the foliage, formed by some creature long gone. The ground was patted down by huge round feet, seemingly over a rather long time, considering how worn the dirt was.   
Mago froze up a few hundred feet into the foliage, eyes widening. There was a rather cold signature somewhere in the dense foliage, hidden from view. The giant gem tried to peer deeper into the shadows, but it was a pointless venture. She could sense someone was there, but she couldn't see them.   
After a long pause, she held up a hand behind her, to Tam's bubble. She extended her index finger in a sort of 'shushing' gesture, warning the other gem to stay quiet. She slowly withdrew her hand again, lowering herself to the ground.   
A moment later, she parted her lips and teeth, letting out a low, eerie hissing sound. It started out quiet, but suddenly increased in volume until it filled the space around the giant gem. Something in the foliage shifted.

Tam kept silent, watching the area ahead intently. How did she know someone was in there?... Was this where Tiny had lead her? She was a little worried, but didn't want to risk speaking up.

After a moment, Mago suddenly sharpened her hiss, pacing forward a few feet. A form suddenly  _ shot _ out from the ferns, heading away from Mago as quickly as possible. With her dull pink hair and banded outfit, it was unmistakable who it was.   
_ Hemmi. _   
Mago bolted after the smaller gem, no longer even trying to be quiet or stealthy. The pink-haired service gem managed to escape the huge patch of plants, but barely made it ten steps before her pursuer suddenly pounced from the ferns and landed directly behind her. She yelped in indignant surprise and tried to swipe at the much bigger gem, but was snatched up in her fist in no time flat. Mago narrowed her eyes and lifted up the smaller gem, not saying a word. She hovered Tam's bubble right behind her head, out of Hemmi's view.   
The smaller gem growled aggressively and struggled to get out of Mago's grasp, scratching and beating at her hand best she could.   
"Let me go you defective cretin! Stars, I should have known White would pick one of you measly runts! Put me down!" she demanded venomously, glaring daggers up at the bigger gem. Mago still remained silent, teeth grit in a sneer. Hemmi curled up her own lip, baring her teeth at the giant hunter. There was a pause as she pushed and pried at the giant gem's hand, trying to loosen it. She struggled for a good while before she finally spoke up again, infuriated by Mago's silence.   
"Tiny ratted me out, didn't she?! Why that miserable little pebble, first she tries to steal my hiding place and now she gives me away?! Ohhh she's going to hear about this later-"   
_ Toss. _   
_ SNAP. _   
Frowning, Mago closed her lips, a deep scowl on her face. She tossed her hair behind her shoulder, standing straight. Tam's bubble floated out in front of her idly as she looked around. Her nose wrinkled slightly at Hemmi's less than pleasant flavor.  _ Tch, she tasted like carbonite, or something like it... _ She ignored the pink-haired gem's muffled, angry protests, looking up at the moon to check her time. Looks like she had about an hour or so left? Well, she'd just gotten her fourth target~

Tam gasped quietly, but otherwise stayed quiet. She certainly wasn't going to say anything  _ now. _ She didn't entirely like the idea of joining Hemmi in there. With an awkward shrug, Tam forced another smile and gestured for the direction behind her.    
"Eheh, well...what now?..." She asked rhetorically. She didn't know how many Mago had caught, but knowing her, it was probably a few if she wasn't already done.

Mago gave the smaller gem a look and pursed her lips. Cocking a brow, she glanced down at her mouth, then back up at her bubbled target.   
_ Does it look like I can answer right now? _   
Without a word, she walked off toward the head of the pink district once more, not making any effort to stay low or quiet. As soon as she was out of the city block, she picked up the pace, racing toward the drop-off location.   
\--   
No more than ten minutes later, she'd made it to the clearing. Before she stepped into view of the diamonds, she opened her mouth and pulled Hemmi out by her shirt. She smacked her lips a few times and sniffed in displeasure, glaring at the tiny gem. Hemmi glared right back, her hair matted and plastered to her head.   
"I swear to stars, Mago. You're gonna regret that," she hissed, barely a whisper. Mago rolled her eyes.   
"I already do. You taste terrible," she retorted, walking into the clearing.

Tam stifled the smallest of chuckles, but it was too quiet for the disgruntled pink haired gem to hear. Though, upon spotting the other gems in the distance, Tam perked up and tapped the side of the bubble.    
"Excuse me, Mago. May I get out of this bubble now?"

Looking over to the other black-haired Hematite, Mago smirked to herself.   
"Weeell. Since you asked so nicely." She reached over, cupping her hand below the smaller gem and resting the bubble on her palm. She curled a clawed finger up and tapped the side, releasing Tam from her confines.

Tam landed into the giant gem's palm, shaking her head with a huff. Brushing herself off, Tam stood up carefully and grabbed onto Mago's finger.    
"Ahem...thank you."

After a moment, an almost  _ friendly _ smile crossed Mago's face, but it faded quickly. She walked over to the diamonds.   
"No problem.~" Crouching down, she lowered Hemmi to the ground with a 'plop'. The pink-haired gem grumbled under her breath, unable to meet her leaders' eyes. Mago touched her hand down to the ground as well, letting Tam climb off on her own.

Tam stepped forward with a small frown, crossing her arms. She held her head low, hanging it in shame. White glanced between Hemmi and Tam for a moment, but then back up to Mago.    
"Three out of Four. You have about an hour left. Be swift, Mago." White stated with a prompt nod.

Mago stood straight, placing her hands on her hips. She smiled in a rather smug manner, cocking a brow.   
"Ohh yeahhhh. About that.~" After a moment, her midsection started to glow, and she reached a hand in casually, pulling out her hand after a short second. Turning her hand over, she dangled a rather disgruntled, soggy gem from her grasp. Hema grimaced and rubbed at his eyes, groaning in displeasure.    
"Aaagh, bright. Mhhgm." He huffed angrily, sparing a glance down at the diamonds. "..."

  
  


Gasping sharply, Yellow looked away, expression one of undisguised distaste and mild horror.    
  
"WHAT is WITH all of you and your-"   
Blue gave Yellow a quick nudge with her elbow without taking her eyes off of the soggy gem before them. Grinning, Blue snickered under her breath and lifted her hand to her chin.    
"HEeeeey Hema, have a good nap did ya? Don't tell me ya slacked off kid!" She teased. Yellow crossed her arms and turned away, unable to look at either of them. Placing her face in her palm, she shook her head with a sigh. White rolled her eyes and stepped forward.    
"Well, then...um...That technically counts as four then. Very well, the test is over then! Yellow, if you would, please." White said, raising a brow. Yellow looked up from her hand and glowered at White with an inexplicable, half disgusted and half annoyed expression.

Mago glanced at Yellow, her expression falling for a moment. She quickly forced a smile and placed Hema on the ground.   
"Actually, White. I was wondering if I could have the rest of the time to see how many of the others I could catch. There's one particularly elusive one that I have my eye on.~"    
Hema tried to wipe himself off with mildly disgruntled grumbles, not bothering to look up at his leaders.

White raised a brow and, then her hand.    
"I don't see why not." She said, intrigued. "Very well. You have an hour." She said, baring a small smirk. Blue placed her hands on her hips and continued to chuckle.    
"Good luck!"

Waving at the two, the giant gem chuckled and turned away, walking off.   
"Thanks, but I don't think I'll need it~" she said casually, heading out of the clearing. Hema looked back at the harvester, pursing his lips. He squinted and looked over at Tam.   
"... She got you too huh."

Tam sighed and crossed her arms, looking over at Hema with a concerned frown. Raising her brows, she looked up and down his soaked form, sniffing once.   
"Yeah. Buuut it looks like I got out of this the easy way... Stars, what did you do to make her...do that?"

Standing up, the ivory-haired gem wiped himself off, pouting.   
"Honestly, it's Mago. Does she need a reason, really? It's not the first time it's happened." he said rhetorically. Sighing, he looked away awkwardly. "... I might have said something that upset her, I guess."

Tilting her head slightly, Tam frowned.    
"I'm not going to ask..." She said, crossing her arms. Looking to the side, Tam shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath in through her nose. "Regardless... Um... looks like we're both taking those lessons, then." She said, turning her head to peer over at the  _ less _ than thrilled pink haired hematite nearby. "And her..."

Hemmi was busy disgustedly wiping herself off, grumbling unintelligibly under her breath. She shot a venomous sneer at the other two gems before turning and walking off on her own. Hema's gaze followed her before resting on Frecks and Mati a little ways off. It looked like they were having a chat.    
"Yeeep... I wonder if anyone else will be joining us," he said quietly, walking over to the taller gem. He looked up at her, raising a brow curiously. "Hopefully it'll be someone a bit less bristly than Hemmi," he said with a small, coy smirk.

Tam peered down, then over at the Diamonds. Casually, she started off for the area off to the side where the Hematites were stationed before.    
"Hm, hopefully...I would say, assuming Mago catches anyone else, but let's be honest....it's Mago." She said with a small chuckle.

Hema gave Blue and White an awkward, half-hearted smile before he walked off with the taller service gem.  _ Hopefully White wasn't too disappointed with him. _   
"Hah, yeahh. I'm surprised she didn't catch Meta or Hita yet, honestly. Or Tae." He looked up at Tam with an unreadable expression. "I hope she wasn't too rough with you."

Tam shrugged a single shoulder, chuckling once.    
"Ah, nah...not really." She said. She suddenly thought back to the rooftops back in the broken down city. Mago really was an avid hunter. It was no wonder she'd been picked for this test. "I'm fine. But, I have to wonder who that 'elusive' gem is that she's after now..."

Hema tilted his head slightly, glad to hear that Tam hadn't been hurt. He turned and sat down, tapping his feet together as he looked up at the moon.   
"Aah. Who knows. Ti would be my guess."   
\--   
_ Alright Hita, where in stars' name are you? _   
Narrowing her eyes, the ebony-haired gem crept forward through a field, having shifted down to her half height. She wanted some extra cover, and figured that if she could stay low enough in the tall grass, maybe her kin wouldn't see her coming. She'd been wandering around for a good twenty minutes or so, combing her way through the area she'd seen Hita and Mite last.   
The giant gem paused and sighed silently, parting her teeth as she looked around, head low and out of sight. She wanted to make sure nobody was around before moving on to the next area.

_ Skrch. _   
_ sssch. _   
  
_ Ssssccccrrrreeeeeeeee. _   
  
Distant, faint noises could be heard coming from the next area over within one of the more forested areas, the one that Tiny had come out of before.

  
  


Mago's eyes widened at the eerie sound, the hair on her neck standing on end.  _ What on Homeworld was that? _ Creeping forward, she kept her body low. She eventually passed up the area where she'd untangled Tiny and slipped into a dense overgrown section of the pink district. Mago's keen senses detected a few smaller gem monsters here and there, but they seemed intent on staying out of sight for the moment. Besides, she was far more interested on what that odd sound was.

_ SCRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH! _   
  
The sound suddenly rang out through the forest, sending a few small gem monsters fleeing from one direction in particular. There, in the underbrush, was a pathway of more crystalline looking rocks that jutted from the ground. Somewhere within the horde of crystal rocks, something was moving around slowly.    
  
**SCREEEEKKk**   
  
Dragging his clawed fingers across the surface of the stone, Hita was standing next to one of the taller crystals with half-lidded eyes. Transfixed on the small scratches he'd made in the rocks, he seemed to be walking around and 'marking' a few of them. Every few rocks or so bore four long claw-like scars across their faces.

Blinking in surprise, Mago hunkered down, keeping as low to the ground as she could. She parted her lips, trying to pinpoint the other gem with her senses. He was directly ahead, in some patch of crystal spires... How was she supposed to get to him without alerting him of her presence? It was near pitch-black in the patch of forest, with the moon slowly dimming, but he'd still  _ hear _ her if she moved.

Silently tilting his head, Hita slowly leaned over to the side, his arms hanging beside him. After a few moments, he straightened back up and walked to the other side of the crystal, narrowing his eyes. With a quiet grunt, he hoisted himself on the top of it, peering around the rocky area. It seemed surrounded with trees and shrubbery, but this area in particular was very crowded with crystals for some reason.

Narrowing her eyes, Mago looked over at a tree nearby. She silently lifted her hand, dug her clawed fingers into the rough trunk, and drug her nails down, creating a loud, grating sound. She kept her eyes locked on Hita.

Hita perked up, his eyes wide. He looked quickly at the horizon, peering into the dark forest around him. Hunkering down low to the crystal, he narrowed his eyes.  _ What was that... _

She did it again, a bit louder the second time. She'd be damned if she went after him while he was in that cluster of crystals. That was an accident waiting to happen.

Hita suddenly grabbed a hold of the side of the crystals, raking his claws against the top. Narrowing his eyes, he looked around quickly to see if that drew anyone out.  


"... Oh for star's sake!" Ripping her claws from the shredded side of the tree, Mago quickly paced forward, out of the shadows of the dense foliage. "C'mere you little-" She narrowed her eyes, quickly reaching forward for the maroon-haired gem.

  
**"HSSSSS!"**   
  
With blood curdling hiss, Hita darted off of the crystal onto another, taller rock. Scattering to the top at a wicked speed, he suddenly lunged onto one of the trees and climbed up, turning to face the ebony haired hunter. His eyes narrowed, Hita lowered his body on the tree branch, grabbing a hold of it. He stared quietly, unmoving.

The giant service gem glanced back over her shoulder at the maroon-haired gem, blinking in surprise. He'd gotten away from her so quickly she'd barely seen where he went.   
"Oh yeah that'll really help you. Just get down here, I've already caught my four required gems!" she grumbled, starting to sit up and reach for the smaller Hematite. Her back scraped against some of the other outlying branches, making her wince slightly.

Hita suddenly jumped to another branch, swinging low and holding onto it with a single hand.    
"Then why are you chasing me?" He asked nonchalantly  _ Shouldn't you be back at the base? Shouldn't Yellow Diamond have set off the signal? _

"Because I like hunting targets that are more challenging." Mago reached for him again, but caught her sleeve on a sharp branch. Hissing through her teeth, she tugged it loose, making another go for the odd-toothed gem.

Hita pulled himself up on the branch, standing idly for a moment before leaping over to yet another confusing set of branches.    
"Ah, isn't this just wasting time?" He asked, turning again. After he spoke, he suddenly leaped up higher into the tree, climbing it skillfully.

The giant gem grit her teeth and reached up to one of the massive branches, forcibly hoisting herself up, ignoring the others that scraped against her sides and face.   
"We wouldn't be wasting time if you just let me catch you!" she retorted, getting more frustrated by the second.

Hita raised his brows slightly, darting over onto another higher branch. Peering down, he didn't seem to be in any particular  _ hurry _ to get away.   
"Is this necessary?..."

"... Well, not really. But you've gotten away from me twice now, I'm not gonna take that laying down! I have a reputation to uphold." Scoffing, she reached up and pulled herself further into the massive tree, swiping her hand toward him.

Raising a brow, Hita jumped down and landed  _ on _ Mago's shoulder, quickly darting off onto a lower lying branch. As soon as he'd landed, he jumped down onto the crystalline rocks yet again, practically running circles around the ebony haired gem.   
"And I have a reputation to create. Maybe if I can keep from getting caught, the others might have some shred of respect for me. Soooo I'm not gonna let you catch me that easy." He said, quickly turning and jumping away from rock to rock.

At first, the ebony-haired gem went to reach for the elusive service gem, but she suddenly froze up as he darted away. Something he said seemed to strike a chord with her, and she made no further move to go after him.   
"... Hmph."   
_ THUD _   
Without a word, the giant gem suddenly leapt back to the ground and sped off where she'd entered the forest from. She didn't look back, nor did she ever respond to Hita's statement.

Hita straightened up, though he kept his guard up. What was that about? Why did she leave? Or was she really gone? Inhaling slowly, he shrugged and grumbled something under his breath, looking back down to the crystal rocks below. He was a bit confused as to why she'd given up so quickly, but he wasn't going to argue with it, let alone dwell. Maybe he should get out of this forest though...

The service gem sped off out of the forest and stopped in the field of grass, looking back. She frowned subtly, a small breeze blowing her hair aside. He was genuinely impossible for her to get ahold of... how? How was someone who never seemed to move around as quick and limber as he was? He'd given her a run for her money three times now in one night,  _ after _ being poofed and having gone through another whole test.   
  
_... Well. You've got my respect, if that counts for anything. _   
  
Rushing off, Mago headed for another city block, not bothering to go much further than the forest. She hadn't checked out the closer residential areas very well. Maybe someone  _ easier _ to catch would be there.   
\--   
\--   
Tapping his feet together, Hema yawned quietly, looking up at the diamonds.   
"Just another minute or so, huh?" he said idly, glancing at the ebony-haired gem sitting next to him.

Tam smiled faintly, sparing the shorter service gem a somewhat solemn look.    
"Yeah. I wonder if she's caught whoever she's looking for. She's running out of time out there." She said, turning her head to look out at the horizon. The night felt like an eternity, and yet, the moon still hung high overhead. Though, it was starting to sink. There was only a few more hours left in the night. Tam wondered suddenly about this 'third yet optional' test.

"Knowing her, she probably did," he said quietly, looking up at the stars. He too was wondering what this mysterious last test was all about. They'd only have one target to go after, and they'd have a twenty minute head start. What sort of gem would they choose for such a test?   
_... He hoped it wasn't an Emerald. _

\--   
The minutes ticked by in no time, and Yellow Diamond stepped forward. Flicking her sword to the air, she shot out a massive lightning bolt into the sky. The Second Test was now over. Tam looked up as the light from Yellow Diamond's strike illuminated the sky around it, eyes widening slightly.    
"Looks like time's up."

Hema blinked in surprise and looked up as well, nodding once.   
"Looks like it. I guess she ran out of time. Oh boy, she's not gonna be happy about that." Chuckling nervously, he shrugged a shoulder, looking toward the entrance of the clearing. Eventually, the remaining target gems started to file in. They looked rather relieved. Hema noticed that Meta and Hita weren't among them.

Tam looked over to the slowly accumulating crowd of Hematites, her brows raised slightly. She too took notice of the missing gems, but wondered  _ where Mago _ was more than anything.

Hema stood up and counted the Hematites that entered the clearing, frowning slightly. Hita, Meta, and Mago were all missing. The ivory-haired gem crossed his arms nervously. A few more minutes passed before Hita finally made his way toward the group, and Hema sighed in relief.   
_ But... where were Mago and Meta? _

Tam pursed her lips, walking back idly towards the group. She'd seen Hita around Meta quite a bit, so maybe he'd know where she was. Approaching the maroon haired Hematite, Tam cleared her throat.    
"Excuse me, do you know where Meta happens to be?" She asked, raising a brow.    
Hita's expression hadn't changed, other than his eyes narrowing slightly.    
"No? Why?" He asked, slouching. Tam frowned and looked out to the horizon yet again, her brows furrowing.    
"Hm...."

A couple more minutes passed before the tell-tale footsteps of a giant gem were heard in the distance. Mago soon came around the corner at her full height, carrying Meta casually in her palm, close to her chest. The pink-haired service gem didn't seem particularly pleased, but she wasn't making any effort to escape. She had her arms crossed and was leaning back against Mago's chest, keeping her eyes forward. With a smirk, Mago tossed her hair behind her shoulder.   
"Sorry I took so long. But I caught Meta here before the signal was given. You can ask the guards.~" Crouching down, she carefully placed Meta with the other Hematites. Adjusting her gloves, the well-built gem huffed and crossed her arms.  _ If she'd just made it five more minutes. _   
Mago looked over the group curiously, but soon turned to the diamonds up near the warp pad.   
"Sorry for delaying the next test. I was  _ trying _ to catch a certain target who presented a challenge...  _ Hita, _ actually." She glanced back at the maroon haired gem, cocking a brow. "... I'm afraid he bested me. Three times."

Raising her brows, White looked between Meta and Mago, mumbling something quietly under her breath. Hita's eyes widened slightly and he rubbed his arm, staying silent. A few of the Hematites gave him short glances, but otherwise didn't say much of anything. The maroon haired hematite backed up slowly, soon standing frozen in place, expression completely unreadable.    
"Three times? Really? .... With you? Well, then. That is quite, ah...something." The tallest diamond glanced briefly over at the crowd, her gaze resting subtly on the odd toothed Hematite standing near the end of the line. Raising a single brow, White glanced back up at Mago with a nod. "Still, even you've gone above and beyond and exceeded expectations, Mago. Very well done." White stated with a wide, proud smirk on her face. "I'll see to it that you're rewarded accordingly, just as promised! Thank you for your diligent and ever eager participation. You may return to the crowd. The rest of you who got  _ caught _ however, will be required to attend special lessons, as you know. But fear not, they shouldn't be all that bad." She continued.

At White's praise, the ebony-haired Hematite perked up, a  _ genuinely _ excited smile on her face for a moment. She saluted her leader respectfully, for once with no trace of sarcasm, and nodded before walking back over to the group. Instead of shifting down, she rested on a nearby building, waiting for White to continue.   
The Hematites that had been caught all gave each other short glances, but otherwise didn't seem  _ too _ worried about these 'lessons'. They stood at attention in their group and gazed up at the diamonds, awaiting news of their next optional test.

White looked over to Yellow, who gave her a brief, worried look. Leaning over, Yellow whispered something in White's ear, looking a bit reluctant. However, White nodded with a small smile, placing a hand on Yellow's shoulder. Walking forward, White stood in front of the Hematites, tall and formal as ever.   
  
"Rest up, Hematites. For your next test begins in approximately thirty minutes. Now, if you remember correctly, this test will be _completely optional._ However, anyone who participates and _succeeds_ in the next test will be rewarded  significantly. Allow me to recap." She began. A few of the Hematites seemed to look attentive, but others seemed a little more confused than others.  
"The night of the Harvest Moon will be lasting for 3 more hours. The sun will rise, and the events of the evening will be officially complete. Your goal during this time, should you choose to participate is to capture _just one_ elusive target. This target has been picked already as of many weeks ago, and you will have to be on your toes in order to catch them. Once again, you are not allowed to use your hunting visors or break your size restriction of your half sizes. You are also _not_ to poof or damage your target or you will face dire consequences. Same as before."

The service gems nodded in turn, staring up at White with varying levels of curiosity. Hema tilted his head slightly, his arms folded behind him. Hemmi looked intrigued, yet suspicious. Tiny, on the other hand, looked a bit disinterested. She'd had enough of tonight and could tell that even with half an hour of resting, she wouldn't be able to participate. Her energy was far too low. Meta was in the same boat, and didn't really fancy going through another test tonight.

White folded her palms together, looking over each and every one of the Hematites lined up in front of her.    
"The target will be given a twenty minute head start. The kindergarten is off limits as you know, so do not bother going there. This test is going to test your wit. Your speed. Your capabilities. Your endurance. Everything. I want those who choose to participate to give it all they've got and use everything they've learned so far to pass this test. I feel as though this last event will really test your skills. So....that being said." White closed her eyes and took a step back, smirking coyly.    
"You're probably wondering  _ who your target _ is."

The group below remained silent, some of the Hematites glancing curiously at each other. The shortest gem blinked curiously, narrowing his eyes slightly up at his leader.  _ Wait a moment... _   
  
_... Surely not. _

White's form suddenly shifted, a bright light enveloping her for a few moments which twisted in a few places, something long and flowing draping behind her. As she reformed, her hair became longer and styled downwards. She wore a solid black suit with a massive cape that wrapped around her neck. Smirking, White placed a hand on her hip and stood before them proudly.   
  
"The target for your next test is  **me."**

  
  



	87. Somewhere Only We Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Harvest Moon finishes with test three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This chapter is completely unedited! There WILL be a lot of typos and mistakes, but all of the chapter is still here! We will update it when we can with the fully edited version! This means small details are up to change until this note is gone. Sorry for the inconvenience, but both editors are either INCREDIBLY sick, or away from their computers!]

A quiet murmur drifted between the Hematites, some of them staring at White in surprise or confusion, some of them chatting in intrigue. Hema felt his heart sink, eyes widening.  _ White was going to be their target? That wasn't safe! What if another accident happened? What if she got hurt? _ Biting his lip, he looked away, fidgeting behind his back.   
The ebony-haired gem seated on a nearby building perked up, brows raising.  _ White herself, huh? Ohoho, this could be an even more interesting challenge than Hita. _ Lifting a hand to her chin, she drummed her fingers along her lip, eyes narrowing in thought.   
Some of the other Hematites looked generally tired or disinterested. It had been a long night, and most of them didn't fancy chasing a diamond around. Tiny and Meta already looked like they'd checked out at this point, making no move to step forward or try and volunteer. On top of being exhausted, Meta didn't really fancy risking White getting hurt. Sure, she'd made progress with her strength control, but accidents could still happen. And with this test being optional, she wasn't going to risk that.   
Tiny, HT, Tae, and Hemmi were simply too tired to participate. They'd all worn themselves out one way or another, and could tell that if they tried to do another hours-long test, they'd shrink down during it. And Tiny, for one, wanted  _ no _ part in that.

  
  


Tam's brows raised slowly, her lips parting slightly.  _ White herself? _ What was she thinking?... Well, at least Tam's energy still seemed to be doing rather fine. Perhaps she could use this as a chance to redeem herself in the eyes of her leader, that is assuming she was disappointed in any way at all. It was worth a shot at least.  _ Couldn't hurt to try? _   
Mati on the other hand looked suddenly  _ excited. _ A chance to chase White Diamond around? She was all for it! She seemed like the kind of target that would be really fun to track and run around trying to catch. She'd probably never get this kind of opportunity again, so she was all for it!    
Hita was far less enthusiastic, however. Sighing heavily, he took a few steps back and groaned, falling face first on the ground. Mumbling something under his breath, he folded his arms over his head and closed his eyes. He was so tired...maybe he could get in a quick nap before the night was over. He'd done his part for the day, and since this was an optional test, he certainly didn't feel up for the challenge. He'd let someone else worry about that.

  
  


Tiny looked at the line of Hematites before she pursed her lips and trotted off toward the resting area.  _ Yeahh, she was definitely sitting this one out. _   
Looking over at the maroon-haired service gem, Meta arched a brow, walking over. Without so much as a word, she crouched down, picked Hita up around the waist, and put him over her shoulder. She looked up at White, gave her a quick salute, and then walked off with the tired service gem, toward the area where Tiny had gone.   
Hemmi followed suit as well, motioning for Mite to follow her. She made sure to avoid the others, walking to a more secluded section of the resting area. Tae and HT followed after her.   
Ti, however, stayed in place. She had her arms folded behind her, her gaze locked on White Diamond.  _ White as a target... Well that was certainly...  _ **_something._ ** Frowning slightly, she looked away, but made no move to leave the very small line of Hematites still standing before the diamonds. It was just her, Hema, Mati, Tam, and Mago, she supposed.  _ Five Hematites and one diamond. Surely someone would catch her, right? _

  
  


White looked back at Yellow and tapped her wrist, then looked back at the lineup of Hematites.    
"Good to see some of you still have it in you. On that note then, I shall be off. Remember, you have three hours. Best of luck!" She said with a smirk. Suddenly, White turned on her heel and bolted off down the path as fast as she could. Best not to waste  _ any _ time. Yellow looked at Blue who gave her a reassuring pat on the back. Rolling her eyes, the slightly taller Diamond turned away with an unreadable expression, her fingers tugging at the sleeve of her glove casually.

  
  


Hema watched White run off, still biting his lip nervously.  _ Stars keep her safe out there... _ He looked at the lineup of gems. Himself, Tam, Mati, Mago... and Ti. None of these gems were particularly  _ dangerous, _ at least. He was glad to see Hemmi and Mite weren't participating, but still. Sighing, the ivory-haired gem looked over at Tam and stepped closer, adjusting his sleeves.   
"You're gonna have a go at this?"

  
  


Tam stood as professionally as she could, trying to keep whatever confidence she  _ did _ have left.   
"Ah, yes. I'm going to try at least!" She said, forcing a rather awkward smile. "I don't know what kind of a challenge she'll be, but...if it's White Diamond, I imagine she's not going to be particularly easy to catch. What do you think?..." She asked, glancing down at Hema.

  
  


Smiling lopsidedly, Hema shrugged a shoulder, looking off toward the district.   
"She won't be easy, no. She really knows how to use that cloak to her advantage. I've seen her use it twice now... It's rather intriguing, actually," he said quietly, sounding lost in thought.

  
  


Tam pursed her lips, thinking curiously to herself. 

"Where have you seen her use it? What's it like, how does she use it to aid her?" She asked in awe.

  
  


Ti looked over at the two, pursing her lips. She'd listened silently for a few moments, lost in thought. However, after another moment, before Hema could reply, she walked over, tilting her head.   
"Sorry... I hope I'm not intruding," she said quietly, clasping her hands in front of her. "Hema, do you have any advice that could help us?" she asked politely. The shorter service gem turned and raised a brow at her, almost looking reluctant to say anything. He and Ti hadn't left off on the best note, and things had been awkward between them, to say the least. This was the first time she'd even spoken to him since the Nocturne Fusion Event.   
"Uh, well." Stepping back, he stood so he could look at the both of them. "She wraps it around her to hide. She can blend in with the shadows pretty well using that method. Annnd on top of that, she's incredibly agile. Even if she couldn't hide, she's quick and tricky."

  
  


Tam placed a finger on her lower lip, tapping it idly. Slowly moving her finger into her mouth, she chewed at her nail for a moment.    
"Hm...alright, and in this darkness, she'd be a little hard to spot... This is probably going to be hard..." She said. About this time, the boisterous gray haired hematite, Mati, bounded forward and bumped into Tam from behind.    
"Heeeey whatcha guys talkin' about?" She said, grinning up at Tam who shot her a rather annoyed look.    
"We're discussing White and her methods."

  
  


Hema nodded and spared Mati a glance.    
"Yes. I'm not going to lie, this is probably going to be borderline impossible." He looked up at the sinking moon. "White  _ knows _ us. She knows our methods, our tricks, how we tick... She'll know every way to avoid any of us on our own." There was a short pause. Slowly, Hema's brows raised. Ti tilted her head, pursing her lips curiously.   
"Hematite, did you think of something?" she asked quietly. Hema blinked and nodded.

  
  


"Ooooh so how do we catch her? Is she fast?" Mati said, rubbing her palms together eagerly. Tam ran her fingers through her hair and rolled her eyes.    
"Mati, we're going to have to  _ find _ White first." She said, frowning. "And that's not going to be very easy without our visors..."

  
  


Narrowing his eyes at the moon, Hema muttered something to himself. Ti blinked in confusion, stepping a tad closer.   
"What was that?"   
"She might know how to avoid us alone... but what if we worked as a  _ group?" _ he repeated, loud enough for the others to hear him.

  
  


Tam raised a finger to her lip slightly, tapping her fingers on her chin.    
"Hm.... Actually...that  _ could _ work...!" She said, smiling gradually. Mati crossed her arms and huffed, a little less enthusiastic about the idea.   
"Awww group stuff is booooring. I wanna chase her myself." She grumbled, glancing off to the side.

  
  


Pursing his lips, Hema drew his attention from the sky and eyed the gray-haired gem, squinting.   
"You won't get to chase her at all if we can't  _ find _ her. She's probably going to keep low and in the shadows, making it impossible to see her..." he said thoughtfully.   
Still seated on a building nearby with one leg tucked over the other, Mago bobbed her foot in place. She gazed at the other four gems in disinterest, particularly sparing Ti a few dirty glances.   
"Tsh. Why don't you guys just, you know. Use your senses?" she asked condescendingly, a brow raised.

  
  


Tam sighed heavily and narrowed her eyes at Mago, though she was more worried than anything.    
"My strongest sense is my vision...and that's not going to do me much good if I can't  _ see _ anything." She said. Mati scratched her head and shrugged, looking unphased by Mago's statement.    
"Eh, maybe we can make a lot of loud noise and spook her out." She said. Tam's brow twitched. Turning her head sharply to look at the rowdier hematite, Tam seemed to be rather annoyed.   
"She's a Diamond, Mati. She's not like other gems... I highly doubt that's going to work."

  
  


Mago blinked and frowned in annoyance, puffing her bangs out of her face.   
"Not your eyes or ears or anything like that. You know, your extra senses."   
Hema scrunched up his nose with an incredulous snort, looking up at the giant gem.   
"Mago what  _ are _ you talking about," he asked almost suspiciously, impatience lacing his tone. The ebony-haired gem furrowed her brows, staring down at the smaller Hematites.   
"... You know. Like. You can tell when a warmer or colder gem is nearby. That sense."

  
  


Tam's eyes widened, her gaze suddenly drifting upwards.    
"Excuse me?" She said, now more curious than ever. Was she just messing with them?... Maybe she just never noticed it before? No, certainly not...she would have been able to tell if she could sense that sort of thing. How was that even possible?

  
  


Hema looked at Tam shortly before turning his gaze back up to Mago.   
"... Mago, I certainly don't have a sense like that. And I'm pretty sure Tam doesn't either."  _ Otherwise, wouldn't Tema have ad it? _ "Are you sure you're not just imagining things?"   
The ebony-haired gem looked genuinely confused, but then scoffed and tossed her hair back.   
"Of course not! It's just like... You know! Gems have signatures, kind of like on the visors. But it's their 'warm' or 'cold' signatures. Rubies and Sapphires are really easy to pick out from a normal environment, along with Morganites and, well, you guys." She motioned a hand toward Blue Diamond, who was still up on the warp pad landing. "Even Blue's got a slightly 'cool' signature to her right now. ... Do you not have that sort of thing?" she asked curiously. Hema arched a brow, utterly baffled.   
"... No. Well, I don't, at least."

  
  


Tam suddenly seemed to perk up, walking up a few paces closer to Mago.    
"Stars, have you told White about that? I don't...I don't think that's normal for most Hematites. At least, well, to my knowledge anyway...Mati can you do that?" Tam asked, glancing at the gray haired hematite. Mati shrugged and smiled slightly, peering up at Mago.    
"Nnnnnope. Sounds like you're just weird, hehe!"

  
  


Ti kept quiet, averting her gaze from the rest of the group. She crossed her arms and stepped back a pace. Mago spared her a quick glance, but didn't say anything. She turned her attention back down to Tam and Mati.   
"Hah, nah I never bothered to mention it. I thought all of us had that sense... Heh. Guess it must be a unique thing, huh?" she said in an almost cocky manner, shrugging one of her shoulders with a smirk. "Yep. That's how I found Hemmi in those ferns, or Tiny in the briars. I don't know how to explain it. I can just 'see' gems that are hot or cold. It doesn't work on average gems though." She pursed her lips and squinted at nothing in particular. "I wonder what White's signature is like."

  
  


Admittedly, Tam wished she could take a few notes on that, but she was a bit too shy to ask Mago about it now. Besides, she didn't really want to get side tracked too much from the task ahead of them.    
"Who knows...but, if anyone can find White, perhaps you've got the best shot out of any of us." Tam continued, smiling faintly.  _ She didn't expect to do so well herself this round. _ She just hoped she wouldn't tire out before it was over.

  
  


"Mmm. If she's a different temperature than her environment, then yeah. But if she's not... I'm afraid I'm as in the dark as you guys." She shrugged again and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "So. What's this about working as a group, pipsqueak?" she asked, only half-interested.   
Hema blinked in surprise and perked up.   
"Ah, right! Well... Maybe if we combined our efforts, we'd have a better chance of tracking her down. Ti could use her speed to patrol the areas we check, Tam could be our eye in the sky, so to speak, and could use the terrain to keep an eye on things from a higher vantage point. Mago, you, I, and Mati could scour each area and check for her. I know we only have three hours, but. She won't be expecting us to work together!" he said hopefully, looking at the three Hematites before him with a faint gleam in his eyes.

  
  


Mati looked down at Hema with a raised brow, silently smirking to herself.    
"Pssh. It's no fun workin' in groups. I wanna track her and chase her myself!" Mati said quickly, a bit excited. Tam shrugged a single shoulder however, grimacing.    
"I think it's a pretty good idea at least, Mati... why don't you give it a shot?" She said quietly. Grunting, Mati crossed her arms suddenly with a disgruntled huff.    
"Nooo, I don't want to! I can do it myself. And so can you guys, c'moooon!" She said, grinning ear to ear again. "Where's your sense of funnnn?"    
"Mati, please. This isn't about fun, you're supposed to be taking these tests seriously! How can you be worrying about having 'fun' during something like this? Do you have any idea what these tests entail, what results they can have on your life?" Tam growled, her brows furrowed. Smile fading, Mati glared up at Tam and clenched her fists beside her.    
"Of course  _ you _ wouldn't know anything about fun, Tam!! Why don't you pipe down and LIVE a little while you still have TIME!!" Mati snarled suddenly. Tam's eyes widened, her expression suddenly falling flat. She took a step back, silent. Mati huffed, not taking her eyes off of the slightly taller Hematite. "I  _ am _ taking things seriously...I'm just doing things  _ my _ way. Even if it's not the efficient way...So don't tell me how to live 'my' life. That's not your choice to make." The gray haired hematite suddenly turned and walked off without another word towards the edge of the hill. Plopping down a few yards away, she stared off at the course.    
Tam stood wordlessly, an expression of hurt clear as day on her face. She couldn't look away.

  
  


Hema winced heavily at Mati's outburst, taking a step back. Ti had a similar reaction, though she took a  _ few _ paces away from the others. She held her hands close to her, looking almost  _ haunted. _ The shorter ivory-haired gem looked over, noticing her rather worrying expression.   
"... Ti, are you alri-"   
"I'm not participating," she said quickly, not daring to look at the others. Hema's eyes widened slightly, and he stepped forward, extending a hand toward her.   
"Why, what-"   
Without a word, she turned away and stepped away from the group, shoulders hunched. She made her way to a spot on her own, sitting down next to a small, half destroyed bit of wall. Her hair fell into her face, shielding it from view as she pulled her knees close to her chest.   
Hema stared at the silver-haired gem, concern written all over his face.  _ What was that all about? _ Withdrawing his hand, he brushed his fingers together, biting his lip. He looked over at Tam.   
"... Hey. You okay?"

  
  


Tam finally moved, her hand moving up to her face. Wiping her eye with her hand, she made a small noise of discomfort.    
"...I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She said quietly, avoiding eye contact. Her shoulders fell and she looked away completely. "The test should be starting soon. If you still want to work together, perhaps I may be of some help to you. Hopefully."

  
  


Frowning slightly, the much shorter gem stepped forward. His form glowed for a moment as he shifted up to match Tam's height.   
"Hey." He gently put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing her arm with his thumb. "I'm sure you will be. If Mati doesn't want to work as a group, maybe you and I can. Mago? How about you?"   
The ebony-haired gem was staring at Mati, her expression unreadable. She didn't reply to Hema's question. Frowning, the ivory-haired gem cleared his throat.   
"Hey, Mago."   
"... Hm? What?" she asked flatly, looking down at the two. Hema looked slightly taken aback for a moment, but brushed it off quickly.   
"I don't suppose you're at all interested in working with us to try and find White?"   
The giant gem raised a brow. Looking out over the horizon again, she narrowed her eyes, frowning. Her expression was an odd mix of emotions, making it impossible to tell how she was feeling.   
"Nah... pipsqueak. I'd just slow you down. I'm pretty tired out from that last test. Besides." She smirked faintly, shrugging her shoulder as she suddenly reclined back on the rooftop, once again folding one leg over the other. "I only work alone. It's better that way.~"

  
  


Tam sighed through her nose and looked between Mago and Hema briefly. With a heavy heart, she forced herself to stay optimistic.    
"Right. Looks like it's just me and you then. If that will make any difference for our chances..." She said.

  
  


Frowning sadly, Hema sighed as well.  _ Why did she have to be so difficult? _ He looked at Tam and rubbed the back of his neck.   
"Guess so. Honestly, I don't expect us to pass, but we can still try to show White that we gave our best efforts. As long as we do our best... well. She can't fault us for that." He chuckled weakly. "I mean, she doesn't expect anyone to pass this. She said so herself weeks ago. So... don't be too hard on yourself if we, you know. Don't find her." Smiling, he shrugged casually. "No matter what happens, it should be fun, at least."

  
  


Tam forced a small smile and glanced to the side..    
"Heh..yeah...  _ fun." _ She mumbled, her smile fading quickly.    
  
\--   
  
Minutes ticked by and at last, it was time for Yellow to give off the signal. However, the diamond was reluctant. Looking at her sword, she twisted it at it's hilt. Furrowing her brows nervously, she lifted her sword to the sky.    
_ I hope you know what you're doing, White. _   
  
**Z-ZAP!!**

  
  


After a few moments, Mago hopped up, not wasting another second before she shot off into the district, racing by Tam and Hema. The ivory haired gem flinched slightly, frowning up at the giant gem as she sped off to the first city block. He sighed quietly and glanced at Tam before he walked forward, shifting up to his half height.    
"Alright, best get going, I guess."

  
  


Tam's form started to glow, and she soon shifted up as well. Now standing far above Hema once more, she peered down at him and offered him a nod.    
"I'll follow you. If you need my help, just point me in the right direction!" She said promptly. Somewhere ahead of them, Mati had started off for the main area. She hadn't bothered shifting up yet. It was likely that she wanted to save her energy should she find the elusive diamond.

  
  


Hema nodded in return and headed off into the district.   
"Alright... She had a twenty minute head start. More than likely, she used it to her full advantage." He paused and rubbed his chin. "... Then again, she could have easily hidden in a closer area to throw us off. If we were to search each field and city area, we'd probably only get through three or so before our time ran out."

  
  


Tam followed suit after, occasionally looking over to the shorter service gem to make sure she was keeping her speed steady with his.    
"Right. Perhaps we should try somewhere she thinks we won't check? Where would you assume that would be?" She asked quickly.

  
  


Hema took a moment to think, walking quietly alongside the taller Hematite.   
"... Mmm." He rubbed his face with a sigh. "She'd use that cape somewhere dark. So if she wanted to throw us off, she'd hide somewhere that her outfit wouldn't assist her much. The question is, is she playing smart, or is she playing to  _ outsmart." _

  
  


Tam pursed her lips curiously, pausing to think for a moment. For a good few seconds she stared ahead, intently pondering their best options. White was a tricky one from what she could tell; White was wise and cunning. She was particular to thinking outside the box and had a respect for those that could do the same. So there was really no telling where she would hide. The kindergarten being out of the question at least narrowed down their options, but the entire course was huge and that didn't help  _ too _ much.    
"Do you think she'd hide inside a building? Or maybe the forest?"

  
  


"Honestly? If she finds a building that's stable and sturdy enough, probably there, but if not... the forest is a safe bet too. It's really dark in there, and she's agile enough to get through the branches and stuff with ease." Squinting, the ivory-haired gem looked at the horizon, spotting Mago heading into a city block. "Seems Mago's already got that area, and I'm not sure where Mati's headed. Maybe we should check the forest first, since there's less nooks and crannies there, even if it is a bit further away. Then we can work our way back."

  
  


Tam nodded, looking to the side. Picking up her pace, the taller of the duo made a sharp turn and started off for the more forested area. With any luck, maybe they'd be able to find her at all.

  
  


Hema followed after the taller gem, a serious, focused frown on his face. He didn't expect to find White, in all honesty. But he could still hope for it! There wasn't any point in letting Mago and Mati have all the fun. The two soon broke out into a brisk jog so they could make good time while still conserving their energy.   
\--   
"Nope, nothing in these brambles. How about up there, Tam?" he called up, gazing into the huge trees above his head. It was fascinating to see such enormous plant life that dwarfed even a Hematite. Even more impressive was that so many of the trees were big enough to  _ support _ a Hematite climbing through their branches.

  
  


Tam huffed impatiently and peered down from the branch she perched upon, staring down at the ivory haired gem below.    
"Nothing, I'm afraid. Just more branches ans trees. I can't even catch a glimpse of any movement that isn't us. Not even the gem monsters around here are moving..." She said loud enough for the other to hear. Nimbly, the taller hematite leapt down from branch to branch until she landed on the ground safely. "Let's not waste any more time here. I don't think she's in this place..."

  
  


Frowning, Hema adjusted his sleeves and nodded with a quiet 'hm!'. He immediately made a go for the quickest way out of the forest.   
"Where should we check next? Did you come across any particularly dark hiding places while you were out and about last test?"

  
  


Tam ran at Hema's side, eyes trained steady ahead. White had to be around somewhere, and time was ticking by fast. They had to start speeding up.   
"Well, perhaps we could try some of the buildings? Though we certainly can't check all of them...that would take far too long. Hm... I wonder if she would even hide in one of those? You think that would be a little too hard for even us given the time limit that we have. I assume she would want us to have some chance of succeeding. Perhaps she won't be in any of those..."

  
  


Hema tried to keep to Tam's pace, though it was a bit hard with his shorter legs. He frowned and stared ahead, brows furrowed.   
"... She's probably in an alley somewhere... That'd be difficult, but given our time limit and our lack of visors, that would be  _ fair." _ He paused and glanced up at the taller gem. "You should take to the rooftops, and I'll take to the ground."

  
  


Tam thought for a moment, but soon nodded in understanding. Once the two were in the more building-heavy areas, Tam hopped up onto one of the lower lying rooftops and started to climb higher. The higher up she could get, the better vantage point she would have. She idly wondered if White would really risk cornering herself in these alleys...or perhaps she knew all the twists and turns well enough to avoid getting trapped?

  
  


For the next hour or so, both Hematites took their time scouring the city. This was the largest block within a twenty minute run, by normal gem standards. If White wasn't in here, she had to be closer to the starting clearing.   
Hema kept low to the ground, checking every darkened alley and easily accessible building he came across. Nothing. Every once in a while he'd find a small gem monster, which he'd chase off rather quickly, but no sign of a diamond.   
Tam was far out of earshot currently, atop a huge tower. Hema could see her in the distance, but he knew she wouldn't hear him if he called to her. Instead, he stalked along a stretch of road, checking each alley as he passed.

  
  


Tam had made her way to the top of one of the higher up buildings, carefully peaking over the sides and scanning the ground below for any signs of movement. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find anything except Hema. Frowning heavily, Tam turned to jump down onto one of the slightly shorter buildings. Perhaps she should try changing areas?    
Finally thumping onto the ground nearby, she made her way casually over to Hema and shook her head.    
"Nothing. Did you catch sight of anything yourself?" She asked quietly.

  
  


For a moment, Hema scowled into the most recent alley he'd checked.    
"No, nothing... I found a few Mica and a Ruby rat, but that's it." Sighing, he stood upright and dusted himself off. Even  _ he _ was starting to get rather discouraged. Two hours had almost passed, and they'd seen neither hide nor hair of White. "Maybe the others had the right idea. I'm almost wishing I'd stayed back with them and rested," he said half-heartedly, crossing his arms with a huff.

  
  


The ebony haired hematite felt a bit disheartened upon hearing Hema's words. If anything, he had served as a major factor in her confidence lately. Seeing him like this only made her doubt herself more.    
"Come on Hema, we can't give up now! Let's try somewhere else. Come on. What about the rock quarry?" She asked, baring a hopeful yet forced smile.

  
  


Pursing his lips, Hema sighed quietly.   
"But the rock quarry is so open... there's barely anywhere... to." Frowning slightly, the shorter gem suddenly looked up, squinting at nothing in particular. "... There's barely anywhere to hide, so she wouldn't expect us to check there..." He slowly unfolded his arms, holding up an index finger and shaking it for a moment, starting to turn around. "You know what, you might be on to something. It's worth checking out."

  
  


Tam shrugged her right shoulder and grinned.    
"There  _ are _ still places to hide if you know where to look. Some rocks are bigger than others, so she could be ducking behind a few. Come on, if I'm not mistaken we're down to our last hour!" She said quickly.

  
  


Glancing back with a nod, Hema rushed off in the direction of the quarry, eyes locked ahead.   
The  _ faintest _ dawn light was starting to tint the sky a lighter indigo. From where they were, the rock quarry was another half hour run. It was much further into the district, but considering White had been out for over two hours, she could have easily reached that area if she'd kept moving. With the pace they were going at, this would probably be the last location they could check.

  
  


Tam bolted on ahead, determined to reach their destination within a more than reasonable amount of time. If White was anywhere near here, perhaps this was their last chance. The landscape started to change subtly, small rocks jutting out of the ground which turned soon into much larger boulders. Eventually, Tam and Hema found themselves in a field of massive rocks, some more steep and sharp than others. Looking behind her at the shorter Hematite, she held her index finger in front of her lips to indicate them to be quiet.

  
  


Looking up at the taller Hematite, Hema nodded with a small, serious frown. He turned his attention to the horizon, gazing around at the huge boulders dotting the field. Many of them were even bigger than he was, and provided decent hiding places. It was similar in appearance to the field he and Yellow had been ambushed in, and the place where he'd found Kyan. However, this place lacked the numerous crystal spires that the other locations had.   
Slowly, the ivory-haired gem started for one of the huge rocks, walking around it to check for anything suspicious.

  
  


Tam hopped up quickly onto one of the rocks, making her way to the edge. This place would be a little more challenging to climb, given that all of the boulders were uneven and most had sheer cliff faces. Peering over the edges, Tam made sure to be as quiet as she could while scoping out the area.   
  
_shf..._   
  
Tam straightened up, her head whipping to the side rapidly. She'd heard something...something that wasn't Hema. Narrowing her eyes, she decided to go inspect it. It was probably some gem monster honestly. Bounding over a few more boulders, Tam crouched low and slowly crawled over the top of the massive rock she stood upon. Placing her hand on the edge, she gradually looked over.   
What was...that?  
Squinting, she looked down at something strange. Far down below, there was a dark patch shrouded in shadows. But something seemed to be _off._ She couldn't exactly tell how, but there was a small patch slightly darker than the area around it. She couldn't tell from where she was exactly _what_ was down there. Her eyes widening, she suddenly remembered White's cape.   
  
_Fwish!_   
Standing far below, White had threw her cape, which was covering her completely before, behind her back. The Diamond craned her neck with narrowed eyes, staring right up at Tam. The two made silent eye contact for a few good seconds before White suddenly bolted off at an amazing speed. Gasping sharply, Tam lunged down and landed with a heavy thud, chasing after her as best as she could.

  
  


Hema was currently peering down into a rather cave-like hole in one of the boulders, nearby, eyes narrowed. At the loud  _ thud _ caused by Tam leaping down from her perch, he stiffened, eyes widening. Without thinking, he suddenly drew his head out and whacked it  _ hard _ on a small ledge that he'd been sure to  _ avoid _ when peering into the cave. Hissing through his teeth, he gripped at his scalp, groaning quietly in pain.   
"Aaahh, tss." Managing to open one eye, Hema looked over best he could at the larger Hematite, wondering what had gotten her running off so quickly.   
But he didn't have to wonder long.   
Eyes widening, Hema scrambled to his feet, rushing clumsily after the two gems. After ruffling his hair once more, he frowned and focused entirely on trying to catch up to Tam and White.   
"Nice job, Tam! Don't lose her!"

  
  


White was definitely putting up a chase. Tam couldn't manage to get close enough at any given point to make a go for her, so she focused on speeding up. She thought that it would be easy to catch White in this place, but she was  _ far _ more wrong than she could have imagined. The terrain provided lots of cover for White or, for that matter, particularly smaller gems and made it hard for larger gems such as the Hematites to move around and gain speed. Gritting her teeth, Tam jumped up onto one of the boulders trying to change her course, but as soon as she did White turned on her heel and ran in the opposite direction away from them both.

  
  


While Tam had stopped her momentum entirely by hopping up onto one of the rocks, Hema was purely focused on gaining speed. He wasn't nearly as fast as some of the others of his kin, but he was a bit more used to getting around on uneven terrain, making it easier to keep up with White enough to maintain a visual. Gritting his teeth together, the ivory-haired gem crawled quickly over a small pile of rocks, keeping his eyes locked on the fleeing diamond below. He wanted to call out to Tam to tell her to try and cut White's path off ahead if she could, but if he did that, White would hear it for sure. Instead, he silently hoped that the taller gem would catch the hint and make a move on her own.   
He just hoped they could catch her quick. On top of the test almost being over, he could feel his energy starting to give out on him. He couldn't keep this up much longer.

  
  


Tam quickly hopped from rock to rock until she was at a semi-steady pace, gradually making her way towards the other hematite's position. Glancing down quickly to the ground, she spotted White making sharp turns on the ground below in zig-zag patterns. She was trying to throw them off. Lunging onto the ground below, Tam darted forward towards the path that she presumed White would take. With any luck, she'd meet the diamond on the other side.    
Unfortunately, Tam hadn't taken into account just how agile White was, if she knew at all. White, upon catching onto Hema and Tam's plan immediately, decided to take a risk and jump up onto one of the sheer cliff walls. She started to jump from one face to the other in rapid succession until she managed to scramble up to the top, making a speedy getaway.

  
  


Hema's eyes widened, staring up at White's quickly retreating form.   
"Tam, up on the cliffs! Can you get up there?" he called after her, continuing down the path. Far ahead, it seemed to slope up a bit, hopefully leading to where White was headed.  _ Stars, she was tricky! How were they supposed to catch her when they could barely keep an  _ **_eye_ ** _ on her?! _

  
  


Tam nodded quickly, leaping up onto one of the rocks and grabbing onto the upper part of the cliff that White had clambered up moments ago. Hoisting herself up, the ebony haired Hematite made it to the top just in time to see White jumping off the side onto another boulder. Grunting in frustration, she huffed and chased after her.    
"She's to the right, Hema!"

  
  


Skidding to a halt, the ivory-haired gem grit his teeth and shot off in the other direction, accidentally hitting his shoulder on a rather far outcropping of rock. A sharp pain shot through his arm, but he ignored it and pressed on, quickly scurrying around a corner just in time to see White fleeing in the other direction. He bolted after her, now moving on all fours despite the soreness in his arm. If he could just pick up enough speed and get close enough to pounce...   
An uncomfortable prickle spread through his very core, making him grimace.  _ Uh-oh. _ Sweat began to form on his brow, but he pressed on, ignoring the tightness in his chest.  _ C'mon, just a little longer! _

  
  


Tam was starting to lose sight of White. She wasn't making any progress up high like she had thought. However she had to keep trying! At the very least, she could trail behind White somewhere and hope she'd catch up sooner or later.  _ Hopefully sooner than later. _ The Diamond glanced briefly behind her and reached up to tug the high collared part of the cape up over her mouth, running towards a more sloped area of the current cliff she stride upon. Skidding down the angled edge, the diamond picked up her speed and bolted around the cliff, turning in the opposite direction of where she was originally running. Within seconds, she had ducked behind another one of the rocks out of  _ both _ of the hematite's vision.

  
  


Growling lowly, Hema scurried over where he'd seen White vanish, peering around the corner of the cliff. The floor around here was riddled with large, deep cracks left years and years ago by what Hema could only assume was a battle. They weren't big enough for White to fit down, thankfully, so those were out of the question for hiding places.

  
  


Tam maneuvered herself up to the top of the rock that White scurried behind, but when she looked behind it, she couldn't see anything. Cursing under her breath, she clenched her fist and slammed it down into the top of the rock, creating small cracks under her fist. Frustrated, the ebony haired Hematite hissed through her teeth and looked back at Hema, shaking her head.

  
  


The service gem below frowned and turned his attention up to the taller gem before he looked forward again.  _ She couldn't just vanish. She had to be nearby. _   
"Tam, keep an eye on the perimeter," he said quietly, creeping forward on all fours.

  
  


Nodding, the taller Hematite hunkered down peered over the edge, carefully watching the ground below. She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of movement. However with this particular area being scattered with shadow, it was hard to see much  _ even with _ her excellent vision. The longer this went on, the more Tam could feel her anxiety rising. Time was going to run out soon...she knew it. They were  _ so close. _

  
  


_ Time was running out... and not just for the test itself. _   
Grimacing, Hema grunted quietly, closing his eyes for a moment. The prickling in his core was getting  _ uncomfortably _ strong, making his head swim. It wasn't his hunter's instincts. No, this was something far more worrying. With a soft, pained huff, Hematite pushed onward, checking every dark space he could find. He did his best to keep his clawed fingers from getting stuck between the deep, craggy cracks in the ground, but he still had to stop a few times, cursing under his breath as his nails got caught.   
Minutes ticked by...   
No sign of White.   
Hema slowly looked up toward the horizon, beads of sweat on his brow. Behind a few tall, distant boulders... the sun was rising.

  
  


Tam hopped down, more desperate to search on the ground now. The higher cliffs were of no aid to her this time. Perhaps if she listened carefully, she could hear the Diamond moving around.  
 _But there was nothing._   
Nothing but the sound of their own footsteps and the wind that blew gently through the district. Gritting her teeth, Tam squared her shoulders and behind one of the rocks. Still nothing. If White wasn't around here, then she was so quiet that she had gotten away.  
  
  
  
  
 _ZAP!!_  
  
  
  
  
Flashing high in the sky above some distance away, a massive ray of lightning struck the clouds and illuminated the warm colored clouds that were now hovering overhead.   
  
_Time was up. The Harvest moon was officially over._

  
  


With a frustrated groan, Hema dropped his head, running his fingers through his hair with a tired sigh.   
_ They'd gotten so close... _   
The ivory haired service gem looked up at the rising sun, squinting. His teeth grit together, a soft hiss escaping through them.   
_ Uh oh... _   
Hema's gemstone began to glimmer dimly in the early dawn light. Grimacing, the service gem gripped at his head, his eyes squeezing shut.   
_ Flash! _   
Within a mere moment, Hema was no-where to be seen.

  
  


Tam huffed quietly, her shoulders dropping.    
"Guess we shouldn't be  _ too _ disappointed... We didn't really expect to find her in the first place, so I think that's at least  _ something! _ What do you suppose....Hema?" Tam turned to where she had at one point seen the other hematite, but he wasn't in sight. Raising a brow, she frowned heavily.    
"Hematite?.... Hema, where'd you go?" 

Holding onto her fingers nervously, the larger hematite slowly stepped towards where she had seen Hema last, hoping she could find out where he'd gone off to.

  
  


Hema  _ had _ been crouched over a particularly deep set of cracks in the ground, which stretched far and wide throughout the area he and Tam had been searching through. If he'd shrunken down from exhaustion... there was a good chance he'd fallen down into one of the faults. And from the looks of things, the cracks went worryingly deep into the ground, far too dark to be seen clearly into. It almost seemed like some of them didn't have a visible end. Hema was no-where to be found on the surface.

  
  


Gasping quietly, Tam carefully crept over the cracks, looking around frantically.    
Wait.    
_ The test was over. _   
  
Waving her hand over her eyes, she summoned a visor and immediately started to scan for Hema's gem.

  
  


_ Whiiiiiiiir _   
...   
_ Chirp! _   
A small wash of gray color appeared on the visor's radar, directly on top of Tam's general location. Hema's signature was more or less right around where she was standing, but it was faint, as if obscured by something. After a few moments, the visor suddenly chirped, locking onto a part of the ground in front of Tam. Hema wasn't there. A particularly deep fault ran along the area by the giant gem's feet, a little ways in front of where Tam's visor was locked on.

  
  


Sighing heavily, Tam crouched down and peered into the cavernous crack in the ground. Grimacing, she couldn't see anything at first. With a bright gleam, her gemstone lit up and projected a ray of light into the small fissure so that she could see.    
"Hema?..."

  
  


_ Darkness. _   
Even with the bright light from Tam's gem, the 'bottom' of the fault, if there even  _ was _ a bottom, was shrouded in darkness. If anything, the narrow fissure seemed  _ endless. _   
There was no reply from Hema.

  
  


Tam's heart sank. Looking back, there was no one in sight; not even White. Frowning heavily, she lifted her fingers to her mouth and started to chew at her nails. This wasn't good... Reluctantly, Tam reached her hand down into the fissure to see if she could grab hold of anything; to see if she could even manage to reach him at all.

  
  


At first, it seemed she'd be able to reach further than her light reached. But no more than twenty or so feet down, the rock walls of the fault stopped the giant gem's hand, too narrow to reach any further.

  
  


Tam slowly closed her eyes and sighed. Looks like she might have to do this the hard way. Her form started to glow and she shrunk down to the smallest size she could get, now standing next to the crack in the ground. Kneeling down, she peered over the edge and swallowed nervously. Her visor couldn't lie...he was definitely down there somewhere. Well, here went nothing.    
Skidding down into the fissure, Tam kept her hands plastered against the sides of the walls as soon as she'd gotten down low enough.

  
  


Surely enough, the walls closed in the further down she went, until they were only a few inches apart.   
Until about fifty feet down, they suddenly 'vanished', leaving the tiny Hematite to free fall down into a dark, open space. It was hard to tell how far she'd fallen before suddenly hitting the ground below with a soft 'thump' that echoed throughout the pitch-black chamber.

  
  


Tam shook herself off, grunting heavily. Standing up, she powered up her light again to see what was around her...and where she had fallen.

  
  


The Hematite's pink light lit up a small section of the area around her. She was in what  _ appeared _ to be an incredibly old and decrepit base of some sort. The walls and ceiling were riddled with support beams and carbonite rods, but many of them were bent up or chipped from age. They looked newer than the architecture of the Pink District, but far older than anything in use nowadays. There were a few empty weapon racks and old, unused gem helmets laying battered on the floor. The rest of the area seemed rather barren, aside from some broken scraps from old gem tech lying scattered across the floor and some rock shelves built into the wall. That is, aside from a tarnished, round device on a small rock ledge that seemed to function as a table, back when it was in use. It looked like a cage, but had two devices attached to it; one on top, and one on the bottom. They were small, disc-shaped pieces of gem tech, connected by a few thin, rounded wires that formed a hollow sphere. Other than that, the rest of the gem tech and old structures were destroyed.

The sight of this place gave her a bad chill that crawled up her spine. From the looks of things however, it was completely abandoned.    
"Hemaaaaa! Hematite where are you?!"    
Tam called out, cupping her hands around her mouth so she could project her voice better. The less time she had to spend here, the better. She just hoped she could get back out somehow...

  
  


_ No reply. _   
_ Chirp! _   
With a soft whirr, Tam's visor locked onto something to her left, near the table with the cage-like piece of gem tech. Just  _ barely _ illuminated by Tam's gem light, Hema was laying on his side, unconscious and tiny.

  
  


Gasping quietly, Tam made her way over to the tiny gem, crouching down near him.    
"Oh stars, please be alright..." She whispered under her breath, reaching out to nudge him with her hand.

  
  


Hema didn't respond aside from a soft, barely audible sound. He didn't move. He seemed a little scuffed up from the fall, but other than that, he was completely intact and undamaged.   
Intact and undamaged... but not getting up any time soon, from the looks of it.

  
  


Looking behind her, Tam clenched and unclenched her fists. Glancing down at the ivory haired gem, her form started to glow once more and she shifted up to her civilian size. Reaching down, she carefully scooped up the tiny gem in her hands. They had to get out of here. But, upon looking up, she frowned. They couldn't get out  _ that _ way. She'd have to search for an exit somewhere in this abandoned cavern. Bringing up her map on her visor, she started off for the direction of what she assumed was the way out.  _ Not that she could tell, anyway. _

  
  


\--   
Thankfully, the main tunnel eventually lead out to a forested area above ground, though the walk took at least twenty minutes or so. The narrow entrance to the old base was heavily guarded by brambles and briars, shielding it from view if one wasn't looking. By the time Tam exited the dark tunnels, the early morning sun was casting warm pink rays over the district. Hema still hadn't woken up.

  
  


Tam sighed with relief, brushing the brambles out of the way from the entrance of the cave. Scratching into her suit, the taller hematite winced in mild displeasure, but otherwise ignored the pain. Now that she was out, she had a much better idea of where she was. Looking down into her palm, the ebony haired hematite frowned and looked back up at her map. Alright, the main warp wasn't too far from here. Perhaps she could make it back in decent time. Holding the smaller gem close, she cupped her hands around him and started off for the Pink District warp pad.    
Within another good fifteen minutes, Tam had finally reached her destination. Within sight, just over the hill, all of the other Hematites as well as Blue, Yellow, and White stood present. Picking up her speed, Tam hurried over the hill and made her way straight for White.    
"My Diamond! I'm so sorry-"   
"Where is Hematite? What happened? White interrupted, taking a step towards Tam. Flinching, Tam's eyes widened and she found herself staring up into the leaders eyes. Slowly uncupping her hands, she revealed Hema's tiny, tired form.    
"He exhausted himself on the field and fell down a deep fissure in the ground. I had to shrink down and go in to retrieve him, but by the time I made my way in there, I realized there was no way out from above. I had to find where the underground had let out; My sincerest apologies for being so late to return..." She said, frowning. White looked down at Tam's hands, her shoulders relaxing upon spotting the much smaller gem in her hands. Reaching out, she took Hema from Tam's grasp and held Hema close. She carefully observed him for a moment, then looked back at Tam.    
"Thank you for finding him and making sure he was safe. I really appreciate that." White said softly. Tam straightened up and saluted, albeit a little nervously. Even with the diamond's praise, she was intimidated by her presence    
"Yes m'am." She said simply. Without another word, Tam made her way back to the crowd of Hematites She didn't want to risk being too awkward should she stand around for too long.

  
  


The tiny ivory-haired gem stirred slightly in White's palm, but still didn't wake up. He muttered something inaudibly, brows furrowing into a faint frown.   
The other Hematites spared glances at Tam as she walked away from White, though they didn't say anything. Mago was once again lounging about on a nearby rooftop at her half size, her legs swinging idly off the edge of the building. She seemed a tad grumpy that she hadn't caught or even  _ found _ White Diamond herself. That was masked, however, by her curiosity as to why Tam had brought back Hema so small. Something about exhausting himself?  _ Tch, nice going, Pipsqueak. _ Rolling her eyes, the service gem looked out at the horizon, fingers drumming the corner of the rooftop.

  
  


Mago wasn't the only one who seemed a little sour. Among the group, out towards the side, Mati was sitting some ways away with her back turned to the rest of her kin. Though no one could see her face, her expression was oddly blanked out by a mix of different emotions. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking, let alone feeling. She was completely silent.    
Walking up behind White, Yellow and Blue both, at the same time, peered over at the tiny service gem from behind the tallest of the trio. Yellow looked up at White with an unreadable glance, then looked back down to Hema. Everyone stayed quiet.    
Turning to the crowd of Hematites, White walked forward with Hema in her hand and stood at attention.    
  
"Congratulations on completing the Harvest Moon everyone! I'm sure you are all very tired, so we will be parting ways soon. Some of you performed  _ spectacularly _ well today, and I am very proud of you all regardless. See to it that you are all well rested this evening; You've earned it! Come next week, I shall be assigning lessons to those who have failed the second test. You will all be expected to keep doing your best. You are all dismissed!" White said loud enough for everyone to hear. It had been a  _ very _ long night, and now that the event was over,  _ everyone _ needed some rest. Some more than others.

  
  


At White's well-carrying announcement, Hema furrowed his brows again, stirring slightly. His hands gripped at White's glove as he tried to sit up, but he ultimately ended up laying back down on his side with a heavy sigh. Managing to open one eye, he stiffened at the sight of the three diamonds before relaxing.  _ Oh, thank the stars it was them. _ Weakly, he offered a tired smile and a tiny wave up at Yellow and Blue, since White was currently distracted.   
The Hematites all saluted White in turn and filed into a line. Mago sighed and shrank down to her civilian size, joining them. They filed toward the warp pad at different paces, some of them sparing the tiny Hematite in White's hand a quick glance. Hemmi, Tae, and Ti all warped away first thing, heading back for the kindergarten.

  
  


White turned back finally with Hema in hand, facing the other two. Blue was staring down at the tiny service gem with a wide grin, but Yellow was looking up at White.   
"So you didn't get caught after all?" Yellow said, raising a brow. "Did anyone ever even  _ find _ you?"    
White smiled and looked down at Hema, now noticing that he was awake.    
"Yes, actually." She said softly.

  
  


Raising a brow, Hema looked up at White without turning his head.   
"It was Tam's idea..." he said quietly, still a bit drowsy. "We were checking out the cities first... but she brought up the quarry." The tiny gem paused, yawning with a shake of his head. He attempted to sit up, managing to lean back against White's fingers. Rubbing his eyes, he hummed quietly. "You've gotta show me that wall-jumping tactic some time, White... It's really impressive," he muttered, moving his hands and smiling tiredly up at his superior. He still seemed a bit out of it.   
Meta made her way up the slope to the warp pad with Hita, her hands in her pockets.

  
  


Hita looked back at the diamonds silently, but otherwise didn't really look out of the ordinary. He was tired, and to be quite honest, glad everything was over. Mati followed after the rest, though she stood in the back of the line. She looked a little reluctant to move much, her eyes locked on Tam who was far ahead. She remained quiet, even when passing by the familiar little Peridot that she was so eager to talk to before.

  
  


Frecks watched the Hematites file past her, shooting Mati a small smile. It faded, though, when the taller gem walked past her without so much as a glance. She clutched her diamond pad close to her chest, looking away.   
Soon enough, the service gems all warped away, leaving just the guards, Frecks, Red, Hema, and the Diamonds.

  
  


Blue snickered and placed her hands on her hips, shooting Hematite a rather encouraging gleam.    
"Nice job out there today kid! Even if ya diiiid kinda lose the last two tests. Ah well!" She said, shrugging her shoulders. "Can't win em' all!"    
"That's not very encouraging, Blue..." Yellow whispered, rolling her eyes. Blue's expression fell slightly into an awkward, twisted smile and she nudged her elbow into Yellow's side.    
"Oh like you can do any better then! Besides, I'm just tellin' the truth here!" The shortest diamond said with a chuckle. Yellow made a small noise of frustration but muffled it.    
"You did good today. I'll have Red take you back to your room so that you can rest up, Hema." White said, smiling faintly. The pink pearl made her way over to the diamonds, having overheard White say her name. Saluting formally, Red stood at attention with a small, serious frown and held out her hands. White leaned down and handed Hema over to the pearl.

  
  


Hema chuckled softly, shaking his head.   
"It's alright. I passed the important one," he said with a shrug.   
Looking down as he was passed over to his pearl, Hema steadied himself before leaning back against Red's fingers, gazing up at her. He looked over at White with a smile.   
"Thank you, White Diamond. I'll be sure to report in first thing tomorrow." With a small nod, he saluted her before placing his hands down at his sides, resting them on Red's palm.

  
  


White nodded once with a smile and turned to the other Diamonds, who spared Hema a brief glance before turning their attention back to the tallest Diamond. Red slowly made her way over to the warp pad, making sure to give the rest of the Hematites time to make their way out. Peering down to the tiny gem in her hands, Red's eyes widened curiously. So few times she had seen him this small.    
"You must have outdone it sir, heh..." She said, smiling softly. "I bet you did great regardless!"

  
  


Lifting a hand up, Hema rubbed the back of his head, smiling awkwardly.   
"Hah... yeahh. I might have pushed myself a little too hard during that last one. I was a little too focused on catching White. Honestly, after those first two tests I should have sat that one out, but. Ah well, what can you do?" He shrugged with a small sigh. "I'm just glad the rest of the night went smoothly, more or less. And that we won't have to do this again for a while, hopefully."

  
  


Red tilted her head slightly, occasionally glancing up to make sure that the Hematites were moving along. About this time, thankfully, Mati had stepped up onto the warp pad and teleported away. A few guards followed after her, leaving the warp pad completely open.    
"I guess; You should perhaps, practice your stamina? It might be a good thing to hone in on if you can manage it. I mean, assuming that's even possible!" Red said.

  
  


Hema nodded quietly.   
"I've done that before, yes. I'll have to work on it some more though. Those events really took it out of me." Hema glanced down at the warp pad as Red stepped up onto it.   
"... Hey, Red. I've... Got someplace to show you when we get back to my living quarters. I meant to show it to you before, but never got around to it. Now's the perfect time," he said simply, shooting her a small, coy smile.

  
  


"Hm, alright sir!" She said, her curiosity peaked. The light to the warp pad gleamed, sending them quickly away.   
\--   
_ Kssh! _   
  
The door to Hematite's room hissed open, allowing the pearl to step inside. It was just as pristine as they had left it before, aside from the diamond pad that Red had left on the table earlier that morning. Glancing around, the door closed behind the two and Red looked down at Hema with a small smile.

  
  


Much more awake than he had been back in the Pink District, Hema stood up in Red's hand and motioned for her to move him over to the device next to his door. He waited for her to turn back to it before he started entering in a code.   
"Now, Red," he started, pushing in the buttons one by one. "This is something White installed into my room a while back, should something like this ever happen. The code I'm putting in is what you should use, should you ever be unable to find me, or if I'm in this room and you need to speak with me."   
_ Beep! _   
_ Kshhh _   
Just to the right of the security device, a panel of the wall sunk in an inch or so with a hiss. It slowly slid to the side, revealing a small clear pane, beyond which was a tiny, warmly lit bedroom.

  
  


Reading the code that Hema had placed in, she hoped she could remember it later. If not, she could probably always ask him. Slowly making her way over to the pane, her brows raised slightly. Peering in, she glanced around.   
"Woah.....What is this box?"

  
  


Hema blinked in surprise before puffing his cheeks out slightly in embarrassment.   
"It's not a box! It's my secondary living quarters for when I need some peace and quiet, or when I shrink down like this," he said simply, gazing into the room. He looked over the side of Red's hand and hopped down to the floor, heading over to the nearby shelves. He quickly jumped up from one cubby to the next before he reached the proper one and opened the tiny door in the back panel. He soon appeared from a tiny hall, making his way into the room. Smiling over at Red, he clicked a small button, activating a speaker in the security device. "Only you and White know about this room, actually. You're the first gem I've ever told about it."

  
  


Red peered in, leaning in closer to the glass. Glancing around the room for a moment, her gaze finally rested upon the tiny gem inside.    
"It's a very nice box!" She said, grinning. "I won't tell anyone, don't you worry sir!" She said, lifting her index finger to tap on the glass gently.

  
  


"Eeey, I told you it's not a b-AY.' Puffing his cheeks out, the tiny gem flailed his arms at Red, not looking too pleased. "Don't tap the glass!" he said huffily, putting his hands on his hips.

  
  


Red blushed slightly, rapidly retracting her hand.    
"S-sorry sir! Eheh..." She chuckled, holding her fingers in her hand. "Regardless. Would you like me to close the panel so that you may get some rest?" She asked, straightening up.

  
  


Hema returned to a more neutral, poised state, clearing his throat.   
"Right, ah... You can do whatever you'd like today, while I'm resting up. And, yes, if you please. Thank you, Red." He offered the pink gem a smile and a nod before walking over to his teacup bed. He sat down and pulled off his boots, putting them aside, next to the diamond pad against the wall. Yawning, he laid down and settled on his front, getting comfortable.

  
  


Walking over to the security pad, Red closed up the panel on the wall, letting Hematite rest. Smiling, she looked over at the wall where the panel had sealed shut, completely hidden from view. Sighing, she smiled and glanced over at the diamond pad she had left on the table. Walking over, Red sat down and powered it up. She still had some studying to do, after all.

  
  


As the panel to the wall shut, the lights in Hematite's miniature room dimmed, leaving it with a simple, warm glow. He sighed softly, folding his arms under his head and closing his eyes.    
  
The Harvest moon was over, he'd passed the most important test, and in the end, everyone was okay, despite a few road bumps. The Harvester unit had two new members, and everyone who'd passed before kept their ranking. Sure, he had some new lessons to attend to, but those didn't sound too terrible.   
  
All in all... the night had gone well.   
And the only thing Hema was concerned with now was a well-deserved rest.   
Sighing contentedly, the tiny Hematite relaxed, letting the warmth of the room around him lull him into a peaceful sleep.

  
  



	88. Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morganite serves drinks to a pair of unusual gems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This chapter has little to no editing, expect higher amounts of errors. Thank you, and enjoy!]

_ Stars, why did they have to set up a new guard station over _ **_here?!_ **

Panting, Ekanite raced down one of the Yellow District streets, barely dodging a few civilian gems here and there. She had a particularly angry Jasper on her tail, and was trying to make her way to the Blue District wall checkpoint. If she could just get through there! Unfortunately, with how the Jasper had chased them off, she was heading away from the checkpoint.

Glancing back at the small red gem on her back, Eka picked up the pace, noticing that the huge orange guard was gaining on her.  _ Why couldn't she just leave them alone?! They were away from the guard station now! _

Gritting her teeth, the well-built gem shoved her way past a few civilians, trying to keep up with the tiny green gem monster.  _ A corrupted gem, in her sector?! Not on her watch! _

Ekanite raced around a corner, eyes wide, looking for anywhere she could hide. However, instead of a hiding place, she saw someone. Someone semi-familiar. Down the road, heading in the general direction of the wall checkpoint, were the Ruby and the Jasper from some time ago.

Sphalerite desperately clung to Eka's neck, looking back every now and then with wide, panicked eyes. 

"Hurry it up Eka, they're catching up!" She whimpered, gasping sharply upon noticing just how unnervingly close the warrior was to them. "What is WITH these guys?!" She yelped, scrambling to look over Eka's head. She was too busy focusing on the gem behind them to notice the familiar faces some distance ahead.

Eka shot forward, only half-hearing Sphal's outburst. Her clawed paws dug into the pavement as she sped up, heading straight for the ruby and Jasper. The warrior behind her was indeed closing in, but she wasn't quite quick enough.

 

"So then, Scrap says he had to chase down White herself! Apparently he didn't catch her, bu-WHOA!"

Flinching to the side, Puff quickly looked down as something latched onto her suit. Her eyes widened in panic for a moment as a blur of green shot up her side and onto her shoulder. However, she quickly relaxed upon noticing who it was. Rubes had flinched back a step or two as well at Puff's outburst, one of her hands suddenly alight with flames, but she frowned and sighed when she saw the green gem monster on the Jasper's shoulder. Neither of them had a moment to react before the guard behind them skidded to a halt, clenching her fist.

"Hand over that filthy creature," she growled, towering over the two. Puff frowned and slowly turned around, raising a brow.

Eyes wide as saucers, Sphal quietly peaked over the back of Ekanite's head and looked around. Raising her brows slightly, she realized who Eka had just run up on. Thank the stars it was someone she knew. She flinched however, ducking back behind the gem monster's head with fear.  _ Surely the other jasper had seen her, right? _

Rubes turned as well, her right hand still alight with red flames. She stared hard at the much taller gem, her eyes cold.

"... We're not handing anything over. You need to leave."

The taller Jasper scoffed, glaring down at the puny soldier. Puff crossed her arms, glaring up at the orange gem. She stayed quiet. Ekanite huddled close to the Jasper's neck, tail wrapping around it for support. She didn't take her eyes off the guard.

"Excuse me?! This piece of vermin and her micro gem friend were found snooping about in the guard station. I have every right to apprehend them. Stand aside!" she commanded in a deep, growling voice. Puff flinched slightly, but stood her ground. Rubes, on the other hand, stepped forward, narrowing her eyes.

"Puff."

Smirking slightly, the shorter Jasper leaned down and picked up the ruby by her waist, suddenly holding her closer to the guard, who leaned back in confusion. Rubes quickly grabbed onto the front of the guard's suit with her free hand. The taller Jasper stuttered in indignant surprise.

"How dare you lay a finger on me! I'll have you destabilized for thi-"

"You are speaking to an elite bodyguard. Rubes the Ruby. Blue District. Rank 5XG operative. I am two ranks above you, and you will do what you are told. Is that clear?" she ordered quietly, her tone low and laced with venom. The guard's breath caught in their throat, eyes widening slightly. They didn't reply.

Sphal looked over at Rubes with genuine surprise, clutching Eka's neck tightly and grasping her fur between her fingers. Elite bodyguard? Was she Puff's bodyguard? She slowly looked up at the taller Jasper, nervously biting her lip.

Rubes narrowed her eyes, pulling the guard closer.

"I said. Is. That.  **_Clear_ ** ." At her last words, a small plume of flames puffed in front of her mouth, dangerously close to the Jasper's nose gem. The taller guard swallowed nervously, putting their hands u

"Alright, alright. Whatever you say."

"Good." Shoving the Jasper back, Rubes crossed her arms, the flames around her hand dying out. "Get moving, go back to your station. There's nothing to see here."

With a small frown, the taller guard turned and walked off, her shoulders squared. Puff gently set the small red gem down, chuckling softly.

"Stars, I thought they were gonna retreat into their gem. Nice one, Rubes."

Sphal climbed up onto Ekanite's head, propping her upper body up with her forearms. Smiling ear to ear, she peered down at Rubes with a small chuckle. 

"Hey thanks for savin' our gems!" She said with relief. "I dunno what would have happened if we didn't run across you guys!"

Rubes dusted herself off before looking up at the tiny gem.

"Well considering that Jasper could have been a Harvester, probably nothing good." She sighed and put her hands on her hips. "I got lucky with that bluff. Guess they were a normal rank," she said quietly to herself. Puff laughed nervously before looking over at the two on her shoulder.

"First my living quarters, now this? You two sure do get into trouble a lot," she said lightheartedly, crossing her arms over her chest. Eka chirruped unhappily, ears pinning.

Sphal frowned, scratching behind Ekanite's ears to distract her slightly. 

"Ahah, yeah...we don't mean to though. More or less, I guess you could say trouble just finds us!" She said, forcing an awkward smile. "We don't mean any harm to anyone but, gems just don't like Ekanite...nor do they really have much respect for micro gems like me... Usually."

Puff sighed and shrugged her free shoulder.

"Yeaaah Hema's told me how common gems treat him when he's tiny... it must be rough for you two. I'm glad you're alright though," she said with a smile. "Just gimme a warning next time, you gave me quite the scare!"

Eka leaned into Sphal's scratches, giving an apologetic chirp to Puff. Rubes tilted her head up at the two tiny gems.

"So. Where are you two headed now? I wouldn't suggest going back that way," she said simply, thumbing back behind her.

Sphal's smile faded slowly and she looked down at Eka, sighing quietly. 

"Well, nowhere in particular actually. We were wandering around and we ran into that big jerk." She huffed, lifting her hand to adjust the goggles on her forehead. "But, it's whatever. What were you guys doin'?" She asked.

Puff motioned for Rubes to follow after her, heading down the sidewalk again.

"Actually, we were heading to a club we frequent. Morganite's Club. You heard of it?"

Ekanite perked up suddenly, chirping in surprise. She looked up at Sphal with a bright smile, tail tip twitching in excitement.

Sphal pursed her lips and rolled her eyes, but she soon smiled.

"Yeeeeeaaah we know of that place! I think Ekanite here is an old friend of Morganite if I'm not mistaken!" She said, patting the green furred gem's cheek. "Personally I only met him not too long ago..."

Eka churred happily, her eyes squinting shut for a moment. Rubes looked up at the two, arching a brow.

"An old friend, huh? I don't recall Morgan having any corrupted gems as pals..." she said quietly. "No offense or anything. Puff was quiet, her brows furrowed. She seemed lost in thought.

Sphal leaned into the gem monster, staying quiet for a few moments. 

"Ekanite wasn't always a gem monster, ya know!"

Glancing at Sphal for a moment, Rubes arched a brow, shrugging.

"Yeah I figured, but still-"

"Wait... Are you two what Morgan was talking to that night he was being all weird?" Puff asked suddenly, sparing the two a curious look.

"Huh? Oh, I guess? Hehe!" Sphal said with a grin, rubbing the back of her neck. Standing up, she made a daring move to jump down onto Puff's shoulder, holding onto the side of Eka so she wouldn't fall. "He was… pretty nice."

Eka looked down at the tiny red gem, quickly wrapping her tail near her so she wouldn't fall off. Puff looked at Sphal curiously, but soon turned her attention forward.

"Yeah, Morgan's a good gem..." she said softly, smiling to herself. "Hey! How about you guys tag along with us, eh? If you guys are pals with him, I'm sure he'd be happy to see ya!"

Sphal looked over to Eka and smiled. Surely she'd like that! 

"Well, we don't have anything better to do, so… sure! As long as Morgan's alright with us being there again." She said, giving Ekanite a look.

Churring in delight, the gem creature perked up, nuzzling her nose into Sphal's midsection.

"Thank you, Sphal! Perhaps we can stay outside this time and have Morgan come to us..." she said softly, giving an awkward chuckle. "So we don't cause trouble for him."

Rubes glanced curiously at the tiny gems, pursing her lips. What was this Ekanite doing?

Sphal grinned and leaned into Ekanite's head, patting her gently. 

"We'll wait on the outside if that's alright with you guys! You can just tell Morgan we're outside. We don't want to bother anyone!" Sphal said, turning her attention back to the other two.

Puff smiled and shrugged her free shoulder, chuckling once.

"Alright! We'll let him know."

 

\--

 

"Ey, Mor'! You've got two little visitors waiting for ya outside,~" Puff said with a snicker, sitting down in her usual seat. Rubes hopped up into her partner's lap, leaning back against the counter. The Jasper leaned one elbow on the smooth surface, smiling. "One's a fuzzbucket and the other's got the looks of a lil' explorer."

Morgan spun around from behind the counter, two drinks in hand. Sliding them down the counter at two patrons waiting patiently at the edge, the pink haired bartender smiled warmly and placed his hands together. 

"Oh! I think I know who you are talking about." He said, grinning ear to ear. "I'll have to go see them whenever I'm free. Would you two like anything in the meantime?" He cooed, turning to the shelves behind him.

Rubes looked up at the Jasper for a moment before smiling and looking over at Morgan with a soft chuckle.

"Just our usuals, Morgan. Thanks." She paused for a moment, looking down. It almost looked like she was hesitant to ask something. Tapping her fingers on the bar, she tilted her head slightly. "Did you ever know an Ekanite?" she asked quietly, brows furrowed.

Morgan was quick to grab two glasses and a bottle of mix from the back, placing them on the lower counter to start up the drinks. 

"Actually yes! She was a good friend of mine at the time." He said. Uncorking the bottle of mix, he poured it into one of the glasses. "She was a lovely singer as well! I even helped her write a song at one point. She sometimes performed here, even."

Grimacing slightly, the Ruby rubbed her forehead, sighing.

"Tsss. Stars, okay." I owe that gem an apology... "Sorry, of course. I was here for one of her performances, but... I never bothered paying attention to what kind of gem she was." A dark, embarrassed blush crossed her face as she glanced away. My memory really is shot. ... I wonder what happened to her.”

Puff looked over to Morgan, determined to change the subject. She could tell Rubes was uncomfortable.

"So, how about the smaller one, then?"

Morgan slid one of the drinks to the side for the moment, moving onto the other one. He thought for a moment, raising a single brow.

"I'm not too certain who she is. I know her name is Sphalerite and she likes to hang around Ekanite, and from what I can tell she is nice! A bit skittish...alright, very skittish. But, other than that, I can't say I know her too well!" He stated. Twisting the glass around, Morgan lifted both of the drinks up over the counter and handed them to Rubes and Puff with a warm smile.

Puff returned the smile and picked up her drink.

"Thanks, Morgan. Hey, by the way! I know this is a bit off-subject, but make sure you ask Hema about his harvest moon test some time! It's a great listen," she said with a chuckle, sipping her beverage. Rubes grabbed hers as well, drinking it quietly for a moment.

"Mmmhm. Apparently he chased around White Diamond herself."

Raising his brows, Morgan straightened up and folded his arms over one another.

"Oh really? That sounds like a blast, I'll definitely have to ask him. In fact, I know Blue Diamond was there too. Next time I see her I'll have to hear it from her perspective!" He said with a soft chuckle.

Puff's brows shot up, and she pulled her drink away from her face with an abrupt chuckle.

"Oh yeah! He chased Blue around too! I think he said she was actually the target he caught... That must have been a real sight, heheh."

Rubes sipped her colorful drink, sighing softly through her nose.

"Though you have to question the logic of letting a bunch of giant gems chase around our leaders..."

Morgan shrugged and unfolded his arms, glancing to the side. 

"I trust their judgment, and Blue's not exactly helpless. In fact if one of them was rough with her I wouldn't doubt if she threw a mace at their face." He said, grinning. "I digress. The Diamonds know what they're doing, and I'm certainly not one to question it myself. If they think it's a risk worth taking, then I guess that's on them!"

Tilting her head to the side for a moment, Rubes shrugged.

"Fair enough," she said simply, returning to her drink. A few patrons down the bar motioned for Morgan, sliding their empty glasses to the side.

 

Looking up at the stars, Ekanite tilted her head. Her tail swayed quietly behind her, brushing against the ground. She and Sphal were tucked away in a small space near Morgan's bar, somewhat akin to a tiny alley. With any luck, nobody would bother them there.

Sphal sat next to Ekanite, gently rubbing her hand against the corrupted gem's side. 

"Hey, at least the stars in this district are pretty. And Morganite's club lights are kinda pretty too. It's not all that bad here," she said, smiling over at the green furred beast.

The small gem creature chirped quietly, ears pinning back. She looked down at Sphalerite, expression unreadable.

Tilting her head, Sphal stood up and grabbed Ekanite's face gently.

"Hey, are you alright?..."

Glancing to the side for a moment, the gem creature paused. There was a tense moment of silence before she leaned forward, pressing her muzzle to Sphal's gemstone.

_ "I'm sorry. I suppose I merely miss performing around here... It's been such a long time,"  _ she said quietly, her voice almost seeming faded. It was always harder for her to focus her ability when she was upset. This time was no different.

Sphalerite frowned heavily and pet her snout. Softly running her hand across the bridge of Eka's nose, she sighed. 

"I bet you were such a wonderful singer. I hope someday I get to hear you at your fullest potential." She said, offering the creature an encouraging smile.

Eka's eyes widened slightly.

_ "I..." _ The gem's telepathic voice wavered, sounding even more faded than before.  _ "Sh-she called me a filthy creature, Sphal! It isn't fair!" _ Trembling, Eka shut her eyes tight, her tail curling around Sphal, holding her closer.

Gasping sharply, Sphal clutched at Ekanite's face and leaned into her, closing her own eyes.

"Wh-what?! Whats going on Eka? Are you okay?! Who called you a filthy creature? You're not filthy, Eka!"

_ "That Jasper that chased us! A-and the gems I used to perform with, when I tried to visit them! And countless other gems!" _ Her voice suddenly wavered, the pitch alternating unevenly. It was getting harder to understand her. “ _ "It i͏̣̮̳s̛͇̟n̢̻͓̪'̼t͔͍͚̥͍̼ ̷̯̞͎͇̥͈̜f̲ái̦̲͕̟̝̩͞r͇͇ͅ!̘͜ We can't even walk around in peace without something b̳a̴͔̳̳̤̺̪̠d̨̹̰̲͍̲̦ ͍̖̠͔̗̻h͉̼̙̗̩a̳͍̼̼̦̻̣p҉̥̤̗p̼̼̜̞̦̹e̶͖̜̤̦̖n̳͔i̛n̪g͚̞͓̯ͅ!̟̖̳͓̠͇"͍͖͘ _

Sphal looked up at Ekanite's eyes in horror, desperately trying to make sense of the situation. Without waiting another second, Sphal shoved herself into Ekanite and wrapped her arms around her neck, clutching at the gemstone on the back of her neck. 

"Calm down! It's okay! It'll be okay..."

The gem creature stiffened, her haunches tense. She was breathing rather unevenly, tail twitching. Her eyes stared ahead, wide and unblinking. Her beak-like jaws were parted, though no sound came out.

"Ekanite, please. Snap out of it!!" Sphal cried out, hugging tighter. Sphal's hands gripped at Eka's gemstone. She didn't know what to do...she'd rarely ever seen Ekanite like this. She felt sweat starting to form on her brow. As nervous as she was though, she couldn't just leave her. She wouldn't.

There was a long, tense moment of silence. Ekanite didn't move. She didn't make a sound, she didn't attempt to make contact with Sphal's gem again.

Instead, after what felt like an eternity, she slowly relaxed, tail laying limply on the ground. Her fur laid flatter, though it was still raised a tad. Ears drooping, she dropped her head slightly, eyes half-lidding. A weak chirrup sounded in her throat.

Sphal leaned off a tad, carefully peering up at Ekanite's face. She didn't look quite as bothered as she was a few moments ago at least. Sighing shakily, Sphal lifted her hand and pet one of Ekanite's ears. She had a somber look in her eyes. 

"I'm sorry, Ekanite. I'm sorry that we can't find a way to fix this...that you're stuck. But if it's any consolation... You're one of the only mostly stable corrupted gem's out there, to my knowledge...and I think that's pretty awesome." She said, slowly hugging her neck again.

The green-furred creature relaxed fully, her haunches falling to their normal state. With a shaky 'huff', she lowered her head over Sphal's form, tucking her under her chin, against her neck. She tucked her front paws in front of her, tail reaching over to curl around her and Sphal. A soft purr rose in her throat, as if in thanks.

Sphal took a deep, heavy breath and leaned into Ekanite's fluffy form, her eyes half lidded. 

"You worry me when you do that, Eka..." She whispered quietly.

Eka's eyes narrowed guiltily before closing entirely as she curled closer to the small red gem. She chirped apologetically, ears drooping. She finally seemed to be back to her senses.

  
  


"Hmm hmhmmm~"

 

Perking up, Sphal turned her head sharply to the entrance of the pseudo alleyway. The sound of a door chiming shut soon followed. 

"Hey," Sphal whispered, "I think I recognize that humming..."

Sitting up in surprise, Eka looked out of the little hidey-hole, ears perking. Oh... right. They were here to visit with Morgan. Sighing softly, the gem creature lifted her head, letting out a soft chirrup to let Morgan know where she and Sphal were.

After a few moments, there were footsteps coming near where the two small gems were. Sphal backed up a few paces, holding out her hand against Eka's fur. Peering down into the hole, A lithe pink warrior gem waved his hand in greeting.

"Ah, I thought I heard something back here! Hello you two; Staying out of trouble I hope?" Morgan crooned with a smile. Sphal waved back, though slowly and a bit more nervous. 

"Hey Morganite!" she called up, forcing a smile. "I guess, for the most part! Eheh..."

Ekanite looked over at her friend, ears twitching quietly. She gazed up at Morgan and chirped at him, flicking her tail for him to get closer.

Morgan looked around curiously. Once he determined no one was really paying attention, the lithe warrior stepped into the alleyway and knelt down. Lowering his hand to Eka, he held out his gemstone to the green furred creature. 

"It's good to see you both!"

Eka leaned forward, pressing her muzzle into the pale pink gemstone.

_ "It's good to see you too, Morgan. I hope you've been well," _ she said quietly, her voice sounding a bit faded.  _ "Apologies for interrupting you at work." _

Morgan's expression slowly shifted into something a bit softer. He wasn't entirely sure what was 'normal' by Eka's standards now that she had been corrupted, but he didn't think she sounded too well.

"Don't worry about it, Ekanite. I had someone take over for me for a few. Have you been doing alright?" He asked, glancing between the creature and the micro gem.

_ "... No. Not really," _ she replied quietly, eyes lowering. She sounded tired.  _ "I-I mean. I suppose we've been alright, but. Between accidentally leading a gem monster into a power facility and being chased around by gems who can't be bothered to leave us alone... I don't know." _

Morgan frowned, tilting his head slightly. 

"A gem monster? What kind of gem monster?" he asked, raising a brow. Sphal stepped closer and cleared her throat. 

"It was big... angry. Dumb,” she said, drawing her mouth into a thin line. She glanced awkwardly at Eka, clearing her throat. "I think it was a Mellite, but we lost it in a power plant, thankfully… we don't know where it is now. Assuming Eka told you about them?" she said. Morgan nodded and looked back at Eka sympathetically. 

"Yes but, aside from that… someone's been bothering you?"

The tiny gem monster shifted uncomfortably, looking away without removing her muzzle.

_ "... Gems don't exactly appreciate seeing my kind around, I̮̗͝ ̱͖͇̻͉͍ͅg̵̟̤ue̩̩̳̞͍̤͍͜s͎͇͕̪̮̫͘s͎̖̘,̢̪̤"̲ _ she said quietly.

Morgan flinched slightly, making a small noise of confusion. Slowly, he lowered his hand again, pursing his lips. 

"Well, I appreciate seeing you at least. If that means anything to you."

_ "It does," _ she replied without missing a beat.  _ "You and that Jasper and Ruby are the only normal gems to treat us... fairly." _ Her eyes fell slightly.  _ "... I miss visiting you. I miss the club, singing, listening to your stories-" _ She suddenly cut off, shaking her head and pulling away from his gem. Pawing at her muzzle, she trembled slightly, trying to calm down.  _ Stars, what's wrong with me tonight? _ she thought bitterly. _ Get it together... You're okay. You're with friends... _

Morgan frowned, retracting his hand. He glanced down at Sphal for a moment. 

"Is she okay?" He asked quickly. Sphal nodded and gave Ekanite a pat on her shoulder, smiling. She stepped back. Morgan held his hand out once more, smiling. 

"And I miss your songs! I'm here now, perhaps we can catch up a bit," he said, tilting his head slightly. "What… happened to you, anyway, Ekanite? I don't think I ever asked?"

Taking a deep breath, the green creature leaned forward, pressing her muzzle to Morgan's gem once more.

_ "I couldn't tell you. There's... so much of my memory that's gone from that night. All I remember is Danburite and I were going to meet our friend Sphene in these... caves... and the rest is a blur. I think something attacked us. And, the next thing I knew... I woke up like this." _ Sighing, she stared down at Morgan's hand.  _ "Danburite said I tried to protect him and Sphene, but... he said whatever attacked us got Sphene, and ended up poofing me." _

Morgan's shoulders sank and he found himself looking away. He was quiet for a moment.

"I see. That must have been quite a shock. But you know... I think you're very fortunate to be the way that you are. In all my thousands of years of existence I've never known of a corrupted gem to be as stable or intelligent as you are," he said, smiling. "And I've seen a lot in my days."

Eka gazed up at the pink-haired warrior, eyes wide. She was silent for a long moment, ears pinned. Sphal had just said something similar... hadn't she?

_ "... Thank you, Morgan." _ The gem creature sighed softly, tail flicking once.  _ "Do you... Ah, nevermind. I don't want to be a bother." _

Morgan stifled a single, soft chuckle.

"Don't worry about it, Ekanite. What is it?" He inquired, smiling warmly at the tiny duo.

_ "... Could you maybe bring out one of those drinks I used to get all the time? You know, the clear, sparkly one," _ she asked quietly, looking away shyly. _ "It's been ages since I had one. But, if it's too much trouble..." _

Morgan's smile slowly widened, and he seemed to perk up. 

"Of course! Give me two minutes." He said, quickly standing up and making his way out of the alley. Curiously, Sphal walked over to Eka's face and placed her hands on her hips.

"Aaaalright... where did he go?"

Eka was smiling brightly. She looked over at Sphal and pressed her nose to her midsection.

_ "Morganite is going to bring out a drink I used to get here all the time! I think you'll really like it, if you try it. It's called a Supernova Shine." _

Sphal blinked a few times, slowly reaching up and grabbing Eka's snout. 

"What? a drink? Like, one of those alcoholic drinks? Ooooh I've never had one of them before! I dunno what that is but it sounds delicious..." She said, smiling. How did Eka actually convince Morganite to make them a drink anyway?... Would anyone wonder why he was running back and forth? Hopefully no one would get too curious anyway.

The gem creature chirred quietly, tilting her head.

_ "This one actually doesn't have much alcohol at all. I just like it because it's pretty, and it has a light, sweet taste." _ Her tail flicked happily behind her, swaying against the ground.  _ "... Hey. I'm sorry about earlier. I don't know what came over me... I guess. The stress just kinda. Piled up." _

Sphal took a single step back so that she wasn't super close to Ekanite like she was before. Petting Eka's snout, the small gem smiled.

"It's okay. You seem to be better now at least!" She said hopefully.

_ "Yeah..." _ With a soft sigh, Eka looked up at the stars again, without lifting her head.  _ "... Thank you, Sphal. Maybe we should visit the training fields again, after we're done here. I bet the stars look lovely from there, tonight." _

Sphal looked up at the sky curiously, taking in a deep breath. 

"Yeah, I'd like that." She said, relaxing a bit. Within another few moments, the front door around the corner chimed again, followed by a sultry hum. Morgan rounded the corner with a deep martini glass filled with a sparkling, light liquid. Kneeling down, he placed it carefully onto the ground in front of the two gems. 

"One Supernova Shine. I do hope you still like it, I haven't changed a single part of this recipe!" The pink haired bartender said with a grin.

Perking up, Eka chirped thankfully at the bartender, her tail flicking excitedly. She lightly touched Sphal's gemstone.

_ "Here, you try it first, Sphal! See if you like it. I'll have whatever you can't finish. I need to... talk to Morgan for a moment." _ With that, she stood up and walked over to Morgan, suddenly motioning for him to follow her out of the alley.

Sphal smiled ear to ear, making her way over to the glass. Looking up at Morgan, she nodded thankfully and cupped her hands into the sparkling liquid. Bringing a bit up to her face, she took a sip, eyes wide. 

"Oh, this is good! And you made this yourself Morganite? This is so tasty!" She said, beaming up at the pink haired gem. Morgan chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. 

"All of my drinks are either recipes of close friends or recipes I have made myself over time! Thank you!" He said gleefully. "I'm glad you like it."

Eka smiled brightly back at her friend, glad she was enjoying the drink. She looked up at Morgan, patiently waiting for him to follow her out of the alley. For safe measure, she chirped quietly at him.

Morgan turned to face the gem creature, looking back at the other red gem briefly before following after her. Once they both stopped, Morgan knelt down once more and held out his hand.

Eka pressed her nose to Morgan's gem quietly.

_ "Morgan, you're closer to the Diamonds than any other gem I know..." _ Other than that Hematite, that is.  _ "Do you know if they're researching corrupted gems more, nowadays?" _ she asked curiously. She didn't sound... desperate, per say, as she'd greatly calmed down since her episode earlier. But there was a sharpness to her voice that couldn't be missed.

Morgan's expression fell slightly, and once more he looked away. 

"I honestly don't know, Eka. I'm sorry. I would hope so, but I cannot say for sure… I'm afraid I just never thought to ask," he said quietly. Looking back into the gem creature's glowing green eyes, he raised his brows. "But if I had to guess… I'd say that it's probably being researched still. Last time I checked though, it wasn't too... prioritized."

Tilting her head slightly, Ekanite perked her ears, her tone surprisingly bright when she spoke up again.

_ "Oh! Well... I'm glad to hear it's still being researched at all, actually. I thought they might have stopped entirely. That's good to know... thank you, Morgan."  _ With a soft 'purr', the green-furred creature nuzzled her face against the pink-haired warrior's hand, eyes closing.

Morgan chuckled, leaning his hand into Ekanite's face and rubbing his fingers against her ears. Perhaps she'd like this? After a moment, he placed his hand back down, allowing her to speak with him again should she decide to.

"Anytime, Eka. If you ever wish to visit, you know where to find me of course. You and Sphal are always welcome here! Just, I hope you realize why I can't simply allow you inside where just anyone can see. It's nothing personal."

The tiny gem monster chirped quietly at Morgan's gesture, leaning into it. After a moment, she looked up at him with a nod and pressed her nose to his gem.

_ "Oh no, I do understand. That's why I had the Jasper tell you we were out here. Regardless... Thank you for the drink, Morgan. Perhaps Sphal and I can check around here for a home instead of the yellow district. Gems around here seem to pay us less attention. Either way... I hope you have a good rest of your night." _

Morgan nodded and glanced over at Sphalerite, who was currently leaning into the glass and sipping the drink over the side contently. 

"Of course, and if you need a place to stay I'm sure I might be able to help out somehow. I live in this district not too far away. You should come visit sometime. I'd be happy to provide you some sort of safe haven if ever you need it, so long as you two can keep the place tidy!" He said, chuckling.

Eyes widening, Eka chirped in surprise, almost taking her nose away from Morgan's hand.

_ "D-do you mean it? Morgan, I don't think..." _ Swallowing quietly, she suddenly dropped her head, closing her eyes. A shiver ran down her small form before she touched her muzzle to the pale pink gemstone again.  _ "I don't think you understand how much that would mean to us... W-we'd keep it clean, I swear it!" _

Morgan lifted his other hand slightly, grinning ear to ear. 

"I don't mind! You two are small enough to hang around and not disturb much. Just as long as you don't messy up my place, I'm fine with you hanging around there as long as you need to." He said. His expression softened once more, as well as his tone. "You've been a very good friend to me, Ekanite. And for you to be like this, well...it's the least I can offer you."

Ekanite smiled faintly, eyes closing.

_ "..." _ Seemingly out of no-where, a soft, almost hum-like thrum echoed through the air, gone as quickly as it came.  _ "Thank you so much, Morganite. I'll talk to Sphal about it later... We have somewhere to go tonight, but I'll be sure to check in with you again." _ Nuzzling her face against Morgan's hand, the small creature chirped quietly. After a moment, she looked back at Sphal, smiling brightly. She touched her nose to Morgan's gem again.  _ "But for now, we have a long night ahead of us. We'll leave the glass when we're done." _

Morganite waved his hand again, placing it on his leg. Sphal looked up from the glass and hiccuped, wiping her chin off with her arm. She started to trot over. 

"I'll pick the glass back up once you two are gone. You both be safe, alright?" Morgan said warmly. Turning his attention to the other small gem, he stood up finally and took a step away from them.

Eka nodded and chirred in reply, walking over to Sphalerite quietly. She sniffed her over, ears perking.  _ Oh, stars. How much did you drink, Sphal? _ she thought to herself, almost amused. The tiny red gem seemed a bit tipsy.

Sphal had a faint, orange tint to her cheeks, but otherwise carried herself pretty well. Walking over, she patted Ekanite on the shoulder and giggled. 

"Thanks for the drink Morganite!" she called up. "Have a good night!" 

Morgan waved his hand and, with a grin, turned to make his way back into the club without another word. The small, warm colored gem leaned against Eka and whispered into her ear. 

"We've gotta get more of these sometime..."

An odd, trill-like sound of amusement escaped the gem monster, and she leaned over, gently nuzzling her muzzle into Sphal's hair. I think you've had enough for tonight. Gently picking the tipsy gem up, Ekanite placed her on her back before walking over to the glass. She leaned over and daintily lapped at the sparkling drink. Her eyes widened for a moment before closing contently. Just as good as she remembered. Purring quietly, the gem creature took small 'sips' of the drink, stopping every once in a while to either lick off her muzzle, check on Sphal, or look up at the stars.

Sphal slumped against the gem monster's back, turned over to look up at the sky with content, half lidded eyes. Sighing with a warm, inebriated bliss, she spread her arms out behind her head and closed her eyes. 

"I wonder how that stuff would affect you anyway..."

Ekanite glanced back at her small friend with a smile and a soft trill, returning to her drink. Trust me,  _ Sphal. It takes a lot more than this to get me drunk.  _ Not even Blue Diamond's usual had much of an effect on her, and that was saying something. Soon enough, she'd finished off what was left in the glass, only leaving a couple ice cubes in the bottom. She gently grabbed one in her mouth, craning her neck out of the glass. Looking up at the stars, she quietly laid the ice in front of her, licking at it contently.

Sphal yawned, stretching out on her friends back and rolling over, drowsily hugging at her shoulder blades. Hmmm...Maybe I shouldn't drink that much next time. Opening one of her eyes, she glanced around slowly, burying her face into Ekanite's back. 

"I think I'm gonna take a nap... I overdid it a little bit," she said, muffled by the creature's fur. "Wake me up when we get to our next destination, buddy..."

Thankfully, the drink had little to no effect on Eka, and she felt bright and alert, even after such a large glass. She leaned back and gave Sphal's hair a gentle, well-meaning lick before she stood up carefully, trotting out and away from the alley.

_ Right. Training fields. _

Looking up, she gazed at the stars, a new found perk in her step. She'd definitely have to talk to Sphal about Morgan's offer, once she sobered up.

Whenever that was.


	89. One Stormy Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Hematite causes considerable damage to the Blue District during a violent fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This chapter has little to no editing, and is the raw edition of the chapter. Editing will be added later, so expect lots of errors, and for small details to be changed later!]

The shuddering roll of a crumbling spire echoed through the stretch of the Blue District that a familiar, ebony-haired gem found herself in.    
  
_ Alright, that's the last one. _   
  
Dusting her hands off, Mago smirked to herself, staring at the remains of an old Blue District building she'd just finished demolishing. Her job had brought her near the wall dividing the Yellow and Blue Districts.   
Stretching her arms over her head, Mago sighed contently and started to head towards the wall a few miles off so she could make her way back to the head of the district, and warp back to the Kindergarten. Her work for the day was done, and she was ready for a well-earned day of slacking off. She just hoped she could actually get some peace. Some of the Hematites were rather on-edge after the Harvest Moon, and HT and Tae were still around for a few weeks before they were scheduled to return to their respective planets. Tae especially wouldn't shut up as of late. Mago considered sparring with the scrappy Hematite to get her to be quiet, but Tae was notoriously vicious with her club, and she didn't want to risk getting poofed.   
Sighing, the giant gem crossed her arms over her chest, pursing her lips. She idly looked at her visor radar, eyeing the myriad of gem signatures. Currently, she was walking along a stretch of residential living quarter buildings, which were of course  _ filled _ with gems of all sorts. Arching a brow, the service gem turned her head, curiously eyeing a few of the structures as she passed. Through a few of the windows, she could see a gem here or there, going about their business. Narrowing her eyes, Mago turned her attention forward.  _ There it was, that all too familiar feeling, right on schedule. _ The giant gem shook her head, forcing her mind to focus on something else.   
  
Soon enough, Mago finally passed by the last of the residential buildings. Her path now led her along a massive power facility that provided electricity to a large part of the Blue District, and part of the Yellow District. The giant gem eyed the 'restricted access' signs and scoffed quietly, smirking to herself. Part of her was tempted to cut through the area to reduce her travel time, but she didn't fancy getting in trouble with Blue Diamond. Instead, she started walking around it, pacing alongside the large wall dividing the outside world from the restricted area.   
  
_ Chirp! _   
  
Frowning, Mago stopped in her tracks, turning her attention to the miles-wide power facility. A single, pale-gray spot of color had appeared on the giant gem's radar,  _ beyond _ the walls she was walking beside. Frowning, the service gem turned her nose up with a sneer.  _ Nobody was supposed to be in there, right? Hey, if she couldn't take a shortcut through there, nobody could! _   
not wasting another moment, the service gem stepped over the facility wall, heading straight for the odd signal on her radar.  _ Maybe she wouldn't have to go to the Pink District after all. _   
  
A few minutes into the power station, Mago slowed her pace and looked around with a frown.   
_ Shhf _   
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Frowning, she suddenly shifted into a defensive stance, her arms alight with plasmic energy.  _ Something was in here with her. And she was pretty sure it wasn't a normal civilian. _   
Slowly, the service gem paced forward, keeping her arms up and ready.    
_ Alright... come out wherever you are. _   
  
_ Shffff _   
_ crackle _   
  
Eyes widening, the service gem stopped, her hair once again standing on end. Though this time, it was for a completely different reason... The air suddenly felt charged, filled with static electricity that  _ wasn't _ coming from her. Turning quickly, Mago locked her eyes on a huge, tank-like structure nearby. The metal making up the tank sparked and fizzed with bright white energy, which slowly seemed to be getting stronger. Before Mago could react, a huge, insect-like creature scurried up to the top of the tank, its long, bristle-covered body sparking wildly with electricity. Eyes widening, the service gem took a step back, gritting her teeth.  _ That... that was a big corrupted gem. _ It looked similar to a corrupted Jade, but instead of having a bare head and huge, beak-like jaws, its 'face' was completely lost to a sea of stiff, fur-like bristles. It had a few long, moth-like feelers on its front, which crackled with arcing sparks, twitching occasionally. Two sharp, light gray pincers poked out from the fur on the creature's face, clacking angrily at the giant gem.   
Mago stepped forward with a low hiss, baring her teeth up at the gem monster.   
"Alright, get down here! You're gonna take out the power to the whole district doing that!" she snarled, ignoring the fact that this creature probably couldn't understand her in the first place. Fur bristling, the giant monster scurried closer, over the edge of the metal tank. As it moved forward, several  _ other _ gem creatures suddenly appeared, rushing down the huge structure toward Mago. Scoffing, the giant gem stepped back, teeth grit.   
_ Oh, great! This thing was a mother, too?! _   
Raising its head, the insectoid monster let out an unnatural, ear-piercing screech. Within an instant, its tiny, gemless copies charged at Mago, sparking with electricity.  _ Looks like she was in for a fight. _

  
  


\--   
_ Keep low, keep quiet...keep out of sight. _   
Five, maybe six buildings she had climbed, and she wasn't finding anything interesting yet. Maybe if she headed into the more populated areas she would find what she was looking for.  _ No...No, she couldn't do that. She wouldn't risk being seen. _ Not today, at least.    
  
_ SCREEEEEEEAAAA! _   
  
Whipping her head around, Kyanite's eyes widened with shock. She thought this area was pretty abandoned, so she was snooping around here today. However, it didn't really  _ seem _ abandoned all of a sudden. The small blue gem made her way down the buildings, headed towards wherever that noise was coming. Maybe it was worth checking out!

  
  


**_SLAM!_ **   
Grunting in pain, Mago glared up at the huge gem creature that had jumped on her while she was distracted. Various copies of the gem bit and scratched at her from where she laid on the ground. The mother snapped and hissed down at the service gem, making a go for her neck. Mago managed to hold it away from her with one arm, reeling the other one back as best she could.   
_ CRACK! _   
_ SCREEEEEEEEEEEE _   
The giant gem delivered a strong, plasma-charged punch to the side of the creature's face, disorienting it just long enough to kick it off of her. With an odd, lurching noise, it slammed into one of the facility buildings, leaving impressive cracks in it. Mago grimaced in regret, hoping she hadn't just damaged anything  _ too _ important. Glaring down at the gem copies attacking her, she quickly hopped up to her feet, yanking them off of her suit and out of her hair. She tossed them to the ground, stomping on them to make quick work of their gemless forms.

  
  


Within a few minutes, a familiar small, blue gem scrambled through the streets, quietly keeping to the shadows. She'd avoid being seen if she could help it.    
_ SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE _   
  
Over there! She was sure of it this time. Turning a few corners, Kyan skidded to a halt upon noticing something up ahead.   
At least it wasn't hard to miss. Eyes widening, Kyan stepped back and ducked behind the side of one of the buildings.  _ Wasn't that Mago?! What the heck was that thing she was fighting? _ Looking around in worry, she tried to make out any other gems that were in the area, but she didn't  _ see _ anyone else thankfully. Maybe it was just them? She wasn't going to get in the middle of that, at least. She'd watch from a safe distance.

  
  


To Mago's dismay, the creature, which she'd finally scanned and identified as a Mellite, was slowly pushing her back toward the residential buildings. Their fight was still contained to the power facility...   
_ But not for long. _   
  
_ SCREAAAAAAAA! _   
  
Shooting forward with blinding speed, the creature barreled with all its weight into the giant gem, knocking her harshly off her feet. Mago yelped in surprise and then  _ pain _ as she slammed into the power station wall, bringing down a large section of it. Once again, the insectoid creature had the giant gem on her back, and seemed determined to snap at her neck and gemstone that laid on her chest. Baring her sharp teeth, the giant gem suddenly let out a furious, beastly hiss up at the mother, roughly grabbing a section of its bristle-like fur in her fist. Plasmic energy rushed up her arm, into the beast's face, eliciting a sharp, pained roar. Without warning, the Mellite wrapped the lower half of its body around the Hematite, lifting her up off the ground and chucking her away.   
  
**_CRASH!_ **   
  
Inhaling sharply through her teeth, Mago winced heavily, her head spinning.  _ Stars, what did she hit? _ Looking back, her eyes widened in horror. Her back was half-buried into a residential spire, cracks spider-webbing out from her form where she’d landed. She quickly sat up, getting an eyeful of the damage.   
Part of the wall was completely destroyed, easily taken out by the giant gem's form, while other sections were badly damaged, but still intact. The air was suddenly filled with the outraged or terrified cries of civilian gems, many of which were starting to look out their windows to see what all the commotion was. Those whose homes had suddenly been half-destroyed were crying out or yelling in a mix of panic and fury… and it didn’t take long for them to find the target of their anger. After all, she was frozen in place, staring at them all.

  
  


Gasping sharply, Kyan ducked further behind the building, covering up her nose with her scarf. _Mago, what did you do?!_   


Mago couldn’t move. Some of the gems' rooms were almost completely destroyed, while many others had significant damage to them. Many of the civilians were half-hanging out of their windows, spewing obscenities down at the giant gem, or demanding to know what she was doing. With her glazed over visor, it was impossible to tell what Mago's expression was.   
Before she had a chance to even respond to the furious gems yelling at her, the gem mother suddenly tackled her to the ground again, snarling viciously. Its bristling fur was dancing with electricity. It snapped onto a section of her hair, pulling violently at it. Mago cried out in pain, but the cry quickly turned into a fierce snarl as she heaved the creature up and away from her with all her might.   
"Alright, that's  _ IT _ you overgrown dirtbomb!"   
Managing to leap onto the creature and pin its thrashing form to the ground, Mago gripped it around the neck best she could, arms alight with plasmic energy. The Mellite's thrashing tail crashed into the buildings around the two, causing even  _ more _ damage than it already had. Mago grimaced and snarled down at the gem monster, her entire  _ form _ now aglow with bright pink energy. The outcries of the civilians around her were taking a toll on her focus, but if she could just-   
  
_ Z A P _   
_ POFF! _   
A huge cloud of gray smoke suddenly filled the entire street, screening it from view. Horrified shouts of surprise rose into the air, before an eerie hush fell over the street.   


Whimpering, Kyan came out from where she was hiding, quickly stopping in her tracks just as soon as she got out into the street. She backed up, peering up at the cloud of smoke in horror. She could still hear the sounds of civilians crying out in confusion, but they sounded so distant.

  
  


A low, heaving hiss sounded through the thick smoke. The gems that had been shouting down to the street below went quiet, a nervous murmur drifting through the air. Slowly, the gray smoke cleared, revealing a huge, dark form still crouched on the path. But now... it seemed  _ twice _ as big as it had been before.   
  
_ Vwip! _   
_ Flash! _   
  
Sitting up, Mago waved her hand in front of her, trying to clear the remaining smoke blocking her from view. Her sharp teeth were bared in what looked like a snarl, though her visor still made it impossible to read her expression. The giant gem stared at the damage around her, eyes wide.   
  
_ "Look what you did!" _   
_ "You've destroyed half our building!" _   
_ "Just what do you think you're doing?!" _   
_ "Blue Diamond will break you for this, you monstrosity!" _

  
  


Kyan backed up completely against the side of the wall, looking between the angry civilians and the massive gem that towered above them not too far away. Her chest tightened in anxiety, everything telling her to run… all except for one small, foolish voice. It told her to stay put.   


Mago stood up, slowly backing away from the building, her palms out in front of her.   
"W-wait! I didn't mean- ..." Frowning, she inhaled through her nose, clenching her fists. "I was  _ helping _ you clods! That thing was sapping power from the facility! It would have come out and started shattering people-”   
"Yeah, and now you've caused enough damage to knock the plant out entirely, thanks SO much for the help!" one of the gems called out angrily from their window. Mago winced and looked at them, taking another step back. Her body went cold when she suddenly noticed that  _ multiple _ gems were taking out their communicators. The furious reports of multiple eye-witnesses suddenly filled the air, and Mago felt her heart drop.   
Gritting her teeth, the service gem suddenly rushed back in the direction of the facility, trying to avoid any of the gems that had started filing out to see what all the racket was.   


Turning her head quickly to glance between the residents and the giant gem, Kyan grimaced and stepped back into the darkness of the alley. Okay, it was definitely  _ not _ a good idea to stay here. But what about Mago? Would she be okay? Sighing, the tiny blue gem skirted around the edge of the building, making sure to stay out of sight. Perhaps if she followed Mago, she could see for herself.

Well, she really didn’t have anything else to do, today...

  
  


Mago wasted no time making a beeline for the district wall a few miles away. Stopping alongside the huge structure, the giant gem looked around, frowning. Her visor had cleared, her eyes visible once more. Her gemstone glimmered, her form soon following suit. For a moment, she looked like she was going to shift down, as her form shrank down a tad.   
But it suddenly stopped, and she snapped back to her full size, returning to her normal colors. She looked down at her hands, a frustrated sneer on her lips.   
_ Alright... so shifting down was out of the question. _   
_ Looks like she was going the long way. _   
Gritting her teeth, the giant service gem turned and made her way toward the front of the Blue District, as if heading for the main warp pad.   
\--   
But unfortunately, at her size, the warp pad was out of the question. Mago continued past the warp pad, around the center of the capital where the diamond towers were, and into the White district, ignoring the surprised myriad of civilians she passed by.   
_ All the while, completely unaware that she was being followed. _   
\--   
**_Hours passed._ **   
How many hours, it was impossible to tell. Even at Mago's huge size and truly impressive speed, the sun was setting by the time she reached the outermost White District wall. She skidded to a halt, gazing up at the massive structure. It was over three times her height. There was a wall checkpoint nearby, but she couldn't even fit through it at her current size. The service gem pursed her lips, frowning. She looked around. This particular area of the White District was mostly scattered, much smaller residential areas, which thankfully weren't anywhere close to the wall. Honestly, the only things nearby were a few sparse bits of shrubbery and some older, abandoned homes. Mago glared back up at the obstacle before her, brows furrowed. She hadn't even noticed that a particular blue warrior had followed her all the way here.

  
  


Kyan was trailing behind Mago some half a mile or so away for the entirety of the day. Thankfully the massive Hematite wasn't that hard to spot, given how big she was. However, it was still a struggle to keep up and stay out of sight of most of the civilian gems that wandered about. Now nearing the White District's border, Kyan looked around for any way to get out. She figured Mago was probably headed back to her Kindergarten, which she assumed was on the outside of the wall somewhere. The only problem was getting past it.

  
  


The giant gem was quiet for a long moment. She stood motionlessly, staring up at the wall.   
After what felt like minutes, she started to back up. Mago paced a good distance away from the wall before stopping, still staring up at it. She crouched down.    
Suddenly shooting forward, the service gem bolted for the wall, startling a few of the guards standing at the corner between the White and Pink district.   
_ What on Homeworld?! That was one of the Hematites, but what was she doing?! _   
Brows furrowed, Mago kept up the pace until she suddenly shot into the air,  _ just _ barely clearing the top of the wall. Within an instant, she was out of the district and out of sight.

  
  


The tiny blue gem that had been following Mago for quite some time now refused to give up. Making her way up to the wall, she glanced over the top of it to see what she could find. Here and there, scattered along the walls were various divots, cracks, and ornamental cuts in the wall in diamond-patterns. With a smirk, Kyan hopped up onto one of the more lower lying cuts in the wall and started to climb. Carefully observing the layout of the wall, she determined the best route to take. It was going to be tricky, and she'd have to be careful, but if she could pull it off perhaps she could get to the top.  
 _She just hoped noone would notice her._   
Skillfully scouring the edge of the wall, the tiny blue warrior hopped from one cut to the other, occasionally changing her course to grab onto a closer, more convenient spot. Somehow, she was able to make her way up the wall fairly quick, reaching near the top within minutes. Placing her palms onto the top of one of the divots into the wall, she managed to get a good footing. Taking a deep breath, she looked down. _It was a long fall._ She kept herself steady.  
Fortunately, the top of the wall wasn't too far off, and with her climbing skills it surely wouldn't take that much to get up there. Getting _down_ was the trick. Eventually, she managed to grab onto one of the final cuts in the wall where the 'diamond' shape stuck out. Kyan pulled herself up nimbly over the top of the wall, jumping up to grab onto the edge. She'd finally managed to make it to the top. Letting out another heavy huff, she walked up onto the top of the wall and looked back at the district behind her briefly. Her eyes were wide. She'd only been up here a few rare times in the past...she'd almost forgotten how much it mesmerized her.   
Though she had to focus. Mago had probably made some good distance by now, and if she had any chance of keeping up she needed to keep moving. Running over to the other side, she glanced over to the world beyond the wall. She felt a chill go up her spine. It was strange to see such a vast, wild contrast of Homeworld city lying right outside the walls. Peering down, she swallowed nervously. _Okay Kyan, take it easy. Its the same concept, just going back down. You've done this before._   
Following the same process as she had climbing up, Kyan took a few more minutes carefully making her way down the steep wall of the city. It'd taken her significantly longer to get down, and now she _definitely_ knew that Mago had gotten out of sight. Thankfully, she looked behind her every now and then to get a jist of where she was going. If she was lucky, maybe she'd run into her if she kept going. As soon as the tiny gem's feet touched the ground, she looked up and narrowed her eyes. Quickly, the Kyanite ran after Mago, or at least where she _thought_ she was going. No turning back now.

  
  


Mago had slowed her pace once outside the district, but she was still going at a pretty good clip. Thankfully, she left rather easily followed footsteps in the grass and dirt.   
That was, until sometime later when the ground became sheer, purplish rock. By the time Kyan tracked the service gem's footprints to the barren land surrounding the Kindergarten, Mago was nowhere in sight. Nothing but the miles and miles of quarry-like walls stretched ahead. From the surface, it looked like the only way down into the Kindergarten was a sheer drop, aside from a few precarious paths here and there. Far in the distance, a few higher cliffs rose up above the regular ground level, but they were miles deep in the Kindergarten. The setting sun cast deep shadows into the chasmic maze of rock, making the already eerie place look even more ominous.

  
  


Kyan slowed her pace once she had gotten to the more rocky terrain. Glancing around, she took note of just how  _ quiet _ it was here. She shuddered, a thick breeze stirring her hair and scarf. She was somewhere in here...this was definitely a Kindergarten. Stars, this one looked  _ big. _ Then again, if this really was the Hematite's Kindergarten, then it would make sense to have such a massive area reserved for massive gems. Carefully, the tiny warrior paced around the edge of the wall, looking down to see if there was an easier way to access this part of the Kindergarten. Eventually, after a few long minutes, she'd found a slightly sloped part of the wall. However, it was only a small part of it. Climbing down on the edge, Kyan grabbed onto the side of the wall, observing it for any cracks or dips.    
She'd gotten about halfway down before the wall suddenly dropped to a ninety degree angle. Eyes widening, it appeared she had miscalculated. She was stuck, and there were only two options. Try to climb back up, or fall.    
She didn't have the time to make that decision.   
Kyan moved her body in just the right position where a piece of the wall gave way, crumbling under her weight. Gravity shifted suddenly under the small blue gem and she found herself plummeting to the ground. Twisting quickly in the air, Kyan cried out in panic before slamming down harshly onto the ground on her front. After a few moments, Kyan groaned and lay still, opening her eyes with a pained expression.   


A low, howling wind blew through the Kindergarten, stirring the tiny gem's hair. Kyan found herself in a rather wide path bordered by insurmountable cliff faces dotted with emergence holes from gems formed long ago. But, the most noticeable thing was a huge, X-shaped, red marking on the wall.

  
  


Finally managing to get up onto her feet, the blue gem rubbed her arm and groaned softly. Walking over to the wall, she looked up and narrowed her eyes at the massive red symbol scored deep into the rocky face of the Kindergarten. What was  _ that? _ She'd never seen a symbol like that before. Did it belong to one of the districts? No, surely not… those would be marked with some kind of Diamond.    
She decided not to stick around too much longer. 

  
  


What little light was left in the sky was fading fast. Soon enough, the Kindergarten was plunged into darkness. Every once in a while, a Peridot or a Danburite could be seen atop a cliff or a high ledge, heading to their work stations for the night. None of them paid the wandering Kyanite any mind, if they even noticed her at all. For a while, the tiny blue gem was left to roam in peace in search of her ebony-haired friend.   
But it didn't last forever.   
_ Shffshfshf _   
Huge, shuffling footsteps echoed down one of the winding 'halls' leading to the path that Kyan was walking along. A faint, white light glowed from the corridor, dimly lighting a small section of the larger Kindergarten path.

  
  


Kyan gasped quietly, looking around frantically for any holes in the wall to hide in...unfortunately, there were none around here. Looks like she was going to have to face this one head on. Puffing out her chest, Kyan stood her ground, clenching her fists close to her. She stared boldly ahead, frozen in place.

  
  


Soon enough, a long-haired Hematite rounded the corner, turning to head down the path that Kyan was on. However, she quickly stopped, catching sight of the tiny blue gem. Arching a brow, the giant gem cocked her poise to the side, tilting her chin up. Her long, pointed fangs glinted dimly in the light of her visor.

  
  


Kyan eyed the massive gem ahead of her, brows furrowing slightly. She didn't recognize that one... How many of these big gems were there? She didn't say a word, nor did she move.

  
  


_ Whirrrrrrrr _   
_ Click _   
"A Kyanite, huh?" With a rather bored expression, the giant ivory-haired gem adjusted her glowing visor. "What's a warrior gem like you doing so far from the Blue District?"

  
  


Kyan puffed out her cheeks and clenched her fists tightly. At first, she didn't respond, but she knew that since she'd been addressed it would have been strange not to say anything. She didn't want to provoke them.    
"I'm just passing through!"

  
  


Clicking her teeth once, the Hematite tilted her head with a soft 'hmph'.    
"I see. There are more effective paths through this area, but, whatever suits you. Don't get stepped on, your kind aren't exactly common," she said simply, continuing on her way. She walked past the tiny gem, not paying her any further mind.

  
  


Kyan huffed quietly, but didn't respond to the massive gem any further. She wasn't going to make any unnecessary conversation if she didn't have to. At least that went pretty well, all things considered. Briskly walking past the Hematite, she made her way down the winding rocky corridors. Peering around, the tiny warrior pulled her scarf up over her nose and started to pick up the pace as she walked. It was dark...really dark. Even though Kyanite was used to the dark, the cloudy skies blocked out the moon's light. She could only barely make out the silhouette of the area and walls around her.    
Another twenty minutes or so of walking later, and Kyan felt as though she were walking in circles; or at least not getting anywhere at all. Grumbling something under her breath, she decided to take a sharp turn to the right. Perhaps this was the right way? Just up ahead, the walls seemed to suddenly become very narrow. It was still plenty of room for her to walk through, but the walls were noticeably close together. Passing by it, the tiny blue gem lifted her head up to look at the walls around her. Going right again looked as though it lead back to where she came...looks like she was heading left.

  
  


_ Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. _   
"Tae and HT are out of the picture."   
_ Scraaatch. _   
Hemmi frowned and drew her hand away from the stone wall, looking at the tips of her weapon. "They failed to pass the first test. They can't even follow simple orders. Until they prove useful again… they’re done for with us," she growled lowly, clenching her fingers into a tight fist. "At least  _ you _ passed, Mite. You're the only damn gem in this place I can count on."

  
  


Mite walked behind Hemmi with a proud gait, grinning smugly.    
"Of course, Hemmi,” she crooned. "I should have known those two clods weren't going to be of any use to us..."    
Kyan's brows raised slightly, and she looked behind her. There was nowhere to go but back, and even if she'd wanted to run, it was already too late. It didn't take Mite long to notice someone standing not too far away. Pursing her lips indignantly, she narrowed her eyes.    
"Hey Hemmi, ya see that?"

  
  


"Tsk, Big Guy would have been disgusted with how few of us are worth-..." Frowning, the pink-haired Hematite stiffened up, staring down ahead of her. Her visor glowed brighter, casting a dim white light on the tiny blue gem. "... Yes, I do," she said darkly, eyes narrowing.

  
  


Kyan's eyes widened slightly and she took a step back.  _ No, stand your ground. It worked for the last one. They won't mess with you. _ She crossed her arms over her chest and stared up fiercely at the pink haired hematite. Mite stepped beside Hemmi and glowered at the tiny blue gem, sneering in disgust.    
"Ugh... it's a defective runt..." she grumbled. At her rather blunt statement, Kyan puffed up again and growled.

  
  


Without a word, Hemmi bared her teeth down at the tiny gem, a fierce, rumbling growl of her own echoing through the narrow corridor. She took a single, threatening step toward the blue warrior.

  
  


Within an instant, Kyanite's entire facade dropped, her brows raising. Without warning, she turned on her heel and bolted back behind her, turning in the other direction.

  
  


_ "That's what I thought, you defective speck." _ Standing straight, Hemmi let the growl in her throat die down, her sneer fading. She lifted a hand and ran her fingers through her hair, sighing quietly through her nose. "Now then. Where were we." She wasn't going to bother chasing after such a little annoyance.   
_ Not  _ **_this_ ** _ time. _

 

  
A powerful, howling wind blew through the narrow path, sending a chill through the Kindergarten. It quickly reached the tiny, fleeing gem, very nearly knocking her off her feet.

  
  


Kyan quickly grasped at her scarf, grumbling something crossly under her breath. Every now and then, the wind would start to pick up. Kyan growled up at the sky, her hair flying off in her face. Suddenly, she let out a frustrated growl, waving her hands in front of her face to move her hair away form her eyes.    
_ Fwish! _   
In her distracted state, the wind picked up harshly once more, enough to completely unravel the tiny warrior's scarf. Suddenly panicked, Kyan watched in horror as her scarf went flying through the Kindergarten.    
"STUPID SODDING WIND! RAAGH!" she snarled, running after the scarf.

  
  


_ Tink, tink! _   
Two tiny candies clattered to the floor, falling out of the folds of the warrior's scarf onto the cold Kindergarten ground. The scarf continued blowing away down the dark corridor as the wind picked up again, fluttering out of sight.

  
  


Gritting her teeth, Kyan scrambled over to pick up the candy, grumbling under her breath. Looking back up, she clutched the candies in her hand and followed after the scarf a good distance. There was no way she was going to lose that, especially not here! Determined to catch up, Kyan ran as fast as she could towards where she'd seen the scarf blow off too, brows furrowed in frustrated determination.

  
  


After a rather lengthy chase, the scarf finally caught on a part of the wall, fluttering quietly in the dark. With how pitch black it was, it was the only signal Kyan had to let her know where the cloth was. It was some distance ahead, down one of the rare straight stretches of the Kindergarten.

  
  


Kyan scrambled around the corner, eyes widening upon seeing her scarf up ahead. Finally, if she could just get close enough! Grinning ear to ear, the tiny gem cackled and ran up to the wall, craning her neck to look up at what she presumed was the scarf. However, her pace slowed upon noticing more refined details of the wall she was coming up on. Something looked...off.

  
  


For a moment, nothing looked terribly suspicious... The scarf could be faintly seen caught on something spiky sticking out from the wall. It was hard to tell with how dark it was.   
  
  
_ Whirrrrrrrrr _   
  
Without warning, an oddly shaped, dark pink visor suddenly glowed to life near the loose fabric, casting a faint light on the tiny blue gem. A huge, pink-haired Hematite was resting on her side, her face toward the path Kyan had been taking moments ago. Her hand was covering her gemstone loosely, her head resting on her other arm. She sleepily squinted open one eye, awoken by Kyan's rather noisy footsteps.    
Kyan's scarf was caught in Meta's hair.

  
  


Kyan's eyes went wide as saucers. Staring up at the incredibly massive gem in front of her, emitting a small noise of nervous distress. Swallowing heavily, she took a step back. She remained quiet, but glanced up between the pink haired gem's eyes and her scarf.    
_ That… that was a big gem. _

  
  


Meta furrowed her brows in confusion, staring down at the tiny gem. She sighed quietly through her nose, narrowing her open eye.   
"Can I help you?" she asked groggily, expression neutral and unreadable.

  
  


Kyan slowly pointed her finger up towards the top of Meta's head, gesturing towards the blue cloth that hung from her hair.    
"Th-that's mine... My uh... The wind...."

  
  


"Hm?" Blinking, Meta glanced up, finally noticing the tiny cloth that was caught on her bangs. Her eyes widened slightly, and she shifted to sit up slightly. Lifting a hand up to her hair, she carefully plucked the scarf from where it was caught. "This?" she asked quietly, looking at the cloth with tired curiosity.

  
  


Kyan stifled a small whimper, but nodded.    
"Can I… uh... please have that back?" she said quietly, nervously staring up at her scarf.

  
  


The massive gem looked down at Kyan, raising a brow.   
"Sure. Just try not to lose it again." Meta reached over to the tiny warrior, stopping just short of her to offer the scarf. "Shouldn't you be in a workstation or something?" she asked quietly, resting the side of her face in her free hand. She sniffed once, then paused, brows furrowing. “... Somewhere  _ else _ , other than here?”   


Kyan flinched back, but jumped up and grabbed her scarf. Hugging it close, she wrapped it back around her neck and placed the candies which she still held into the scarf once more. Pulling it snug, she looked up at Meta thankfully, albeit a bit timidly.    
"I... I don't work at a station. I'm just here to find a friend. S-sorry to bother you!"   


Meta pursed her lips slightly for a moment.   
"... At this time of night?" she asked quietly. "That's not exactly safe." Stifling a yawn, the giant service gem sighed softly, resting her head back on her arm. "Buuut whatever. Be careful, kiddo."

  
  


Taking in a sharp breath, Kyan nodded and turned away without another word. That was a close one. Then again, at least this one didn't seem nearly as... unpleasant as the last two she had encountered. She wondered how many more she'd run into trying to find Mago. Hopefully she'd find her soon. Wandering around, she noticed the area around here was far wider than most of the places she'd turned around in. After a few more minutes of walking, Kyan found herself at a rather large fork. One path turned left, and the other turned right. Frowning, she muttered something under her breath and started off to the left.

  
  


After a rather lengthy walk, the tiny gem finally came into range of another Hematite... Though this one sounded far less friendly than the others.   
Somewhere  _ far _ up ahead, someone was loudly clattering around, angrily shoving things about. Unintelligible angry muttering could be made out, though it was impossible to tell what was being said.

  
  


Kyan kept quiet, occasionally glancing around. She wasn't one hundred percent sure where that disgruntled muttering was coming from, but she didn't want to find out. She kept walking. After another ten minutes or so, Kyan sighed quietly to herself. It was completely still here; even the wind had died down. It was ominously silent, dark, and an odd sense of dread crept up the tiny warrior's spine. Every now and then, she'd look behind her to make sure she wasn't being followed.    
She must have been walking for well over two hours by now, and the clouds were still thick in the sky. Shivering, Kyan folded her arms over one another and kept moving forward, sticking to one solid path for now. Though, once she'd gotten to a certain point, she noticed another set of turns. Rolling her eyes, she went to the right. How far did this place go on? Was she going to be wandering around in here forever? Kyan was starting to think this wasn't such a good idea...but she couldn't just turn back now.    
_ Shhfff. _   
Kyan stopped in her tracks, looking around. After a few more moments of silence, she glanced over her shoulder. Nothing.    
"Hmn...."    
Walking forward again, Kyan kept her eyes trained ahead into the darkness...but soon she came across a rather rocky area where the cliffs became jagged, and more taller ledges stuck out of the ground. Raising a brow, the tiny blue gem craned her neck to look up at some of the large flat-topped boulders that littered the area. At least it was dark enough to see the outlines of them. For a few more moments, the curious blue gem walked through the corridor of ledges, holding her arms close to her chest. However, she was too busy looking around to notice that she was coming up on something.    
_ Thump.  _   
Scrambling back, Kyan grumbled and stepped back, swearing under her breath. She'd walked right into something... Wait. Was that there before?   
Suddenly, whatever was in the dark shifted, earning a startled squeak from the tiny blue gem. Kyan stumbled back swiftly and held up her fists in defense. What was that?! Something started to move, suddenly towering over the tiny blue gem. Tall, lithe, a black silhouette against the dark of the night.    
  
"What on Homeworld are you doin' here?" it spoke.    
  
Kyan stared up in fear, eyes wide.    
"Wha!? I... I'm... AH..." She backed up, thumping her back against the side of the wall. Suddenly, the figure raised what looked to be their arm up to their face.    
_ Whiiirrrr. _   
A thin, sharp, pink visor lit up suddenly, revealing the massive gem's face at last.    
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. You shouldn't be here," he said, raising a brow simply. Kyan blinked, stepping forward and narrowing her eyes.    
"I'm... I'm not leaving, I can't! I'm... just passing through." She stammered, puffing out her chest. She hoped this one wasn't as mean as those other two. The massive gem lifted his hand again, tapping a tapered, claw-like finger to his visor.    
"Don't lie to me. Gem's don't just  _ wander _ through here. You here to visit someone?" they quietly asked. Swallowing nervously, Kyan glanced to the side. This odd-toothed hematite had caught her bluff. Dropping her fists to her side, she refused to make eye contact.    
"I'm here looking for someone. Her name's Mago. Do you know her?" She responded, finally glancing up to them. Hita slouched slightly over, taking a moment to respond.    
"Oh, yeah. I know her. Well, of her. We don't really talk. She's this way, I think. I heard her walking around not too long ago. Just keep going down this path and you should run into her." He said, raising his brows. "I don't really care what you do here, just try not to get hurt, alright?" he said simply. Turning without another word, the odd-toothed Hematite lifted himself up onto one of the ledges and tapped his visor again, the light fading away. Kyan peered up at him curiously, her nerves gradually calming. After a few quiet moments, Kyan started off for the direction the lithe Hematite had gestured towards.    
"Hey, thanks weirdo!" Kyan called up as she passed, waving her hand. The silhouette of a clawed hand lifted from where the large gem lay, followed by a dismissive grunt.    
"Mmmbye."

  
  


The path ahead of Kyan was dark and quiet, though the wind started to pick up again. Thunder rolled across the horizon, making the Kindergarten tremble subtly. The tiny blue gem walked for some time through the winding paths, making turn after turn. No more than half an hour later, the storm started to pick up, winds wildly whipping through the narrow stone walls. After some time, it almost seemed like someone was around, as the air slowly had a charged energy to it the further Kyan walked. However, from the looks of it, she was alone.

  
  


Kyan whimpered quietly, clutching onto her scarf. She wasn't going to lose it again, she'd make sure of it. Her footsteps were completely drowned out by the sound of the howling wind and rolling thunder that echoed through the chilled night air. Glancing around, the tiny blue gem started to pat her hands against the wall to see if there were any low lying holes she could take refuge in for the night. Perhaps it was best if she waited until morning?

  
  


After some time, the wall dropped away in a sheer corner, leading into another corridor. Kyan's hand met the empty air instead of a cold stone wall.   
  
**Rumble**   
  
_ Shf _   
  
Without warning, something shot out of the dark of the narrow corridor to Kyan's left, cutting off her path. A massive hand suddenly grabbed ahold of her, lifting her feet off the ground.

  
  


Kyan shrieked in terror, squirming and thrashing wildly in the hands of whoever, or whatever it was that grabbed a hold of her.    
"LET GO OF ME YOU BIG SOD, I'M GONNA BITE YOU!" She snarled, shoving her hands against the massive palm that held her.

  
  


_ "Tch. _ Is that how you greet everyone, scruff?" said a quiet, familiar voice. The massive hand lifted up, the giant gem following suit as she sat up. Lightning flashed overhead, momentarily illuminating the service gem holding Kyan in her grasp.   


Blinking in surprise, the smaller gem calmed, sighing with relief.    
"Oh, I didn't know it was you Mago!" She said, pursing her lips. "Sorry… You're not a sod.”   


Chuckling, the ebony-haired gem lit her visor up, gazing down at the tiny warrior. She let up on her, holding her loosely in her palm instead of in her fist.   
"What are you doing here, Kyan?" she asked quietly, standing straight. She started down the hall she'd been crouched in, heading for her territory.   


Kyan relaxed at last, frowning slightly under her scarf.    
"I came to see if you were okay. I… saw what happened earlier... I thought they were gonna try to hurt you." She said, her tone dropping slightly towards the end. "You were just trying to protect them..." The tiny blue gem looked away, holding her hand up to her scarf and pushing it against her face. "Even if ya did destroy half the houses there. Th-they just don't get it! They can rebuild houses, but if that thing got out...!"   


Mago stopped in her tracks, eyes widening, her usual cocky demeanor  _ dropping. _   
"... You saw that...?" she said quietly, sparing the tiny gem a glance. "... D. Did you follow me all the way here?"   


Kyan nodded, puffing out her chest slightly.    
"Yeah!" She said, a tiny, fierce smile crossing her face.   


"... How in White Diamond's name did you manage that, scruff?" she asked in disbelief, continuing her traipse into her territory. "I didn't see you a single time. And, for that matter, how did you make it through here?"   


Kyan pursed her lips, looking away with a subtle shrug.    
"A hop, skip and a jump over the wall was no problem really... buuut I totally fell when I came down into the Kindergarten." She said, rolling her eyes. "I made it though! Didn't hurt at all!"   


"No, I mean... okay well that's really impressive BUT that's not what I meant, Kyan. How did you get through  _ here? _ And at night, for that matter?" she asked with a small frown, arching a brow. "What, you got some Hematite-repellent I should know about?"   


Kyan suddenly hopped up in Mago's hand, proudly placing her hands on her hips.    
"I scared em away! Hah! They knew better than to mess with me!" She said, grinning ear to ear. "I aaaam the Hematite repellent! Youuuu're probably just too cool to be phased by it." She said, looking up to the ebony haired hematite with a coy smile.   


Brows raising, Mago shot the tiny gem a surprised look before she suddenly snickered, covering her mouth with her free hand.   
"Oh you  _ are _ the repellent, huh? Weeeeell then I might just have to keep you around, in that case." Grinning, the service gem held Kyan closer to her face, eyeing her with an unreadable look in her eyes. "None of the others would daaaaare mess with me with you around.~"   


Kyanite beamed up at the huge gem, smiling ear to ear.    
"Hehe! Thaaaats right!" She said, crossing her arms. "I'm too tough for em. A-and you are too!" She said, suddenly balling up her fists and holding them in front of her. "You were really awesome today when you showed that creep who was boss! Oh stars, and when you whacked it into that huge building and it screeched, that was awesome!" She said, giggling and flopping down on Mago's hand, wiggling her legs excitedly.   


A bright pink blush spread over the giant gem's cheeks, and she turned away, putting a hand over the side of her face. Her entire form was suddenly far warmer to the touch, her palm included.   
"Hah, well I mean! I couldn't just let that thing hang around! If I couldn't go in there,  _ nobody _ could!" She chuckled and lifted her chin smugly. "You liked that, eh? Hah, you should see pipsqueak and I spar. Now  _ that's _ a fight, heheh."

  
  


Kyan looked up between Mago and her fingers, smiling widely. A fight between her and Hema? And she thought Rubes and Puff were awesome!    
"I'd love that!" She said over zealously, grabbing onto Mago's thumb and clinging to it.

  
  


Mago's eyes widened, a soft, almost  _ inaudible _ noise of surprise escaping her as Kyan clung to her thumb. She stared down at the warrior, blinking quietly.   
"... You know. You seem really unbothered by this whole, ya knowww." She scoffed and shrugged a shoulder, grinning coyly as she closed her eyes. "Giant gem thing."

  
  


Looking up at Mago briefly, Kyan rubbed her face into the side of her thumb, appeased by its odd warmth. It was especially welcomed in such chilly weather... it was nice.    
"I think it's cool!" She said, smiling faintly.

  
  


Smile softening, the service gem held Kyan a little closer to her face, her fingers curling over her, almost completely blocking out the rather strong, chilly winds of the storm brewing overhead.   
"You'd be the first, then! Hah..." The ebony-haired gem lifted her free hand up, gently ruffling Kyan's hair. She looked up for a moment as she stepped into a larger corridor surrounded by scorch marks. They'd finally arrived in her main territory.

  
  


Kyan leaned into Mago's other finger, puffing out her cheeks.    
"I wish I was big like you guys! Maybe then I could see the world from so high up. And more gems wouldn't mess with me either." She said, wrapping her arms around the giant gem's finger. "It's neat up here."

  
  


"Hm... You'd be surprised how many gems still mess with ya at this size, Kyan. Heck, a lot of gems mess with you  _ because _ you're bigger. They ain't exactly fond of our kind, in the general public." Shrugging, she pursed her lips, sighing dramatically and closing her eyes. "Buuut I digress." She paused, opening one eye. "... You knowww. Stick with me, scruff, and I'll let ya ride on my shoulder all ya want.~"

  
  


Gasping sharply, Kyan perked up and hopped up to her feet, grinning ear to ear.    
"Hell yeah!" She said, clenching her fists. She was going to say something about her prior statement, but she got a bit too excited to remember what it was she'd wanted to say. Sticking out her tongue, Kyan lifted her index finger.    
"OH! That reminds me! I have something for ya!" She said with a devious tone.

  
  


An excited grin spread across the service gem's face, but soon fell into a more curious smile.   
"Oh? And what's that?" she asked coyly, trying to keep her composure.

  
  


Kyan reached into her scarf and dug around for a few moments, sticking out her tongue again. Within a few seconds, she pulled out one of the candies she had been saving that was just a bit smaller than her hand.    
"I got this for you!" She said, holding it out towards the giant gem with a cheeky smile.

  
  


Mago blinked in confusion, squinting at the tiny item. She couldn't scan it, so it wasn't a gemstone...   
"... What is it?" she asked curiously, tilting her head for a moment. Lifting a hand, she carefully took it from Kyan's palm, pinching it between her fingers as she lifted it up to look it over.

  
  


Kyan looked down at the tiny candy, then back up at Mago, still smiling.    
"It's a candy! You put it in your mouth and let it dissolve! It tastes good!" She said, motioning her hand forward a bit. "They're kind of a luxury thing, not many gems eat them cuz we don't have to, but they taste pretty good so some like it for the flavor. I had a couple, so I thought maybe you'd like one!"

  
  


Brows raising, Mago looked at the tiny candy, tilting it around to look it over.   
_ This was a luxury item... and she was sharing it with  _ **_her?_ **   
"Uhh, you sure you don't wanna keep it, Kyan? Sounds like something you don't just give away, you know?" she said nonchalantly, smiling lopsidedly.

  
  


Kyan gestured her hand forward again, furrowing her brows despite still grinning ear to ear.    
"Yeah but I want you to have it!"

  
  


The service gem blinked in surprise, looking back at the small, spiked candy.    
"Well alright, if you say so. But, I'm gonna hold onto it for a second,~" she said with a smile, sparing Kyan a glance. She gently cupped her fingers behind the blue warrior, holding her a bit closer as a roll of thunder rumbled over the horizon. Stepping into a large, oval-shaped clearing, the service gem looked around, pursing her lips. "Let's see... Ah." Smiling, the giant gem walked over a large, almost cave-like opening in the far left wall, settling back against the wall. The two gems were now almost completely sheltered from the chill winds outside.

  
  


Kyan held the candy close, peering up at the sky. The weather was really bad tonight. It was still cold in here, but at least the wind chill was knocked out completely. Turning in Mago's hand, Kyan sat back down and leaned back against her fingers.

  
  


Mago looked down at the tiny gem, tilting her head curiously. She held her a little closer, a faint warmth coming off of her form. Looking at the candy in her other hand, she pursed her lips. 

"I wish I could shift down to try this... Ah well." Lifting the spiked treat to her mouth, she placed it on her tongue, closing her lips behind it. Her eyes widened slightly, and she placed her fingers over her lips with a soft noise of surprise.

  
  


Kyan watched Mago intently, stifling a small chuckle.    
"Oh, sorry! I forgot to mention, they kinda have a weird sensation to em'. They fizz up and stuff! I think it's kinda neat..." She said, brushing her fingers through her ruffled hair.

  
  


The giant gem blushed faintly, smiling awkwardly with a nod.   
"It is, I just wasn't expecting it!" she said with a soft chuckle.  _ Huh... this did taste pretty good! She'd have to get more of these some time... _ "Where did you get these?"

  
  


Without breaking eye contact, Kyan kept smiling eagerly at the huge gem in front of her.    
"A nice Ruby!..."

  
  


Mago looked up and narrowed her eyes at nothing in particular.  _ She'd have to ask some rubies about this. _   
"Aah, gotcha. It's really good, thanks, Kyan!" she said brightly, ruffling the tiny gem's hair with her finger. However, the playful ruffling turned into more of a 'pet' after a moment as she brushed her finger over the warrior's hair. "So... Any luck finding somewhere to stay in the other districts?"

  
  


Kyan, for a moment, didn't respond. She simply enjoyed Mago's gesture, ducking down into her scarf. Hugging her knees close, the tiny blue gem peered up at Mago, expression unreadable.    
"Nah."

  
  


Mago's expression fell slightly.   
"I see. Well.." Smiling faintly, the service gem shrugged, holding Kyan a little closer to her face. "Like I said. You can always stick around with me, if you want. There's plenty of room, and I dunnoooo. I like having ya around,~" she said with a small wink, sticking her tongue out between her teeth just slightly for a moment.

  
  


Kyan chuckled, pulling down her scarf under her chin. The tiny blue gem stuck out her tongue to mirror Mago's expression. Casually, she pulled her scarf back over her nose and tilted her head.    
"That'd be awesome...As long as no-one else bothers us." She said, looking away. "B-but we can scare em off together! Hehe!"

  
  


"Darn right we can~!" she agreed with a chuckle. "I'll make sure none of these clods bug ya. Just stick with me kid, and you'll be safe!" she said proudly, tilting her chin up with a smirk. "I'll bite anyone that tries to mess with ya."

  
  


Kyan hugged her knees close again, but lifted her hands into the air excitedly.    
"And I'll bite whoever messes with ya! That, orrrr I can just throw a bat at their face." She said, grinning. Gradually, the tiny blue gem's expression softened, and she found herself leaning against the giant gem's hand. "Regardless… thanks Mago. I might stick around here from time to time... if ya don't mind."

  
  


Smiling softly, Mago shook her head.   
"Nah, I don't mind, scruff. You're a lot of fun to be around." She bent her finger over the tiny gem, patting her on the head. "And any gem that can appreciate a good fight is cool in my book.~"

  
  


Kyan reached up, touching the gem's finger with her entire hand. She lifted her chin to look up at Mago's finger, fascinated. Something deep within her core was telling her something... telling her she was making a mistake. Telling her to back off, to get away. To never come back or speak to this gem again... But she pushed it away this time. She couldn't help it.    
This gem wasn't like Hema. This gem was different...she had a feisty, almost rebellious seeming nature. She was big, tough, cool, and still treated her with respect. She wasn't as rule heavy, strict, or higher classed like Hema was, and she was never sent out to chase her and be assigned to her. She was just there… she was just  _ Mago. _ Just another gem that at first, she'd thought she'd never see again. However, Kyan was wrong, and for the first time in years… she was actually  _ glad  _ to be wrong.    
She just hoped she wasn't going to regret this later....because there was no going back now.

  
  


 

The Diamond placed her teacup onto it's saucer, smiling warmly.    
"Your tea is magnificent today, Pearl." White spoke, turning her head to look at the smaller service gem poised professionally next to her desk. White's Pearl smiled faintly and saluted, a small blue blush crossing her cheeks.    
"Thank you, my Diamond. We just had a fresh stock of tea come in this morning, I thought you would like some of it." She responded. White nodded once and looked down into the cup, her face reflecting in it's warm, shimmering liquid. It was a peaceful morning in the White District, and it had been the first day in months that White had decided to sleep through the night. She slept the least out of all three of the Diamonds, surprisingly, but when she did she slept for a long time. Fourteen hours later, and she was up again and ready for the day. She was a tad bit groggy, but thankfully this tea was starting to wake her up some! She found it to be quite delightful.

  
  


The storm from the previous night had long since moved on, drifting to the east. Though the air was still chilly, the morning sun was starting to warm things up.    
Which made for a deceivingly pleasant morning...   
  
_ Knock knock knock! _

  
  


White's attention shifted towards the door, gesturing for her Pearl to go answer it. The Pearl nodded and made her way over, cracking it open slightly.    
"White Diamond's Pearl, speaking. How may I help you?"

  
  


A stockier built, armored Onyx stood at the door, saluting with one arm. In their other hand, they held a communicator.   
"I'm here to report to White Diamond. She's received many, uhm. Complaints about one of her gems."

  
  


Pearl frowned suddenly, looking back at White Diamond who was staring curiously from behind her desk. The Pearl looked back up at the warrior and nodded her head, opening the door fully.    
"Ma'am, you have an warrior here to deliver a message." She said, stepping to the side. White raised a brow, glancing at the tall armored gem that stood at the doorway. Sighing, she grabbed onto her teacup and lifted it to her lips.    
"Alright, what is it then?"

  
  


Hesitantly, the guard-gem took a step into the office, saluting promptly.   
"My Diamond." They bowed their head respectfully. "Starting yesterday, we received multiple distressed calls about one of your Hematites." Frowning nervously, they glanced at the communicator in their hand. "You were not to be disturbed, however, so we compiled them as messages for you... It. Seems they might have caused some serious damage in the Blue District."

  
  


White's expression fell completely, her brows furrowing in anger.    
"What...?" She said, her voice forceful. Looking from the warrior to the communicator, she held out her hand as if to ask for it.

  
  


Swallowing nervously, the jet-black warrior stepped closer fidgeting with the communicator before handing it over to the Diamond. It whirred to life, glowing dimly before it displayed a selection of files. They started to play relevant clips of the messages automatically.   
  
_ "My Diamond, one of your gems has just attacked my home! My living quarters are in shambles, the wall is completely destroyed!" _   
_ Click! _   
_ "White Diamond, is this your doing?! A gem with your insignia just crashed into a spire in the Blue District! What is the meaning of this?!" _   
_ Click! _

  
  


The look on the Diamond's face was... indescribable. At first, it was angry. Then, it seemed worried. Then it seemed almost  _ hurt. _ Glancing to the side, she muttered something silently. Furrowing her brows, she clicked over to the next few files.

  
  


_ "White Diamond. I'm unsure if you'll even hear this, but a gem supposedly under your order just attacked a public spire alongside a gem mother. They had long, black hair, a maroon and gray suit, and a large silver gem on their chest. Who are they, and when can we expect to see them brought to justice for their damages they've caused?" _   
_ Click! _   
_ "Is that what they call a 'Harvester'?! Just what have you created over in your district, White Diamond?! This monstrosity nearly shattered multiple gems and caused enough damage to our electrical facility to knock out the power for miles! Parts of the Yellow District are down as well! Are you going to do something about this?" _   
_ Click! _   
_ "My Diamond. With all due respect, please do something with this gem that attacked our residential area. They had the audacity to fight a gem monster in a restricted area and then bring it into a populated zone. They then ran off without so much as an apology. Please respond." _   
_ Click! _   
  
The following messages were of a similar nature.   
  
_ "What was that thing?!" _   
_ "White Diamond!" _   
_ "Was that a Hematite?" _   
_ "My room is destroyed!" _   
_ "Blue Diamond will hear about this!" _   
_ "I hope that gem is broken for this!" _   
  
_ Click. _   
  
The Onyx swallowed quietly, looking off to the side. They didn't say a word.

  
  


White pinched her brow, closing her eyes with a heavy sigh. Placing the communicator down onto the table, she'd finally heard enough. Inhaling through her teeth, White opened her eyes and glared over at the Onyx warrior, staring right through them with piercing, furious eyes.    
"Leave."

  
  


"Yes, my Diamond." With a salute, they turned and left as quickly as they could without flat-out running. Within moments, they were out of the room.

  
  


The door hissed shut behind them, leaving White and her pearl to stand alone in the room. The air was filled with a thick, pressurized tension. With a low growl, the Diamond turned and paced around the back of her desk, folding her arms behind her back. White's Pearl made no attempt to intervene or even speak out, lest she get some sort of enraged response. She knew better.   
"One of my Hematites...one of MY HEMATITES?" She snarled, speaking her thoughts out loud. "From the sounds of it, they haven't corrupted...no, one of them made the conscious decision to-...” She suddenly remembered the description that one of the clips had given her. Suddenly, White whipped around and slammed her hands down on her desk, her shoulders heaving. She glared daggers into the communicator for a few long moments.  
Then she sighed. Inhaling sharply through her teeth once more, the Diamond straightened up and rolled her neck, closing her eyes soon after. _Calm, White. Calm._ _You're better than this. Control yourself. You still haven't heard this from_ ** _her_** _side._ Sitting down in her seat, the Diamond eyed the communicator for a few brief seconds, tapping her fingertips together. Slowly, she reached out and grabbed onto the device, holding up up to her face.   
"Contact Hematite 9."

  
  
  
  


_ Beep beep beep, beep beep beep! _   
_ Mhgmh. _   
Groaning, Mago opened one eye, staring at her visor.  _ Who was calling her at this hour? _

  
  


**"Mago. This is White Diamond. Respond** **_immediately, if you please."_ **

  
  


Eyes widening, the service gem suddenly sat up, a cold prickle of dread crawling up her spine.   
  
**_Oh stars, no._ **   
"..."   
Glancing down at the sleeping Kyanite nearby, Mago lifted her fingers up to her lip, tapping it nervously.   
_... Answer video call. _   
  
With a flash, a holo-screen projected in front of Mago's face, displaying White Diamond within moments. A cold shiver sank into her very core.   
"Ma-... Hematite 9 reporting, White Diamond," she said nervously, saluting.   


White's fierce gaze rested upon the service gem, her lips pursed.   
"Care to explain to me why you were in the Blue District yesterday in a  _ restricted _ area? Care to explain what all these complaints are about?  _ Why you destroyed a residential area…?” _  White growled, squaring her shoulders.   


Mago's lip quivered nervously, and she glanced away, eyes widening.   
"I-I. No, my Diamond, it wasn't like that!" she said desperately, grabbing a section of her hair and running her fingers through it anxiously. She couldn't meet White's eyes. "I was finishing up a demolition job near there, a-and I was on my way to the warp pad to return to the Kindergarten," she began, voice wavering here and there.    


White inhaled slowly through her teeth, trying to keep her composure and patience.   
"Please get to the point."   


Mago winced, tugging firmly on her hair.   
"I saw a signal in a power facility, and I knew nobody was supposed to be in there. But... it looked like a rather big signal, so I thought I should check it out. I know pip-... Hema goes on patrols now and then, so I thought I'd save Blue Diamond some trouble and take care of whoever was in the facility. But, it turned out to be a huge corrupted Mellite, and it was a little more powerful than I anticipated." She frowned, biting her lip for a moment. She looked  _ guilty. _ "... It pushed me to a nearby residential area. I tried to poof it before then, but I couldn't. It was too strong. It managed to  _ throw _ me into one of the buildings, which I caused a lot of damage to in the process..."   


White thought for a moment, looking to the side. After a few seconds, she clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth and sighed.   
"Alright, look..." She started, placing her hand over her forehead in exasperation. "Mago. I thank you for taking out a potentially catastrophic threat...but you have broken a lot of rules in doing so. I simply can't excuse that for one gem mother. You weren't supposed to be in that area, you've destroyed countless homes in your reckless quarrel, and took on a task that you were  _ not _ authorized to complete. You put a lot of lives in danger yesterday because of your brash decisions. Don't you understand the severity of your actions?" White continued, furrowing her eyebrows again.

  
  


The service gem wilted the longer White went on, her hair clutched firmly in her hands. By the time the diamond stopped, she looked utterly  _ defeated. _ She finally managed to lift her eyes to the screen, a completely  _ uncharacteristically _ somber and upset look on her face. White had certainly never seen that from her before. Mago opened her mouth, but nothing came out at first. When she finally managed to speak, her voice held a heaviness to it; an unmistakable weight.   
"... Yes, I do."   


White's shoulders fell slightly, but she kept looking sternly into the other gem on the other end of the call.    
"I've no choice than to put your jobs on suspension for two weeks. I  _ would _ assign you to community service to help clean up your mess, but I doubt anyone wants you in the Blue District again anytime soon. You will not be allowed back in that District until  _ every _ bit of damage you have caused is fixed. Once everything is back to normal, then you may return to it whenever you wish… However.  **Don't let this happen again.** Do I make myself clear?" White Diamond said, her voice becoming a bit more quiet as her sentence progressed.

  
  


Mago's demeanor fell slightly,  _ as if it could anymore. _ She stared helplessly at her leader, not replying at first.   
"... Yes, my Diamond," she said quietly, gaze dropping. "It won't happen again."  _ So much for a spar with Hema... Or anyone else, for that matter. _ After a moment, the service gem blinked in surprise, something in her chest tightening.  _ She couldn't visit Morgan... _ "I'll try to stay out of trouble. ... I'm sorry."

  
  


White Diamond nodded simply.    
"White Diamond, out."   
  
_ Vwip! _

  
  


"White, wai-..."   
_ Click! _   
...   
_ She didn't even get to ask if anyone had gotten hurt. _   
Pulling her knees to her chest, the service gem looked down at the ground, brows furrowed.   
_ Of course. Just when she was doing so well. Just when things were finally going her way, getting better... Just when she'd gotten White's approval, and performed so well at the Harvest Moon... Now this. _   
Clutching her legs tightly, the service gem stared forward, her chin resting behind her knees.

  
  


Stirring from her nap, the tiny blue warrior which lay next to Mago stretched her arms with a wide yawn. After a moment of sleep-drunken mumbling, Kyan looked up at Mago, smacking her lips.   
"Hey… Mago? You okay?" She asked, tapping Mago's leg with her hand.

  
  


Mago flinched slightly, glancing down at the tiny gem. Her gaze dropped.   
"... Mm. I've been better, scruff." The service gem shrugged weakly, staring forward out of the cave. "White... called about what happened yesterday."

  
  


Kyan frowned, turning her head to look away from the giant gem.    
"Ah...I take it she wasn't too happy?..." She said, looking back at her without turning her head this time. Kyan clutched her own knees close, mimicking Mago's position.

  
  


"Hah. If you count 'banned from the Blue District' and 'on two week suspension' as 'not too happy', then. Y. Yeah." Mago tried to fake a smile, but it was a pitiful attempt, and it faded quickly.

  
  


Kyan blinked, finally looking up to Mago with an unreadable expression.    
"Whaaaat? That's dumb!" She said, puffing out her cheeks. "Ugh, White's such a stick in the mud! Don't tell her I said that...but really, you were just trying to help! That's not fair!" She complained, hopping up to her feet. Taking a few steps away from Mago, the tiny blue gem turned to face her completely and held up her fists in front of her. "Hmph! The Blue District is lame! Everyone there's a buncha jerks anyway! You don't have to care what they think, they'll never appreciate you for who you are or what you do! So you know whatcha gotta do?" She said, suddenly grinning fiercely. Getting in a more confident stance, Kyan placed her hands on her hips and stood up straight. "Ya gotta buck up and keep your head high! You and I are too cool for the Blue District, they just can't handle gems like us! In fact, I bet they're all totally just jealous that  _ they _ couldn't kick a giant gem monster's butt like you could! Keheh!"

  
  


Blinking in surprise at the tiny gem, Mago straightened up, lowering her legs slightly to stare at the blue warrior.    
_ Well, not ALL the gems in the Blue district were jerks... _   
"... Hah. You know what." Smirking with some of her old light, Mago leaned over and scooped Kyan up in her hands, holding her up in front of her. "Yeah! And I bet they'd be jealous that Iiii have the coolest gem in the capital to hang out with~" she cooed, chuckling.

  
  


Kyan perked up, suddenly feeling a warmth on her cheeks which was just barely covered by her scarf. Kyan pulled up the cloth over her nose again, this time a bit higher than normal, holding it there. Closing her eyes, Kyan reached out and slapped her hand against Mago's finger, holding her hand in place once it'd made it's small impact.    
"Hehe...Yeah!!" She called up, her scarf falling an inch or so lower.

  
  


The service gem grinned cheekily down at the tiny blue warrior, curling her fingers up behind her.   
"Sooo. Since I don't have any jobs to do for a whiiiiiile. You wanna go hear cool stories from my pal Meta?" she asked coyly, arching a brow at the tiny gem.

  
  


Without missing a beat, Kyan tilted her head slightly, smiling up at Mago from behind her scarf.    
"Who's Meta?"

  
  


 

Walking around the corner with Kyan on her shoulder, Mago smiled and motioned to the giant gem down the corridor. The pink-haired Hematite was still sleeping on her side in the same spot, though she'd rolled over since the previous night to have her back facing the path. Grinning cheekily, Mago stepped closer, chuckling.   
_ "That's _ Meta.~ She's the biggest Hematite out of us all."

  
  


Staring up at the absolutely massive gem, her eyes wide. She remained fairly expressionless, but she was complete frozen.  _ The biggest? _ Well, she  _ guessed _ that was a relief.    
"Oh.  _ That's _ Meta." She said, unable to look away.  _ Of course it had to be  _ **_that_ ** _ one. _

  
  


"Mhm~" Nodding, the ebony-haired gem walked over to the other Hematite, peering over her. She only stood a head taller than Meta's  _ side _ currently. Reaching over, she gently patted the giant gem on the back, smirking.   
"Metaaaa~ I have someone for you to meet. Wake up, ya boulder."   
For a moment, the pink-haired gem didn't respond. Mago idly drummed her fingers on the giant service gem's back, eyes half lidded. However, after another gentle prod, Meta finally sighed and shifted, lifting up her free arm to reach back to Mago's head. She placed it firmly on her hair, ruffling the ebony locks with a soft grumble.

  
  


Kyan gasped quietly, hugging her knees close to her chest. Glancing quickly between Mago and Meta's hand, she couldn't help but feel just a bit nervous.    
"H-Hi, Meta is it? I think I… saw you last night." She stammered, forcing a smile under her scarf.

  
  


Without turning her head, Meta raised a brow, pursing her lips.  _ She recognized that voice. _   
"What've I told you about waking me up, Mago?"   
The black-haired gem chuckled and shrugged her free shoulder.   
"Toooo only do it if it's important?"   
"Mmmhm."   
"But Metaaaa, this  _ is _ important," she said insistently, still smirking.   
"Mmm." With a tired groan, the well-built gem drew her hand away from the smaller Hematite, starting to prop herself up. Mago crossed her arms in front of her, not so much as flinching back. Soon enough, Meta leaned up against the wall, now sitting upright. She rubbed a hand through her hair, yawning drowsily. She spared a glance at Kyan. "... I see the storm didn't get your scarf."

  
  


Kyan grabbed a hold of the thick blue cloth, peeking down at it.   
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I kept a good hold of it." She said, her voice a bit more quiet than it normally was. The tiny blue gem nervously looked back up at the bigger of the two Hematites, raising her brows. "I didn't know you were friends with Mago."

  
  


The pink-haired gem finished running her fingers through her messy locks and dropped her arm, tucking her hands in her pocket.   
"Well, I didn't know Mago was friends with-... What kind of gem are you, again?" she asked confusedly, pursing her lips.

  
  


Standing up on Mago's hand, grabbing onto her fingers.    
"A Kyanite!" She said, forcing an awkward smile. "I'm the Hematite repellent!"

  
  


Mago snorted quietly, quickly covering her mouth and nose with her free hand. She composed herself rather promptly, putting her palm back on her hip.   
"Yeeep. That she is.~ She's so tough she scares away all the others," she said proudly, going along with Kyan's joke. Meta slowly arched a brow, smacking her lips once.   
"Hematite repellent, huh? Mmm." She sank against the wall tiredly, closing her eyes. "No wonder I'm so tired. I don't stand a chance against such a gem," she said monotonously, tone unreadable.    


  
  


Kyan felt an odd pride well up in her core, filling her with a sense of confidence. Crossing her arms, she grinned smugly and looked up at Mago with a small nod.    
"Yeeeeah, but Mago thinks you're cool, and I think so I'm not gonna do anything to ya." She snickered.

  
  


The ebony-haired Hematite snickered and sarcastically wiped a hand over her brow.   
"Phew~ Well good, we'd hate to lose this gem, eh Meta?"    
"Mm. You said you had something important, Mago?" the giant gem asked tiredly, eyes still closed. Mago smiled and motioned to Kyan.   
"Well yeah! I wanted you to properly meet Kyan here. Buuut I guess you two already met or somethin'?" she asked curiously.

  
  


Kyan nodded simply and beamed up at Mago, her brows furrowed slightly.   
"Yeah! Last night when it was really windy, I lost my scarf...so I chased it down and Meta ended up catching it, so she gave it back." She said, sitting back down in Mago's hand. "I'm just glad it was you and not one of those other sods."

  
  


Meta opened one of her eyes, staring at the two with an unreadable expression.   
"..." She idly bent her legs back to clear the path into the small, ledge-filled clearing. Mago's eyes widened slightly at both Meta's gesture  _ and _ Kyan's statement. She stepped into the clearing, making her way over to one of the shelf-like ledges.    
"Wait, what others? Did you run into more Hematites than me and Meta last night?"

  
  


Kyan shrugged her shoulders, folding her arms over one another.    
"Yeeeah. There was this one with long hair and two big fangs that I met first, but she was kind of passive. I think... She didn't really try to pull anything. Buuuut then I met two others, one with curly hair and she growled at me. She had someone else with her, but she was kind of behind her. I didn't really feel like messing with them, soooo I let em' off easy." She said, baring a cool grin. "And theeen there was this weirdo sleeping in the darkness of one of the paths. He had funny teeth." She continued. "Buuuut he was alright."

  
  


Mago frowned deeply, propping one leg over the other and leaning back against the rock wall.   
"Tch. Well, I know one of those was probably Hemmi, if she had someone with her. Be careful around her," she said with a snort, looking over at Meta. "Sounds like scruff here ran into Hita, eh?"   
"Mmm. Seems like it." Arching a brow, Meta put her legs back down in the path, shrugging a shoulder. "He's nothing to worry about. He won't do you any harm," she said quietly, eyes half lidded.

  
  


Kyan looked back over to Meta, crawling over Mago's hand and peeking between her fingers at her.    
"Hita huh? That's his name? I kinda like weirdo better." She said, snickering slightly. "But, that's good to know....who should I uh, who  _ should _ I worry about though? I mean, not that I'm afraid of course. Just taking notes of who's not cool!" She said quickly.

  
  


Meta leaned her head back against the wall, sighing softly.   
"I'm too tired to give a run-down on every Hematite here," she groaned, closing her eyes once more. Mago gave an awkward chuckle and waved her free hand.   
"I'll tell you who's who later, Kyan. For nowwww." Grinning slyly, Mago leaned forward a tad, placing her free hand down in front of her. "Metaaa. I told Kyan here you've got some pretty great stories. Mind sharing that one about the Mica?"   
The pink-haired gem cracked one eye open, pursing her lips as she stared silently at the two.   


Kyan looked up at Mago, then back at Meta, pulling her scarf down under her chin. She was smiling pretty eagerly.   
"Come oooon, pleeeease?" She said, hugging at Mago's finger idly.   


Glancing down at the tiny gem in her hand, Mago leaned even further, giving Meta her own expectant smile. Blinking in surprise, the pink-haired gem raised a brow. Slowly, a tiny smile spread over her face. She sighed deeply and sat up a tad.   
"Aaaalright, alright. Then will you two let me sleep?" she asked almost sarcastically, lifting a hand to ruffle her bangs.

  
  


Kyan perked up, gasping quietly.    
"Yeah! Sure!" She said, balling up her fists excitedly. "Micas, right? Those are nasty lil' things!" She said, poking out her tongue slightly.

  
  


Meta chuckled and nodded once.   
"Yeaaah they are. Especially when they try to steal gems you're supposed to be relocating," she said with a tiny smirk. Mago grinned and settled back against the rock wall behind her, holding Kyan close to her chest.   
"I love this one.~"

  
  



	90. Assistance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite helps Blue assess the damage caused by his kin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This chapter is revised, but not edited. Expect typos and grammatical errors!]

"Alright, alright! Yes, I understand the situation. I'll put aside something this afternoon and come over to take care of it. Blue Diamond, out."  
  
Sighing, Blue placed the communicator down onto her desk with a loud clink. She placed her face into her palms, letting out a slow, steadying breath. _Stars, what am I gonna do? This soon after a little damage and gems are already threatening to riot? I can’t just go over there and mediate the crowd all day, there’s so much to do._

_Maybe I can ask- … no, neither of them will help._

Blue grumbled under her breath and quickly ran her hands up through her hair, mussing it with a soft groan of frustration. More guards never seemed to help, they only ever riled up groups more. She could always go out in person to keep an eye on gems, but she already had three prior engagements she couldn’t reschedule today. But this needed to be addressed… throwing rocks through the windows of one business in protest was one thing… but it’d be another story if they started marching on the Coliseum or her tower.  
Glancing down at the communicator on the desk, Blue huffed quietly and reached over to pick it up. She was going to need someone's help to keep the crowds under control, should anyone decide to get a bit out of hand… but it needed to be someone with a level head. She twisted the communicator and lifted it up to her face.   
  
"Contact Hema."

 

  
A soft sigh fell flat in the tiny, warmly lit room that Hema was resting in. He was curled up in his teacup bed, his arms tucked under his chin. Though a small smile graced his lips in his peaceful slumber… it vanished with the sharp sound of a communicator.

 _Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!_   
Cracking open one eye, Hema snorted quietly and shifted in his teacup bed. Rolling over, he tapped his eyepiece. He didn't bother checking who it was that was contacting him.   
"Hematite speaking," the service gem slurred, rubbing his eye.

_"Hey Hema, it's Blue Diamond. Are you busy today? I think I'm gonna need your help with something."_

Blinking in drowsy surprise, the ivory-haired gem sat up, rubbing his eyes a bit more vigorously to chase away the exhaustion tugging them down.  
"Oh, hey Blue! Uh, no. I'm not busy until tomorrow, what's up?" he asked politely, stifling a yawn. 

_"Ah, well… tsss, ya see..."_ There was a small pause, and the Diamond sounded reluctant to continue. _"There was some… damage done to a part of the Blue District in one of the residential areas. I'm gonna need some help with crowd control and cleanup, and I figured you'd be pretty ideal for the job. Would you be able to help me?"_

Furrowing his brows, Hema hopped out of his bed and rubbed his back, glancing at his eyepiece. Something sounded off about Blue, but he couldn’t put a finger on it.  
"Uh, of course! Can you send me the location? Or did you want me to come pick you up at the tower?"

 _"I'll just send you the coordinates. They should get to your eyepiece soon,"_ Blue responded, tapping a finger onto one of the surfaces of the communicator. _"I'll meet you there, Hema! I've got a quick errand I need to run first, so I can't go straight there. But it shouldn't take too long. Oh, and thanks a ton!"_

"Of course. I'll meet you there!" he replied, hanging up the call. The tiny gem walked over to the small hall leading out of his room.  
_Hm. Damages to a residency, huh? How bad could they be?_   
  
\--   
_... Oh._ **_That_ ** _bad._   
Frowning, Hema adjusted his sleeves, fully rounding the corner to the half-destroyed street. He was still at his civilian height, as he wanted to reserve his energy for later. Hematite looked up at the huge building and the surrounding structures. The entire street was _wrecked._ It looked like a fusion had gotten into a fight. A _bad_ one. Sighing, the service gem made his way closer, arms folded behind him.

Around the residential area lay countless pieces of large rubble and even massive chunks of wall. In some spots, the rubble was being put into organized piles, well built purple and blue gems making their way to and fro from the crumbled buildings. Standing atop one of the rooftops were a few service gems were lined up and shouting orders to the workers below. One of them, upon spotting Hematite, shouted down at him.  
"Hey! You! What are you doing here? Do you have clearance to be at this location?"

The service gem looked up at the other, arching a brow.  
"Yes, in fact. I'm White Diamond's bodyguard, Harvester Hematite 11. I've been personally summoned here by Blue Diamond, who will be joining us soon," he stated professionally, still keeping his poised stance as he stopped some distance from the building the other service gem was on. "I'm here to assist with crowd control, repairs, and whatever else Blue Diamond may need me for."

Glancing between one another, two of the service gems started to snicker, before one of them busted out laughing entirely.   
"Come again? Pffsh! Unless you have proof of that, that sounds like a -"   
  
"Perfectly valid statement, and if you wish to keep your job I suggest you keep your mouth shut!"   
Hopping up onto the roof behind the service gem was the tall, azure leader herself with a mace in hand. Turning sharply around, the service gem's eyes widened and their entire demeanor fell upon spotting Blue Diamond standing a good two feet or so away from them. She towered above them, tapping the end of her mace into the palm of her hand. Shaking her head, she grumbled and stepped beside them, looking down at Hema.   
"Hey, good to see you made it! Sorry I'm late!" she said, swinging her weapon up over her shoulder with a smirk. 

Smirking up at the three gems, Hema nodded and stepped a tad closer, his gem starting to glimmer. Without warning, he shifted up in an instant and now stood at shoulder level with the building, smiling down at the three with half-lidded eyes.  
"Not a problem, Blue," he said coyly.

The two service gems scrambled back with noises of mild distress, but the Diamond remained stationary and grinned widely. She didn't even so much as flinch. She was used to this kind of thing anyway. Looking back, she raised a brow with a curious stare.  
"What? You two never seen a Hematite before?" she said. One of the service gems stepped forward a single pace, raising their index finger.   
"Um… Blue Diamond? Isn't a Hematite the gem that _destroyed_ this place? What makes you think he's any safer? Forgive me but I don't think it's wise to have one of these _things_ messing-GYAH!"   
Suddenly, Blue grabbed onto the service gem's shirt and, still smiling, she tapped her weapon onto the ground.   
"I suggest you clods get back to work lest I make you find out _what else_ a harvester does." She growled, shoving them away. Stumbling back, the service gem nodded without another word, grabbed the other one's arm and bolted for the other end of the roof. 

Hema's brows furrowed, his coy, professional demeanor dropping entirely. He glanced between Blue and the retreating service gems.  
  
"... Blue. One of _my_ kind did this?" he asked quietly, slowly turning to look at the massive damage done to the street and surrounding buildings. One of the spires, which seemed to contain residential living spaces, was missing a _large_ portion of its wall. At least thirty or so rooms were exposed to the outside world, some of them more destroyed than others. The street was badly cracked in multiple places, some of the faults in the ground over three feet wide. There were scorch marks here and there, along with deep, scored divets in the buildings and path. _What on Homeworld happened here?_

Blue pursed her lips and sighed, looking down at the destroyed pieces of rubble that were scattered along the streets. Running her fingers through her hair and scratching at her head, the Diamond didn't look Hema in the eyes.   
"Weeeelll… yes. White told me it was apparently an accident though, something about a big gem mother that got loose and they got carried away trying to take care of it. Guess they weren't careful enough. I digress..." 

The giant gem frowned and looked back at his azure superior, a look of skeptical confusion on his face.  
"... Who was it, dare I ask?" 

Blue was quiet for a moment, but at least she'd finally glanced back at him.  
"I think her name was Mago?..." 

After a pause, Hema sighed noisily through his nose and rolled his eyes, looking up to the sky for a moment.  
"Ooof course it was," he said quietly, sounding rather exasperated. "If you ask me, that gem needs to stay in the kindergarten," he muttered crossly, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at the service gems below who were trying to make heads or tails of the damage and rubble. 

Blue smacked her lips once and grunted, hopping down off of the roof and onto one of the pieces of rubble that lay on the ground.   
"Weeelll according to what White said, that won't be a problem considering she's banned from the blue district until every bit of this mess is cleaned up." 

"Tch. Well, good riddance for now. Maybe I can actually have some spars in the Coliseum without worrying about her showing up, eh?" he said quietly, shaking his head. "Anyways. Enough about that. What sort of gem monster was it, where did it come from? Any ideas?" he asked, raising a brow. "Do we need to do a sweep of the area to make sure it didn't have any friends hanging around?"

Shrugging, Blue picked up one of the pieces in her free hand and chucked it over into one of the towering piles.   
"No clue, actually… I hadn't heard any reports of the gem mother around here. According to some of them, it was some kind of big arachnid-like monster. I know I heard reports saying it was _definitely_ taken care of though, so I don't think it should be a problem anymore." 

Frowning, Hema huffed and blew his bangs away from his face, looking around carefully.  
"Alright, well... What wou-"   
"Hey! What is another one of these abominations doing here?!" shouted a loud, angry voice from one of the rooftops. It was a displaced Jasper with rather short hair was standing near the residential building, helping some of the service gems move some rubble. However, she dropped what she was doing, quite literally, to stomp towards the diamond and her giant companion. "Blue Diamond, with all due respect, a Hematite is what _caused_ all this! My room was completely destroyed because of this gem's kind!"

Blue's expression twisted into an annoyed sneer. Grasping the end of her weapon, she hoist it up into the air and propped it onto her shoulder, turning to the jasper completely.   
_"With all due respect,"_ the Diamond sneered venomously, "I suggest you mind your own business. The actions of **one** Hematite does NOT reflect the actions of the others, and you would be very wise to not go spewing accusations and pointing fingers at these gems because you know not of their kind or what they do. So BEAT IT." She snarled, slamming the end of her mace down onto a nearby piece of wall, cracking the crumbled piece of rubble completely in two.

The Jasper grimaced angrily up at her leader before turning, shooting Hema a cold glare. She went back to helping the others, grumbling to herself. The ivory-haired gem sighed quietly and looked down at Blue, brushing his fingers together.  
"Maaaybe it's not the best idea for me to be here. Everyone seems rather... testy."

Blue scoffed and turned back to the much taller gem, propping her mace up into her palm.   
"Nah, don't worry about those clods Hema. Hey if anything, maybe your help will redeem your gem type's reputation a little." She said, forcing a hearty smile. "Aaaand if anyone tries to mess with ya, let me at em'."

With a smile and a soft 'hm', Hema smiled and chuckled, shaking his head quietly.  
"Thanks, Blue. I'll... try not to stir up any trouble, though. What would you like me to help with first?" he asked politely, looking around. "Seems the others have things covered with the smaller rubble," he said simply, taking a step to the side to assess the damage to the building. "If you'd like, I can scan the building to see if there are any structural faults we should keep an eye on."

Tapping a finger to her chin, the Diamond turned to the building and muttered something quietly.   
"Sure, do that first. Then, if you would be able to lift a few of the larger pieces of rubble, that would greatly help out."

Nodding, the service gem turned to the spire and brought his hand to his face. Flicking his fingers over his eyes, he summoned one of his hunting visors and activated it. It whirred softly before glowing to life, a small diamond shaped insignia appearing on the screen. Hema pursed his lips and mentally ordered the visor to switch to damage assessment mode. He brought a hand up to his chin and tapped it thoughtfully as the screen changed over to a different set of HUDs. Carefully keeping track of where his feet were, the giant gem made his way closer to the tower and started walking slowly around it, scanning it as thoroughly as he could.  
In the meantime... some other civilians were starting to get restless. A small, slender green gem approached Blue Diamond, saluting her with a tiny, serious frown. It was an Emerald with an odd, swept back hairstyle and a rectangular cut gem on the back of her left hand.   
"My Diamond!"

Blue Diamond turned to the tiny gem, her weapon reeled back and poised to strike down on one of the massive pieces of wall that she stood near. Relaxing, she rested the mace's end in her palm again and glanced down to the Emerald.  
"Yes? Can I help you?"

The small green gem stopped saluting and clenched her fists in mild distress.  
"Yes! Please, when do you think this will be fixed? How will we replace our belongings that were destroyed in the wreckage?" she pleaded, eyes wide.

Grimacing slightly, Blue tapped her mace onto the end of the rubble and ran her hand up behind her head.   
"Ummm... Well. If you file a report with what sort of belongings you owned, then some of your things might be replaced that way. Unfortunately, _some_ things cannot be replaced, it all depends." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "As for how long this is going to take, well… we're looking at 5, 6 weeks minimum unfortunately. First, we need to clean off the streets, and that alone is going to take a few days..."

The tiny gem's expression fell, and she looked up at the spire, and the service gem currently scanning it.  
"... Is that gem going to help?" she asked curiously, almost sounding nervous. She glanced back at Blue, wringing her hands together.

Blue nodded, the usual peppy smile returning to her face.  
"Yep! Hema is a friend of mine. He's going to make things go a lot quicker, hopefully!" She said, twisting her mace in her hand.

Sighing softly, the Emerald held her arms, staring up at the Hematite as he rounded the spire.  
"Alright, if you say so, my Diamond... I'll be sure to file that report." she said quietly, tilting her head. She looked doubtful, but she didn't say anything further than that. "Thank you. May I be dismissed?" she asked politely. 

Blue, without breaking eye contact, slammed the mace down into the pile of rubble, smashing up some of the pieces Grinning quickly, she held up her mace which still had dust crumbling off of it.   
"Certainly! As you were, then." 

The tiny gem flinched back, eyes wide. She shakily saluted the diamond before turning and scurrying off without another word. Hema stood up straight and finally backed away from the spire, frowning to himself.   
"Blue. You need to come here for a moment." 

Turning her attention to the taller service gem, Blue propped up her mace on her shoulder and idly made her way over.   
"What's up, Hema? Did you find something?" 

The ivory-haired gem looked around, as if checking if anyone was watching. There were so many service gems around, it was impossible to talk to Blue at his current size without grabbing attention. Hema closed his eyes and shrank down to about ten feet tall, just a little bigger than Blue. He nodded and tapped his visor.  
"I'm afraid so," he said quietly. "Over here, if you will. It's best nobody else hears this right now." The service gem stepped to the side of an adjacent building, flicking his fingers over his visor. It started to bring up some charts and diagrams. 

Pacing over next to Hematite, the Diamond stopped just behind him. Blue raised a brow and glanced up at the charts, frowning slightly.   
"Why? What happened?" 

Turning, Hema checked to make sure that nobody was listening. With a frown, he projected one final diagram of the building up in front of him, zooming in close to one of the more damaged sections.  
"We need to evacuate the entire spire. There's a series of faults here," he started, 'pressing' a part of the hologram and marking it with a white insignia. "Here, here, and here. By themselves they probably wouldn't look too bad, so I'm not surprised nobody took notice. But together, they're creating a highly unstable section in a vital part of the tower. It must have happened during the fight. They look like they were caused by a big impact." He sighed quietly. "The spire is only at forty five percent stability. It's far too dangerous to keep everyone in there. If something happened during our repairs, the whole place could come down."

Groaning slightly, Blue ran her hand over the side of her face and bit her lip, thinking hard. _Well that wasn't good now was it? But how were they going to evacuate that many gems, and in such a short amount of time? Where would they go?_ Sighing, the Diamond nodded subtly and tapped her mace onto the ground again with a soft thud.   
"Alright, how do you suppose we should go about this then? You think we should make some kind of announcement?"

Hema looked over at the tower and pursed his lips, nodding once.  
"Well, it’s _your_ call… you’re the Diamond here,” he commented. Blue twitched, looking away for a moment. Her expression hardened. Hematite caught the tension in her shoulders and quickly added, “B-but in my opinion, probably. That, or we could have the spire managers send out a message to all those within the building. Either way, we can probably get them all out within the hour. The real question is if everyone will behave..." he said quietly, clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth. "I mean I certainly hope so. I don't want to have to do any _serious_ crowd control today."

Blue grumbled something under her breath, but decided perhaps the manager method would work the best.   
"Alright, I'll go and let them know to send out a message. And, well... yooouuu have my permission to take care of any nonsense, should you see fit. Within reason, of course," she said, raising a brow. "But try not to cause any riots or arguments, alright? Not that I don't trust you with that, but it's like you said. Not everyone here is happy to see a Hematite running around."

Flicking his hand over his eyes, Hema poofed his visor away and nodded.   
"Alright. I'm actually going to go call up Red, see if she can help me out. This'll be good experience for her to deal with more diplomatic situations," he said, half to himself. "I'll stick around, in case things get dicey."

Nodding, Blue turned and made her way out to the spire, grumbling something crossly as she walked off. The Hematite sighed and walked off of the street, moving somewhere private. He leaned against the wall and looked around at the damage near him, frowning.  
_Contact Red._

Within a few brief seconds, Red appeared onto Hematite's visor, offering a hearty salute. She was in the White Archives.  
_"Hello sir! Do you need something?"_

Smiling lopsidedly, Hema nodded and looked off to the side.  
"Yes, actually. Sorry, I know I gave you the day off today to study, but I've gotten a last-minute job today. I'm in the Blue District, helping Blue Diamond out with some crowd control and damage management. I'd appreciate your company, in case things get a little... hectic. If I shrink down then it’d be good to have you nearby." 

Red's brow's furrowed, and she gave a determined nod.   
_"Certainly sir! If you could please send me the coordinates, I'll make my way over now!"_

The service gem stood a little straighter with a soft 'hm!' He tapped his visor, starting to go through some different HUDs.  
"Will do. I'm sending them now, they should be on your communicator momentarily. Oh, uh… while I’m thinking about it, though. Any luck researching these weird monster patterns?”

Red’s smile faded, and she looked at the archives beside her in annoyance.  
_“Mm, no. Just records about weather and ecosystem shifts, and I don’t think the weather or environment have been extreme enough to start making monsters so aggressive and oddly-behaved I’ll keep looking things up later, though. I’m still just as curious as you are.”_

Hema shrugged and nodded.

“Alright, I figured there wouldn’t be much…”

Beep beep!

_“Ah, there’s the coordinates. See you there as soon as possible, sir!”_

“Thank you, Red. See you soon."  
_Click!_

\--  
_Alright, this should be the street._   


Red rounded the corner of a building, immediately catching wind of hundreds of voices far ahead. She blinked in concern and hurried her pace down the street. It didn’t take her long to spot the crowd. A mass of gems of all sorts was standing around in a large crowd down the street, all of them facing to the right to stare up at something, or rather, someone. Guards stood here and there at the edges of the crowds, bordering them messily. A few straggling groups stood here and there, gossiping, but the main body of gems seemed to be collected all in one spot.

Sighing, Red adjusted her sleeves and puffed out her chest as she made her way to the final corner, peering around. The crowd of gems stretched a good distance down the street, almost reaching a rather messy-looking spire with a large chunk taken out near its base. The crowd flowed out over the street, completely blocking it. Red groaned under her breath, hopping up on her tip-toes to try and see if there were any paths through, but no such luck. Her brows raised in surprise as she spotted Hema far down the street. He was speaking with a few service gems, his back to the crowd. Red frowned.

_Looks like I gotta do this the hard way._

With a soft huff, Red weaved her way past a few guards and made her way into the crowd. At first, the groups were far more spaced apart than she thought, allowing her plenty of room to make haste towards Hematite. But then, the closer she drew to the end of the crowd, the more dense it grew. Before long, she was nudging and pushing her way through, apologizing to those she could.

Unfortunately for her, while most were fine with just shooting her a dirty look… one particular gem didn’t seem fond of a Pearl shoving her aside. As Red made her way past, a large, orange gem scoffed in surprise and turned sharply towards the Pearl. Her arm shot out after the Pink Pearl, grabbing her by the tailcoat.   
"HEY! Watch where you're going!" she snarled, suddenly dragging her closer and whirling her around. Her bright yellow eyes widened upon seeing Red's gemstone. "A _Pearl?!"_ she growled, tilting her chin up to sneer down at the smaller figure. A pretty, orange gemstone glimmered on her chest. It was an Amber. A shorter, pale white gem stood next to her, arching a brow at the Pearl with a condescending frown. She nudged the gem beside her, a small, dingy-green gem, to get her attention. 

Red puffed out her chest and stood at attention, indignantly sneering up at the Amber.  
_"Excuse you!"_ she growled, brushing off her tailcoat. "Yes, and that's Pink Pearl, to you!" Red growled.

The well-built gem stood up a bit straighter, brows shooting up. She shot a look at her pale friend before looking down at Red and suddenly grabbing her by her wrist, holding her up off the ground.  
"Excuse _ME?_ Can you believe this sod, Dolomite?!" she snarled, teeth bared. The white-haired gem simply raised a brow and slowly shrugged a shoulder, eyes half lidded.   
"I cannot, no. A Pink Pearl back-sassing a warrior class... truly disgraceful," she said flatly, pursing her lips. The smaller gem, an Epidote by the looks of it, stared on in disapproval, but didn't speak up. Her arms were filled with some belongings, and she seemed too disgruntled to comment on what was going on. 

Red hissed through her teeth, furrowing her brows in discomfort.  
"Unhand me!" she snarled, kicking her legs at the stocky warrior that held her. Squirming in her grasp, Red clawed at the Amber's hand, trying to get her to let go.

Grunting in anger, the orange gem suddenly forced Red to the ground on her back. She quickly lifted her foot and placed it on the pearl's chest, holding her down and looming over her. Staring down at the service gem with pure _disgust,_ Amber pressed down slightly, enough to cause some serious discomfort.   
"How **dare** you try and order me around. Whoever your master is, they've taught you **terrible** manners. Someone needs to remind you of your place, you _Pearl."_   
A few gems started to notice the commotion, and took a few steps back from the two. Dolomite raised a brow and stepped back, arms folded behind her. She didn't say a word. 

Sweat formed on the Pink Pearl's brow. She had half a mind to try and show this Amber what-for… but she found herself frozen under the gaze of so many onlookers. They were all glaring at her, judging her, even muttering among themselves about how inappropriate she was behaving. Their words stung her to her core. She heaved angrily, trying to pry Amber’s foot up off of her.  
“Rrgh, get OFF!” she growled. “SIR! Get this sod off of me!” she called out, throwing brash punches into the Amber’s leg. “You can’t just stand on me, you-” 

Ignoring the Pearl's feeble strikes, Amber narrowed her eyes, pressing down even harder.  
"I can. And I am. What are you going to do about it?" she sneered.   
  
_What was going on over here...? He could have sworn he heard-!_   
Rounding a corner a few hundred feet off at his half size, Hematite perked up at the sight of the odd 'circle' of gems formed around a bright orange warrior and a small pinkish gem. It only took Hema a moment to register whose voice he'd heard moments ago.   
Eyes slowly widening, Hema clenched his fists, inhaling through his nose. His visor glazed over as his eyes locked onto the distant warrior gem. A low growl rumbled in his chest as he started to walk forward. Any gems that were in his path quickly parted, getting out of the street.   
  
_Thud._   
_Thud._   
**_Thud._ **   
  
Gritting her teeth, the Amber stood up straight, brows furrowing. Red suddenly stopped, looking up over Amber’s shoulder. A slow, coy smirk crossed her face, and she crossed her arms over the part of her chest Amber _wasn’t_ standing on. She didn’t say a word. 

Within another two paces, Hematite's huge form loomed above Amber, heavily shadowed from the sun behind his back. His arms were folded behind him, face turned down toward the warrior gem. The eerie sound of his hunting visor cracked the tense silence.  
  
"Excuse me. I'd appreciate it if you _removed your foot from_ **_my_ ** _Pink Pearl,"_ rumbled Hema's voice from above, low and cold. Many of the surrounding gems quickly backed up, murmuring nervously among one another. The Amber snapped her attention up to the massive gem, her form going cold as a spike of anxiety rushed through her. She quickly backed up, stepping to the side as she moved away from Red's form. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. 

Red quickly hopped up as soon as the Amber had moved. Brushing herself off again, the pink pearl grumbled something crossly under her breath.  
"You have impeccable timing, sir. Sorry, I tried to get here as fast as I could but these _degenerates_ got in my way!" she complained, turning towards Hema and crossing her arms.

"Oh. Did they?" he asked simply, glaring down at the Amber. The bright orange warrior shot Red a nasty glare before looking back up at Hema nervously.  
"She's with you, huh? W-well, she's still-"   
"Above you in ranking," the service gem said lowly, suddenly straightening up and rolling his shoulders. "I am White Diamond's personal Harvester and bodyguard, Hematite. This is Red, my Pink Pearl. By affiliation, she outranks you. So I. Would show. Some damn. **Respect,"** he growled, teeth baring subtly. The Amber went quiet, gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes.

Red wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she felt a small swell of pride fill her chest. She glanced back at the Amber, smirking smugly at her before she trotted forward, closer to the giant gem.

The pale gem next to Amber frowned, crossing her arms.  
"In Amber's defense, a normal Pink Pearl is indeed below her in rank. There was no way for her to know that this Pearl was with you," she said in a matter-of-fact way.   
Hematite didn't let his professional demeanor break. No, instead, he slowly crouched down, spooking quite a few nearby civilians as his shadow fell over them. He extended his hand, holding his palm out for the tiny pink gem. He ignored Dolomite's words.   
"So sorry that these _troublemakers_ are causing you problems, Red," he said lowly, shooting Amber and her Dolomite friend a glance. "I'm sure they'll behave from here on out. I don't want to have to _enforce_ any rules around here."

Red hopped up into Hema's hand, turning to face the group with a smug smile.   
"Hmph. Let’s go, sir,” she muttered, tucking one of her arms behind her. 

Hema nodded with a soft 'hm' and stood up, folding his free arm behind him to mirror her pose.  
"All of you please form back into your proper floor-groups. Some managers will be around shortly to bring you all to your temporary residencies. Follow them, do as they say, and **do not cause trouble."** He lifted his chin. "I _will_ hear about it. And those who stir up problems _will_ be dealt with accordingly by either myself... or Blue Diamond."   
Groups of gems stirred nervously, muttering among one another. They cast anxious glances up at Hema, muttering unintelligibly among themselves. Hematite paused before turning and leaving the crowd, rounding a corner that was currently blocked off to civilians.

Clutching Hematite's finger, Red looked up to him with a curious glance. It was hard to tell really what she was thinking, but her eyes were wide.  
"Thank you sir, I don't know how far they would have gone if you hadn't stepped in. Sorry about that. I guess I wasn't watching where I was going..." 

As soon as he was out of view of the others, Hema flicked his hunting visor away, quickly bringing Red closer to his face.  
"Hey, don't worry about it. Are you alright, she didn't hurt you did she?" he asked hurriedly, carefully looking her over. "I swear to stars, if she put a scratch on you... Where do these warrior gems get off thinking they can act like that?" he muttered crossly, looking concerned. 

Red ran her fingers over her opposite hand, thinking quietly. Raising her brows, she sighed and sat down in his hand.   
"I'm fine, really." she said, her lips curling into a tiny smile. "Just a little scuffed up as far as my uniform goes, nothing I can't fix up."

Hema sighed quietly in relief, gazing down at the pink gem.  
"Okay, good... Sorry I didn't get over there sooner." Slowly, the service gem brought his free hand up to the tiny gem in his hand. He carefully brushed two of his fingers over her hair, trying to fix it up. "Thank you for getting here so quickly. You made good time," he commented idly, brows raised.

“Ah, good, glad I wasn’t too slow!” she said, looking away bashfully at Hema’s careful gesture. She cleared her throat and stood tall, an enthusiastic light in her eyes. “So, what exactly can I help with, sir?”

Hema glanced around, holding the Pearl closer.

"Well, between you and me," he said quietly, the rest of his professional demeanor dropping. He looked over at Red with a lopsided smile. "If I'm being honest I just wanted you here for moral support. These gems are _impossible_ to deal with!" he half-whispered, stifling an exasperated, but still slightly amused smile. "I figured if you were around you could help me if I needed it, buuut honestly?" He glanced to the side, brows furrowing. "... I dunno. I thought the day would be a little more pleasant if you were around." 

Red tilted her head slightly as if processing Hematite's words. Though she looked puzzled, and even a smidge disappointed for a moment, she quickly brightened up. She held her smile and brushed her hair back over her shoulder.  
“I think I can handle that, sir!” she said enthusiastically. “But, if you DO need help with anything, I’m your Pearl!” 

Hema brightened up slightly and nodded, smiling down at the tiny gem.   
"Right! Well, for now, I'm documenting every room that needs repairs so I can send a report on it to Blue later." Turning to the tower, Hema kept Red in his palm, crouching down to look at the worst of the damage. "... Actually, could you just keep an eye on the crowds? Let me know if anyone starts getting rowdy while I'm working. That'd be a big help.”

Red nodded and peeked over Hema's fingers carefully, wincing slightly at the sight of the damage. Stars, whoever did this did quite a number on this place...   
"Sure thing sir!" she said, saluting quickly.

Nodding, Hema started to bring Red up to his shoulder. He paused, however, and blinked in thought. He was going to be leaning over a lot and focused on his work... she could easily fall off. Frowning, the service gem paused and looked around. Maybe if he put her on a rooftop...? No, then she'd be far from him in case trouble stirred up.  
Slowly, Hema raised a brow and looked down at his shirt, near where the white diamond insignia laid.   
"... Red, have I uh. Ever told you that this," he started, lifting a hand up to his suit collar. He pulled at the insignia with a clawed finger, suddenly revealing a small space in his suit under the diamond-shaped marking. "Is a pocket?" he asked with a soft smile, glancing at the service gem.

Red's eyes widened as she leaned over the edge of his hand, peering down at the pocket. Her face brightened up, a curious gleam in her eyes.  
"I didn't know that, no!" she said, beaming. "I don't think I've ever seen you use it.”

"Hah, well, I don't really, unless I take my eyepiece off!" he said with a smile. "If you'd like, you can ride in it for now. I'm going to be leaning over a lot and I don't think you'd do very well on my shoulder for the time being." The service gem moved his hand closer to the small, diamond shaped pocket. For a moment, Red didn’t move. She looked between Hema and the pocket with what was clearly a forced, professional frown. But, not two seconds later, she cracked a giddy smile and let out a small noise of excitement before hopping down into the diamond-shaped pocket.

Hema blinked in surprise and snickered as the tiny Pearl was completely lost to the fabric of his suit. Red, after feeling around for a moment, grabbed the top of the pocket and peeked out, looking at the surrounding buildings.

“It’s surprisingly roomy in here,” she said quietly. After settling down, she finally got a good, long look at the residential spire. “So, what happened here?” she asked. Pursing his lips, Hema sighed, flicking his hunting visor back on. It whirred to life, a few small HUDs blinking onto the screen.   
"Apparently a corrupted gem got into a fight with Mago here and caused all this damage," he said quietly, starting to take notes on one of the higher rooms of the tower.

Red spared Hema a brief look, her smile fading slightly. Her eyes wandered to the nearby crowds of gems that lay past the barricades separating them from the half-destroyed building.

“That’s… unfortunate. So, all these gems have to stay out until it’s fixed?”

“Yyyep. And that isn’t going over well, apparently,” Hema muttered, glancing over at the crowd. Red sighed, drumming her fingers along the cloth of Hema’s pocket.

"How long do you think it's going to take for this to get fixed up?”

Shifting to the side of the building, the giant gem disturbed a few small groups of residents, making them cautiously move away from him. He glanced at them, sighing through his nose.

"If we're extremely lucky... A month. If we're unlucky, a year… or maybe a couple? There's a lot of damage here," he replied. "The street needs to be fixed, the nearby businesses, the foundation core of the building is in bad condition. This whole tower might come down if we aren't careful..."  
Nearby, a few nosy civilians overheard Hematite's conversation with his Pearl, and they frowned in surprise, turning and muttering to one another. The different groups were milling about rather idly, waiting for the managers to come and take them to wherever they would be staying until the tower was fixed, but after hearing Hema's rather blunt statement, a murmur started to drift through the collected civilians. 

Red narrowed her eyes, quietly mumbling to herself.   
"That's a long time, even for gems," she said simply, not taking her eyes off of the nearby groups of gems. “I don’t think anyone’s going to be happy about those estimates.” 

"Yeah, and I don’t blame them much. Stars, I'm just glad no-one got hurt," he commented quietly, frowning. "The repairs all depend on if this place stays in one piece. If we can get a repair team in here in time, it shouldn't take more than a month or two." Sighing, the giant gem moved over to another section.

\--

Hematite crouched low to the ground, leaning over to inspect one of the second-floor rooms. It'd been an hour or so, and he was very nearly done with documenting all the rooms. However, he hadn't noticed that the crowd was starting to get a bit... restless. A few civilians were barking something at a few guards and managers that had started to gather to lead the groups away. Red peered out of Hema’s pocket, eyeing the groups that were getting rather snippy. Though she strained to hear what was being yelled, between the whirring and beeping of Hema’s visor and the sound of him shifting around to get better looks at the rooms, she couldn’t make anything out.

But, as more managers arrived to split the crowd up, disgruntled voices rose above the noise.

 _"Well, what's the answer?! Is this gonna take a year or what?!"_   
_"Is the tower going to be demolished?! My stuff is still in there!"_   
_"Give us answers!"_

Raising her brows, Red quickly tapped Hematite on the chest to get his attention.   
"Uh, sir? We might have a bit of a problem..."

“Hm?” Hema frowned and sat up, looking over at the crowd.  
_"What's taking so long? Why haven't we moved yet?"_   
_"Where are we going? How long are we going to be stuck there?"_   
_"Why is one of those_ **_things_ ** _here?!”_

_"It's gonna break the whole tower at this rate! Get it away from our rooms!"_   
_"I worked for centuries to get to this section of the district! I'm not going to just leave!"_   
_"What is Blue Diamond thinking, having one of these abominations trying to fix what his kind broke in the first place?!"_   
The crowd grew restless. A few gems started shoving guards aside, trying to break free of their groups. The Jaspers and Onyxes barked out some orders for them to get back in line, but the testy gems didn't listen. Red’s shoulders tensed, and she looked around nervously, whispering up to Hema.   
"Where is Blue Diamond right now? These gems are starting to get riled up-”

 _“No, get out of my way!”_ _  
_ _“I’m getting my stuff, you won’t stop me!”_

A furious buzz grew from the crowd, quickly filling the entire street. Gems were shouting and shoving, and a few even started hitting the guards trying to keep them in their groups. Hema's brows raised, and he sat up, standing quickly to his feet. This, unfortunately, only spiked the crowd's growing unease and anger. They started shoving and shouting in protest, breaking out of their groups entirely whilst summoning their weapons. The giant gem grit his teeth, clenching his fists. He glanced down at the tiny gem in his pocket.  
"I-I. Uh. Tsss, I think Blue went off to talk to some of the managers at another residency, I don't know where she is right now!" Frowning, the service gem looked around, seeing if anyone else with a higher rank than himself was nearby.

 _Nobody he saw was of higher ranking than himself._   
_Oh, stars._   
_It was his job to take care of this, then._   
Sighing, the service gem bit his lip, stepping toward the corner of the street that led to the rowdy crowd.   
"Let's get this over with." 

Grimacing, Red ducked lower into Hema's pocket, glaring out at the unsteady crowd.

"Careful sir, they're already on-edge… You might have a riot on your hands if they get anymore aggressive."

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Hema nodded.

"Your job is to retrieve my gem if things get dicey and I get poofed, alright? I'll try to keep this civil, but I doubt they’ll do the same," he said quietly. A moment later, he stopped in front of the crowd and folded his arms behind his back, staring down at the collected gems. "Is there some sort of problem here?" he asked in an even, professional tone. His visor glinted in the light as he tilted his chin up, his eyes locked on the perturbed crowd. One of the gems from the crowd stepped forward, gritting their teeth and pointing an accusatory finger up at the Hematite.   
"You're damn right there's a problem! We've got nowhere to live because of your kind, and Blue Diamond is letting you just walk around here doing whatever you want, while we have to get relocated to STARS KNOWS where!" they squawked angrily, clenching their fist. Hema slowly arched a brow, his gaze focusing on the lone gem.   
"From what I hear, there was a gem monster loose around here that one of my kind helped take care of-"   
"Yeah, and she destroyed our entire street in the process! If you ask me, we were better off with that monster!" A rather tall, pale-green gem stepped forward behind the first outspoken gem, standing beside them. She pointed a finger up at Hema as well. "If it really was hanging out in the power facility like they said, it wasn't causing any trouble!"   
The Hematite frowned and grit his teeth behind closed lips.   
"You don't know what this gem monster was doing. There's no way to prove how much or little of a problem they were. And in the end, nobody got hurt. You should all be thankful it didn't go as bad as it could have." 

Grumbling crossly, the same gem that stepped forward first growled in outrage, shaking their fist up at Hematite.  
"Well WE wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you monstrosities!" 

Many in the crowd piped up in agreement. A rather disgruntled, rageful murmur rose up from the large group of gems, slowly getting louder with each passing moment. Hema frowned seriously, eyes widening subtly. He looked around at the crowd, his lip slowly curling into an angry sneer. The pale green gem spoke up again.  
"YEAH! What Sphene said! Just who do you think you abominations are?! You have no business being around _normal_ gems!"   
**"ENOUGH!"**   
A horrified hush fell over the crowd. Hema glared down at the collected gems, his teeth bared, visor glazed over. It whirred menacingly, and the following ‘click’ from the device echoed coldly through the street.   
"By the order of Blue Diamond, you will **stand down** and keep your disrespectful comments to yourself, Sphene, Prehnite," he growled, tone low and filled with a warning edge. 

The Sphene's expression faltered, and without moving an inch, he looked around. From the back of the crowd, some quiet, condescending whispers started up. Sphene's nose scrunched up in disgust at the massive service gem standing over him.   
"White Diamond made a horrible mistake making you terrible excuses for 'gems'! What was she thinking making such a dangerous class… this is outrageous! Are you all some sort of monstrous creations made for keeping us in line?! Well guess what, you don't scare me!" he snarled.

Slowly, Hematite's expression fell _flat._ His sneer faded, and his lips turned down into a neutral-looking frown. He took a step forward.   
"Gem Located: Sphene. Status: No Gem Faults Detected. Mission Status: Harvest if uncooperative." Straightening up, Hema rolled his shoulders. "Sphene, if you do not stand down, I will be forced to take authoritative measures. You are disrespecting the Diamond Authority and myself with your statements. As White Diamond's Hematite, I have the authority to apprehend you by any means necessary," he said coldly, eyes narrowing behind his hunting visor. Prehnite frowned, and subtly put her hand to her side, grabbing ahold of Sphene's wrist. She didn't say a word, but gently squeezed the other gem's arm. 

Sphene felt the faintest bit of sweat form on his brow, but he didn't look away. At least not yet. Lip curling into a furious sneer, he grunted and turned away, but not before shooting Hematite a rather nasty look. Glancing back over to Prehnite, the Sphene narrowed his eyes and kept quiet.

There was a long, tense moment of silence from the giant gem. The air filled with the soft mechanical whirring of his visor and the murmurs of the crowd. Slowly, Hema took a step _back,_ lifting his chin as his hunting visor cleared again.   
"Good. Get back in line." He looked around at the collected gems. "Your respective managers will be here soon to bring you to your temporary residencies. We are doing the best we can to repair this quickly. Be on your best behavior, and things will get done quicker. Thank you." Frowning, the service gem turned around, taking a few paces down the street. Red peered up at him, raising a brow. 

"Well, that could have gone worse. I'll be honest, I half expected at least one of them to keep arguing..." She continued, running her fingers through her hair with a nervous chuckle. Hema nodded subtly, looking down at the small gem. A tiny smile crossed his face.  
"Same here. But hey, at least they've got _some_ sense to them-"   
With a resounding crack, a distressed wave of shouts and exclamations arose from the crowd behind Hematite, followed by quick, heavy footsteps. Hema started to turn, but didn't get to look behind him before a massive, bright-green gem slammed into him, knocking him off his feet. He was pinned down not a moment later, flat on his back on the street. The sounds of panicked gems filled his ears as he stared up to meet the furious, venomous gaze of a newly formed fusion. 

The fusion sneered, smile wide.   
"Let's do Homeworld a favor!" they hissed venomously, lifting her fist and striking Hematite violently in the side of his face. Red gasped sharply, peeking out of Hematite's pocket with wide eyes.   
"HEY! Get off of him!" she growled, summoning two of her sais and leaping out onto Hematite's chest. The fusion looked down for a moment before breaking out into a series of cackles.   
"A PEARL? What's a puny thing like you think you're gonna do?!" 

Hematite's head swam from the cold-cock to the side of his face. For a long moment, he was stunned, unable to process anything. He grimaced and looked up, trying to struggle free from the powerful gem pinning him down. His visor whirred aggressively, scanning the fusion.  
_Gem Found: Chrysoprase_   
_Components: Sphene, Prehnite_   
_Status: No Gem Faults Detected_   
_Mission: Destabilize_   
The huge green gem cackled cruelly before reeling one of her arms back, effortlessly swatting Red off of Hema's chest, sending her flying back. 

Red grunted and skid across the ground, landing on her back. Her weapons clattered to the floor. Chest heaving, she scrambled to her feet and scooped up her sais, making a go for the distracted fusion. She leapt up onto her ankle, stabbing her sais through her boot. Chrysoprase growled in pained surprise, snapping her attention back down to the tiny pink gem.  
"Why you pathetic little-!" With a furious grunt, they jut their leg to the side, into the wall of a nearby building with tremendous force. A shuddering ‘CRACK’ rang through Hematite’s head. Hema's eyes widened, his gaze quickly turning to the fusion's foot, and the cloud of quickly dissipating, pale-pink smoke.   
**"RED!"**   
Suddenly, the Hematite heaved his legs up from under the fusion, knocking her to the side, off of him. Her balance was off from her momentary distraction, and she put up little to no resistance to being knocked over. Hema was upon her in an instant, snarling viciously. The nearby crowd was in a full-blown panic, scattering in every direction to try and get away from the battling gems. Their cries filled the air; some of them fearful, others filled with outrage. Hema quickly moved to pin the fusion down, the insignia on his visor darting around to try and keep an eye on Chrysoprase's four arms. The fusion snarled up at Hematite. 

"That pathetic Pearl serves no purpose to the likes of you! She's better off as DUST!" Chrysoprase heckled, her lips turned up into a terrifying sneer. The fusion roared out a horrendous yell, lifting her leg to deliver another swift kick into Hematite's abdomen. Eyes widening furiously, Hema grimaced with a deep gasp at the sharp kick to his gut. But he didn't relent. He let his fury fuel him, and he grabbed at two of Chrysoprase's wrists with all of his might, growling down at her.  
"Shut your mouth BEFORE I SHUT IT **FOR** YOU!" he snarled, teeth bared, lips curled into a vicious sneer. In a flash, his knuckledusters appeared on his hands, alight with electricity. He lifted a fist and quickly delivered a blow to the fusion's face, knocking the wind out of them for a moment and stunning them. Hema felt something stir in his core. Something he'd only felt _once_ before, years and years ago.   
The distant sounds of the Coliseum filled his mind, along with Mago’s taunting jabs. He suddenly remembered the fury he’d felt, and the strange ability he’d somehow activated in his raw anger.

 _… Could he use it again?_   
Taking advantage of Chrysoprase's temporary condition, Hema forcefully grabbed her shirt, glaring daggers down at her.   
“Let’s see how tough you are at a fraction of your size!” he snapped, sparks forming around his hands. He paused, waiting.

But nothing happened.

Not wasting any time, Chrysoprase grabbed a hold of Hematite with all four of her arms, violently heaving him over the top of her head. The crowd screamed and scattered, thankfully moving out of the way just in time for the fusion to slam the huge service gem down into the ground where many once stood. Chuckling darkly, she placed a foot on Hematite's abdomen, pinning him.   
"THIS is White Diamond’s special operative? A cocky, clueless gem that can’t even keep his Pearl intact? Pathetic." 

Gritting his teeth, Hema glared up at the fusion gem, the hair on the back of his neck bristling. His visor clicked and whirred aggressively, a shrill honing sound emanating from the device. His entire body _ached,_ and he could feel his energy quickly dwindling. But he shook his head, keeping himself together. Quickly, he placed his hand up on the ground above his head, grinning ominously.   
"And _YOU_ shouldn't be so quick to challenge a Hematite!" he crowed, a bright flash suddenly following. The fusion grunted in surprise and covered her eyes, letting out a sharp yelp as her foot suddenly slammed down, meeting the open ground below her.   
"Eh- What the-?!" She quickly looked in front of her, spotting, for a split second, a civilian-sized Hema standing on the pavement.   
But Chrysoprase had no time to react before the service gem suddenly ran forward, another flash blinding her for a moment. In an instant, she was slammed back down onto the ground, clawed hands holding her shoulders down. Before she could process what was going on, the fusion cried out in surprised pain, a wave of electricity coursing through her form. Hema glared down at the green fusion, teeth bared in a vicious snarl.

  
_Z A P!_   
  
_POFF!_

 

Sphene and Prehnite tumbled to the ground, groaning and rubbing their heads. As if taking a moment to process what had happened, Sphene clutched at the side of his face and shook his head with a pained grunt. He looked at Prehnite. Prehnite groaned in pain and rubbed the palms of her hands into her eyes, disoriented. For a moment, she managed to open her eyes and look over at Sphene, but not before her eyes widened at the sight of a massive hand closing in on the green gem.  
"Sphene! Behi-"   
A second later, Prehnite found herself in the grasp of one of Hema's huge fists, his knuckleduster pressed painfully against her form as he gripped her firmly. She struggled to get her arms loose, but to no avail. Hema slowly lifted the two up to his face, glaring daggers at them. His visor cleared. Thrashing about in Hematite's grasp, the Sphene tried to free his own arms, desperately kicking his legs at Hema's palm.   
"LET GO of us you-!!" He tried to find the words, but he couldn't think of anything else. He was too worried for Prehnite, now, and far too angry. "VILE CONSTRUCT!" 

"I could have you two shattered for the stunt you just pulled," Hema said darkly, his eyes cold. Prehnite went still, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. She looked over at Sphene, her breathing quiet and shallow. Sphene froze up, his body running cold. Eyes widening slightly, he returned Prehnite's gaze wordlessly.

Prehnite gave the other green gem an unreadable, but meaningful look, brows furrowing in worry. Slowly, she looked back up at Hema, not saying a word. The giant service gem straightened up, suddenly standing at his full height. The crowd below was finally starting to calm down, now that the brawl was over. But now... they were all watching Hema intently, many of them murmuring fearfully among one another. The giant service gem slowly rolled his shoulders, sighing deeply through his nose.  
"I don't appreciate those things you said about my leader, _or_ my Pink Pearl. Attacking a service gem is illegal. Forming a fusion outside the Coliseum for any purpose rather than life or death self-defense is illegal. You have broken the orders of the Diamond Authority on _multiple_ levels. However. I'll let **Blue Diamond** decide what to do with you," he said simply, raising a brow. His visor glazed over again.   
"Sphene, Prehnite, you have been found guilty of acting against the will of the Diamond Authority. Your gemstones will be undamaged, should you cooperate." 

Sphene gasped under his breath, shoulders tensing. Suddenly, he started to struggle again, violently thrashing about in Hematite's grasp.   
"Let GO of me!! I-if Blue Diamond is to handle us, then let HER take care of it, LET GO of us!!" He shouted in fury. 

Hema snorted and rolled his eyes.  
"Sorry, but I'll be _holding onto you_ for a while, in her stead," he said cooly, frowning and holding Prehnite a tad closer to his face. The pale green gem leaned back, eyes widening.   
"W-wait, what do you mean?!" she exclaimed, glancing up into the giant gem's eyes. Hematite gave a soft 'hmph' before glancing down at the crowd. He couldn’t risk harvesting anyone out in public. Not like this.   
Within an instant, the gem in Hema's left hand was reduced to a puff of pale green smoke, her gemstone landing in his palm. Hematite quickly bubbled the tiny gem, staring at it incredulously. 

Gasping in horror, Sphene stopped struggling immediately, his expression falling.   
"NO, PREHNITE! Why did you do that?!" he snarled in fury, glaring daggers into the service gem. Hema slowly turned his attention to Sphene, his gaze cold. There was a long, silent pause.   
"I don't owe someone like you an answer."   
_Squeeze._   
_Poff!_   
Not wasting another moment, Hematite held both the bubbled gems in his palm, looking over the crowd. He folded his free arm behind him.   
"This is what happens when you cause unneeded trouble. I don't usually destabilize gems, but these two were a danger. I apologize to all of you for the risk you were just put in. Please look among each other for the time being to make sure nobody was hurt."   
An unreadable murmur spread through the scattered gems. Hema sighed and continued.   
"We are doing our best to fix your homes. I sincerely apologize on behalf of the Diamond Authority, White Diamond... and my kind for the damage that has been caused. It was not on purpose, I promise you." Another pause. The collected gems continued to mutter. Hema raised his chin. "You'll all be safely taken to your temporary residencies very soon. Please check on each other and get back in your respective groups. Thank you."   
With that, Hema headed off to the side, where Red had been poofed. There, laying on the ground, was her tiny, pale-pink gemstone.   
Hema stored Prehnite and Sphene in his pocket dimension. He slowly reached down and bubbled Red's gem with a quick tap. He didn't want her reforming too quickly for his sake. _He'd let her out in a few hours._ Standing straight, Hema walked back to the restricted area. A small frown spread across his face.   
_... Contact Blue Diamond._

After a few moments, Blue's image appeared on the screen of Hema's visor.   
"Hey, Hematite, what's going on over there? I heard the commotion a few blocks down; Is something wrong?" she asked quickly, a twinge of concern in her tone. 

"Uhhh. Yeahhh, no. Nothing's wrong _anymore._ Well, aside from... Red getting poofed. There was a little. Scuffle I had with two of the gems over here, but it's all taken care of! Though, you should probably get over here pretty soon. Oh, and... You might want to station some extra guards around here, from this point out. I think I've taught these gems not to cause trouble, buuut. You can never be too safe." 

Furrowing her brows, Blue looked away and grumbled something quietly.   
"Stars, I trust Red is okay then? I'll be over there as soon as I can. Um, thanks for telling me, there should be a few extra guards on their way soon," she said promptly, frowning. Hema nodded quietly.   
"Red's intact, yes. I'll let her reform once I get back to my living quarters, after we're done here." _More guards already, huh? Good._ "Thank you, Blue. And, you're welcome. That's two more gems you won't have to worry about in the future," he said simply, huffing quietly.

Nodding, Blue Diamond cut communication without another word. Growling, she clutched her mace in hand and slammed it down angrily on a piece of rubble, startling one of the nearby workers. A dangerous, thoughtful look glazed over her eyes, unsettling the service gems that turned to look at her. Glaring over at them, the Diamond sent her mace away in a show of sparkles and bared her teeth.   
"Well don't just stand there, get back to work!" she barked, quickly turning away. The worker saluted nervously and went back to their station without another word.

\--  
An hour or so later, Hematite stood near a building that laid near the half-destroyed spire. Blue Diamond was on the roof, listening to him list off the stats and scans he'd gathered.   
"I'll send all the damage reports to the service gems in charge. I think I've gotten about as much as I can, and this information _should_ be enough to make a speedy repair on this tower," he said professionally, looking over at the spire. "My estimates are that it'll be fixed in two months, without any complications. One, if things go optimally. All the citizens have been taken to their temporary residencies, and the service gems here are going to get straight to work stabilizing the tower." With a soft sigh, Hema turned to Blue and flicked his hunting visor away with a small show of sparks. "I will transfer those two troublemakers to the nearest holding facility and send you the footage later." 

Pursing her lips, Blue crossed one arm over the other and groaned, placing her face into her palm. Her voice was low and tense, dripping with frustration.  
"One day, for just _one day_ I'd _love_ nothing more than for these buffoons to cooperate and _not_ cause unnecessary trouble," she muttered, gritting her teeth. Running her hand down her face, she looked to Hematite in exasperation, her brows furrowed. "Ugh, thank you anyway Hematite; Sorry you had to deal with that, and that I wasn’t here to help. I'll be sure to… take care of them myself later." 

Hema tilted his chin up, pursing his lips for a moment.   
"I'll leave you to that, then. Did you need my help with anything else today?" he asked politely, folding his arms behind him. Sighing heavily, Blue hung her shoulders low and waved a dismissive hand.   
"No, don't worry about it Hema. You can take your leave for the day. I appreciate your help this afternoon. I think you've dealt with enough as it is,” she continued on, rubbing her forehead. "The sooner this all blows over the better." 

"Right, thanks. Call me up if you need anymore help with this, alright?" he offered with a small smile, shrugging a shoulder. "I don't mind dealing with this sort of thing if it helps you out." Glancing to the side, Hematite frowned slightly. "I'd better get back to the tower, though. I'm sure Red's waiting to reform by now." Turning, he gave Blue a small wave. "I'll see you around, then. Good luck with the rest of today, Blue."

Blue frowned and waved back half-heartedly.   
"Take care of her, kid!" 

Hema stopped for a moment, his expression faltering. He glanced down at his gem.  
"... I will."

  
\--

  
_Kshhhh_   
_Click._   
A soft sigh drifted through the ivory room as Hematite stepped toward the large couch near the window. He lifted a hand to his neck, pulling a small bubble from his gem with a flash. It floated over his hand, Red's small pink gemstone safely within. The service gem sat down quietly, holding the bubble loosely in his lap.   
"..."   
Lifting a finger, Hema bit his lip slightly, pressing a clawed nail into the silvery surface.   
_Plip!_   
Loosely holding the pink gem in his hand, Hema waited. A soft evening breeze blew through the window. Warm hues painted the White District and Hema's living quarters welcoming shades of creams, oranges, and reds. All Hema could hear was the distant bustle of the White District as it started shifting its attention from its daily routine to the nightly one. Lights flickered on here and there in the far-off windows of the city, setting it aglow.

  
Hematite stayed quiet.  


Five minutes passed.  
Ten.   
Fifteen.   
Twenty odd minutes or so later, Red's gemstone started to glow and lift from Hematite's palm at last. A silhouette appearing in it's light, the Pink Pearl's shape started to take form before finally falling to the floor. She looked no different. Standing formally before Hematite, Red opened her eyes, looking around with a heavy frown. Her eyes finally fell on Hema, filled with worry, and a twinge of something more.   
"... Sir?" 

Hema perked up with a relieved smile, quickly standing up and wrapping his arms around the Pearl, pulling her into a hug. Eyes widening, Red froze up in Hematite’s embrace. He sighed, eyes closing tight.  
"Oh thank stars you're okay. I'm sorry I didn't come to my senses quick enough to stop that fusion.” He pulled back, looking her over. “Your gem isn't hurt is it, do you feel alright?” 

  
"I'm... it's alright, sir. I'm sorry I couldn't help you any further… I'm fine though, for what it's worth,” she said, forcing a smile. Hema rested his hands on her shoulders, frowning in concern. 

"It's fine. You actually distracted them long enough for me to get the upper hand. You did as well as you could have against such a big fusion. Just, don't bite off more than you can chew next time!" he said with his own forced smile, gently squeezing her shoulders as he stood up straight. “As Yellow Diamond once told me, sometimes you gotta know what battles are worth fighting."

Looking down slightly, Red held up her hands and clutched at her fingers. She paused, silent. Hema managed a tiny, weak chuckle, but it died in his throat as he gazed down at the Pearl. Red cleared her throat, nervously looking up at him.  
"I mean… it's my job to protect you, Hema. Even if that means putting my own gem at risk! That wasn’t the best I could do… I’m trained to handle threats like that, I just. I don’t know what happened.” 

The taller service gem faltered for a moment, letting out a soft, almost inaudible sound.   
"... Right. Well... hopefully you won't be protecting me from anything that big again!" he said with a forced chuckle. He lifted his hand and gently ruffled the Pearl's hair. "Fusion or no fusion, glad to have you back. Our work for the day is done, if you'd like to grab any of the diamond pads and join me on the couch." With a small smile, he turned and sat back down, leaning back against the cushion of the couch. 

Red smiled, a small blush flushing over the tops of her cheeks. However it faded quickly, and she nodded. Walking over to one of the high shelves, she grabbed a Diamond pad that lay in a lower-lying cubby before making her way back over to the couch. Offering Hematite a hopeful smile, she hopped up next to him and turned the device on with a small click.  
"Thank you for watching out for my gem, sir. I appreciate it." 

Looking over at the smaller service gem, Hema blinked quietly, expression unreadable. He was glad she was unscathed, and that what could have ended rather nastily only resulted in Red getting poofed. The crowds were all settled now, and the spire was on its way to being fixed. Hopefully, the damage done would heal and pass quickly. If the worst thing that came out of it was Hema being given a little scare on Red's behalf, well that wasn't _too_ terrible.   
Smiling warmly, Hematite leaned over and wrapped his arm loosely around Red's shoulders, sidling his side up to her.   
"Of course, Red. It's my job to keep you safe too. What kind of Hematite would I be if I didn't?" 

Emitting a small, inaudible gasp, Red glanced up at Hematite without turning her head. Peering back down at her diamond pad, her shoulders relaxed. Uncertainty glittered in her gaze as she flicked through the records on the small device, and a myriad of unpleasant thoughts swam through her head. She tried to hush them, though, and sighed deeply through her nose. She leaned into Hema subconsciously, focusing on the device she held in her hand.

Hema looked down at the diamond pad idly, reading along with the Pearl when he wasn't looking out the window at the setting sun. Though worry laid on his features for much of the evening, he slowly managed to relax. He and Red browsed old stories and reports for most of the night, until they both fell asleep on the couch.


	91. Tea for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite discusses some important matters with one of the Diamonds.

It was a warm day in the center of Homeworld's capital. The Diamond towers were aglow with the soft light of the late afternoon sun. Work days were wrapping up for many gems, and were just starting for others as the cities began to wind down. The Diamond towers were especially quiet. All was peaceful and calm, and not a thing was out of place.  


That is… all aside from a tiny 'dot' on the side of the White Tower, near Hematite's room window. Something was scaling the wall atop the back of a feathered, reptilian gem creature with a small clear stone on its head. They were heading toward the window sill leading into the service gem's living quarters. It was slow going... seeing as how neither the gem nor the creature were much bigger than a few inches tall.

The white gem creature was struggling to scale a few decorative facets in the side of the tower, its clawed feet scrabbling at the stone. The gem on their back, a tiny, pale-white Albite, looked displeased by their slow progress. She had short hair that was swept back into a 'point' behind her neck, and wore a full body suit bearing various shades of white and gray. The collar of said suit reached up to her nose, fully covering the bottom half of her face with dark gray material. Her skin was a pale gray as well, her hair a stark ivory. Her nails were pointed into sharp hooked 'claws' much like a rodent's, and her hands gripped at a small set of reigns that were attached to a harness. The harness itself seemed to be a combination of a 'saddle' and muzzle that kept the reptilian creature's mouth shut. The Albite had a thin, lean build, and seemed attuned to climbing and running. In one of her hands, she held the hilt of a small weapon; some sort of slender whip, by the looks of it.Looking up at the wall, the micro gem narrowed her eyes. The creature below her panted in exhaustion, reaching up a clawed hand to try and haul itself up onto the next tiny ledge it could find. Aggressively, the tiny gem jabbed her heel into the feathered creature's side.  
_"Useless thing."_   
Frowning, the tiny ivory gem looked around until she spotted a jutting overhang a little distance away. It was a decorative under-hang from a small balcony that sported spiraling, delicate partitions of marble. There were a few large holes here and there... Perfect.   
Taking the creature's reigns in one of her hands, the ivory gem reeled back her whip and shot it up toward the decorative outcropping, easily latching onto it. She tugged twice to check the hold before glancing down at the creature below her. Holding on tightly to the saddle, she retracted the whip's length and swung herself and the gem monster up and back, earning a startled squawk from the creature. The tiny gem wasted no time in swinging herself over to the next windowsill, quickly letting go with her whip.   
  
_Thump._   
  
Collecting up her weapon, the tiny gem looked around inside the room. Nobody was home. The huge window was bordered by long, gossamer curtains, and a large couch laid just inside the room. It was fairly tidy, and had a clean, open air to it. Diamond pads and books were scattered here and there among the various study tables and chairs. Arching a brow, the ivory gem pulled back on the creature's reigns, earning an unhappy trill from them as they pawed at their muzzle.   
"Shush. Get moving," she ordered, kicking her heel into the creature's side again. It grunted in discomfort and slipped down to the floor, looking around. Slowly, the gem monster moved along to the huge bookshelves that laid against the wall toward the center of the room. Within a few short moments, it climbed up, nudging aside a few small trinkets in the process. Quietly, it slipped behind the various rows of books and diamond pads, quickly out of sight.   
\--

\--  
Yawning, Hematite stretched his arms over his head, stepping off of the central warp pad.   
"Stars, that certainly took long enough, huh Red?" he asked over his shoulder with a tired smile. "Note to self, 'always rest up before a recon job so you don't get stuck at your civilian size for half the job'," he said good-naturedly, chuckling. The Pink Pearl grinned up at Hema, arms folded neatly behind her back. Lifting a single hand, she brushed off her shoulder and giggled softly, looking to the side.   
"Lesson well learned I should say! Good thing I was there to help cover some ground I guess," she said, pacing idly next to the slightly taller service gem. "Stars only knows how much longer you would have taken if I wasn't there with you. Er… no offense, sir!" 

Hema waved a hand with a soft chuckle, shaking his head.  
"None taken. You're completely right. That would have taken me at least another day or so without your help. I owe ya one, Red.~" Smiling at the Pearl, Hematite folded his arms behind his back, mirroring her professional poise. "Once we stop by my room, I'll go report to White. I have another errand for you today, if you're up for it." 

Raising her brows, Red looked up to Hematite curiously.   
"Oh? What sort of errand, sir?” 

"I'll fill you in once we're in my room. I'd rather not ramble about it out here in case we run into anyone," he said simply, a faintly odd tone to his voice. Something seemed to be on his mind.   
\--   
_No, no... Tch. There's nothing good here. No schedule, no logs..._   
Frowning, the tiny ivory gem clicked off the diamond pad, sliding it back into place. She looked around and clenched at the reins in her hand tightly. The feathered, reptilian creature snorted quietly, once again pawing at its muzzle.   
_The Kyanite isn't around either. I wonder where they went... I'm sure she would have babbled about his schedule._   
Jabbing a foot into the creature's side, the tiny gem moved forward, sliding another diamond pad out of its place and clicking it on. It whirred quietly to life, and the gem squinted at the words on the main screen. _'Tea and Herb Classification'._ With a scoff, she turned off the device and pushed it back into the row of other diamond pads.   
“Come on, nothing on ‘Rubes,’ ‘Puff,’ the Kyanite… hmm.”

\--  
Stopping beside his door, Hema flipped open the security device and started typing in his code.

  
_Kshhh!_

 

  
With a soft gasp, the tiny gem sat up straight, pulling tight on the reigns of her mount's harness. The creature snorted softly before suddenly going quiet, eyes widening. It'd definitely heard that sound. Frowning, the ivory gem hunkered low, hissing an order into the creature's ear. It flattened itself to the shelf, hunkering low behind a row of diamond pads on one of the high shelves of the book case. Narrowing her eyes, the tiny gem held her reigns close, going silent.   
The door slid open to reveal the familiar, warmly lit interior of Hematite's living quarters. Smiling, the service gem stepped inside, arms folded behind him. As soon as he walked forward, however, a small frown crossed his face. His pace slowed, and he stopped completely, only three paces into the room.   
"...." Narrowing his eyes, the service gem looked around. A soft hum escaped him.

Red followed suit after, stepping in a little further than Hematite did. She, however, didn't really seem to notice anything was wrong other than Hema's suspicious glare. Pursing her lips, the Pink Pearl walked in front of Hematite, tilting her head to the side.  
"Something the matter, sir…?" 

Hema opened his mouth for a moment, but didn't say anything. His gaze was flicking from one section of the room to the next, eyes narrowed. His brows furrowed.  
"Red... you didn't touch anything before we left, right?" he asked quietly, eyes gradually drifting over her head, to the main bookcase in the center of the room. 

Lowering a single brow, Red got quiet.   
"No? I didn't, I only grabbed my diamond pad from the table. Why do you… ask…?" 

Sniffing once, Hema practically _glared_ at the large set of shelves across from him.   
"Because something's been moved in here," he said quietly, setting his jaw. His eyes rested upon a small knick knack on the ivory shelf that had been shifted _just_ slightly to the side. To anyone else, it was barely noticeable. "Red, go close the window," he ordered softly, not taking his eyes off the bookshelf. 

Red's eyes widened slightly, but she did as she was told. Making her way to the window, the Pearl placed her hand on a seamless panel in the wall. It flashed briefly for a moment before flickering away. The window hissed shut, sealing them from the outside world.

The tiny gem hiding on the bookcase shelf narrowed her eyes, silently cursing to herself.  
Hema frowned and stepped toward the shelves, shifting up to his preferred size of 15 or so feet. He had a much better view of the rows of books and diamond pads at this height, and could properly peer at the slightly shifted items. An egg-shaped old piece of gem tech had been turned a tad from its usual position. _So that's what was bothering him._ Scowling to himself, the service gem turned to Red for a moment.   
"Someone's been in here." 

Red looked back at Hema, holding one of her hands in her adjacent palm. Frowning, she glanced around the room.   
"But… there's no way to get in here except from the window. And these walls aren't exactly easy to climb... Who do you think could get in here?" 

Hematite shook his head, slowly starting to shuffle through the various rows of diamond pads and books.  
"I don't know. But some stuff isn't in its proper place here. And if you didn't touch anything, someone came in here after we left. Could have been a Lazuli, a Sapphire, to name a couple. A wind elemental..." The service gem trailed off, thumbing through a few books. Red trotted up beside Hematite, holding her hand up to her chin curiously.   
"Hm, well... They don't seem to be here now. Did they take anything?" she asked, glancing carefully over the shelves. 

"I don't... _think_ so. But that's what I'm checking for," he replied quietly, seeming a bit distracted. _Surely they weren't here anymore, there weren't many places to hide here, if any. But still, something in his gut wasn't settling._   
Frowning, the service gem made his way over to another shelf, pushing a few items aside.   
_Shf._   
Inhaling sharply through his nose, Hematite suddenly jumped back as something behind a nearby row of diamond pads shifted, making a rather eerie scratching sound against the polished bookshelf. Before he could react, a small feathered creature shot out and knocked over a good number of the gem tech pads, scattering them onto the floor. The gem monster hissed best it could through its muzzle, claws outstretched as it latched onto Hema's arm before launching off of him, in the direction of the window. It hit the floor heavily, but kept running, rushing right past Red. 

Gasping abruptly, Red was quick to react and darted after the small, feathered beast.   
"HEY!" she shouted, baring her teeth and lunging forward She just barely missed the agile little critter, her fingertips meeting the cool flooring of Hema's room. At least they were stuck in here with no way to get out, but she didn't want this thing to mess anything up! "Don't worry sir, I've got this one!” 

Hema whipped around and glared after the creature, but nodded at Red a moment later.  
"Alright, thanks Red. Stars, remind me not to leave the window open anymore," he said crossly, sighing. He looked down at the diamond pads, kneeling to pick a few of them up. Sure enough, a couple were cracked. Hematite scoffed with a frown, groaning as he ran a hand through his hair. "Stars, now I have to transfer these files. I'll have to ask Frecks to get me a few replacements."   
Hissing, the reptilian creature scurried away from Red, quickly hopping up onto the couch. It dug its claws into the fabric and leapt at the window, hopelessly clawing at the pane before inevitably plopping back down to the corner of the windowsill. Before Red could make another go for it, it tried to run off again, but suddenly snagged its reigns on the edge of the sill. It let out a sharp yelp, stopping in its tracks.   
Slowly, the small gem that had been _previously_ riding on the creature's back crept out from behind the diamond pads next to her, glaring down at Hema, unseen. 

Red quickly made a go for the gem monster, grabbing onto it carefully with both hands. Thankfully, it was small enough to be just barely a handful. Grimacing, Red squeezed it firmly enough to keep the struggling creature in her grasp, holding it up.   
"I got it s-... Wait a second." Eyes widening, Red looked as carefully as she could without getting scratched or bitten by the creature. _But what she saw wasn't hard to miss._ "Um...sir, you might want to take a look at this one," she said, slowly looking up at him. "I don't… I don't think it's alone." 

Hema frowned, sitting up and looking over at the Pearl and the creature.  
"What do you mean-... What on Homeworld.." The service gem stood up, walking over. He tilted his head, leaning down to peer at the saddled creature. The gem monster thrashed best it could, unable to bite through its muzzle. Hematite stared at the rather detailed saddle and harness on its back, raising a brow. "... Is that-"   
_Shf_   
Eyes widening, Hema stood up straight, looking back as a tiny white figure fled from the top of the bookshelf. It quickly whipped around the corner, out of sight in an instant.   
While still out of sight, the tiny gem began to glow, her form soon alight.   
Hema quickly shifted down to his civilian size, chasing after the fleeing form. Red bolted across the room towards where she'd seen the tiny gem flee, fully intent on at least not losing sight of her. _What was that?!_ Whoever or whatever it was, it wasn't going to get away.   
"Sir!" She called out, holding the gem monster close to her and making her way for the window. 

To his dismay, Hema skidded around the corner to see the smaller window in the study was open just a crack. Enough to let the fleeing micro gem escape if she got close enough. Hematite frowned and bolted after the gem, suddenly leaping _over_ her instead of making a go to grab her. He cut off her escape route by quickly shutting the panel. Snapping his attention back down to her, he raised a brow in confusion at the glowing gem.   
"Stop! You've got no-where to-!"   
In a flash, six of the tiny ivory gem suddenly bolted in every direction, scurrying away from both Hematite and Red. The feathery creature in the Pearl's arm whined and tried to squirm free, letting out rather displeased sounds. 

Frowning with a scoff, Red knew she couldn't just let this thing go free. Creating a bubble around the creature, she lifted it up and let it trail behind her.   
"Ugh I don't have time to deal with this thing!" She muttered under her breath, refocusing on the tiny micro gem scurrying about in the room. Damn, they had an illusion trick?! This was going to be tricky. 

Hema groaned in exasperation, chasing after two of the 'gems'. He flicked his hunting visor on, a deep frown on his face. He dove after the closest white gem, grabbing it quickly. It glitched out, vanishing in a flash. Blinking, the service gem parted his hands, staring in confusion. _Light copies?!_ Growling, the ivory-haired gem scurried back to his feet, chasing after another. One of the white gems made her way to the large window in the other room, one of the others following behind her. 

Red narrowed her eyes, focusing on the two feeling towards the window. They were likely distractions, but maybe if they could dwindle their numbers down, they could have a better chance of finding the original gem. Lunging over towards them, Red clambered over to the window and skid to a halt, cutting them off. Holding out her arms, she made a swift grab for them.

Both the gems came to a quick stop, but not before the Pink Pearl grabbed a hold of them. One of them vanished in a flash, but the other _did not._ She struggled with sharp, frustrated noises, digging her sharp, hooked nails into Red's hand. The other gem copies disappeared in another moment, leaving only the original.   
"Let go of me! How dare you lay a hand on me?!" she snarled, glaring up at the service gem. She glanced over momentarily at the bubbled gem monster behind the taller gem. Hema looked over, cocking a brow. 

Red grunted in discomfort, but otherwise remained steady. Moving her other hand over to get a more firm grasp on the tiny gem, she glowered down at her with disdain.   
"Excuse me, but you know it's _illegal_ to be in here right?" she growled, huffing in mild frustration. "No unauthorized personnel in the White Diamond Tower." 

Hematite walked closer, his visor whirring quietly as it scanned the tiny gem. She glared back at him, still doing her best to get free from the Pearl's grasp.  
"Gem Found: Albite. Status: Undamaged. Mission Objective: Not Applicable," he said quietly, half to himself. Frowning, he stood straight, rolling his shoulders. "Yes. I'm afraid your presence here is punishable by the order of the Diamond Authority. What are you doing here and what do you have to say for yourself?"   
Gritting her teeth, the tiny gem scratched aggressively at Red's fingers, digging her sharp claws into her skin.   
"I don't have to answer to you! I don't have to answer to _any_ of you! Release me this instant, or you'll regret it!" 

"Argh!!"  
Red quickly created a bubble around the Albite, holding her steady in her hands. "Enough with the scratching you little...!" The Pink Pearl growled through her teeth, her brow twitching. Walking over to Hema, Red muttered something under her breath and lifted up the bubbled gem to him. 

The Albite hissed in frustration, trying to swipe out at the bubble containing her. She couldn't quite reach the edges, however, and was left to awkwardly flail around. Hema nodded appreciatively at the Pearl, taking the bubble from her hands. He bared his teeth faintly at the tiny gem. She glared up at him before suddenly going still. Her form glowed, and she unexpectedly retreated into her gemstone. Hematite’s eyes widened, and he paused for a long moment.

“... Well, guess that’s… done. Mmm, so much for getting answers.” With a soft sigh, Hema looked down at Red and knelt down, staring at the corrupted bubbled gem. "... Hm."

Red walked over and picked up the tiny creature, glancing down at it. Squinting, she turned to Hema and looked up at him, holding up the bubble.   
"I'm not sure what this is exactly, sir. I've never seen any creature like it before." 

Pursing his lips, Hema carefully reached his hand closer, hovering it close to the bubble. The feathered creature squealed in fright, plastering itself against the back of the bubble with wide eyes. It was _shaking,_ its jaws parted slightly in a silent whimper as it started up at Hematite. The service gem paused, blinking in surprise. 

The Pearl's brows raised and she held it slightly closer to her, frowning.   
"... Do you think we should let this one go sir? It seems fairly harmless, albeit a bit… skittish," she said, glancing back up at him. "I don't think it's a copy if it's got a harness on." 

Tilting his head, Hematite frowned.  
_Whirrrr._   
_Click!_   
"!!- ... This one's an Albite too?" he said quietly, eyes widening. He flicked his visor off, frowning. "What in star's name is an Albite doing riding around on the back of its corrupted kin..." he muttered rhetorically. The service gem bit his lip in apprehension. "I mean... maybe. But, perhaps we should get that thing off of it." 

Frowning in confused concern, Red tapped the tip of her finger into the top of the bubble, popping it instantly. Grabbing onto the creature, she maneuvered her fingers around it carefully to pry off the harness. Sure enough, with a few nudges and pulls, it slid free from the corrupted creature.

As soon as the muzzle was loose from the creature's face, the corrupted Albite let out a rather terrified trill, trying its best to get away from Red's grasp. It didn't scratch or bite at her, but did its best to struggle free. Hema sat up slightly in surprise, eyes widening in concern.  
"Hey, hey! Calm down... Uh... Albite?" he said softly, pulling his hand closer instead of reaching for the gem monster. If it understood him, it didn't show any signs of it, and continued to whimper and writhe in Red's grasp, chattering in distress. 

"UUhhhmmm perhaps we should just take it outside, sir! I don't think we can reason with it," she said, biting her lip nervously. "Um but..m-maybe you should take it," she continued, holding it out quickly in front of the other service gem.

Hematite held his hands up, palms out.  
"U-uh... well... I don't see why not." Frowning, the service gem nervously reached for the creature, earning another terrified chirrup. Hema sighed and wrapped his hands around the gem monster, bubbling it quickly. It backed against the bubble, eyes wide. Standing straight, Hema sighed. "C'mon, then." The service gem looked down at the creature with pity, brows furrowing. He stepped toward the door, expression unreadable. 

Red followed behind Hematite, running her hand across the back of the other. Surely he'd know what to do with it. Hopefully it wouldn't cause too much trouble when it got out, either.   
But what was that Albite doing _riding_ on a corrupted Albite? And more importantly, what were they doing _here?_

\--  
_Plip!_   
With a soft sigh, Hema put the gem creature down on the ground, holding it by the scruff of its neck. It scurried at the ground, skittering away as soon as Hematite let go of her. Her feathers were fluffed out, making her look twice as big as she actually was. She looked up at Hema and Red, eyes wide.   
For a moment, she paused, staring up at them.   
Hema tilted his head with a frown. He nudged his foot toward her, nodding his head.   
"C'mon now. Get going... Don't cause trouble," he said softly, quirking a brow. The tiny creature whimpered and scurried off, chattering to itself as it ran out of sight. 

Sighing, Red rubbed her arm and frowned, glancing off at nothing once the creature had ran out of sight.   
"Stars, what was that all about?" she asked, placing her hands to her hips. Peering up at the taller service gem, red went quiet for a moment. She looked away. "They didn't do any damage, did they?” 

Hema was quiet for a moment.  
"... Unfortunately, they did. They broke two of my diamond pads. I'm going to need you to bring them to Frecks so she can replace them and transfer the files." He looked over at the service gem, pursing his lips. "I was going to have you check out a corrupted monster report in the White District anyways, so you can check out both of those while you're there." 

Tilting her head slightly, the Pearl gripped at her arm briefly before letting it fall back to her side.   
"Oh? Corrupted monster report? Any particular piece of information you're looking for? Did you want me to take care of it?" she asked eagerly. Hema blinked and shook his head with a frown. 

"No no, it's more or less a sighting report. Someone said they might have seen something slinking around, so it's just your job to confirm or deny a visual or signs that something might actually be there." He shrugged a shoulder. "There's never been a problem like that in the zone it was reported from, so it’s probably a false alarm… but, it’s worth checking out. Especially with that recent incident in the Blue District..." he muttered, frowning.

Shaking her head, she forced a smile and saluted the other service gem.   
"Right! When would you like me to get started then, sir?" 

Hematite pursed his lips and glanced up at the tower.  
"I left the two diamond pads on the table by the bookshelf. Pick them up and take them to the White Archives. Just ask Frecks to transfer the file to two replacement pads. After you drop them off, you can head out to check out the location." The service gem tapped his visor. "Call me if anything goes awry. I'll send you the location as soon as I can. I need to go talk to White and report our recon mission to her." 

Nodding with a small 'hm', Red beamed up at her superior and folded her arms behind her back.   
"Very well Hema! I'll be as quick and efficient as I can. Are you going to be out today?" 

For a change, Hema's face shifted into a small, excited smile.  
"Well, not exactly!" The service gem glanced to the side, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm actually going to go have tea with Yellow Diamond, if she's free this evening," he said almost shyly, looking away. 

Eyes widening slightly, Red's entire form relaxed, her fingers wiggling.   
"Ooooh, that sounds lovely sir! Tea with Yellow Diamond? I hear she's always so busy though. Best of luck catching her!" she said eagerly, with a hint of envy.

  


Hematite chuckled and nodded, folding his arms behind him.  
"Iiii might have gotten a tip-off from White that she might be less busy today. Something about finalizing some designs in her office. Either way, it's some paperwork that she should be able to have tea alongside working on! But, I digress." With a nod, the service gem stood straight, heading for the tower. "Thanks, and good luck on your job today, Red! Be safe, alright? Don’t get into any trouble." 

Red perked up, shrugging her shoulders up slightly and saluting once more.   
"Heh! Will do, sir! Do enjoy your day!"   
And without another word, the Pink Pearl bolted off towards the tower.

  


\--  


_Knock knock knock!_   
Standing at attention, Hematite waited outside White Diamond's office, a small, distracted frown on his face. 

The door hissed quietly open, revealing the ever familiar sight of White Diamond's room. White's Pearl was in the back somewhere organizing some files, too busy to notice Hematite's arrival. White, however, was speaking to someone on her communicator, glancing briefly at the service gem as he walked into the room. Holding up an index finger, White glanced up at the hologram that projected itself from the gemtech..   
"Hold that thought please, Aquamarine, I'll need to call you back later. I have someone I need to speak to. You'll have to tell me what that Danburite ended up saying," she whispered, earning a hearty chuckle from the gem on the other side. The communicator clicked off after a moment, and White placed it down on her desk. Folding her hands neatly together, she gave Hematite a welcoming nod.   
"Hello Hematite. What have you to report?" 

Hema smiled lopsidedly, raising a brow. It was rare to see White gossiping with a citizen. It was nice to see her relaxing. His distracted air dropped as he stepped into the room, saluting.   
"Just returned from my recon mission with Red. All spires accounted for, and no signs of rebel activity." With a nod, the ivory haired gem tucked his arms behind him again. "However, something unusual happened upon my return..." 

White's smile faded slightly, and she returned to her normally professional demeanor.   
"What sort of unusual?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. 

"Well, when I went to my living quarters, there was an Albite in there riding on a corrupted gem of the same type... I don't know what they were doing there. They hadn't stolen anything, though in the scuffle they did break a few gem pads of mine.”

Hissing through her teeth, White sighed and rolled her eyes.   
"So they snuck into your room?”

“Yes. No clue why they were there… they might have been there by accident, might have been a petty thief… they retreated into their gem, so I didn’t get any answers.”

“Mmm.” White narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Albites are usually used as spies… we’ll have to keep an eye out for any others, that’s unusual," she mumbled under her breath. Blinking, White hung her shoulders slightly, slowly looking back at Hematite. "Wait, you said they were with a corrupted Albite?"

Nodding with a nervous frown, Hematite brushed his fingers together.  
"Mm. I thought the same thing. They had it harnessed and muzzled and everything... It's... a bit like those rebels we fought earlier this year," he said quietly. 

Tapping a finger to her lower lip, White whispered something while looking away. Grabbing the diamond pad that sat on her desk, she powered it up and started to write something down.   
"I'll file a report about that and see if anyone's seen anything similar. That's… quite odd. I’ve seen more gem monsters being tamed and controlled in the past year than I ever have before in my life..." she grumbled, rubbing her hand over her face. "I didn't think they _were even remotely_ tamable. Now gems are _riding_ on them?” Muttering to herself, she flicked through a few records on her diamond pad. “... I have to wonder if this has anything to do with the sudden rash of corrupted gem activity.”

Hematite paused, his breath hitching.

“So you’ve noticed that too, lately? I thought I was just paranoid.”

“No, it’s not just you. I’ve been receiving far more reports of corrupted gem activity than usual. Monster activity usually spikes around the time of the Harvest Moon, but not to this point.” Tapping her forehead, White sighed to herself and continued taking down a few notes. “Increased monster activity, corrupted gems being tamed and ridden… I’ll have to see if anyone has more direct reports of this. Could prove valuable to research and development,” she mumbled.

Watching the Diamond write on her tech pad, Hematite stayed quiet for the most part. As soon as she was done speaking, he nodded subtly and hummed a soft note.  
"I'll keep my eyes peeled for more behavior like this. I've actually met a pair of gems with a similar situation, ah... a corrupted Ekanite and a Sphalerite, but... This seemed different. Sphalerite didn't have her Ekanite harnessed. I digress... Perhaps someone's made a breakthrough in controlling gem monsters?" he said almost hopefully, brows raising. Though she paused for a long moment, as if she hadn’t heard him, White perked up a few moments after Hematite’s rhetorical question. 

"Wait, what was that?”

“I met a Sphalerite that rode around a corrupted Ekanite… but they seemed to get along like two normal gems.”

“... If she didn't have it harnessed, do you know what she was doing with it? How was she keeping it tame?" She inquired, placing her finger onto the pad without breaking eye contact with the service gem. Hematite frowned lopsidedly with an uncertain hum.  
"Well... I'm not sure, honestly. They seem to get along, and Ekanite is fairly tame, _friendly_ even. I met them... well. Do you remember that mission where I was attacked in the Yellow District by some workers? I shrank down that day and they helped me get out of trouble." 

Writing something down, White glanced down finally at the gemtech.   
"So they're friends of yours? Acquaintances? Did the Ekanite show any sign of aggression to anyone?" she asked intently. The service gem watched White scribble some notes down on her diamond pad. He glanced up at her face.   
"Well, I'd like to think of us as good acquaintances. I've only run into them twice. And, no, the Ekanite didn't show signs of aggression. Oh!" Holding up an index finger, Hematite raised his brows. "I forgot to mention, she's far smaller than any other corrupted Ekanite on record. Usually they're about as tall as a Spinel at full potential, but this one?" Pursing his lips, the service gem held out his hands, displaying a small distance between them. "She's only about this big.”

Looking up, White narrowed her eyes and moved her lips as though she were speaking, although she stayed completely silent. She looked back down quickly and scribbled something else, tapping the screen once after she was complete.   
"Hm, hopefully this information will prove to be useful to us. It could be an important base for some exceptionally valuable research, so I'll send it in later this afternoon. Is there anything else I should know, Hematite?" White asked, glancing back at him seriously. 

The hair on the back of Hema's neck stood on end at White's serious demeanor.  
"Uh, no ma'am, not that I can think of. They're wanderers, always looking for a safe place to live. That's all I know, really," he said simply, giving her a shrug. 

White nodded, powering off the diamond pad.   
"Alright, thank you for your report then. There is much potential to this subject, and with an increase in gem monster and corrupted gem activity, maybe someone else has some more information to add to this. I'll make sure it's looked into later," she stated, entwining her fingers. Hematite perked up slightly, a small smile on his face. He nodded and regained his professional stance.   
"Of course, White. Anything for you. Now... you said you had something to discuss with me, after I returned from my mission?" he stated curiously, tilting his head. "Does it have anything to do with the lessons I and the other Hematites will be going through, or had you not decided on that yet?" 

White straightened up, clearing her throat.   
"Ah, actually, yes. I will need you to escort me to the Kindergarten to make the official announcement for those who are required to participate in their extra training.”

“... Extra training?”

“You remember, from failing the second test of the Harvest Moon?”

“Ohh. Right,” he said a bit nervously, glancing away. White raised a brow.

“However, _you_ won't have to stress about these tests in particular because I have a very special type of training in mind for you that I will be assigning you privately," she said with a small smirk. "You are _my_ Hematite after all, so your training will be similar in concept, just a bit more… advanced. I have to keep you on your toes Hema, I'm sure you understand." 

A curious swell spread through the ivory haired gem's chest, and he blinked in surprise.  
"Oh? Advanced in what way, may I ask?" 

Shrugging, White closed her eyes for a moment, smiling slightly.   
"You will have to avoid _me._ At the very least I can tell you that so you may prepare. You must _always_ be crafty however, and know when and how to think fast." 

Hematite once again felt the hair on his neck stand on end. His eyes widened subtly.  
"O-oh. Well, alright! I'll do my best, White. When did you want me to escort you to the kindergarten?" 

White shifted in her seat, leaning forward onto her desk slightly.   
"Tomorrow, as soon as possible. I'm sure you'll do fine Hematite. We'll try as many times as we need, to an extent." 

Nodding enthusiastically, Hematite saluted before standing professionally once more.  
"Understood, White. I'll report to you first thing in the morning." There was a short pause before the service gem suddenly perked up. "Oh, I almost forgot!" Hema smiled almost shyly, one of his shoulders raising. "Ah, do you happen to have any Crystal Spice tea lying around? I still planned on surprising Yellow this evening, and I know that's her favorite." 

Blinking, White's eyes widened slightly, as did her smile. Turning in her seat, she lifted her finger and, without a word, walked over to the shelf that her Pearl had been organizing. Gesturing for her to move aside for a moment, White knelt down and looked into one of the shelves, picking up a box. Making her way back over to Hematite, she handed it to him with a hearty grin.   
"That's very kind of you, Hematite! I hope you two have a nice evening, then. But… how did you know her favorite was Crystal Spice? I don't believe _I've_ ever told you." 

The small service gem politely took the tea box and gazed up at his leader with a warm smile.   
" _She_ told me. Back when she came to me in the Coliseum to apologize, I told her my favorite tea was peppermint... so she returned the favor and told me hers was Crystal Spice." He held the box close, gazing down at it for a moment. "... It's strange. I've brought tea to her twice now, but. We'll actually get to enjoy it this time," he said quietly, his tone unreadable. Lifting his chin, he looked back up at his leader. "Funny how much can change in such little time." 

Chuckling lightly, White reached down and ruffled Hematite's hair for a second before folding her arms behind her back.   
"Funny indeed. I'm just happy you two are getting along! You best get going though if you want to catch her. It's rare that Yellow has time off," she said, smiling ear to ear. 

Hematite blinked and let out a soft noise of surprise as White ruffled his hair. He stood, stunned for a moment, before a light blush crossed his cheeks and he smiled lopsidedly. Holding the tea box close, the ivory-haired gem looked up at his superior with a bright smile.   
"Right! Thank you, White!" he said cheerfully, turning and scurrying for the door. He looked over his shoulder and waved, heading out of the office. 

Waving back at the service gem, White turned and sat back down at her desk, sighing with content. After a few moments, she glanced back over to the communicator, grinning almost deviously.

\--  
_Knock knock knock._   
Rocking on his heels, Hematite drummed his fingers on the bottom of the tea box in his hands. He had a bright, expectant smile on his face, and eagerly waited for the office doors to open. Nobody answered the door, but a muffled order from Yellow sounded behind it. She didn’t sound pleased- she sounded stressed, in fact. Hema's smile faded slightly, a familiar prickle of anxiety rising in his chest. _Oh, great... had he caught her at a bad time?_

A few more seconds passed, and Yellow's Pearl opened the door at last. Glaring at Hematite with half lidded eyes, she turned her nose up at him but gestured for him to come in. Yellow was standing next to one of the doors behind her desk, running a cloth over her bare hands. She turned around, eyeing Hema in surprise.  
"Hematite! I didn't know you were coming! I was in the middle of working on a special project, but now is a good time to pause. What brings you here?" she asked, setting the cloth down on her desk. 

Blinking curiously at the Diamond's hands, which, for once were not covered by her fingerless gloves, Hema stood still for a moment. _Huh. Well there was something he never expected to see._ Shaking himself back from his momentary pause, the service gem forced his eager smile back and walked into the room, holding the tea box close.   
"Sorry for dropping in like this, Yellow, but, well... You mentioned a few weeks back that we should have tea some time, and White mentioned you might have a little extra time today, sooo..." Biting his lip slightly, the ivory-haired gem held up the small, mahogany-colored container. "I picked up some Crystal Spice from her." 

Eyes widening slightly, she looked at the box, then back at Hematite. Raising her hands, they glowed brightly for a moment before returning to their natural state, but this time bore her usual gloves.   
"Crystal Spice hm…? Hah, I'm surprised you remembered that I like that," she said, turning to the window. In front of it sat three chairs and a small table, much like White Diamond's room had. However, in one of the seats, there was a cushion that looked as though it belonged in White Diamond's office. Hema stared at it, raising a brow.

“... That pillow looks familiar.”

Without looking at the service gem, Yellow raised a finger to her lips, coyly muttering, “Shh, no it doesn’t. I’ve returned White’s cushion to its rightful place.” Making her way over, she sat down in one of the chairs and gestured him over. "But, to answer your question, yes. I've got some time. I hope you don't mind me multitasking though, I have some paperwork that I need to get done," she said, pulling a diamond pad from her gem. A warmth spread through Hema's chest as he eyed the seats by the window.  
"I don't mind at all! She mentioned you'd probably have some stuff to do on the side. Uh... would it be terribly inappropriate if I made the tea myself, Yellow?" he asked meekly, drumming his fingers on the small box. 

Glancing up at Hematite for a moment, Yellow nodded and looked back down at her diamond pad.   
"Sure, go right ahead,” she stated simply, with a bit of curiosity in her gaze. “Do you know how to?”

“Mmhm, White showed me a few times!” A bright smile spread across the service gem's face, and he stepped happily in place before hurrying over to where Yellow kept her teapot and cups. He shot her Pearl a half devious, smug smile before turning his attention to the tea box as he started to open it and divvy out the correct amount of herbs. The box was separated into different sections of Homeworld-grown leaves. There was a little screen on the inside of the lid that displayed different suggestions for different tasting tea. Hema peered down at it, narrowing his eyes slightly. _So Yellow liked it a bit spicier, huh? Maybe he'd go a little heavier on the Jasper Silver Leaf._

While Yellow Diamond was busy with her work, her Pearl muttered something under her breath, crossing her arms and looking away. However, she wasn't looking away for long before she glanced back over, narrowing her eyes at the tea pot. She kept her eyes on him, watching his every movement with a watchful, judgemental eye.

 

A few minutes later, Hema had a near-boiling pot of water, and a mix of leaves in the infuser. The service gem opened up the pot and placed the crystal-shaped infuser inside, quickly replacing the lid afterward. He grabbed two cups and put them on the platter before pausing. Glancing over at the Pearl, the service gem sighed softly and grabbed a third cup, picking up the tray. Without a word, he walked over to Yellow at the table, putting the tray down in the center.  
"Okay, sooo this should be ready in a few minutes." Smiling, he hopped up into the seat with the cushion from White's office, settling down to look out the window. 

Raising a brow, Yellow glanced from the tea set to Hema wordlessly, but made a small noise of acknowledgment before peering back down at her diamond pad.   
"Thank you."   
Yellow's Pearl hadn't missed the third cup that Hematite had laid out either. Furrowing her brows slightly, she stared at the tea set, unsure what to think. _Did he really expect her to join them?_   
"Pearl, you can come over here too you know. Show some manners." Yellow spoke without taking her eyes off of the gemtech in her hands. Gasping quietly, the Yellow Pearl flinched, placing her fingertips together and quickly making her way over.   
"Y-yes, my Diamond!" 

Hematite nodded at the Diamond and gazed out the window, gripping the edges of his seat as he dangled his legs underneath it. A soft waft of steam rose from the pot as it steeped the tea inside using small crystals built into the bottom of of the kettle.

They fell into awkward silence. It didn’t take long for Yellow to notice, and she silently urged herself to say something. They’d only had tea once before, and considering it was Blue’s… that didn’t count. So why was she finding it so hard to say something…?

Yellow pursed her lips, glancing up at the service gem. However, before she could speak up, he did so for her.  
"It's a beautiful evening. I'm surprised, since there was supposed to be a storm today," he said idly, glancing at both the yellow gems. 

Yellow's Pearl folded her hands together, scrunching her nose a tad bit at the other service gem, ignoring him completely. Yellow tapped her finger against the screen of her diamond pad, turning her head to look out the window. There was a small pause.  
"You know I used to love stormy weather. I used to love thunder, lightning... cloudy skies, even. Now, I see it so much that it's become mundane." Glancing back down at the device in her hand, she shrugged a shoulder. "It’s still nice now and then… but I digress.” 

The service gem looked over at his superior, a small smile on his face.  
"I still find it rather nice! I'm sure the answer is 'yes', but have you ever seen a really powerful rainstorm on another planet? Or even a light shower?" With a content sigh, the ivory haired gem looked outside. "Sometimes I wish Homeworld shared some weather patterns with other planets I've been to. But then again, other planets don't have some of the sights we do. So, I suppose it's a fair trade." 

Yellow glanced to the side, thinking for a moment.  
"Most of the time, I don't fancy precipitation too much. Too many bad experiences with it, hm.”

Hema raised a brow curiously.

“Bad experiences…?”

“Well... this one time, while I was on this distant planet, it rained a corrosive acid almost every day. That wasn't too fun to maneuver in, let me tell you..." she said, stifling a tiny bemused smirk. Yellow's Pearl raised her brows, puffing out her cheeks slightly. Yellow continued. "It was only corrosive to our projections, thankfully. It had no effect on gems themselves. So we got out relatively unscathed. However, I will admit I… underestimated the power of that weather once. I ended up destabilized for three days."

Hematite's eyes widened, and he looked over at his superior with unmasked concern.  
_"Three days?!_ Were you alright?" Blinking, the service gem leaned back a bit, glancing to the side. "Well, I mean obviously you were, but. Did someone find you? Were you in danger?" he asked curiously, looking up at the Diamond. 

Tapping her fingers on the back of the diamond pad, Yellow closed her eyes for a moment.   
"Well, yes. I had a lot of backup there, as it was a fairly hostile planet unfortunately. One of my generals were quick to scoop me up and bring my gem to safety. I believe I still owe that gem five more talks over tea,” she said, opening her eyes again with a small smirk. After a few seconds, she glanced over at Hema, her expression unreadable. "What about you?... Are you partial to any sort of weather yourself? You seem to like storms." 

Hematite subtly twitched at the word 'general', but didn't show it outwardly. He blinked in surprise as Yellow asked him about his own preferences, looking away shyly.  
"Oh, well..." With a soft smile, he shrugged a shoulder. "I... really like 'snow', I believe it's called. It's quite beautiful when it falls at night, and the sounds it makes when you step on it are rather interesting. Oh! And, I'm really partial to light rainstorms. Ones with thunder in the distance. Those are rather nice to have tea during, or any warm drink, really." Chuckling quietly, he looked out the window. "And when it rains before a sunrise, you can see all the water glittering in the sun like tiny crystals... It's breathtaking." 

Yellow took a deep breath, quietly listening to the service gem go on. Snow was… alright. Too cold for her taste, though.   
"Isn't it? Have you ever seen rain on a _crystalline_ planet? Now _that_ is a marvel to behold,” she said, writing something on her diamond pad. Without looking over at his superior, the ivory-haired gem shook his head.   
"I haven't, no. But I'd like to! That does sound like quite the spectacular sight..." Looking over at the kettle, Hematite perked up and turned the handle toward himself, removing the lid. A plume of strong-smelling steam billowed out, fogging up the service gem's eyepiece. Letting out a soft noise of surprise, Hema reached up and took off his eye piece, tucking it into the small insignia-shaped pocket on the front of his suit. He peered inside the kettle, smiled faintly, and reached a small stirring stick in, shifting the infuser around for a moment before returning the lid to the pot. Setting down the stirring stick, he looked at the Diamond again.   
"So, what's this project of yours that you were working on, if you don't mind me asking?" 

Yellow's eyes widened slightly and she quickly looked over at her Pearl. The Pearl stared motionlessly back at the Diamond, then glanced over to Hematite.   
"It's classified, unfortunately. Just something I'm working on for someone special." Yellow said, placing her hands on the top of her legs. "I'm afraid word can't go out just yet until it's done, but once it's complete you'll _probably_ hear about it, I'm sure," she said, smirking slightly. "I just hope whoever it's for will like it," she continued, running her fingers through her hair momentarily, glancing back at the Pearl. Hematite tilted his head, glancing between the Diamond and her Pearl. A small, curious smile crossed his face.   
"Oh? Well, if you're the one making it, I'm sure they'll love it." He looked out the window, swinging his legs under his chair. "You put so much time and dedication into your work. Even at the expense of your own free time. Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll turn out great. I can't wait to hear about it!" he said with a bright smile toward his superior.

  


The Pearl huffed quietly, crossing her arms indignantly.   
Yellow shot her Pearl a glare, earning a shudder from the small yellow gem. Quickly falling back to a more presentable demeanor, Yellow Pearl remained quiet, though didn't pay much attention to Hematite. Yellow's expression fell after a moment, lifting her hand to scratch her shoulder.   
"It’d already be done if I had more free time. I don’t get a lot of time for personal projects like this, especially lately. There's a rather troublesome group of rebels I have on my hands right now and I'm still trying to figure out what to do about them. I sent a team of soldiers after them, but no one's so much as _reported back_ to me yet." 

Hematite's expression fell, and he furrowed his brows, turning a bit in his seat.  
"Really? ... Should you send someone after them? It's... not related to the Star Stealers, is it?" he asked, apprehension lacing his tone. Shrugging slightly, Yellow crossed one leg over the other and placed the diamond pad down on the table next to the teapot.   
"I don't really think I should risk sending a search and rescue team out for them just yet. I'm still trying to decide what to do... I don't believe they have anything to do with the Star Stealers though, thankfully. I'm just not sure _where_ the soldiers went. It's not like them to not perform some sort of status report, especially when I've specifically requested it after a number of rotations," she said, crossing her arms and leaning back slightly in her chair. She stared down at the teapot, eyes narrowed with a frown. "I'm sure I'll figure something out though. Like I haven't dealt with enough petty rebels before..." 

Hematite frowned lopsidedly, but didn't speak up against the diamond. He trusted her judgment in handling situations like this, even if his gut told him that someone like himself should at least go check on them.  
"I'm sure you will. And I wish you luck on that. Thouuuugh." Reaching over to the teapot, Hema picked it up and started pouring Yellow a cup. "If you need _any_ assistance with that. I'm always a call away. I'd be happy to offer my services," he said with a smile. Placing the kettle down, he slid Yellow her cup, starting to pour his own, and then the third one.

  


Yellow looked between Hematite and the cup of tea shortly before picking it up, smelling the piping hot, spiced tea. _At least it smelled decent._   
"Heh… hopefully these rebels won't _warrant_ a Hematite being sent out for them. But, I appreciate your offer. I'll be sure to let you know if I need your help, but I wouldn't worry about it. They don't seem to be a priority at the moment like the Star Stealers. From what I hear, this group of rebels is just sticking to petty thievery, and vandalism. They're more _annoying_ than anything," she said, glaring over at her Pearl who was sticking her nose up at the cup of tea that Hema had poured for her.

Hematite glanced at the Pearl for a moment, his expression falling just slightly. _Fine, if she wouldn't take it, more for him and Yellow._ Turning his own nose up at the Pearl, Hema picked up his cup and blew lightly on the contents.   
"I understand," he said simply, looking down at the rich amber drink. "Anyways. I hope you like it! I added a pinch of Cinnabar Stems. It's... not on the recommended recipes, but I thought it'd make an interesting addition," he said meekly, offering the diamond a small smile. 

Blinking, Yellow looked down at her tea. _Cinnabar stems? Normally that was an herb used to spice luxury treats like specialty Fire Salts. But, tea? There was no way that could taste good._ Placing her hand around the cup, Yellow narrowed her eyes at the liquid before taking a careful sip. Her eyes widened slightly and she slowly took the cup away from her lips, staring down into it.   
_… She was wrong. It wasn’t clumsy and unbalanced._ ** _It was divine!_**

Hematite blinked in surprise, nervously biting his lip. He couldn't tell if she loved it or hated it...  
"I know it's a bit... experimental. But, you know." Offering the Diamond a nervous laugh, he turned his attention back to his own tea, going quiet. Yellow raised a brow and gave Hema a reassuring look. 

"No, no it's alright! Actually it's… quite tasty!" she said, offering Hematite a faint smile. Yellow's Pearl gasped silently, looking almost offended. Quickly looking into her glass, she furrowed her brows and took a sip, smacking her lips quietly. Setting it back down, she sniffed once and turned her head away, pouting. Yellow rolled her eyes and took another sip before placing the cup back down on its saucer. Hematite perked up, a warm feeling spreading through his chest along with a wave of relief. _Oh, good. She didn't hate it._

Yellow gazed down at her glass.  
"I didn't know you could make tea this well, Hematite. Have you ever made some for White or Blue?" Yellow asked, her expression falling back to its usual neutral state. The service gem looked over at his superior, setting his glass down.   
"I haven't, actually. You're... the first out of the three of you," he said softly, offering a lopsided smile. "A friend of mine taught me the ins and outs of making tea. And, I've watched Dai- White's Pearl do it a few times. ... Okay, a bunch of times. I'm glad you like it. Do you think I _should_ make some for White or Blue?" Chuckling, he lifted his cup and looked out the window, sipping at it quietly. _Hm. Not bad. Not his type of flavor, but it had a nice aftertaste to it!_

Raising a brow, Yellow pursed her lips slightly.  
"I'm surprised to hear that. I think they'd both love it. I'll have to recommend it to them myself sometime," she said, picking it back up and taking another sip. Closing her eyes, she relished the drink's flavor for a long while. "Pearl, you'd better drink that," she said sternly without opening her eyes. The Pearl flinched, swallowing nervously. Looking down, she huffed quietly and picked up her drink, sipping at it idly. 

Managing a small smile, Hematite hummed softly, a faint purple tint rising to his cheeks.  
"Thank you, Yellow," he muttered quietly, looking out the window. He sipped his tea again, content to watch the slowly reddening city outside. After a short pause, Hematite set down his half-empty teacup.   
"Any idea what their favorite tea flavors are?" 

Tilting her head to the side, Yellow looked away.   
"I'm sure you're familiar with White's favorite by now. Slightly sweet, yet bitter, calming teas. While Blue likes incredibly strong tea, very bitter and bold. However, if you want in on a little secret, I've found that Blue is pretty partial to Calcite Bloom herbs. You should try putting some of that in her tea someday,” she said in an almost whisper, cocking a brow. Yellow's Pearl placed her cup down, empty before either of the other two had finished theirs. She folded her hands together in her lap, staring off at nothing. 

Hema glanced at the Pearl's cup, raising his brows in curious surprise. He didn't say anything, however, and turned his attention back to Yellow with a small smile.  
"Calcite Bloom, got it. Good to know." The service gem nodded turned back to his tea, sipping it and closing his eyes. _This was nice... Ever since the incident with Topaz, he and Yellow got along so much better. He just… couldn’t believe how much they’d changed._   
Setting his cup down, Hema ran his finger along the warm, smooth surface of the dish. His expression shifted to something a bit more unreadable, and his tone dropped as he meekly spoke up.   
"Yellow..." he started, raising a brow. He spared the Diamond a small, serious frown. "Where do you think Topaz went?" 

Yellow's expression fell, her brows furrowing. She looked over at Hematite, sneering in disgust. She honestly hoped she'd never have to hear about that traitor again.  
"As long as she doesn't show her face around Homeworld's capital ever again, I don't really care where she went. She's not going to pose a threat to anyone else if I have anything to say about it,” she said, sipping her tea again. 

Scowling for a moment, the ivory-haired gem sipped some of the last of his tea again. _Huh, this was starting to grow on him. It almost got better, the more of it he had._ Sighing softly, Hematite puffed his bangs away from his face.   
"... Was she always like _that?"_

Yellow's expression softened just slightly. She looked down into her cup, quiet for a few long moments.  
"No," she said simply, swirling the small bit of liquid still left in the cup. "Actually, she and I had a lot of respect for each other.... Or at least, so I thought. But, at one point, she was loyal. Hell, one of my best generals, even. She was good at what she did... kept everything in order. We've shared plenty of stories together at times, talking about fights and victories over drinks." Yellow paused, sipping away the last of her drink before placing it back down on the table. She kept her fingers on the handle a few moments after she set it down. "I always thought she was a good gem. A perfect example of someone doing what was right for Homeworld. For gem-kind. _For the Diamond Authority._ I’d even say we were ‘friends.’ I can't tell you how.... betrayed and _angry_ I felt when I found out everything she’d lied to us about." 

Hema frowned sadly, looking over at the diamond sympathetically. _She really did have respect for Topaz back then... Everyone seemed to. And yet, she'd stooped so low..._

 

**_To get back at him for shattering Beryl._ **

 

"I can't believe she'd change so easily... I wonder if things would have been different if I hadn't shattered Beryl," he said quietly, looking at his near-empty cup. "She really meant a lot to Topaz, huh?"

“Mm.”

Yellow went quiet. Hematite noticed the silence and fidgeted with his cup, awkwardly looking away. A heaviness fell over the air between them, and guilt glinted in Hema’s eyes. After a long moment, he ventured a question that’d bothered him since that fateful fight with him and Topaz.

“Yellow… What was she like?”

Yellow sighed, finally leaning back in her seat, crossing her arms.

“... Do you want the long version… or the short one?”

“... The long one? N-normally I wouldn’t ask you, but there’s nothing about her in any of the history books.”

"There’s reasons for that,” she muttered quietly. “... Topaz and Beryl were partners… in more ways than one. You see, Beryls are bodyguards, and she was assigned to Topaz a long time ago, during the war. After a while however… it was no secret there was something more there than just a boss and bodyguard relationship between them." Yellow spoke, her shoulders tensing slightly. “Topaz was a big target during the war. Many of Pink’s forces saw how serious of a threat she was becoming as she climbed through the ranks, so they made sure to try and take her out at every turn. Topaz’s manager decided she was too important to risk her being taken out by something trivial, like being ambushed at a social event, so Beryl was assigned to her.”

Hema pursed his lips, raising a brow slowly.

“Wait… I thought Beryl was just Topaz’s, like. Partner-partner.”

“Oh, she was. But, she began as merely a guard.” Yellow smirked weakly and rubbed her forehead. “In fact, Beryl hated working for Topaz at first.”

“Psh, really? How come?”

Yellow Diamond sighed, pouring herself another cup of tea. She stared down at the dark, glittering liquid, her eyes thoughtful.

“Putting it lightly, Topaz used to be far less tactful back when she was trying to establish herself as a general. Perhaps she was just a product of my leadership, but she was aggressive and stubborn, and very rarely thought of the safety of other gems. But… I don’t know, after Beryl started working for her, something started to change in her. It took about fifty years, but it was noticeable. She spoke more softly, she was more patient with matters that normally brought out the worst in her. She was gentler, more considerate. Ironically enough… Beryl softening her up made her rise through the ranks faster than she ever did being stubborn and aggressive.”

Hematite frowned, glancing away.

“So, Beryl was a really kind, sweet gem, then?” he asked guiltily.

“... No.”

“... Huh? But you just said-”

“I said she softened Topaz. I never said Beryl was soft.” Yellow quietly sipped her tea, taking a moment to breathe in the strong, cutting scent. “Beryl was. Hard to read, from what I heard. I only met her a handful of times personally, and I spoke with her far less than that. From what I gathered back then, she was a very thoughtful individual. Beryls are usually designed for quick wit in battle, and have an innate ability to harness bursts of strength in the heat of a fight, so they can protect themselves. In some ways, she was exactly like her kind. And, in others… she was so different. Beryls weren’t meant to be intimidating, yet Topaz swore up and down that her bodyguard was one of the most commanding, intimidating gems she knew.” Yellow gazed outside, watching the quickly-setting sun cast the city in warm hues. “Sometimes I wonder who was in charge in their relationship. Topaz never fully admitted it, but I’m almost certain that most of her decisions were made through Beryl. She thought the world of her, and looked to her for far more approval than I could, or will, ever understand. I almost wish I had gotten to know Beryl better. For such a petite, quiet gem to command so much respect from the gem she’s supposed to guard… it’s quite a feat.”

Hematite shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking out the window. He almost wished he hadn’t asked anything… but he supposed it was better to know than to keep telling himself Beryl was a terrible person.

“... So then, what happened? Why wasn’t she with Topaz anymore? She was just… wandering around on Topaz’s colony, alone. Did they have a fight or something?”

“Tch. Hardly,” Yellow scoffed, sneering. “There’s a reason we’ve excluded her from the history records. She wound up being a little traitor. Everything was fine up until the end of the war... Beryl went missing soon after she was found guilty of badly cracking a general. She was to be brought to justice, and shattered for her crime... she was suddenly nowhere to be found. She somehow escaped prison under the watchful eye of a few Jaspers we’d retired from regular warrior duty. Then, she just. Vanished. We assumed she had either perished out in the wild or by the hand of the enemy… That is of course, until we made tracking gems. Until White made _you_. And the rest… is history."

Frowning, the ivory-haired gem drank the last of his tea.

"I see. I suppose she was in hiding all those years."

Yellow gazed at Hematite thoughtfully. Her brows slowly knitted together, and a silent question parted her lips for a moment.

“... You never did tell any of us how Beryl was shattered, did you?”

“No. I prefer not to talk about it, if I can avoid it,” he replied quickly. Yellow pursed her lips, sighing quietly.

“May I at least have the short version? I’d like to know.”

Hema shifted uncomfortably.

“... I was on a mission on Topaz’s colony. It’s the same mission that led to me getting destabilized for the first time, and ending up with my short hair.” He gestured to his head. Yellow glanced at his hair before looking back at him.

“Hm. I remember you coming back with that. I. Suppose back then I wasn’t too inclined to ask what had happened.”

“It’s uh… it’s okay. We both know we weren’t on good terms back then. Discussing hairstyles wasn’t really on our to-do lists,” he said with an awkward chuckle. “U-uhm. Anyways.” Looking down at his glass, Hematite wilted with a sigh. “On my way back to the warp, I ran into her. We talked for a while and she was acting really shifty, and I thought I recognized her. So I checked my ‘wanted’ list and… sure enough. She was filed under ‘shatter if violent, capture if compliant.’ She made a run for it, I cornered her… annnd when I tried to. Subdue her. Something- I think it was lightning, it was raining heavily- struck me in the back. It hurt so badly that I bit down, and.”

A heavy silence fell over the two. Yellow looked understandably uncomfortable, but brushed it aside quickly. After all, she’d been the one to ask.

“... Well, what’s done is done. She attacked a general without provocation, nearly murdered them, and then ran from justice. I’m only sorry that this incident caused us all so much trouble- yourself and White especially.”

“Mmm.” With a soft huff, the service gem glanced up to the side. "Yeah, well... it's over with now." Reaching over, Hema grabbed the teapot and poured himself another half a cup. "And here's to another accident like that never happening again, and… may Topaz find peace, wherever she is," he muttered, brows furrowing.

Yellow grabbed the teapot, pouring herself another glass. Holding up the piping hot cup, she clinked it against his and raised a brow.

"I'll drink to that."

The service gem smiled weakly and chuckled, bringing his teacup close to his face. After blowing on the hot drink, he looked out the window and swung his feet under his seat. The three gems fell silent, enjoying the quiet. It was a tad heavy with the subject of Topaz slowly fading, but in time, the uncomfortable topic seemed to waft away as easily as the steam rising above the teapot.

 

After some time, Hema slowly smiled, raising a brow as he cast a long, mischievous look at his superior.

"You know, so many gems don't seem to understand the value of having quiet evenings like this."

Yellow sunk her shoulders and sat back, staring into her cup. Quietly, she took a sip, closing her eyes.

Hematite felt a wide smile slowly cross his face, and he turned his attention out the window again, not moving his head. Just barely holding his composure, the service gem sipped his tea, closing his eyes.

"Yep. You could say that most gems take moments of solace like this… for granite."

Yellow slowly looked up from her drink, narrowing her eyes. Gradually, she lowered the cup from her lips, drawing her mouth into a thin line.

"I have half a mind to zap you for that, you know..."

A tiny snort escaped the service gem, and he lowered his cup abruptly, glancing at his superior.

"Aww, what? You don't like my jokes?" he asked in amusement, trying to keep his composure. Yellow rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her drink and giving the service gem a look.

"I don't like puns," she said simply. Yellow's Pearl folded her arms together, leaning back in her seat and shooting Hematite a rather cocky sneer. "My Pearl does though." Yellow continued, earning a startled gasp from the Pearl. She waved her hands defensively, silently trying to deny Yellow's statement. The Diamond chuckled subtly, looking down into her cup.

Hematite chuckled and glanced at the Pearl, raising a brow.

"Do you now? I'll be sure to keep that in mind," he said deviously, narrowing his eyes. He sipped his tea, leaning back in his chair as he held the cup close. "But I'll keep that in mind for you as well, Yellow."

Opening an eye, Yellow set her cup down and grabbed her diamond pad, powering it back on.

"Thank you Hema. And… thank you for the tea. It was lovely," she said quietly, glancing down at the gemtech in her hands.

The service gem perked up at Yellow referring to him by his nickname, and he smiled warmly, glancing over at her. He spared a look at the diamond pad before he returned his gaze to the setting sun outside. Sighing softly, he closed his eyes, drinking the last of his tea.

_He'd have to try that joke on Blue instead._

**Author's Note:**

> 'The Harvester' updates weekly [when not on hiatus] and is moderated by both authors CZ and VT. Comments and constructive criticism are welcome, as we're constantly working to improve ourselves. TH's writing gradually improves with time, so please be sure to read to the most recent update before offering writing critique! If you'd like the full experience, make sure to check out The Harvester's official Tumblr: [ http://the-harvester.tumblr.com/ ] and official Fanpage: [ http://th-fans-official.tumblr.com/ ]  
> Want to get in contact with the authors? Here are each of the authors official blogs!  
> CZ: http://zodori.tumblr.com/  
> VT: http://vt-scribbles.tumblr.com/


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